Letters and Comments for July 1, 2009

Mildrexler

Peace, solitude and quiet

To the Editor:

My 1-year-old shows me daily how much people naturally enjoy being outside. We all share the national forests, an incredible resource where we can readily immerse ourselves in quality outdoor experience. With this shared ownership comes responsibility that we protect, so that others can enjoy.

Everyone has heard of “leave no trace” camping practices that many outdoor enthusiasts subscribe to. I think all recreation should strive to reach this standard.

It only takes a few moments for a motorized vehicle to damage a lush wet meadow, a riparian area or a high elevation alpine meadow. However, it may take decades or even centuries to recover. It is not unreasonable in highly sensitive habitats to wonder if full recovery will ever happen. No one has the right to abuse the national forests and end the opportunity for enjoyment by others.

The fact is most folks go to national forests seeking peace, solitude and quiet for their families. It is in these qualities that many people get a feeling of being “recharged” by nature. On the Wallowa-Whitman, statistics reveal that traditional non-motorized recreation including hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and hunting outnumbers motorized activities by a margin of 32 to 1.

By appropriately managing off-road motorized recreation, we protect wildlife, water quality, native plant communities and the freedom of everyone to enjoy traditional recreation on our national forests.

Please comment on the Wallowa-Whitman’s Travel Management Plan and note that the Natural Heritage Alternative (Alt. No. 6 in the DEIS) would provide the greatest level of resource protection out of any of the alternatives, maintain the largest areas for traditional recreation and designate 2,573 miles of roads and trails for motor vehicle use. Nearly enough roads to cross the entire U.S. will ensure plenty of access to the Wallowa-Whitman for everyone.

David Mildrexler

La Grande