photo credit: BlueRibbon Coalition
The Wise Use movement really got its start when, in August of 1988, two hundred and fifty organizations came together to attend a conference in Reno Nevada. From the state of Oregon, where I call home, came representatives from thirty groups. Of those, more than a dozen represented timber interests and logging companies. The remainder of the delegation was composed of snowmobile clubs, ATV associations, motorcycle groups and the Oregon Farm Bureau.
The Oregon Delegation was only slightly atypical in its composition. We sent more timber groups than any other state. But, at the time, it was on public lands within the state of Oregon, that most of the timber in America was being cut. From states where, for example, mining on public lands was a major industry, came mining and prospecting delegates. Other states provided delegations representing inholders associations, power boat associations, 4x4 associations and cattle associations. Also represented were automobile dealerships, petroleum companies, chemical producers, conservative "think-tanks" and other special interest groups all with similar needs and wants.
[ When you think about it, the interests represented in Reno were rather similar to those of the American Recreation Coalition and its corporate sponsors. However, ARC's name is not amongst those of the movement's founding members. Even today, we have been unable to determine if ARC has become a "card carrying member" of the Wise Use movement, or if it still participates in the movement simply as a "like-minded" supporter and believer. The American Recreation Coalition is, however, recognized as a member of the Wise Use movement by the Environmental Working Group in Washington, DC.. ]
Immediately following the Reno meeting, Alan M. Gottlieb wrote the book: "The Wise Use Agenda." To many in the movement, this book is considered its "bible": for it carefully lays out a bold 25 point agenda of the Wise Use movement. The book's preface concludes with the words:
"The Wise Use Agenda, spread to the widest possible readership and heeded by our national leaders, will go a long way toward correcting the problems of both the environment and overzealous environmentalism. Wise Use will be the environmentalism of the 21st Century."
I, personally, believe this book deserves to be read by anyone who cares about Wilderness and Nature, by anyone who thinks of him or herself as an "environmentalist," and by anyone who takes an interest in the political forces that are driving our country's Natural Resource and Recreation Policies. When one reads this book, one is immediately over-powered with the realization that in less than 10 years, many of the specific items listed in this 25 point agenda have gone from being an "item on a wish list"... to being "the law of the land". The Wise Use movement can not be accused of waging a "sneak attack" on our public lands. They clearly told us what they planned to do ... and then they quite simply did it! Fortunately, they haven't yet attained all of their goals.
For those interested in the subject of Wilderness, I have faithfully transcribed a single agenda item. To have quoted any more of this book would almost certainly have brought a copyright infringement lawsuit upon our organization.
The following short quote is from Alan M. Gottleib's: The Wise Use Agenda [published by: The Free Enterprise Press (206)-455-5038].
The National Wilderness Preservation System must be reassessed and reclassified into more carefully targeted categories according to the actual appropriate use, including:
1) Human Exclosures, areas where people are prohibited altogether, including wildlife scientists who frequently harass to death the very animals they are supposed to protect;
2) Wild Solitude Lands, managed exactly as present Wilderness areas;
3) Backcountry Areas, which allow widely spaced hostels, primitive toilets to prevent unsanitary conditions that prevail today along Wilderness trails, and higher trail standards to prevent the trail erosion that plagues current Wilderness Areas;
4) Frontcountry, to allow primitive and developed campsites, motorized trail travel and limited commercial development;
5) Commodity Use Areas, which will allow all commodity industry uses on an as-needed basis in times of high demand. The present Wilderness System would be redesignated with approximately 1 million acres of scattered Human Exclosures; 20 million acres of Wild Solitude Lands; 30 million acres of Backcountry; 30 million acres of Frontcountry; and 10 million acres of Commodity Use Areas.
Congress must also address the serious question of continuing to operate the National Wilderness Preservation System at a deficit. Vast amounts of natural resources are contained within Wilderness boundaries and substantial annual appropriations go to maintain hiking trails, camp sites, fire rings, horse rails, primitive toilets and other facilities, and large amounts of taxpayer money go to into studies of Wilderness, yet the Wilderness system has operated at a deficit every year since it was established in 1964. A Wilderness User fee must be established comparable to the entry fee program employed by the National Park Service. Wilderness is not a free good. It costs all taxpayers and benefits only a small minority. Only the affluent and well educated use Wilderness areas. Fewer than .01 percent of all Wilderness users consist of the educationally and economically disadvantaged. Wilderness users should pay for their recreation.
Scott Silver, Executive Director,
Wild Wilderness
248 NW Wilmington Avenue, Bend OR 97701
Phone (541) 385-5261 E-mail: ssilver@wildwilderness.org