Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

PAPERMAKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION Mr. Klemm. I am currently president of the Paper Workers International Union, Local 712, who has approximately 500 members working at Potlatch. These people are all dependent on timber and related products as a source of income. If the present trend of adding more wilderness continues, the jobs that these people now have will be in jeopardy. On a personal note, I enjoy the quiet and solitude that the back country offers. I enjoy hunting, fishing, and just getting away from it all. The problem is my family does not backpack. We can't afford the expense of keeping horses for hunting or fishing or hiring the services of a guide. So we rely on vehicle transportation. To sum it all up, I urge you and your constituents to support a bill that would eliminate the constant trend of taking more lands that are now available for both jobs and recreation and declare an end to this and get on with other business at hand. I personally support no more wilderness. But in a spirit of compromise and to put an end to this matter forever, we would support a bill that would have—we would support a bill for additional wilderness that would have a minimal affect on existing lands now already declared wilderness. Thank you.