time. The preservation of wilderness areas will allow that leisure time to be put to a use not only personal but also in our country's best interests. Recently our country's leaders have become increasingly concerned about the physical fitness of not only our adults but in particular our children. Outdoor recreation that exercises our people will help to overcome this problem, and such recreation can be done in wilderness areas. For when roads are prohibited people must hike to their goal, whether it be a campsite, lake, stream, or mountaintop, and such exercise for all of us is certainly in the best interests of our Nation's health.

Many times I have hiked for miles through trails in primeval forests to reach my goal for the day, and my companions and I have enjoyed and benefited from such exercise and the beauty of the surroundings. But such exercise combined with the spiritual uplift from the surrounding beauty will not be easily attainable for all of our citizens unless enough of our remaining wilderness areas are preserved. S. 1123 will give the protection of law to existing wilderness areas which are now subject to administrative regulation. It will preserve such areas not only for my continued use and enjoyment but for the use and enjoyment of the increasing number of citizens who every year visit such areas with the beneficial results outlined above.

I would urge your committee to imitate the courage and foresightedness of those who many years ago set aside our first national parks and wilderness areas by reporting favorably on S. 1123, and actively supporting its passage in the present Congress.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mr. Henriot, for a very fine state

ment.

Mr. HENRIOT. Thank you, Senator.

Senator JACKSON. Mr. Robert L. Alverts, Seattle.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT L. ALVERTS, SEATTLE, WASH.

Mr. ALVERTS. I am Robert L. Alverts, age 15. I am proud to be a member of the Boy Scouts of America. I am also proud of my unit, Troop No. 374, Highline District, Seattle, which is a hiking one, and believes and works wholeheartedly in conservation and the preservation of wilderness areas. It is my duty as a Scout, as it is stated in my scouting books, to defend my country's wilderness areas and to protect her natural resources.

Opponents of the wilderness bill say only a privileged few use these areas, unless you consider Scouts to be among the privileged few. We don't consider our troop to be among the privileged few, for we meet many troops on the wilderness trails. Opponents say these areas will be "huge locked-up wastes." We have not found this to be the case. Every year we take a 9-day backpack trip which costs each boy approximately $1 per day for food.

In scouting books we read of the terrific struggle Dr. Wm. T. Hornaday had in saving the last of the American bison. The herd had dwindled from an estimated 6 million to less than 100 head of wild animals. Dr. Hornaday helped found the American Bison Society in 1906, and thanks to him and his associates, we have today several thousand head living in protected herds here and in Canada. The bison has been saved.

But as the bison were being saved in the Plains States, our forests in western Washington were being slaughtered. We have the reminders today as I see 10-foot-high stumps, complete with springboard notches, rotting away on our hills and lowlands. Today the only virgin forest I can find is in areas like Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, in the high Cascades, and the proposed Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. At present some of this is in danger of being cut.

We read in our schoolbooks that some of the lumbermen say that due to scientific management our forests are growing faster than they are being cut. If that is true the problem is solved; we can have our wilderness areas and saw timber, too. The areas should be separated for all time.

Wilderness is a natural resource just as these other living birds and animals are. Indeed, without wilderness some species of wild animals and birds disappear. Here in Washington the Olympic grey wolf is gone from our beloved park. The timber wolf and wolverine have disappeared from the Cascade Mountains. Some will say this is good. Others will say and prove that Nature's balance is beneficial to the United States of America. Must we wait until wilderness almost disappears before we attempt to save it?

We in Scouting are grateful that the Congress of the United States of America has seen fit to propose legislation that will permanently insure protection to wilderness areas that are fast disappearing in busy America.

It is my ambition as a Scout to continue to defend and help protect these bits of wilderness that God has given to me and my country. My fellow Scouts and I hope that such areas will always be here to furnish the fun and adventures we have known. Thank you. Senator JACKSON. I want to compliment you. You're 15?

Mr. ALVERTS. Yes.

Senator JACKSON. You're off to quite a distinguished start here with a profound statement like that; very fine.

Mr. STRONG. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Alverts also brought a communication of S. L. Kelso for the record.

Senator JACKSON. All right; that will be, without objection, included in the record at this point.

