59 



STATEMENT OF 



MARK A. REIMERS, DEPUTY CHIEF 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



FOREST SERVICE 



Before the 

 Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Natural Resources 



and the 



Subcommittee on Environment, Credit, and Rural Development 



Committee on Agriculture 



United States House of Representatives 



Concerning E.R. 3732 



May 19, 1994 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE: 



I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of the 

 Department of Agriculture concerning H.R. 3732, a bill "to 

 designate certain lands in the State of Idaho as wilderness and 

 for other purposes." 



Mr. Chairman, we commend Mr. LaRocco for his efforts to 

 complete a wilderness bill for National Forests in his 

 Congressional District, which includes all or parts of the 

 Boise, Clearwater, Nez Perce, Payette, and Idaho Panhandle 

 National Forests. Although it is our preference to see a bill 

 addressing the entire State of Idaho, we understand the desire 

 to try and move ahead at this time. The debate over wilderness 

 designation in Idaho has gone on for many years. The 

 difficulty in resolving the issue has resulted in considerable 

 uncertainty and we concur with the desire to resolve the 

 wilderness question in Idaho. 



