persons also travel in and through the area just to observe the "natural state" specific to this locale.

The writer has spent many hours as a youth and an adult in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, hiking, camping and skiing, and recognizes the benefits derived from this 35,000 acres of forest land. It is also known personally that the acreage which is being considered for removal from wilderness classification is the very heart of the area most heavily used because of its primitiveness.

The above testimony points out why the Izaak Walton League of America is opposed to the placement of a commercial ski area or resort within the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, and why we feel that such reclassification of this land would be an act which would remove forever the opportunity for youth and adults to observe this truly primitive forest area as nature produced it. This would destroy a part of the rightful heritage which belongs to this and all future generations.

STATEMENT OF ALLEN GREENE, PRESIDENT, THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB

The Colorado Mountain Club does not approve of the provisions of the six identical bills introduced by California Representatives which would remove a large part of the center of the San Gorgonio Wilderness from the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The wilderness character of this land has never been questioned and in view of the fact that the San Gorgonio Wilderness is the most heavily used wilderness area of the entire National Wilderness Preservation System it seems inconceivable that any serious proposal would be made to remove the heartland of this area to provide for development incompatible with wilderness.

It is felt that any question regarding units of the National Wilderness Preservation System is a matter of national importance. The San Gorgonio Wilderness is of great value to the people of Southern California as a family, all-season recreation area and with the strides being taken and to be taken in the near future in rapid transportation it is obvious that this area will assume greater and greater importance as a wilderness area for the recreational use of people living far from metropolitan Los Angeles.

Within Southern California the San Gorgonio Wilderness is unique in that it is the only one of the three major high mountain areas where the wilderness characteristics have not been obliterated by development for commercial recreation. This alone should warrant its unimpaird retention within the National Wilderness Preservation System, and the present usage of this area for wilderness recreation indicates a need for considering the addition of wilderness type land to the present designated Wilderness Area.

STATEMENT OF MRS. D. W. LEAHY, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

1. MY REASON FOR SPEAKING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE: DEDICATION TO PRESERVING A FEW ACRES OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY IN THEIR NATURAL STATE

I am here to speak in opposition to H.R. 6891 and the five related bills as an individual who is impelled in a modest way to follow in the footsteps of such men as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Le Conte, who helped save the beautiful face of America for us all to enjoy. Without their foresight, commercial interests would have ruined our great natural wonders. I cannot see their work lost by the failure of the present generation to preserve a few parts of our country in its original wilderness status for us and for future generations.

2. PRIVATE INDUSTRY VS. GOVERNMENTAL CONTROL

I am a firm believer in private enterprise without which our country would never have attained its present material abundance. I believe in as little governmental interference in our lives as is possible. However, private enterprise frequently overlooks esthetic values and conservation needs in its understandable endeavor to succeed financially. One need only to travel through the Redwood Empire to see the effects of unwise lumbering practices which have resulted in barren hillsides and devastating floods. Or note how development has almost

destroyed the California Condor by interference with its nesting grounds. I could go on and on with examples but I merely give these two illustrations to indicate that the only way I can see to preserve a few areas of our great country is for the government to protect them from development.

3. SKIING IS A FINE SPORT

I want the committee members to know that I have no objections to downhill skiing. I do not ski myself but I have a teenaged son who is taking it up with my approval and encouragement. It appears to be a delightful sport and I try to encourage my children to participate in such outdoor activities as a healthful substitute for urban entertainments. However, here are ski lifts all over our Southern California mountains and the Sierra, particularly the Mammoth area, is available for downhill skiing about eight or nine months of the year. On the other hand in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, we have just one of such size and diversity in Southern California.

