Wilderness Commentary

My 10th-grade biology teacher at Central High School in Memphis opened up a magical world to me decades ago -- encouraging our class to get out and experience nature. The field trips we took gave me my first real introduction to nature.

It has been five years since the debate about wilderness in Doña Ana County began in earnest. These discussions have taken many twists and turns over the years but, thankfully, have resulted in the development of a sound and widely-supported proposal for protecting sensitive wildands in our community. As a wilderness supporter, I have been proud to participate in a diverse coalition of organizations and citizens who have fought for the central vision of protecting the Organ Mountains and nearby public lands.

So does U.S. Sen. Jim Risch still support his colleague Rep. Mike Simpson's Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act bill?

Risch remains a co-sponsor of the legislation that would preserve 332,775 acres as wilderness in Custer and Blaine counties, but the Idaho Statesman reported this week that the first-term Idaho Republican has backed off his support for CIEDRA.

That support is critical if Simpson's epic 10-year-long effort at a central Idaho wilderness compromise is to become law.

Aldo Leopold once wrote, "Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

What brought me to Idaho years ago were its wild animals, wild rivers and especially its wild lands. As a hunter, I marvel at the abundance of game animals and at the beautiful public places to hunt. My favorite places to hunt are where the roads end and the trails begin. Like many Idahoans, I leave my truck (and ATV) behind, grab my bow and head out on foot into the high country.

I recently returned from a short vacation, and was disappointed to learn that the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources charged with marking up Sen. Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act had tried to strip key forest management components from the bill and make it a pure wilderness bill. Many of us who are proponents of more land being protected as designated wilderness might have preferred a "clean" wilderness bill.

On June 9, Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker introduced the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010. We Tennesseans are fortunate to have senators who value and appreciate our natural heritage and our recreational resources.

Their introduction of the bill is appreciated by everyone who hikes, horseback rides, hunts, fishes and simply enjoys the beautiful natural areas. There will be 19,568 acres of scenic mountain lands protected in six areas, all currently owned by the government and part of the Cherokee National Forest, both north and south of the Smokies.

Think of how the forests and mountains of the southern Appalachians shaped the lives of the pioneers who crossed them to settle in places like Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol. Following trails blazed by Daniel Boone, Henry Johnson came here to found Johnson City in 1856, along the newly laid railroad running from Chattanooga to Bristol.

I have hiked more than 6,000 miles on Idaho trails. I continue to hike with my husband, Wayne, with friends and with our five children and seven grandchildren.

Dear Editor:

I drove two hours from Aspen to Edwards via Cottonwood Pass in Eagle County, probably part of your district, to speak strongly on behalf of the proposed Hidden Gems. Though I have flown over a large part of the proposed Hidden Gems with Bruce Gordon of Ecoflight, I was able on the ground to see all of the north side of Basalt Mountain and much of Red Mountain, all part of the proposed Hidden Gems plan.