The Wise Use Agenda
Attached are ecerpts from Ron Arnold's publication The Wise Use
Agenda. The excerpt outlines their proposals and lists
supporting organizations as of 1988. The "agenda" grew out of a
conference hosted by Arnold and Alan Gotlieb (pictured with
.President Bush) in Reno, NV in August of 1988.

 It

President G eorge Bush and Alan M. Gottlieb.
Editor o f the Wise Use Agenda
ITte presentation of this Wise Use Agenda
to President G eo rge Bush was a milestone in
th e environmental h i s t o r y o f America. A new
voice is being s o u n d ed in the environmental
movement, a voice o f balance and optimism, a
voice of hope and reason.
The Wise Use Movement, a nationwide
coalition of more than 200 groups and indi­
viduals makes its powerful statement here for
the first time.
Di s t r i b ut e d By

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Introduction

as the
result of a conference. A national conference was
held in August o f 1988 to bring together many likeminded citzens concerned about the environment
and human development. It was sponsored by the
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise and chris­
tened the Multiple Use Strategy Conference. The
nearly 300 attendees, all leaders in natural re­
source use fields, came from all over the United
Statj^ and Canada to the meeting site in Reno,
Nevada.
Four distinct constituencies attended: Most
conference invitees were executives of public inter­
est membership organizations dealing in some way
with environmental or resource issues. The next
largest group was unaffiliated but interested indi­
viduals who shared the common passion for life on
this planet. The third consisted of trade group and
government representatives, while the smallest repT

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agenda

V II

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b e in g

 The W ise U se A genda

resentations cam e from industrial firms focused
mound natural resource extraction and conversion:
mining, fisheries, timber, petroleum, agriculture.
They examined and debated the major economic/
ecologic issues facing the world today:
Will man inevitably destroy the ecosystem of
the Earth he depends upon?
Ishum an development inherently harmful to
the natural environment?
Are there ways to develop natural resources
for human use with minimal disruption to nature?
Can humanity live in productive harmony
with the earth?
Is today's environmental movement over-re­
acting to environmental problems and giving too
little attention to environmental solutions?
Are we threatening mankind's econosvstem
with needless restrictions on human use o f the
Earth's ecosystem?
What is the proper place o f mankind and
industrial civilization in the natural world?
The Multiple Use Strategy Conference not
only yielded provocative and innovative answers to
these questions, it also provided the M wratory for
a major social development: That its dibparate and
dispersed individual members had for the past few
years been unwittingly preparing the way for a new
movement o f societal change. The Farm Bureau
Federation had for years been working toward wise
use unaware o f its natural ally, the National Coun­
cil for Environmental Balance; Oregonians for Food
and Shelter had little awareness o f the National
Inholders Association (private property owners
located within governmental boundaries). The
National Rifle Association had studied the impacts
viii

 Introduction

of Wilderness designation on hunting, but had only
recently learned o f a group with parallel interests,
the Wilderness Impact Research Foundation. And
so forth. Once the 260 conference participants met
in the same room —most of whom had never even
heard o f each other before —they found that their
various organizations had one thing in common:
advocacy for the wise use of resources. And they
discovered that between them their organizations
represented a total membership in excess of ten
million people.
Triey were not single-minded preservation­
ists and the
‘ ogle-minded apologists for
industrial
They were represents
lives o f a i
„ of a middle way between
extreme environmentalism and extreme industri­
alism. They were looking for genuine solutions to
the age-old problem of getting a living from the
Earth without terminally fouling our own nest - or
that o f our fellow creatures. They felt that indue- _
trial development can be directed in ways th at*
enhance the Earth, not destroy it. And that meant
that industry was a positive value in man's history,
that industry was something that needs to be pro­
tected and fostered in the same way and for the
same reasons that nature must be protected and
fostered: there are those who would thoughtlessly
harm the very source o f our well-being.
Thus, for the first time, industry had a core of
citizen supporters with a clear-eyed critical under­
standing o f the problems of industiy. They were a jb
social force that has been growing lor more than a (m
decade without even being aware of its own exis- *
tence. They were the founders of the Wise Use
Movement.
By the end o f the three-day conference, the
participants had decided that they must take deci­
sive action. They formally recognized that they
were indeed a movement and accepted the concomilx