4. USEFULNESS OF THE SAN GORGONIO WILDERNESS AREA

I understand that the bills to which I have referred (H.R. 6891 et al.) do not specifically mention skiing as the reason for setting aside 3,500 acres of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area for development as a family winter recreational area. However, since past efforts have been made to secure a portion of the wilderness area for downhill skiing development, I presume that this is one of the reasons for the request. Regardless of the purposes for which the area is requested, there will be access roads and some facilities installed. Once this is done, the area is no longer wilderness. It may be true that this is the most desirable area for downhill skiing in Southern California, but it is also true that the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area is the only Southern California wild area which encompasses the range of life zones from the Artic-Alpine at the top to the desert areas below. The "replacement" provided in Section 3 of H.R. 6891 does not replace such a range. I know that youth groups are experiencing more and more difficulty in finding suitable backpacking and camping areas. The San Gorgonio Wilderness Area is the only such area I know of in Southern California which can be used by such groups as well as by naturalists, backpackers, overland skiers and those of us who love the great outdoors. It is simply a matter of keeping one wild area intact against the great population pressures of Southern California.

5. SUMMARY

Last year the Congress showed great wisdom in the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The lands affected are not Yosemites and Grand Canyons but just a few remaining wild areas in the country under federal protection for the preservation of their natural state for the enjoyment of all the people. The San Gorgonio Wilderness Area is among those included in this protection. Therefore, I urge the membership of this subcommittee to oppose all six bills which have been introduced to use any part of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area for development.

Thank you for your time and attention.

STATEMENT OF DR. GERALD M. SCHERBA, CHAIRMAN, DIVISION OF NATURAL
SCIENCES, CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGE AT SAN BERNARDINO

I wish to speak, as a private citizen, and as a field biologist about the value of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area as a scientific resource both for the instruction of future biologists and for the research problems that can be investigated there.

VALUE FOR INSTRUCTION

Biology classes in botany and ecology from a dozen colleges and universities in the area regularly visit the Wilderness area in order to study its undisturbed mountain streams, meadows and montane plant communities. San Gorgonio offers an excellent site for the examination of the zonation of the biota with

increasing altitude and for an examination of the adaptations of many forms, such as certain birds to high altitude environments.

These phenomena persist and can be studied on San Gorgonio because the area is undisturbed. The introduction of large numbers of people, and roadways can alter some of the established interrelationships among plants, animals and the environment and render them less useful for study.

RESEARCH POTENTIAL

Undisturbed areas that are close to major educational centers offer important opportunities for research that frequently cannot be duplicated elsewhere. San Gorgonio is such an area.

The large, old Jeffery and Ponderosa Pine trees found on San Gorgonio are excellent material for studies of longevity and of the aging process. What are the processes that permit these trees to attain hundreds of years of age? Might such studies provide clues for studies of aging in other organisms?

These same trees, under the undisturbed conditions of this area hybridize to form a Jeffery-Ponderosa Pine complex. Is this an instance of the evolution of a new species by hybridization? Are these hybrids better adapted, or more viable at the altitudes at which they are found than either of the parental stocks? To date, we simply do not know the answers to these questions.

What is the long-term history of undisturbed forests, such as some of the stands now found in San Gorgonio? Forests that are altered as by fire, climatic change or some other disturbance undergo a series of successional changes until a so-called climatic climax is reached. What then? What is the nature of a mature, climax forest on a western mountain slope? What rate of tree reproduction occurs? What new species of plant or animal reside in such a forest, in contrast to younger, or harvested forests. Long-term studies of the characteristics of species composition, growth rate and reproduction rate can yield information of practical importance in the management of our western forests. I urge that the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area be viewed as a national scientific resource, and that it be maintained in as undisturbed a state as possible so that as yet undiscovered facts of nature can be learned for the benefit of all mankind.

STATEMENT OF MABELLE C. REEDER, PASADENA, CALIF.

I regret that I will be unable to testify personally at the Hearing November 16-17. but respectfully request that this statement be added to the record of the Hearing:

I am opposed to commercial developments in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area for the following reasons:

1. Violation of the principles of the Wilderness Act of 1964.

2. Taxpayers would have to assume costs of roads and utilities.

3. Taxpayers would have to pay for use of land which is properly theirs for the profiteering of private developers.

4. Alternate ski areas are available outside of the Wilderness Area, many of them with better snow conditions than in Dry Lake Basin.

5. U.S.F.S. policy has stated that San Gorgonio Wilderness should be preserved intact-a statement as true today as it was thirty years ago or more. 6. Commercial development would be disastrous to the Santa Ana watershed and to the animals and plants unique to this area.

