Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Mr. Reece. Thank you, Senator. I've come to testify today because I'm concerned, I guess, that in the current economic—I'm concerned that in the current economic climate and given the recent hard times in timber and mining that decisions regarding Idaho's roadless areas will be unduly influenced by these economic factors and that the long term and less easily measured benefits of a large and diverse Idaho wilderness system will be lost in the discussion of the number of jobs to be won by opening these lands to multiple use management. I realize at the same time that some lands currently protected by RARE II need to be opened to development and that this development is important and even crucial to Idaho's future economic health. But I feel strongly that the solutions to Idaho's wilderness 717 question now being proposed by both the Idaho Forest Industry Council and the Forest Service itself are too restrictive and ultimately shortsighted in their approach. I am also concerned that a hurried solution to the wilderness question now—before many of these areas have been adequately studied—will lead to the irreversible loss of wild lands, a loss that is neither necessary nor economically justified. I would like to comment more specifically upon the proposed Mallard-Larkins wilderness for it is this area that I am most familiar with and one that I especially prize as a valuable recreational resource for Idaho. I support the establishment of a Mallard-Larkins Wilderness of approximately 200,000 acres; that is, an area one third again larger than 156,000 acres proposed by the Forest Service and nearly four times larger than the area foreseen in the Industry Council proposal. I am convinced that the larger area is needed in order to preserve the natural integrity of the area and to provide for its effective management as wilderness. It is particularly important that the Minnesaka Creek drainage and the Little North Fork Canyon to the west and the Canyon Creek drainage to the north be included in the wilderness system. These areas are best managed if they are left in their present primitive state. It is hard for me to imagine, for instance, how the steep slopes of the Minnesaka Creek drainage could possibly be logged without seriously compromising the quality of the watershed and effectively destroying an important fall habitat for elk. Certainly the logging practices use nearby Smith Ridge—immediately to the west of the present pioneer area—do not inspire confidence that the area can be logged without major and irreversible damage to the delicate ecological system. To the north, the Canyon Creek drainage has been rated by the Idaho Fish and Game Department as one of the best roadless areas for elk in the northern part of the State while the canyon of the Little North Fork represents one of the most beautiful wild river canyons in Idaho. In my view, the long-term benefits to water quality, fish and wildlife populations, and to recreation far outweigh the short-lived economic benefit to be gained by harvesting timber in these specific regions. I strongly urge the committee, therfore, to consider the inclusion of these important areas in the proposed Mallard-Larkins Wilderness. Thank you.