Responsible Use, Reasonable Access

RESPONSIBLE USE, REASONABLE ACCESS

It's a land of surprises and hidden treasures as well as hidden dangers. What affects one part, affects another in sometimes vastly different ways. Idahoans are surrounded by places of mystery, productivity, and wildness. Silent sentinels of pine, fir, and cedar, provide sanctuary for deer, elk, wolf, bear, and cougar. Sagebrush, birch, willow, juniper, and prairie grass sustain many creatures, including sage grouse and they hold the soil in place. We have a unique role to play when it comes managing these amazing resources. Whether we are there hunting on a snowy fall morning, rounding up cattle on a brisk fall afternoon, hiking on a warm summer day, or mining for gold, we are visitors to this land. We are also stewards of this land.

The 33.4 million acres of federal land in Idaho represent 64 percent of all land in Idaho. This means most Idahoans live in close proximity to this land and have a special relationship and a special responsibility to it. Our ties to it represent economics, solitude, ruggedness, enjoyment, and memories. This land is an integral part of each one of us. We are defined by the way each of us chooses to use it. The critical importance of defining how we use and manage this land is what the Owyhee Initiative, the effort to resolve the Boulder-White Clouds conflict, the question of public access in Northern Idaho in areas inhabited by Woodland Caribou and other endangered species, and many other collaborative efforts are trying to manage.

We use public lands in vastly different ways. It is necessary to promote land management that respects all of our desires, and understand that we use and preserve the land for other Americans as well. This means we must manage land for the highest public good. This is our responsibility as we pass it on to future generations.

We all have a right to access federal land and we do so in vastly different ways. Some speed through mountains and meadows on a snowmobile or a four-wheeler. Some rocket down the slopes on skis or snowboards. Some like the challenge of taking a motorbike or jeep over difficult terrain. Some hike, run, cross country ski, or snowshoe. Some want to test their endurance and agility mountain-biking and rock climbing, or mining in those same rocks. Some prefer the peaceful and challenging experience of horseback riding across the range trails to take care of their cattle or sheep, and some haul timber on logging roads.

We have to collaborate to formulate management goals and practices that meet the criteria of responsible stewardship of the land, which basically means we treat it with respect.

Our premise for discussion about access to federal land should rest on the broadly-held belief that federal land exists for our use, and is a resource of high value in a multitude of ways. From there, we can make locally-driven, practical decisions about best use of land that meet the needs of all interests. The process is much like the land: it has some surprises and hidden dangers, but treasures can be found that lead to solutions.

Federal land is owned by all Americans. Idahoans have the unique and wonderful responsibility of being the stewards of that federal land in Idaho appropriately for the rest of the country and for future generations. The good news is, Idahoans know the best way to do that, and are more than capable of making sound management and use decisions about land which is part of our heritage and part of our spirit.