Letters Continued Roshko, Dr. Anatol, Altadena, Calif., to chairman, Public Lands Subcommittee, dated November 28, 1964_-. Ross, Joseph, Los Angeles, Calif., to Whom It May Concern, dated Sandefur, Helen C., secretary, San Diego Audubon Society, Inc., Schenek, Robert J., past president of the National Ski Association, to Public Lands Subcommittee___ Smith, J. Earl, supervisor, Thrift, Conservation, and School Savings Smithson, Warren J., Jr., Big Bear Lake, Calif., to Hon. Ken W. Dyal, dated November 15, 1965 (telegram).. South Bay Ski Club, Redondo Beach, Calif., to Hon. Walter S. Baring, dated November 16, 1965 (telegram)_.. Sparks, James E., Norco, Calif., to Public Lands Subcommittee, dated Stein, Mrs. David, chairman, Camp Committee, Long Beach Jewish Community Center, to chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, dated December 23, 1965__-. Tatum, Rupert F., president, Victorville Chamber of Commerce, to Page 489 500 490 Thompson, R. W. E., president, Hesperia Chamber of Commerce, to Hon. Walter S. Baring, dated October 26, 1965 Tyler, John, chairman, the Nature Conservancy, Southern California Chapter to House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated Valentine, John, president, Orange Y's Men's Club, Orange, Calif., to House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, dated Jan- Varner, Bruce D., secretary, San Bernardino Junior Chamber of Commerce, to Hon. Wayne N. Aspinall, dated October 29, 1965--- Walker, Mrs. Weston, executive secretary, Orange County Memorial Weber, Henry M., California Garden Clubs, Inc., La Quinta, Calif., 524 492 Wetbrook, Robert, China Lake Ski Club, Ridgecrest, Calif., to Hon. Willis, Leta, Fontana Garden Club, Fontana, Calif., to Public Lands 483 Wood, Robert G., Big Bear Lake, Calif., to House Interior and Insular 490 493 491 Alhambra District YMCA, board of directors, approved January 3, Apple Valley-Victorville Junior Chamber of Commerce resolution. - Coachella Valley Garden Club resolution adopted November 3, 1965. De Anza District No. 23, California Federation of Women's Clubs East San Bernardino County Water District Board of Directors, resolution No. 809, adopted October 26, 1965- Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles, division of camping.. Monterey Park City Council resolution No. 7035, adopted November Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce, resolution dated November 3, 519 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors dated December 30, 5 San Bernardino County Board of Trade, dated July 10, 1964.. San Bernardino Junior Chamber of Commerce resolution adopted San Clemente Garden Club, resolution passed November 3, 1965.. Ski Writers Association of Southern California, dated October 4, 1965 TRW Democratic Club, resolution dated November 12, 1965, for the preservation of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area.. Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of San Bernardino, resolution Guide to the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area.... SAN GORGONIO WILDERNESS AREA TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1965 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, San Bernardino, Calif. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in the Empire Room, National Orange Show Building, San Bernardino, Calif., Hon. Walter S. Baring (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. BARING. The Public Lands Subcommittee will come to order. I am Congressman Baring, chairman of the Public Lands Subcommittee. To my left is Harold "Biz" Johnson, Congressman from California; to my right is Bill Shafer, the committee counsel; sitting next to Mr. Shafer is Congressman Craig Hosmer, of California. I would like to introduce, although not necessary, your own Congressman, Ken Dyal, from the San Bernardino area, who will make the opening remarks and welcoming. STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN KENNETH DYAL, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 33D CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, STATE OF CALIFORNIA Mr. DYAL. Thank you, Congressman Baring. I am very pleased that these gentlemen could leave their districts at a time when we have had a long session of the Congress. I know every one of them are anxious to be in their district. We very much appreciate their being here in our county to hold these field hearings for the purpose of discussing the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area. This is unfinished business that was left from the previous act and it is important that they be here and I am highly gratified that Congressman Baring, Congressman Johnson, and Congressman Hosmer would take time off from their busy schedules to be with us. I would like to announce, Congressman Baring, that Mr. Goldberg, who operates this building, has consented to set aside a cafeteria line in the building. As you probably know, Mr. Chairman, a number of the people who are here today for the hearing as well as for tomorrow, come from many miles distance, some of them as far as 100 miles away. In order to have luncheon facilities, he wants you to know, if you desire, that there will be a cafeteria line. It might be helpful to the management if we could have a show of hands so he may plan accordingly. [Show of hands.] Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, the opportunity that you have given our people who might not be able to go to Washington for formal hearings later is 1 greatly appreciated. An opportunity is being given here to our young people and others who are interested in this program to have an opportunity to have their say. It is hopeful that out of this hearing can come some technical information and other types of information to see if joint use is possible and still maintain the integrity of the wildlife area. I am extremely pleased, as Congressman of the 33d District to have all of you present today and to participate in these hearings. