Roadless lands would be better used to create new jobs

To the Editor:

I would like to comment on the Clinton Roadless Land Designation. Do we really need well over 600,000 more acres of roadless land? We currently have over 3 1/2 million acres of wilderness land which is being managed as "roadless." Glacier Park is over nine hundred thousand acres, 95 percent of which is managed as roadless. The Missouri River monument, designated by Clinton is, and will be, managed as roadless, bringing in roughly another million acres. Then, into this mix, are all the ranches and parcels of land bought by the nature conservancy which are placed in a "no development status"; meaning no road building.

With this current arrangement, we certainly do not need over 600,000 more acres of unusable land which will add nothing to our current tax base.

This land would be better used to create jobs through logging and possibly mining. This development could then help with our financially struggling education system. Roads are only built into an area for a viable reason. Roads also come with a high financial investment so common sense dictates that no one would build a road without first establishing a worthwhile purpose.

The way things currently exist, Lincoln County has the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness which almost divides the county. We are surrounded by forest land with much of its access denied by gates, which in fact crates "de facto roadless land." Our lumber mills have disappeared, thanks primarily to lawsuits initiated by various environmental groups and Plum Creek buying all of the Champion timberlands.

We do have an opportunity to establish a large copper/silver mine, which would provide a huge boost to the entire area, but this is "iffy" at best due once again to appeals and lawsuits by those same environmental groups who oppose all jobs created through the development of existing natural resources.

Flathead County has the Going-To-The-Sun Highway which allows for tens of thousands of people to view the beauty of Glacier Park's interior. If it were not for this road, there would be a very minute percentage of our people who could experience this beautiful area. This provides but one example of other opportunities which can be brought about through carefully planned road development.

The county commissioners should put the Clinton Roadless directive on the ballot of Flathead and Lincoln County and once again let the people decide if they want more gates and less roads or the alternative and the positive impact it can have for all of us.

Harvey Fredericksen