7. Bill 6891 does not indicate what "family winter recreation" really is and does not hold the developer responsible in any way for costs of construction, maintenance and operation. It does not make provisions for routing utilities in and out of area. It does not make provision for failure of operation as in the San Jacinto Tramway.

8. Bills 6891 et al. provide replacement of land for area taken at Dry Lake. This acre-for-acre promise is misleading. There is nothing in proposed addition which can compare to the beauty and natural resource of the Dry Lake Basin. Mr. Dyal and the other five Congressmen advocating the "family winter recreation" under the conditions in Bills 6891 et al. should be questioned as to their motives and possible gains. These Bills are not in keeping with the Wilderness Act of 1964, an Act passed by large majorities in both House and Senate.

STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY ROBBIN SCHELLHOUS, LONG BEACH AREA COUNCIL, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, CHIEF TRIBE OF TAHQUITZ, 1964-65

This testimony is presented on behalf of the Tribe of Tahquitz, an honorary camping organization of the Long Beach Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Tribe of Tahquitz was organized in 1925 at Camp Tahquitz in Idyllwild, California, with the purpose of promoting Scout camping through service and example. Its primary service to the Long Beach Council since 1925 has been to provide personnel qualified to serve on the Summer Camp Staff for Camp Tahquitz. When Camp Tahquitz moved from Idyllwild to Barton Flats in 1959, the Tribe of Tahquitz became vitally interested in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area. Camp Tahquitz is located on the northern edge of the Wilderness Area, immediately north of San Bernardino Peak.

My qualifications for speaking on behalf of the Tribe of Tahquitz include four years of Camp Staff experience. For the past three years I have been an officer for the Tribe of Tahquitz. Last summer, as Chief of the Tribe, I was in charge of the entire Camp Staff and director of the overall summer camp backcountry, or overnight pack trip, program. Thus, this testimony reflects the views of the Tribe of Tahquitz, and more specifically, the view of the members of the Camp Staff of Camp Tahquitz.

The heart of the entire program of the Boy Scouts of America is based on camping and outdoor living. Therefore, one of the most essential elements of the summer program of Camp Tahquitz is the backcountry program. Backcountry camping gives boys a chance to put into practice the many skills of cooking, first aid, stalking, pioneering, nature lore, and wilderness survival which characterize all Boy Scout advancement requirements. Most all skills related to camping can be practiced at the city park or even in your own backyard; but true camping can only be experienced when the spirit of camping is present. It is the wilderness which provides this intangible spirit of camping. It is only in the wilderness where boys can enjoy the thrill of being alone with the equipment they can carry on their backs and the knowledge they can carry in their heads. If the element of civilization is added to the wilderness, the spirit of camping is lost.

Use of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area varies with each individual troop which comes to Camp Tahquitz. Throughout the summers until 1963, troops from Camp Tahquitz made extensive use of the Slushy Meadows-Dollar Lake area for their backcountry experience. Some troops made day hikes to Slushy Meadows or Dollar Lake, while other troops spent as many as four days in the back-country. For many of these eleven, twelve, and thirteen-year-old boys, it marked their first visit to a real wilderness. Most troops, however, hiked from Camp Tahquitz to Slushy Meadows or Dollar Lake, spent the night, and returned to camp the following afternoon. Many of the older boys climbed Mt. San Gorgonio as part of their experience.

Beginning in 1964, several factors forced a shift in the use of the Wilderness Area from the Slushy Meadows-Dollar Lake to the Dry Lake-Fish Creek area. Slushy Meadows was too overcrowded. Troops often hiked for hours only to find the Meadows crammed with two and three hundred other people. Dollar Lake was running out of firewood. Sanitary facilities were no longer very sanitary. Trails were showing signs of erosion from use and overuse and misuse. Trash and litter were accumulating at an alarming rate. In general, boys were no longer able to enjoy the spirit of camping, that intangible element without which true camping is impossible.