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. [Applause.] Mr. BARING. Thank you very much, Ken. I would like to introduce from the audience, Mrs. Nancy Smith, the only woman Presidential appointee to the Public Land Law Review Commission. Mrs. Smith, will you stand, please? [Applause.] I would also like to introduce Miss Ann Dunbar, who is secretary to Congressman John Saylor, of Pennsylvania, who was not able to make the trip but sent Miss Dunbar as his representative. Miss Dunbar, please stand. [Applause.] As previously announced, this is a hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Lands of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. The purpose of the hearing here today is to receive testimony concerning H.R. 6891, and related proposals, to provide for family winter recreational use of a portion of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, San Bernardino National Forest, Calif. Subsequent hearings will be held in Washington, D.C., at which governmental agencies and national organizations will testify. This hearing in San Bernardino is being primarily to give local people and those not able to appear in Washington the opportunity to state their views. Accordingly, we would encourage those who intend to appear in Washington to defer offering testimony at this time. There are 232 witnesses who have asked to present testimony. Previously, we asked everyone to file statements. With the number of witnesses which we have, your verbal testimony should be a brief summary of your written statements. We would hope the testimony would not repeat points previously covered. We have met with the leaders of both groups and with them have worked out a list of key witnesses and have worked out schedules. The time will be divided equally between proponents and opponents. This morning, we will first hear from State and county officials. Then, proponents will present their testimony and will have about 3 or 311⁄2 hours to do so. The last hour of today's meeting will be reserved for the opponents whose witnesses could not appear tomorrow. Wednesday, the opponents of the bill will have an equal amount of time to present their testimony. Again, the last hour will be reserved for the witnesses of the proponents who could not testify today. We hope to give everyone an opportunity to speak. However, I am sure you realize that some may be limited to brief statements not exceeding 1 minute. The hearings will recess at 12 o'clock and will start again at 1:30 p.m. The afternoon session will adjourn about 5 p.m. As I announced, we will hear many officials of the State and county; we will hear them first. All witnesses of the State and county please come forward and be seated so that we may proceed. STATEMENT OF WESLEY BREAK, SUPERVISOR OF THE THIRD DISTRICT BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. Mr. BREAK. Honorable Congressmen, I welcome this opportunity to be heard this morning. I am S. Wesley Break and I am supervisor of the third district, the area for which San Gorgonio is entirely within; it is located entirely within my district. My board of supervisors have taken action on numerous occasions unanimously opposing the opening of any portion of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area for anything but to be a wilderness as it is today. I, myself, am very strongly against opening any part of this area. There are different opinions on this but particularly, right now, on the State level, the acquiring of adjacent lands for park purposes, if this is going to be used in this way, we have almost been spinning our wheels to get the State to come in and purchase land adjacent to this so that we could have all of these facilities. I am going to speak primarily because I am an agriculturalist and we have a water problem in this part of the State which is very important to us. This area is made entirely of decomposed granite. I am awfully sorry you gentlemen could not see it, personally, on the ground on a clear day and before there was any rain or snow so that you could see the type of soil and terrain that you are dealing with. But, this is going to be very difficult to take care of the affluence from 1,000 to 5,000 and they talk about as many as 20,000 people in 1 day being in this area. Gentlemen, they cannot be taken care about hauling it out by trucks or tanks. an impossibility. of there. Then, they talk This is going to be almost We have areas within the county, in the mountain areas, they are having problems with far less people and with far better terrain to take care of the affluence. So, primarily, we have got a watershed and the only stream that I know of in San Bernardino County where you can lie down and take a drink out of that stream and know that you are drinking good, cold, clear water; and, I think today, the most important thing to San Bernardino and to all of southern California is the water and the water supply, without being polluted. Once it is started to be polluted at the upper levels, then this is going to continue farther and the water at the lower levels of the Santa Ana River of which this is a tributary is suffering today from the intrusion of salt water. The dissolved salt that is in this stream today is one of the alarming factors. I am not going to touch on many other things because there are several people here who will do that. |