 The Wise U se A genda

taut responsibilities, the first of which was to set an
agenda for the wise use o f the environment and
present it to the incoming Administration. The
Conference thus mandated that the Center for the
Defense o f Free Enterprise gather statements and
recommendations from all attendees and edit them
into a coherent document.
This book is the result o f that labor. The
W ise U se Agenda is a new view and a new hope for
man and nature alike. It refuses to accept the
defeatist notion that man will inevitably destroy
his own home. It refuses to accept the blind opti­
m ism o f the engineer who trusts only in rational
thought and neglects humanity's rich emotional
archetypes. It recognizes the need for a new out­
look, a new holistic way o f understanding man and
nature that does hot promote extremism in either
unbridled development or fanatic preservationism.
It strives to discover workable methods to achieve
sustainable development: enough food, clothing,
shelter and job s for all mankind to live in humane
conditions while enhancing the natural environ­
m ent through thoughtful and knowledgable de­
sign.
i
The new movement's Neo-Environmental phi­
losophy adds, depth and character to both the "business-as-usuaT outlook o f industry and the "only
nature is pure" outlook o f contemporary environ­
mentalism. The New Environmentalism is a bridge,
a connecting point, between categories that have
remained
sadly apart in American thought. It
t

 Introduction

bodes well for a future population that respects the
Earth while using it efficiently.
The members of the Wise Use Movement
have no glowing illusions about how difficult their
ideal may be to achieve. But they have the strong­
est belief that their ideal is the right one for the
future, that they represent the shape o f environ­
mentalism in the 21st Century.
In reviewing the many submissions to this
Agenda, the most striking feature of Wise Use
Movement thought is the care devoted to explain­
ing the movement's basic outlook to those who may
not be familiar with today's complex and highly
technical resource issues. While helping editor
Alan M. Gottlieb sort the voluminous materials, 1
culled a selection of pithy phrases that communi­
cate in a few words what many pages could not. I
call such an epigram a "Wise Use Motto." Here are
a few I found memorable:
Man and Nature Together: A World That's Whole
Use It Wisely So Your Grandkids Can
Wise Use Is Being A Good Citizen Of The Universe
Wise Use: Nature For People - People For Nature
Just Because It's Human, Don't Knock It You May Be Human Yourself Some Day
Our Goal Is Productive Harmony

 The W ise Use A genda

Pollution Is Not, As We Are So Often Told, A
Product O f Moral Turpitude. It Is An Inevitable
Consequence
O f Life At Work. We Should Put Our Waste
T o Good Use, Not Ban It.
Diamonds, Ha! Sustainable Development Is Forever
The Earth Is Tougher Than You Think
So Don't Tem pt It To Beat Your Brains Out
The Basic Law ofToxicology Is: The Dose Is The
Poison; e.g. Everything Is Toxic
In A Large Enough Dose.
So I f You Want Zero Risk, You'll Just Have To
Ban The Entire Cosmos.
Love All O f Nature,
Not Nature Apart
From The Oh-So-Human Soul That Loves It
On The Greenhouse Effect:
Better To Plant An Oxygen-Giving Tree
Than Curse The Carbon Dioxide
W ise Use Isn't Like
Having Your Cake And Eating It Too:
It's Like Finding Novel Ways To Get More Cake
V By Taking Advantage O f Used Cake
Y ou Can't Take Pictures O f The Forest
Without Cutting Some O f The Trees Down:
What Do You Think They Make Film Out Of?
You Have A Right To Be Here,
No Less Than The Trees And The Stars
Don't Be Stingy - Share The Earth

 Introduction

Admittedly, som e of these mottos, such as
the old chestnut from Desiderata, are little more
than cliches or bumper sticker philosophizing. Yet
they can't be dismissed so lightly. 1was impressed
by the urge o f Wise Use advocates to get their
message across in terms the average person can
understand as well as in the technical language o f
their formal recommendations. The Wise Use
Movement is not an exclusive club, it is a broadbased movement seeking to gain a broader base. It
has been Restating for more than a decade. In this
agenda it nas been born.
Ron Arnold

Editor In Chief
Free Enterprise Press

  

SECTION I
THE TOP
TWENTY-FIVE GOALS

1. In itia tion o f a W ise U se P u b lic E d u ca tion
P r o je c t by the U.S. Forest Service explaining the
wise commodity use of the national forests and all
federal resource lands. An important m essage is
that the federal deficit can be reduced through
prudent development o f federal lands. A public out­
reach action plan and implementation snail be ac­
complished using print and electronic media to
reacn the broadest possible public with the com ­
modity use story o f the National Forest System.
2. Im m ed ia te w is e d ev elop m e n t o f the p e tr o ­
leu m r e s o u r c e s o f the A rctic N ational W ildlife
R e fu g e (ANWR) in Alaska as a model project
showing careful development with full protection of
environmental values.
3. T h e In h o ld e r P ro te ctio n Act. To provide con­
gressional recognition to the lawful status as prop­
erty owners o f inholders within all federal areas.
6

