Commendable as it is, these young people are not in search of a better life, but a superlife. Will California prove the paradise they hope it will be?

There is a second group whose dreams may never be realized by the life of the city. Farmers struggled with nature for a livelihood. They left the farm for the city only to learn that the struggle was not over. It was only of a different kind. The city had transformed the conquest. Instead of being a conquest between man and nature it was now one between man and man. The city also spawned a conflict within man himself.

Dr. Melvin Calvin, Nobel laureate at the University of California, Berkeley, said at the Davis conference:

One must watch in horrible fascination the bulldozer leveling an orchard, the mixer covering all with cement and the life in the soil destroyed for generations. The suburban area built by man has destroyed the landscape. *** Eventually, as with lemmings, the irritation of his own numbers may increase beyond tolerance.

Natural areas and open space may prove invaluable as a means of relieving high tension and giving solace.

Great oil companies have spent literally millions to find the best lubricant to keep friction down in machines. We have made such great progress in technology and are so lagging in our social and behavioral sciences that we seem to regard the machine as of great worth and man as worth almost nothing. We need to make strides in cutting down friction among men and in lessening mental and emotional stresses and tensions.

If man is to live the good life of which he dreams, one that yields an array of satisfactions and an overall sense of well-being, he must be able to leave the frustrations, confusions, and anxieties of the city behind and go out into the country. He must have opportunity to experience open space and to relax and enjoy life in the presence of unsubdued nature.

Childhood is a time of preparation. If the city dweller as a child has gone to an outdoor school and has been prepared by education to understand and appreciate nature, it seems reasonable to expect that as a citizen he will attach importance to natural values and benefits. He will want to see them conserved.

Let us hope we have the wisdom today to preserve wild areas for the needs of tomorrow. Wild areas are one of the essential building blocks important in building a better America for the great society to come. Mr. BARING. Thank you, sir.

Our next statement will be that of Jeanne Goodman.
Mrs. Goodman.

STATEMENT OF JEANNE GOODMAN

Mrs. GOODMAN. I am Jeanne Moore Goodman.

As cross-country skier, hiker, backpacker, camera-and-pen buff, naturalist's wife, and mother of three children who have packed into the more remote sections of the wild area for days at a time, I am opposed to commercialization of this priceless country.

Our family has its happiest times enjoying the wilderness together. We hike into the San Gorgonio complex at all seasons of the year, but least of all in summer when it is hot and dusty.

I want to illustrate the meaning of wilderness to us:

Wilderness is a duel with the elements. Mary (present in winter togs, with backpack) stands for our wintry scrambles-when we wade through rotten snow up to our hips, cross ice-glazed slopes, glissade down the draws in our hiking boots. We have marveled at the alpenglow on snowy peak and hollow while caught in its enchantment at 10,600. The ice skates represent our dream to skate on Dollar Lake and, we will.

Wilderness is a vast, unspoiled view. Lee (in lighter clothing, backpack) stands for our springtime forays-when the air is crisp or mild, and the view from the summit superb sometimes. "Unforgettable" is the word for the night when we slipped along a trail by moonlight, the high meadow heavy with wildflower perfume.

Wilderness is a nature boy's delight. John-scantily clad, backpack-stands for our summer visits. In truth, he has never caught a fish in the wild area yet, but he knows how it feels to drink from an icy, moss-decked stream. He favors good lizard weather and always has an eye peeled for snakes. There was that tooth-testing time when we chewed, and chewed, and chewed rattlesnake meat around the evening campfire in North Fork Meadows. Leathery rattlesnake meat. Wilderness is a walk into wonder. I-warmer attire, backpackstand for glorious autumn hikes, when the changing colors overcome the power of speech. Who can resist the golden fall-leaves? But, I stand for our most gripping moment in the wild area too. This is when we stood, exultant, under cover of the pines, as a splendid bighorn ram stalked across the tarn to within 50 feet of us, his big horns curling back.

Such cherished experiences as we have had in the wild area would be denied children of the future, if commercialization were permitted. The wilderness is like a bell. It has a special ring. Crack 10 percent of it and artisans can cast a new bell, but who can shape a wilderness?