In an effort to relieve the overcrowded conditions of the Slushy MeadowsDollar Lake area, and at the same time to restore the spirit of camping to the backcountry program, troops from Camp Tahquitz began to use the Dry LakeFish Creek area. As this area became more familiar to the Camp Staff backcountry guides, it rapidly gained popularity among the troops. This relatively little-used area was uncrowded, there was enough firewood, and it was uncluttered with trash. It was tremendously appealing because it was still in a virtual natural state, untouched by civilization. Use of this area restored the spirit of camping to our backcountry program. We emphasized this area almost exclusively in 1965 and of necessity expect to continue doing so in 1966. Furthermore, we fully expect other youth camps in the area to follow suit.

Therefore, based on our extensive use of the Dry Lake-Fish Creek area and the expected use by other groups in the future. we are strongly opposed to ANY development in this area which will alter the present condition of the wilder

ness. "Family winter recreation" areas such as ski lifts will remove the spirit of camping so essential to any camping program by introducing the element of civilization to the wilderness. If this spirit of camping is removed from camping in the wilderness, we may as well stay home and camp in our backyards.

The elements of civilization will be visible in the form of roads and fallen trees. But elements not so obvious and often overlooked will include power lines, pipe lines, and access roads cut to lay those lines. Also not so obvious an element of civilization is the ultimate pollution of water resources by the huge network of sanitary facilities which will be necessary if the "winter recreation areas" are to provide for any great number of people.

Further, we feel that if such development were allowed, and then operated only in the winter months, the very presence of any forms of civilization would still remove the spirit of camping during the summer months.

Thus, the members of the Camp Staff of Camp Tahquitz, having provided the backcountry guides for Camp Tahquitz for the past forty years, are strongly in favor of maintaining the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area in its present state, untouched by the marks of civilization.

STATEMENT OF RICHARD L. BOWER, PLEASANT HILL, CALIF.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness area was established by the U.S. Forest Service after extensive study and exhaustive public hearings, and has been formally declared a national preserve by Congress' enactment of the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (78 Stat. 890) (by a 373 to 1 vote). The declared national policy is to protect permanently in a natural condition a small part of beautiful America.

I know the subject area from personal experience. This unit of the Wilderness System is indeed magnificent. Its present size and boundaries are logical. I have studied the proposed legislation.

The earlier findings upon which the present land use designation was made, remain valid. A year-around untrammeled forested mountain wilderness, close to a great metropolitan center, is unique and precious. Good road access is provided to the area. Dozens of youth and adult outdoor camps are situated on immediately adjacent land. Visitorship continues to increase in each season including winter.

In this proposition to modify signally the present boundaries I foresee a very extensive resort development which would have an adverse effect upon the whole area. To grant a variance from the present land use zoning would upset the present balanced concept. Excising the scenic heartland would contract essential values. Erecting a building complex, parking lots, and elaborate lift systems would destroy utterly the wilderness character of the immediate and surrounding land, right in the middle of the dedicated area.

There are skiers who appreciate the snow and icicle festooned pine and fir trees of the winter wonderland. And there are downhill skiers who whoosh down the slopes without regarding the natural beauty. For many, the cocktail lounge at the resort lodge provides the principal attraction. And too, there is the lazy sightseer tourist who seeks recreation without perspiration by buying a tram ride to a grand view point unearned through physical effort. Some aspects of the following parable may apply to this situation. "Once upon a time there was a mountain peak with a wonderful view. People came from miles around to stand on top of the mountain and look out. The village at the foot of the mountain charged each tourist one dollar per head for the privilege and prospered thereby, but so few people could stand on the mountain top at one time, it was decided by the villagers that the only answer was to level off the mountain top to provide more room and increase the "take". This seemed to work so well that each year more of the mountain was leveled off until it could accommodate 10,000 people at a time. By this time the mountain was only 40 feet high and suddenly everybody stopped coming to see the view.

"Convinced that people were tired of views, the villagers, in the name of progress and a tourist economy, converted the flattened mountain top to a huge carnival ground and every night one could see the lights and hear the music all over the valley. They still attracted customers, but it was the kind of people who liked carnivals and not the kind of people who liked beauty."