Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Galloway. That's the tree. Internally I would like to introduce myself as Susan Galloway. I was raised in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. My father worked for the Forest Service for 20 years and my mother is a nurse in the community. Externally I would like to refer to myself not as a woman in timber but as a woman in wood because I feel to regard every tree as timber is just like regarding every woman as so much meat. The year—I have lived—externally I have lived in Long Canyon. I was raised and born in Long Canyon. And I'm 500 years old. And in that time, I have experienced many mind-boggling experiences. I would like to share a few of these—my experiences with you. The year that I was born was 1483. And that was the same year that Christopher Columbus made a startling discovery that the Earth was round. And it wasn't long after that that my eastern brothers and sisters welcomed John Cabot to our North American shores. And he claimed our land for the British Empire. And when I was 121 years old, a ship called the Mayflower landed. And we were introduced to settlers who brought customs and ideas from clear across an ocean. And we, in turn, introduced them to a world that was strange and beautiful and full of plentiful resources in which to build an empire. During my childhood, I heard wonderful tales of adventure and discovery. And the one I like the best was the one about the revolutin in which we learned that the pioneers had taken the matter of government into their own hands. Well, today at 500 years old, I have seen—I see much hardships and economic strife. And I just want to emphasize that during my lifetime through all the changes that I've experienced, I've never lost sight of my responsibilities that I have in living in this area. To this day, I embrace each one joyfully much as I embrace the small creatures that find shelter among my branches. Throughout the centuries, my family has cooperated with yours. And together we have created an empire. And I would just like to say that I would like you to continue this relationship.