Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

CLEARWATER FLY CASTERS Mr. Hoge. Sir, I'm replacing Bayard Milne. My name is Bill Hoge, and I represent the Clearwater Fly Casters. This is, frankly, a fishing organization. And our club recommends that the proposal of the Idaho Fish and Game Department to include Cayuse Creek and Kelly Creek in the Big Burn Wilderness Area to be favorably considered. Most of the reasons for this have already been brought out here by other witnesses in great detail. And I've also submitted a memorandum for the record. The amount of timber that's in the Cayuse Creek drainage is rather small. And most of it is lodgepole pine. And I would doubt very much that it would be profitable for anybody to go in there and log that. It does contain a great deal of browse and underbrush that's very valuable for wildlife. Another point that I think should be emhpasized—some people feel the same to the effect that the wilderness area is not being managed. As a matter of fact, Cayuse Creek right now is being managed very efficiently by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. They're doing a superb job. And we would hope that they'd be permitted to continue to do so.