Dear HCN,
I think the preferred
alternative for the White River National Forest Plan is a huge step
forward, though I prefer Alternative I (HCN, 1/17/00: STOP – A
national forest tries to rein in recreation). I have yet to have
visited a national forest that didn’t have more than enough roads
and trails. Yes, just shut some down – gate them – and let them go
wild.
You can tell Lou Dawson that, yes, I am
selfish. I want biologically diverse forests – I want to smell the
rain in the air, hear the birds and the frogs, watch a squirrel or
a fox or a deer or a moose or a bear cub. What I want back from the
land is the pure joy of sensing the life
there.
We will not have the “ideal forest”
without human presence, but we can find ways to enjoy the forest
and not destroy what makes it a forest. I feel sorry for the people
who can only enjoy the land in ways that destroy
it.
And I’ll be sending my comments on the White
River National Forest draft EIS.
Ruth S.
Sperling
Glendale, California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Applause for reining in recreation.
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