Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

GAME COMMISSION Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Senator. I'm Pete Thompson, chairman of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. I've lived in Bonner County for the last 23 years. And in my spare time, I run a small newspaper operation in Bonner and Boundary County. I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of the commission on roadless areas and wilderness legislation. In the national forest emphasized at this particular hearing, the commission specifically recommends wilderness classification for the roadless areas designated as A1981, Salmo-Priest in the Panhandle National Forests and the four Mallard-Larkin areas in the Panhandle in Clearwater Forests. The Salmo-Priest area encompasses the upper Priest River which is the primary spawning and rearing stream for large bull trout and west slope cutthroat from the Priest Lake system. Wilderness designation would preserve the quality of this aquatic system and limit access to minimize poaching of spawning fish. This area also contains habitat that supports our only known caribou population. This species has recently been designated as endangered under Federal classification. The roadless areas in the Mallard-Larkin complex comprise the best roadless elk unit remaining in region 1, including summer, intermediate, and some winter ranges. They provide the only substantial area for back country quality hunting and the only large scale potential wilderness available for the residents of the five northern counties. The mountain peaks and ridges support a base population of approximately 150 mountain goats which has provided at least 80 goats for transplanting to other goat habitats throughout the State since 1961. These areas contain major tributaries of the Little North Fork and St. Joe Rivers which provide excellent stream for fishing for wild trout. 354 The Commission also take the position that any State Wilderness bill should not include the so-called 'hard release' wording. If release wording prohibits future considerations of wilderness classification, the Commission then recommends that certain roadless areas listed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game be assigned to the category of further planning under the RARE II. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.