Enough wilderness

To the editor,

Hold the line on increasing wilderness in Northwest Montana.

In 1964, you could ride a trail bike to the wilderness boundary, and there you could go no further. Today, after the additions of the Great Bear Wilderness, you cannot ride to the wilderness boundary. And in many places, you can't drive there in a car or truck either.

You might think after such an addition to the Bob Marshall Wilderness that the wilderness advocates would lighten up a little and let others enjoy at least part of the forest as berry pickers, loggers, trail bikers, firewood gatherers, sightseers and hunters.

No, they push for old-growth rules, road-rip destruction, and road and trail closures with restrictions.

About half of the Flathead National Forest is in wilderness. Half and half on any scale is balance. Now, wilderness advocates are successfully causing motorized access of any kind to be blocked on most of the 25 percent of the Forest we were promised access to in the Forest Plan.

If anyone thinks differently, try going to your favorite berry-picking spot. Or try finding an open road with nice firewood without bird tree signs.

In 2003, you could all see hundreds of acres every day going up in smoke. Hunters, how many ridges are available by road to afford you a good hunt?

How about a family camp outing without being cramped up with 30 other campers with a pay at the gate. Our increasing senior citizen population demands more motorized multiple-use access, not less.

Say no to more wilderness in Northwest Montana. Remember the public opinion poll taken a few years back on adding additional wilderness acres to the Cabinet Mountains. It was voted down.

The vote in Flathead, Lincoln and Sanders counties just a few years ago showed 80 percent of the registered voters wanted no more roadless areas.

Wilderness advocates also have the vast part of Glacier Park without roads or motorized trails.

When wilderness advocates sue and lobby the Forest Service to curtail snowmobiling, as in the North Fork, while promoting cross-country skiing in it's place, tell them no more wilderness additions in Northwest Montana.

Hope to see "No more wilderness" stickers soon.

Call or write Sen. Max Baucus, Rep. Dennis Rheberg and Sen. Conrad Burns.

Clarence Taber

Columbia Falls