Promoters have an imposing array of facts, but to me, they add up to one big roar. In lamb's wool, this roar emerges as a bleat, urging family winter recreation in the wild area. But, stripped of its disguise, the roar bellows, "We want lift-skiing" in the wild area.

The tragedy of this roar is that it thunders in ignorance. It neglects a basic fact of small wilderness tracts which is that development and wilderness cannot exist side by side. There is no doubt that resort skiing would thrive, but wilderness values would perish. And that is the eye of the needle.

What poetry is there in a meadow which has been trampled to death? What poetry in a fouled-up, litterbugged stream? What poetry in a timbered slope laced by roads, parking lots, ski runs, and lifs towers? What poetry in a wilderness vastness which has been given over to the clangor of civilization?

Far from being a roar, the testimony of prowilderness people resembles the sound of music. Their orchestrations are hymns dedicated to the grandeur of Mount San Gorgonio. What a mistake it would be to let these strains wither into a funeral dirge.

Are there any questions by any member of the subcommittee? Mr. JOHNSON. I would like to ask a question of Mr. Gardner. You mentioned the Robinson Basin development. What is the situation in connection with that?

Mr. GARDNER. To my recollection, sir, if I have my facts straight, this situation transpired prior to the Wilderness Act. Again, if I have my facts straight, a request for permit from the Forest Service for development to develop a ski area in that area was denied on the basis that it would disturb a portion of the wilderness.

A similar situation existed in that the proponents of the development wanted to exchange some land in Piute Basin for the land in Robinson Basin.

Mr. JOHNSON. Well, for your information, the area was excluded from the primitive area prior to the time it went into wilderness status. I was the person who made the request and it was granted by the Secretary of Agriculture. There will be further consideration given to a prospectus in that area.

The area was excluded from the primitive area prior to the time it was placed in wilderness status.

Mr. BARING. Mr. Hosmer?

Mr. HOSMER. One thing I want to comment on. I had hoped the witnesses would cover it, and I hope some of the subsequent witnesses will cover it, although the area is a wilderness and does have all those values to the human being, I think the issue here is why should they be retained at San Gorgonio instead of somewhere else. Why should not people who like those wilderness areas have some obligation to go several hundred miles away as the skiers are asked to do? That is something I would like to hear some comment on. Mr. BARING. All right, we will call our next panel.

The next panel is Jim Hansen, Patricia Hansen, Ron Hayes, and Mary B. Hughes.

At the same time, I will call the next panel and they may be getting prepared to give their statement.

I will call Karola Kruse, Earl Lathrop, Reverend Leovy, and Peter Lundberg.

You may proceed, Mr. Hansen.

STATEMENT OF JIM HANSEN, REPRESENTATIVE, BIG BEAR VALLEY SPORTSMAN'S CLUB

Mr. HANSEN. Gentlemen, I am Jim Hansen.

I oppose present bills before Congress providing for a family winter recreation area within the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area.

(1) These bills are ambiguous. Bills before Congress should be clearly defined.

(2) The number of skiers using present ski area is exaggerated. Out of four ski lifts in the Big Bear Lake area, two operate on only weekends. A third is in bankruptcy. The only lift running full time (both on weekends and weekdays) is in debt to the SBA of the U.S. Government. All this is true after one of the best snow years in the San Bernardino Mountains and includes the fact that all of these lifts have snowmaking devices. During the winter of 1964-65 it was hard to find 1,500 skiers any weekday of the winter in this whole area.

(3) Many lodge owners in this area refuse to accommodate the type of element which follows the skiing sport. During the years we owned a lodge in the Big Bear area, we learned they are bad business for the hotel and motel industry. The image of skiing has degenerated into a sex orgy, beer-bust type of sport.

(4) Why reverse the image of virgin wilderness where children discover the wonders of nature to an image of loose, fast-living, selffish, one type recreation?

(5) Big Bear Valley Sportsman's Club, Inc., 1946 nonprofit organization. We vigorously oppose San Gorgonio as a ski area. Our 1,000 members wish this kept as a wild area for the preservation of almost extinct types of wildlife in the region.

Thank you.

Mr. HOSMER. Now, sir, are you speaking from your own experience or what as to the number of skiers on a particular weekend? We had another speaker up here who was talking in such generalities.

