Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

Ms. Spicer. Thank you, Senator. I would like to compliment you, Senator McClure, and your staff on these hearings and thank you for coming out here. They've been very smooth, well done. And it's been a pleasure to participate in them. I would like to, I guess, start out by saying that my family's been here in the Northwest for a very long time. They came out in the 1960's to the edge of Montana and the Spokane Valley and have been here ever since. And that—myself—I grew up here. And I have traveled some. And that when I traveled and I have lived other places that people always say, 'What are you doing out of the Pacific Northwest? Why would you come to the east coast when you come from such a wonderful place?' And they're talking about the very type of wonderful things that are expressed and preserved in the wilderness. The clean water, the fish, the mountains, the wildlife. And they don't have those things in many other places. And I think that it is our responsibility as Idahoans and as Americans to preserve those areas that are only here and are unique to Idaho. I would also like to make a point that wilderness is multiple use. It doesn't knock up anything. It doesn't prevent you from doing very many things in those areas. You can r11 more in wilderness than you can do in a national park. In fact, there are only a couple of things that you really can't do which includes logging and building roads. Also, once areas are designated by Congress as wilderness, they tend to be used even more greatly. They become greater attractions for recreationists, hunters, fishermen, hikers, campers, whatever. And by designating some of the roadless acreage on the Clearwater National Forest more wilderness that we will, in fact, increase the recreational industry as well as increase taxes that come from that industry. Thank you.