(The letter referred to follows:)

THE EVANGELINE RESIDENCE,
Seattle, Wash., March 25, 1959.

Senator HENRY JACKSON,

Federal Building, Seattle, Wash.

MY DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: As one who has had many years of experience in the field of youth work, I cannot overemphasize the value of the out-of-doors experience as a character-building process.

This, of course, could be multipled several million times if leaders of youth and the persons assigned to mold the citizens of tommorrow could be permitted to speak.

May I urge your thoughtful consideration in the matter of preserving the wilderness areas-not for what today may bring, but for the strong America who are following us.

Sincerely yours,

S. L. KELSO, Senior Major.

Senator JACKSON. With the Bellingham group I neglected to call Mr. Hal Arnason, Jr., representing the Bellingham School Board. Mr. Arnason, if you will come up.

STATEMENT OF HAL ARNASON, JR., REPRESENTING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

Mr. ARNASON. Thank you, Senator Jackson. Member of the committee, ladies and gentlemen, I am Hal Arnason, Jr., representing the board of directors of the Bellingham School District 501, who, in regular meeting assembled, passed a resolution opposing the passage of Senate bill 1123. I will paraphrase our entire resolution here in order not to repeat too much of what has been said by other people speaking in opposition to this measure.

Senator JACKSON. The entire statement will be included in the record.

(The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT, BELLINGHAAM, WASH., PRESENTED BY HAL ARNASON, JR.

The board of directors of the Bellingham School District has passed a resolution opposing the passage of S. 1123, the National Wilderness Preservation Act. This opposition is presented to you for the following reasons:

(1) The school districts of Whatcom County have received $798,100.02 during the past 5 years from sale of timber in the Mount Baker National Forest. In addition, the county road fund has also received $798,099.97, and $84,567.41 has been spent on the improvement and maintenance of the Baker Lake Road to expedite the removal of timber from the area soon to be flooded by the Baker River Dam in this county. The schools' share of this money has been used to help maintain adequate schools in the county.

(2) The board of directors of the Bellingham School District has been entirely satisfied with the management of the Mount Baker National Forest by the local representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service, except that we opposed the originally proposed boundaries for the establishment of the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area.

As representatives of the people of this area, we believe that there has to be a proper balance maintained by the National Forest Service in providing recreational areas, wilderness areas, and allowing selective logging of ripe timber which would otherwise be lost forever.

(3) We see no reason to create another Government agency, the National Wilderness Preservation Council, to influence the control of portions of national forests which will hamper the U.S. Forest Service in its multiple-use management policy. In our opinion, the U.S. Forestry Service under the Department of Agriculture is capable of administering the forest lands for the benefit of all the various interests in our population, without tying their hands with unnecessary legislation such as the National Wilderness Preservation Act.

(4) We disagree with the principle that these wilderness areas comprising millions of acres of land should be established for a small minority of the population. The general public cannot afford the equipment and expense of trips into these areas not accessible by automobile because no roads can be built in them. This is proven in our area by the fact that the U.S. Forest Service officials estimated that 2,000 people entered the wilderness areas of Mount Baker National Forest as compared with the over 500,000 visitors in the other recreational areas of the forest. Adequate fire protection cannot be maintained for other timbered areas when fires started by lightning in wilderness areas cannot be quickly controlled.

(5) We disagree with the principle set forth in the National Wilderness Preservation Act that management of these areas should be legislated, but believe that trained foresters in an administrative capacity can best serve our national and local needs in administering these forest lands under the present U.S. Forest Service.

(6) We believe that much of the economy of the Western States is dependent on wise use of our natural resources and that good schools are also essential. The schools in Whatcom County depend on some revenue from the Mount Baker National Forest. Any further expansion of wilderness areas decreases the allowable cut within the forest based on the U.S. Forest Service formula that

timber will replace itself over each 110-year period. Cutting of timber under this plan is not depleting the timber resources but providing wise management without wanton waste due to loss of timber which may be diseased, damaged, or overripe, but unable to be harvested because it is locked up in a wilderness

area.

Mr. ARNASON. The board of directors of the Bellingham School District has been entirely satisfied with the management of the Mount Baker National Forest by the local representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service, except that we opposed the originally proposed boundaries for the establishment of the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area.

