UNited STATES DEPl\RTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FORE~;T SERVICE
324 2'>th Street
Ogden, Utah 84401
Honorable Cecil D. Andrus
Governor of Idaho
State Capitol
Boise, Idaho 83701
Dear Governor Andrus:
June 4, 1974
In response to your June 1 letter concerning the Forest Service
wilderness proposal for the Idaho Primitive Areas, I first want to
apologize for the misinformation provided by my office to yours the
day the Associated Press story was carried in the Idaho papers. The
Associated Press story, which quoted me, was essentially correct.
The individual here that your office talked with was not fully informed
as to the status of the proposal. I assure you there was no
intent to deliberately provide your office with misinformation. We
value too highly the fine cooperation between your office and ours
to jeopardize it in this manner. I have taken steps to assure that
information provided you or anyone else is complete and accurate.
The Primitive Area studies, report, and complete hearing record have
been forwarded to the Secretary of Agriculture for his consideration.
I can certainly understand your desire, and the desire of others in
the State of Idaho, to be fully informed of the recommendations which
the Secretary is considering. However, the Secretary needs time to
review the complete report and the hearing record so he can arrive at
sound conclusions and report his findings to the President. The
President, in turn, is required by the Wilderness Act to "advise the
United States Senate and House of Representatives of his recommendations
with respect to the designation of 'wilderness."' This is the
same process which has been followed for all wilderness proposals
since the passage of the Wilderness Ac~ in 1964.
Congress will undoubtedly hold hearings' on the wilderness proposals
and will afford you and other interested parties the opportunity to
again make your views known. Congress has freely used its collective
judgment in the designation of wilderness areas and, in the past, has
usually enlarged the classified Wilderness areas above the President's
recommendations •
I regret that I cannot make the wilderness proposal available to
the public until the Secretary and the President have had an
opportunity to review it. There will be full opportunity for public
input when Congress considers the President's proposal.
Sincerely,
~ VERN HAMRE
Regional Forester
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STATE OF IDAHO
OF,.-ICI!: OF THII!: OOVII!:RNOR
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
Honorable Frank Church
United States Senator
BOISE
245 Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Frank:
June 13, 1974
I am deeply concerned about the methods being used by the
u.s. Forest Service in the drafting of a wilderness proposal
for the Idaho Primitive Areas.
Attached is the response I received from the Regional
Forester at Ogden, refusing an official request by the
State to make public the regional proposal.
The Forest Service is conducting the people's business
in private. Too much is at stake to permit the secret
Washington, D.C. review process to continue. Idaho's
primitive core merits complete public scrutiny.
As Governor, I am asking you, as Idaho's senior Senator,
to officially insist that the Forest Service provide us
with a complete copy of the regional proposal as presented
to the United States Department of Agriculture.
jpl
enclosures
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
Vern Hnnu·o
Regional Forester
STATE OF IDAHO
OFFICI!: OF THE GOVERNOR
BOISE
June l, 1974
United States I~orest Service
324 25th Street
O£~don, Utuh 84401
Dear Vern:
An appUI·ont disregurd for erodibility at tho regional
office in Ogden regarding the U-S Forest Service t:~ildcrncss
proposal for tho Idaho primitive nroua leads to tho
conclusion that only a disclosure of the proposal can
no1:1 restore puiJlic confidence in it.
As a l'esul t, I am officially requesting that you
immciliately make public the proposal fonvardod to
Washington D-C "for l'eview."
Tho public has a right to lwow whethol' tho finul
position presented to Congress for approval is tho
l'osul t of genuine study uud public testimony or tho
arbitrary designs of fedora! bureaucrats ttvo thousand
miles mmy.
Tho wildoruess proposal is fnr too important to tho
State of Idaho to be thrust into a secret revie\:T process.
I lmm:~ of no Forest Service mandate to operate in a
vacuum.
S~lu_, 1,,
z:;il -~Q. ...L't..,.,._,~ Coc D. hncll'US ~ .... ,.,,.,,.
Governor
STATE OF IDAHO
CECIL 0. ANDRUS
GOVEA NOR
The Honorable Frank Church
United States Senate
Russell Building, Room 204
Washington, D. C. 20510
Dear Frank:
0"'FICIE 0,.. THill: GOVERNOR
BOISE
October 23, 1973
I spent a great deal of time studying S.2233---your legislation that
will establish the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
As you know from our past conversations, I agree with you wholeheartedly
that this area of our magnificent state needs protection from
future destruction. I am concerned however, Frank, about two areas
of the bill. One is Section 4(b) which states ''No department or agency
of the United States shall assist by loan, grant, license, or otherwise
the construction of any water resource facility that would have
a direct and adverse affect on the values for which the waters of the
Area are protected, as determined by the Secretary." This section,
I assume, is necessary to prohibit licensing of any proposed dam in
Hells Canyon, and this I agree with. However, could this same section
be construed by the opponents of such legislation as creating a prohibition
against any upstream involvemen1: that might in fact be necessary
at a later date, such as the American Falls project? Perhaps
I did not understand the specific reason for this; however, I do ask
that you consider it in light of opposition to development in other
areas of the State.
The other area that concerns me is exactly where the line will be
between wilderness designation and other areas where selective logging
could be continued. It seems reasonable to me to include the Canyon
itself, the faces of the Canyon and a reasonable distance back from
the rim into a special management category. However, there are areas
of merchantable saw timber that would be excluded from harvest if we
followed your attached map that really have no impact on the Canyon
itself, and I believe this deviates from our original intent in this
regard.
I look forward to discussing this with you further at a later date.
With best regards, 1 remain
zb
cc: IdAho WRB
John Hough
Sincerely,
CECIL D. ANDRUS
GOVERNOR
