Dear HCN,
I am deeply
disappointed in HCN’s misrepresentation of the mission and
efforts of Wilderness Watch (HCN, 3/3/03: The Wild Card). Contrary
to what was reported, Wilderness Watch does not work to undo any
special provisions that were “grandfathered” by Congress into
wilderness legislation. The Wilderness Act itself allows a number
of special exceptions to occur in wilderness — we don’t
lobby to change those. The truth is that our focus is on preventing
degradation of existing wilderness qualities and challenging
numerous illegal activities and construction projects in wilderness
nationwide. As just one example, the article says that “Wilderness
Watch fights to remove cabins grandfathered into wilderness areas
around the West.” We did fight to remove three lodges illegally
built along the Wild Salmon River in the Frank Church-River of No
Return Wilderness. They weren’t “grandfathered” in
legislation as the article states, and a federal judge
agreed.
Wilderness Watch strongly encourages the agencies
to comply with the law in managing the public’s wilderness,
not circumvent it behind closed doors based on verbal “deals.” Such
closed-door deals are undemocratic and often result in illegal and
incompatible activities taking place within wilderness.
For example, it has never been legal for citizens — including
ranchers — to drive motor vehicles in wilderness based on a
“handshake” with some bureaucrat. Wilderness is intended to be a
place that is free of motor vehicles. The only exceptions to this
are if it is absolutely necessary in order to protect some aspect
of the wilderness resource, or if an entity holds a valid existing
right for motorized access, but in every case the environmental
impacts of that access must be disclosed and the public allowed an
opportunity to comment.
Turning a blind eye to ranchers,
miners and loggers on public lands was supposed to have ended a
generation or two ago. Decades of scientific research reveal that,
system-wide, our wildernesses are less wild and more degraded than
they were 20 years ago. Bills that call for new developments in
wilderness or permit incompatible activities — like routine
vehicle use — to continue will accelerate this downward
trend.
George Nickas
Missoula, Montana
The writer is executive director of Wilderness
Watch.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Wilderness Watch upholds the law.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
