Wilderness offers the only way to permanently assure that our pristine, undeveloped lands will remain so, maintaining vital ecosystem properties such as undisturbed watersheds, habitat and movement corridors for native wildlife and plant species. When we designate an area as Wilderness, we insure large areas where natural processes like fire and insect infestation can run their course, allowing for the full historic range of biological diversity which in turn gives us the resources that we've come to depend on from our public Forests. Our air and water depend on a healthy Forest, so do a lot of people; Wilderness offers outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation for hunters, anglers, hikers and backpackers, horseback riders, sightseers, birdwatchers, and those out to find peace or renew their spirit. Barely over 100 years ago, these lands were all wild; today only about 8% of our land remains in the condition that framed our very heritage. The sooner we act to save this quintessential American value, the better.

A large, extensive network of motorized routes will continue to be open. If our wilderness proposal were enacted today, over half of Utah's National Forests would still be within one mile of a road. "Traditional" uses such as grazing have always been permitted within Wilderness boundaries, while others, like primitive visitation, are enhanced.

When public lands are converted to commercial uses such as drilling for oil and gas, coal strip mining, tar sands or oil shale production, clear cutting of forests, or flooding by dams, they are effectively "locked up" to all public uses of those lands that are not compatible with the selected commercial uses and the public is effectively "locked out." By contrast, designated wilderness areas remain open both for human recreation and enjoyment, and for the whole web of non-human life, in all its richness and complexity, to flourish.

Fishing is not only permitted, but enhanced by watershed, riparian, and aquatic habitat protection inherent in Wilderness. Hunting is allowed in all Wilderness areas, motorized access is permitted on existing maintained perimeter and "cherry-stemmed" access roads. Most hunters and fishers value Wilderness for the same reason hikers and birdwatchers do: because a huge part of these activities experience is exploring wild places and appreciating their beauty and their natural values. Protection of large roadless areas as Wilderness greatly benefits hunters because it provides critical habitat for many game species, including, mule deer, elk, Pronghorn, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mountain goat, cougar and black bear, turkey, ducks and geese. That's why many hunters and hunting organizations support the expansion of the Wilderness Preservation System.

"Wilderness and the public commons provide human beings the opportunity to be appreciative for our vast history and heritage. Few Americans have a private range or forest that they can hunt, fish, hike and build mental and physical fortitude through what is commonly called, "sweat equity." Our children will be grateful for our efforts to protect wild country and the creatures that rely upon it for survival. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers believe that wilderness is a prerequisite for the health of human beings and therefore, will work to support wilderness bills and other protective measures that will assure us a natural and challenging lifestyle in this century and beyond." (from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers website)

These are federal lands. Local input has its place but we must not lose sight of the fact that these lands belong equally to all Americans (Would we let NY'ers decide to put a Yankees cap on the Statue of Liberty? No, it belongs to all citizens, just like our National Forests).

Locals with a vested economic interest in unrestricted access to public lands have a history of opposing any form of federal designation that would restrict access or use of the landsÑwhether it be parks, wilderness, wildlife preserves. Our wilderness proposal is grounded in a conviction that the public lands should serve the larger interests of the many, over the selfish interests of the few.

People are not the only inhabitants of this planet, and not all of us agree that everything here is for us to take advantage of. These same people who have successfully lived for long periods and used fire/tree planting for management did so on a much smaller scale than is happening now. They weren't facing a world where such a huge proportion of its forests have already been destroyed, depleted, or otherwise degraded.