As representatives of the people of this area, we believe that there has to be a proper balance maintained by the National Forest Service in providing recreational areas, wilderness areas, and allowing selective logging of ripe timber which would otherwise be lost forever.

We see no reason to create another Government agency, the National Wilderness Preservation Council, to influence the control of portions of national forests which will hamper the U.S. Forest Service in its multiple-use management policy. In our opinion, the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture is capable of administering the forest lands for the benefit of all the various interests in our population without tying their hands with unnecessary legislation such as the National Wilderness Preservation Act.

We disagree with the principle that these wilderness areas comprising millions of acres of land should be established for a small minority of the population. The general public cannot afford the equipment and expense of trips into these areas not accessible by automobile because no roads can be built in them. This is proven in our area by the fact that the U.S. Forest Service officials estimated that 2,000 people entered the wilderness areas of Mount Baker National Forest as compared with the over 500,000 visitors in the other recreational areas of the forest. Adequate fire protection cannot be maintained for other timbered areas when fires started by lightning in wilderness areas cannot be quickly controlled.

We disagree with the principle set forth in the National Wilderness Preservation Act that management of these areas should be legislated, but believe that trained foresters in an administrative capacity can best serve our national and local needs in administering these forest lands under the present U.S. Forest Service.

We believe that much of the economy of the Western States is dependent on wise use of our national resources and that good schools are also essential. The schools in Whatcom County depend on some revenue from the Mount Baker National Forest. Any further expansion of wilderness areas decreased the allowable cut within the forest based on the U.S. Forest Service formula that timber will replace itself over each 110-year period. Cutting of timber under this plan is not depleting the timber resources but providing wise management without wanton waste due to loss of timber which may be diseased, damaged, or overripe but unable to be harvested because it is locked up in a wilderness area.

Now, we would like to put forth in support of these facts that there has been a claim that our wilderness areas are fast diminishing. We find in the American Forester that in 1939 there was an estimated 14

million acres classified as either roadless, wilderness, or primitive areas. We find also that in 1959 we have more wild areas than previously, 85 as compared to 75 in 1939. And the total acreage, if we add the acreage that has been set aside as national parks, is in excess of 14 million at the present time. Wilderness areas are enjoyed by 1 percent or so of our population. The great mass of people seek recreational areas devoted to multiple use.

I think it would be well if we would all heed the words of our former President Roosevelt and Mr. Pinchot when they wisely recommended a fair share for all with special privilege for none. We believe that this great principle must be maintained; and the National Forest Service has and will continue to manifest this principle of land management.

We sincerely doubt the wisdom of a bill that tends to develop a legislative history in the direction of a single use on a perpetual basis. The wilderness bill does this very thing despite the fact that wilderness use represents less than 1 percent of all recreational use of our forests, and at a time when the overall recreational development is one of the crying needs of the hour, and certainly will be one of the crying needs for the future.

Finally, we fear that the enactment of this legislation will set a precedent for and serve as a challenge to such special groups as mining, lumbering, grazing, and recreational users to demand similar special legislative preference for their interests, and who could deny that they are less worthy than wilderness people.

Finally, we think that the basic problem resides in the breeding habits of the American people, which no one can deny will create a growing pressure on all land uses.

Thank you very much for your time.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mr. Arnason. I wanted to ask you, Did you wish to have the copy of the letter to Mr. Stone and the resolution from the board of commissioners included in the record? Mr. ARNASON. Yes; would you please?

Senator JACKSON. All right. That will follow your statement then.

(The documents referred to follow :)

Mr. J. H. STONE,

Regional Forester, Portland, Oreg.

FEBRUARY 22, 1958.

DEAR MR. STONE: The Meridian School Board at their regular meeting went on record as being opposed to the inclusion of marketable timber being included in the proposed Glacier Peak Wilderness Area.

We are not opposed to the increases in the size of the wilderness area but we are opposed to having natural resources locked up so that they cannot be used for the benefit of the citizens in this area.

Very truly yours,

VESTA CLARKSON,

Clerk, Meridian School Board.

RESOLUTION OF WHATCOM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Whereas the U.S. Congress is now conducting hearings for consideration of legislation which will increase the number and extent of wilderness areas in the national parks; and