Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mr. Law. Senator McClure and members of the committee, my name is Richard Law, president of the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Lewiston Chamber of Commerce is very much interested in seeing the wilderness issue resolved. Our local economy and future growth is dependent on the settlement of this vital issue. I have no comment on specific areas or sites that should or should not be designated wilderness. The chamber does not endorse or support any group or industry plans. And we have no solutions for solving the dilemma. However, I am here ot impress upon you, the committee, and Congress as a whole, that wilderness areas are not economic assets. They do nothing for the communities surrounding them compared to what multiple use would do. I will let the timber industry speak for themselves and focus on the—and I will focus on the recreation industry. Our chamber staff recently did a survey on tourist inquiries that have come into this office in the past 2 years. This is some 5 years after the formation of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and designation of large amounts of wilderness in the Nez Perce National Forest. And Lewiston is the largest of the gateway cities to that area. Over the 2 years we received in that office 713 inquiries regarding the national forest areas. And of these 713 inquiries received at the office, only three asked about the wilderness areas. There were two additional letters asking about hiking. And there were two more that asked about horseback packing into the areas. Those seven letters indicate that about 1 percent of the potential visitors who were interested in visiting a wilderness area. The vast majority or 99 percent wanted to visit the NRA by road or by boat. While we don't keep records of visitors to the office that just walk in and out, the results would be very much the same. The overwhelming majority of Americans want to visit the forests without having to backpack into a wilderness area. The situation of foreign tourists is even more pronounced. During the past few years the chamber has entertained several tour organizers from Europe. There is a great interest from those people in the American—from those people in the American West. However, there is no interest from tour operators in getting off of a paved road much less walking into a wilderness area. While the U.S. Forest Service may estimate a demand for wilderness around large population centers, there is no great demand for wilderness area in the hinterlands. Some people in metropolitan areas may want to create more wilderness in Idaho, but they obviously do not want to visit them. The State of Idaho through a 2-percent motel-hotel room tax has embarked on a $700,000 advertising program to attract tourists to the State. It has proven very successful. 508 Thank you, Senator.