THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
ee eos uN DO! Br OeNe SO GL EBay. 
Roosevelt Road and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 5, IIl. 
Number 128 September, 1962 
THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE 
By Raymond Mostek 
THIS IS BEING written while Congress is still in session and the most im- 
portant outdoor conservation bill in a generation is still stalled in the House 
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The Wilderness Act, S. 174, has 
been in preparation by wilderness adherents for over a decade, and it has 
been debated for over five years in Congress. 
Opponents of the bill, the mining, timber, and grazing interests, have 
formed an alliance for reaction with supporters within the committee to delay 
or cripple the bill by weakening amendments. The Wilderness bill would 
merely provide Congressional protection over parts of our primeval national 
parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges. At present, an exec- 
utive order can be issued by a bureau head which would effectively destroy 
parts of our national heritage. 
The bill is now considerably weaker than when it was first introduced. 
Many desirable sections have been eliminated in order to effect a reasonable 
compromise, but these actions have not deterred those who see only dollar 
signs and not stars in the flag of the U.S.A. They are determined that no 
Wilderness Bill be enacted at any time in any year. They have eliminated 
certain sections of the bill; they have suggested that the bill not be reported 
out until the Outdoor Recreation Resources and Review Commission issues 
jts report — and now that this report has called for protection of wilderness 
and adoption of a Wilderness Act, they seek other delays. Our opponents 
seek to eliminate national wildlife refuges from inclusion in the bill; they 
seek to have every wilderness area adopted by individual vote of Congress, 
a most time-consuming and unnecessary procedure. ; 
Wilderness areas are needed for protection of vital watersheds, and 
watersheds are vital for many American cities and their populations. For- 
ested areas are also useful as natural flood controls. Wilderness is needed 
for the protection and continued existence of such declining wildlife species 
as the California Condor, the Alaskan Caribou, and the Grizzly Bear. Wil- 
derness is needed for the growth of certain plant species that eannot toler- 
ate disturbance; wilderness is needed for vigorous and exciting types of 
recreation. Passage of the bill would create no political jobs, add no new 
taxes, create no new bureaus. The wilderness areas to be protected already 
exist. 
The bill is backed by the National Wildlife Federation, the A.F.L.-C.I.0., 
the Garden Clubs of America, the National Audubon Society, the Sierra 
Club, the American Youth Hostels, the Wilderness Society, and hundreds of 
other organizations across the nation. 
The Wilderness Bill is supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. It 
passed the Senate Sept. 6, 1961, by the overwhelming vote of 78 to 8. Pass- 
age of the bill in the House is assured. Opponents seek to stall the measure 
until Congress adjourns and the whole legislative process must begin all 
over again, for all unpassed bills die with adjournment and must be re-intro- 
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