47 



An effective management plan must spread out use to avoid 

 crowding, and this bill throws away that valuable option. 



I support the Forest Service plan for managing the Snake River. 

 The plan is the result of thousands of manhours of work and com- 

 promise by every user group. It allows traditional uses while it pro- 

 tects the Hells Canyon resource. 



Now, after the planning process is almost complete, H.R. 2568 is 

 designed to eliminate only the sacrifice and compromise that the 

 powerboat community made, and it ignores and leaves on the table 

 the sacrifice and compromise made by floaters and other non- 

 motorized users. 



The Snake River and Hells Canyon is a National treasure. I com- 

 mend the Forest Service for its management of rafting on the 

 Snake, and for the thorough and fair public planning process that 

 the agency conducted over the past seven to eight years in order 

 to come up with this new plan. 



I strongly support limited use for all users including Jetboats, 

 and I encourage the members of the committee to support the For- 

 est Service's plan. I hope that Congress will not legislate manage- 

 ment decisions for the Hells Canyon NRA. 



I truly appreciate the opportunity to express my views and at- 

 tend this hearing. 



[The prepared statement of Jerry Hughes may be found at the 

 end of hearing.] 



Mrs. Chenoweth. Thank you, Mr. Hughes. Mr. Hauptman. 



STATEMENT OF GEORGE HAUPTMAN, OWNER, CANYON 

 OUTFITTERS 



Mr. Hauptman. My name is George Hauptman. I reside in Half- 

 way, Oregon, and I am a fourth-generation Oregonian. 



Over the years, I spent most of my life working outdoors in Or- 

 egon. For the past 20 years, I have outfitted and guided salmon, 

 steelhead, fishing, and Whitewater float trips. 



I would like to say that the statement that Jerry just made I con- 

 cur with entirely, and I would like to add to that. 



As a group, or myself personally, we do not want to eliminate 

 powerboats in Hells Canyon. It is a traditional use; we accept 

 them; and in good conscience, I would never try to totally eliminate 

 them. 



I have been a permitted float outfitter in Hells Canyon since 

 1980. We are the second oldest float company in the Hells Canyon 

 National Recreation Area, and it has been our only business for the 

 last decade. 



During that time, I believe that no person has spent more time 

 in Hells Canyon than I have. I outfit and personally escort between 

 20 and 28 four-day trips per year through the canyon, and I spend 

 between 80 and 90 nights a year in a sleeping bag in the canyon. 



The present plan that has been formulated for Hells Canyon is 

 a combination of a limited attempt to include the task force and 

 input from all the user groups in the canyon. The plan closely fol- 

 lows the original LAC proposal and except for a 24-day motorless 

 window on a 21-mile section of the corridor, the window was pro- 

 vided to allow an opportunity to experience Hells Canyon in a quiet 



