Number: 1986-20
WHEREAS, the Hells Canyon area has long been recognized for its unparalleled fish and wildlife habitat and resources, recreational opportunities and scenic wonders; and
WHEREAS, in 1975 the Congress of the United States recognized those values by establishing the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (HCNRA) in order to protect and maintain fish and wildlife habitat, maintain the free flowing nature of the rivers, and conserve the scenic, recreational, wilderness, cultural, scientific and other values; and
WHEREAS, Congress specified in the Act that timber harvest would be by selective cutting only, and that it would join mining, grazing and the continuation of existing uses in being allowed only as they are compatible with the purposes of the Act; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Service’s management plan for the HCNRA allows shelterwood cutting, clearcutting, overgrazing and the development of roads that threaten elk calving grounds and other wildlife habitats; and
WHEREAS, the Congress also directed the Forest Service to do wilderness studies, and the Park Service to do a Wild and Scenic River study for the lower 33 miles of the Snake River, and those studies have been completed and submitted to the Congress;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 20-23, 1986, in Seattle, Washington, adopt the following policy in support of amendments to the HCNRA:
- the designation of additions to the Hells Canyon Wilderness,
- the addition of the lower 33 miles to the Snake Wild and Scenic River,
- the clarification by Congress of timber practices that will be allowed within the HCNRA so that said timber practices further the purposes for which the HCNRA was established, and
- a maximum annual limit on timber harvest of one million board feet or less limited to areas available for timber harvest and allocated for harvest in the current land use plan.