Wilderness planner seeks compromise

KETCHUM, Idaho — U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson wrapped up two days of public meetings on Friday after listening to dozens of complaints and comments about his proposal to preserve nearly 300,000 acres of the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness.

Mostly, he heard complaints.

Wilderness supporters criticized Simpson for his proposed land giveaway to Custer County and for leaving lakes and trails out of the wilderness area. Mountain bikers and snowmobilers urged the congressman to keep open access to alpine peaks. A few off-road vehicle advocates said they were being shut out of a place where they enjoyed historic access.

Simpson told the crowd to compromise.

“If we’re going to say that we need to take all this out and make it all wilderness, we may as well just go home,” he said. “I want you to understand that compromises aren’t easy. You need to put yourself in other people’s shoes for a while. That’s what I’ve done, and it’s changed the way I look at it.”

Simpson has called his proposal a preservation and economic stimulus plan for central Idaho. It designates 294,000 acres of wilderness in the Boulder-White Clouds area but keeps the Germainia Creek trail cutting between the Boulders and White Clouds open to motorized users, who have opposed past plans because they shut the trail down. Motors are banned in wilderness areas.

It puts some areas popular with motorized users like the Fourth of July and Frog lakes in wilderness, while others favored by conservationists are left out of wilderness boundaries.

The plan would also transfer more than 1,000 acres of federal land to Custer County and would authorize a buyout of ranchers’ grazing allotments affected by the proposal.

Controversy between motorized vehicle users and preservationists has kept the matter unsettled for 30 years. Simpson hopes the trade-offs in his new plan will resolve the land-use debate.

Many said Simpson’s plan still had a long way to go.

Ketchum resident Deborah Kronenberg pointed out that wilderness is not about human use, but the lack thereof.

“It’s just not about us,” she said. “It’s not wilderness if it’s cut by motorized corridors.”

But Mark Alexander, the public lands director for the Magic Valley Trail Machine Association, said Simpson’s proposal would add about 10 percent to Idaho’s existing wilderness. He said that was 10 percent too much.

“Our stand is, we feel there is too much wilderness now,” he said. “We’ve given in to wilderness all too often. We hope that you can see our needs.”

Idaho Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, joined others in criticizing a proposal to give money and land to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for motorized recreation and campground development.

“I don’t think they should be taking over management from the federal land managers,” she said. “It’s an under-funded agency. They’re having a difficult time taking care of what they’ve got on their plate right now.”

Simpson anticipates introducing his bill in the house this fall. Only Congress can designate an area as wilderness.