Mr. HANSEN. Yes, sir, I live right there, sir.

Mr. HOSMER. Well, I jumped him and I think I should jump you

too.

Mr. HANSEN. I live in Big Bear Lake.

Mr. HOSMER. Are you looking out the door or what?

Mr. HANSEN. No, sir, I have a catering business up there and my truck covers all these areas.

Mr. HOSMER. You do not go out and make these counts as to who is skiing and who isn't, do you?

I mean, the man running the ski lift over there, I think he would probably have a more accurate idea as to how many skiers are there. Mr. HANSEN. Yes, sir, he would probably have more accurate information than I would have, but I don't think there is anyone here from the ski lifts.

Mr. HOSMER. All right, sir.

Let me ask you this: Do you say that skiers are a fast, loose-living group of characters, in your opinion?

Mr. HANSEN. Yes, sir, I have a lodge up there also. [Applause.] Mr. HOSMER. Sin ye and profit not; that is the motto. [Laughter.] Mr. HANSEN. I am here as a representative of the Big Bear Valley Sportsman's Club also, as you will note.

Mr. HOSMER. All right, thank you for answering my questions. Mr. BARING. Our next witness will be Mrs. Hansen.

STATEMENT OF PATRICIA HANSEN, HOUSEWIFE

Mrs. HANSEN. Honorable Congressmen and fellow Americans, I appreciate this opportunity to address our elected representatives and voice my opinions on such an important issue.

I oppose present bills before Congress providing for a family winter recreation area within the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area. These bills are ambiguous.

(1) At this moment the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area and all wilderness areas are living testimonies to universal law and order. In them all Americans can pleasurably read the expressions of limitless time and force that have not only shaped peak and cloud but also our human destiny.

(2) The pleasure of accompanying about a hundred children in each group through parts of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area will always stand out as a highlight of my life—for it is an area that is experienced in many ways. It is not just physically refreshing but emotionally uplifting and spiritually rewarding.

(3) This national monument wrought by the primal elements is more precious than any manmade statute-we certainly wouldn't consider chipping away or scarring a statue.

(4) It is more ancient than any museum artifact, which we carefully preserve.

(5) It is more scientifically revealing than any textbook.

(6) It is more educational than a college course.

(7) From its serenity it gives us more inspiration than any sermon. (8) From time immemorial man has sought the wilderness for peace of mind-our religious teachings tell us that prophets sought the wilderness for inspiration. Today, more than ever before, man needs a wilderness away from chaos of everyday life.

(9) All Americans are now able to share in this retreat, this playground, this backyard-our_wilderness. No matter what age, race, religion, or financial status. It is there for our enjoyment.

(10) We all share its benefits-tangible and spiritual. It has been a proven esthetic point to southern California. We must not abuse our natural national heritages for a passing fad or fancy of a private business or concern. From past experiences we can clearly see their intentions of reaping private gains for the few at public expense. I would add, when you build roads you destroy the natural vegetation. There was a herd of sheep on the San Jacinto Mountains until the tramway went in, and they left. There is a herd on Mount San Gorgonio, but if this is opened for skiing they will probably leave too.

(11) San Gorgonio and all wilderness areas were set aside for all Americans. They are ours to enjoy, and to benefit from by preserving our national heritage of outdoor freedoms.

Thank you very much.

Mr. BARING. Mr. Ron Hayes.

STATEMENT OF RON HAYES

Mr. HAYES. My name is Ron Hayes.

The earth belongs to no man. We might have a right to use it, wisely, but we have no right to destroy it. Man has proven himself to be the most dangerous predator that has ever inhabited this planet. He has devoured nature as voraciously in the pursuit of progress as he has eliminated his fellow man in the pursuit of power. Our desire for material comfort and amusement is eliminating what is left of our great natural heritage in America. San Gorgonio is part of that struggle.

San Gorgonio just happens to be the only remaining true arcticalpine wilderness in southern California untouched by mechanization. The mechanized skier groups say there are not sufficient people who use the area presently to justify keeping it undeveloped. This is not only false, it is not a sufficient argument. Wilderness is valuable simply because it is not trampled by hordes of people. We, as a nation, draw inspiration from its solitude.