Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Gray. Yes. Senator McClure, I'm Peter Gray. And I'm from Moscow, Idaho. And as and Idahoan, I am very proud of our wilderness heritage. Even though Idaho has the most designated wilderness land of any State except Alaska, it is still small compared to the forested lands used for other purposes. Americans need wilderness to preserve species whose habitats have been greatly reduced by the inroads of man and to provide a sample to ourselves and to future generations of what our continent was like prior to settling. I support the inclusion of the 10 core areas as endorsed by Idaho conservation groups. I oppose the hard release language for the Idaho Wilderness Bill. Future generations should be free to designate additional wilderness lands if they choose to do so. I am opposed to subsidized logging roads and deficit timber sales. Why should the taxpayers have to pay for roadbuilding which exceeds the value of timber in the area? Roadbuilding in many areas results in silting of streams and destruction of fisheries. The Idaho batholith soil is particularly subject to erosion when disturbed by roadbuilding operations. This is of particular importance when one considers that Idaho has some of the best sport fishing streams in the world. One area I'd like to focus on right now is the Mallard-Larkins area. And the Mallard-Larkins is a truly spectacular area replete with numerous high mountain cirque-basin lakes and ridges connected by several trails. This area should be expanded to include the canyon of Minnesahka Creek, the Little North Fork of the Clearwater, Five Lakes Butte, Collins Creek, the Pete Ott-Elizabeth Lakes complex and the Heritage Cedar Grove, which is a small stand of virgin western red cedar that escaped the 1910 fire. And I oppose any attempts to divide this area in half with logging roads and timber sales. I urge you, Senator, please do not make any hasty decisions that provide a quick, short-term profit that will prove ruinous in the long run. Many other areas are now being managed to insure a continuous, cost-effective timber supply. It is much easier for the next generation to remove a land from wilderness out of stump ranches and rivers of mud. Thank you.