tony.latham wrote:
I live within a rock's throw of the Frank Church Wilderness that butts the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness to the north. Combined, it's the largest unroaded chunk of change in the lower 48 and anybody can go poke around anytime they want.
Much of what has been preserved from development and destructive resource extraction** is due to what I consider to be the foresight of Frank Church. Church was also instrumental in retaining backcountry dirt air fields so he also understood access. Many folks believe the designated Wilderness areas are off limits but that is not true. Virtually all Wilderness areas are accessible, though not by mechanized means. So to many who don't walk much, yes, an area would be closed.
Yes, I do think energy self sufficiency is a admirable goal. That goal would be more easily reached if the
top selling three vehicles in the USA were not the F-series Ford, Chevrolet Silverado or Ram pickups.
**
destructive resource extraction.... Have you ever seen the way they dismantle entire mountains and fill valleys with the spoil or overburden plus the coal sludge that is stored in old mine shafts and ponds.