Wilderness areas accessible, popular

Published 4:01 pm Thursday, June 19, 2008

Regarding the June 12 letter about Wild Sky, titled “Not everyone thinks it’s so great”:

As a resident of the Skykomish valley, I, as well as my wife, fully support the creation of the Sky Valley Wilderness.

Despite the studies, I suggest one visit the trailheads to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Henry M. Jackson Wilderness or the many other wilderness areas and try to find a parking space.

As for the letter writer’s argument about forest fires, the Evergreen Mountain Fire was man-caused in an area that was accessed by a road. If the road hadn’t been in place, there wouldn’t have been an Evergreen Mountain fire! Although most forest fires are started by lightning strikes, most of these are small, five acres or less. Many of the catastrophic forest fires are caused by man in areas accessed by roads. One could surmise that by closing down the roads and, unfortunately preventing access to the majority, would be the most effective way of preventing forest fires.

As far as a wilderness area requiring less personnel, that statement is misleading. Personnel decisions are dictated by budget, which is decided by the president and his staff. Our current president has slashed the budget for both the Forest Service and National Park Service so that they are unable to maintain roads, campgrounds and trails, much less repair the damage done by winter storms.

Wilderness areas don’t reduce access to the elderly. I’ve seen scores of people in their 70s and 80s out hiking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and there are several wheelchair accessible trails in the mountains.

Wilderness designation certainly hasn’t stopped our family from getting outdoors. In any given year we visit three to four of our state’s wilderness areas and heartily welcome another one.

Don Stobbe