Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Merrill. Good afternoon; can you hear me? Senator McClure, Senator Symms, it's nice to see you. And I hope—thank you for holding these hearings. I hope you'll have some time to spend enjoying some of the natural beauties of Idaho before you have to return to Washington. Maybe you could take Mr. Bevinetto fishing in Kelly Creek. I have a statement today from Mr. Art Rourke who resides in Moscow that I'd like to read for the record. The Kelly Creek drainage should be maintained without further logging and further road construction. This drain- age is used in northern Idaho. The drainage deserves special con- sideration because of its aesthetics and its natural fisheries. 745 Neither of these aspects, however, makes the drainage unique. What makes this specific drainage special in northern Idaho is its accessibility. Wilderness preservation does have a fair amount of roadless area that provides both beauty and fine fishing. Most of these areas are not readily accessible to the young and the not so young because of the hiking required. Northern Idaho needs at least one wilderness area that offers aesthetics and fine fishing to all age groups and occupations. I note from personal experience that children as young as four can easily hike up Kelly Creek. I also know from personal experi- ence that folks who have seen their 88th winter can also hike the Kelly Creek drainage without difficulty. It is past time to offer these two special age groups special consideration. I urge the committee to adopt regulations that will preserve Kelly Creek so that my children's children and their grandparents can enjoy wilderness areas. No dollar value has been calculated for such experiences. Forest Service has errored in this regard. They have also—they have errored, too, in considering logging that area that offers little in the way of valuable timber and a great deal in the way of recreation. Now, you had some questions earlier about the roads that went through there. I think that there are ways to get around that. There are several areas that have what they call cherry stems into an area. And, then, also it would be possible to make two separate wilderness areas. Thank you very much.