Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Marshall. Senator McClure, I'm Alan G. Marshall, a resident of Lewiston. And I would like to say that development of national forests in Idaho is proceeding rapidly but sometimes without much thought. I'm testifying about one area in particular; the Kelly Creek drainage in the Clearwater National Forest. I also would like to testify a little about policy; that of making irrevocable decisions about roadless areas. I would like to say that Kelly Creek area is nationally famous as a blue-ribbon cutthroat trout fishery. At one time, in fact, the stream to which it is a tributary, the North Fork of the Clearwater River, was famous for 4 and 6 pound cutthroat, as well as salmon and steelhead. They no longer exist as a result of development. Development of areas such as Toboggan Ridge area will inevitably destroy Kelly Creek as a fishery because that ridge forms one slope of Kelly Creek. Current proposal, which include timber sales and road building, inadequately protect this resource. This year, as in seasons past, I spent a week on Kelly and Cayuse Creeks. I saw the survey markers for the road. The new road will be at least twice as wide as the current 15-foot roadbed. It will be built on slops of 30 and 40 degrees. Significant erosion into both Cayuse and Kelly Creeks must happen as a result of this. And the destruction of the fishery will occur. This does not seem consistent with principles of multiple use. One last point about Kelly Creek drainage. One of the complaints I've often heard is that industries can't plan into the future without these areas. How about the State of Idaho? Much effort has been made by the State of Idaho to manage the Kelly Creek drainage for fisheries. We should not destroy those efforts by building roads in this area. Finally, we should not make final decisions about the development of all roadless areas now. We should make the decisions at the time that the need for development exists, and when information relevant to that time and place exists. Who knows what will be significant for us in 10 or 20 years? Development of the national forests is inevitable. It is the direction of development that is in question. Kelly Creek is already developed in the sense that it is managed as a nationally significant fisheries resource. We should not throw it away. Furthermore, making hard decisions about the future of all roadless areas does not make good planning sense from the public's point of view. The development and the price of development should be arranged at the time of need. We should not tie our grandchildren's hands. Thank you.