 6

The Wise Use A genda

The United States shall irrevocably recuse itself
from all eminent domain power over inholdings.
The Act should repeal the General Condemnation
Act o f 1888 and the Declaration of Taking Act of
1933. Acquisition o f private land from federal
inholders shall henceforth take place only with the
un-coerced agreement o f the inholder.
4. P a ssa g e o f the G lo b a l W arm ing P re v e n tion
A ct to convert in a systematic manner all decaying
and oxygen-using forest growth on the National
Forests into young stands of oxygen-producing,
carbon dioxide-absorbing trees to help ameliorate
the rate of global warming and prevent the green­
house effect. The federal government shall also
help fund and coordinate urban tree planting on all
federal property as part o f this critical program.
5. C r e a tio n o f the T o n g a ss N ational F o re st
T im b e r H a rv est A rea in Alaska limiting timber
harvest to only 20 percent of the total national
forest’
s 17 million acres, or 3 million acres, for the
next century, allowing only 30,000 acres to be har­
vested per year. The Tongass Timber Harvest Area
is to be the first unit o f the National Timber Harvest
System designed to promote proper economic for­
estry practices on the federal lands as outlined in
Goal Number Ten.
6. C re a tio n o f a N ation al M in in g S y stem by
Congressional authorization, to embody all provi­
sions o f the General Mining Act of 1872 with the
added provision that all public lands including
wilderness and national parks shall be open to
mineral ana energy production under wise use
technologies in the interest of domestic economies
and in the interest o f national security.
7. P a ssa g e o f the B en eficia l Use W ater R igh ts

 SECTION I: The Goals

7

A ct to embody al! the provisions of the Water Act of
1866 with the added provisions that Congress shall
recognize as sovereign the rights of states in all
matters related to the regulation and distribution of
all waters originating in or passing through the
states, and that the federal government shall not
retain “
reserved”or other federal property rights in
waters arising on federal lands for wtiich it cannot
demonstrate beneficial use.
8. C o m m em o ra te the 100th A n n iversary o f the
fo u n d in g o f th e F o re st R eserv es by W illiam
S te e le H olm an who introduced the Section 24
rider to the Forest Reserve Act of 1891. This
commemoration shall emphasize the homestead act
o f 1888 from which the Section 24 rider was derived
and the commodity use and homestead settlement
intent behind the law that created the national
forests.
9. T h e R u ral C om m u n ity Stability A ct shall
give statutory authority to enable the IJ S Forest
Service to offer a reasonable fraction of the timber
on each ranger district in timber sales for the sole
and proper purpose o f promoting rural timber-dependent community stability, exempt from admin­
istrative appeal.
The Forest Service shall offer an adequate
amount o f timber from each Ranger District in the
United States National Forest System to meet market
demands up to the biological capacity o f the district
and sell such timber only to local logging firms and
milling firms.
The first timber sales allowed under the
provisions o f this act shall be those designed to
recapture accrued undercuts from previous years
when the annual allowable harvest level has not
been achieved.

 8

The Wise Use A genda

10. C r e a tio n o f a N ation al T im b e r H arvest
S y stem by Congressional authorization, to identify
and preserve for commodity use those timberlands
suitable for sustainedyield timber growth. Repeals
non-declining, even-flow strictures o f the Forest
and Range Renewable Resource Planning Act of
1974 as amended by the National Forest Manage­
ment Act o f 1976. Identifies wise use technologies
acceptable to harvest timber in the interest of domestic
economies and in the interest o f national security.
Applies the Multiple Use - Sustained Yield Act of
1960 provisions that lands will be managed in Mnot
necessarily the combination o f uses that will give
the greatest dollar return of the greatest unit out­
put, so that no timber harvest plan may be identi­
fied as “
below cost.”No enactment is to impair the
agency's ability to manage the National Timber
Harvest System for timber harvest.
H ie Tongass Timber Harvest Area should be
the first dedicated single-use timber harvest area in
America's National Timber Harvest System, to consist
o f the 3 million acres identified by the TLMP II
planning process as suitable for growing commer­
cial timber. Such areas shouldpermit Multiple Use
recreation where feasible. H ie Tongass timber
industry should have all its former logging lands
restored to logging status for the 100 year rotation
so that at least 20 percent of the Tongass is sched­
uled for timber harvest over the next 100 years.
11. N a tion a l P a rk s R eform Act, to create protec­
tive agencies for our natural heritage o f a size
conducive to responsible management and acces­
sible to congressional oversight. Creates within the
Department o f the Interior, under authority o f the
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks
four separate Agencies each with its own director
responsible for management of our current over­
sized and jum bled national park system: Reorgan-

 SECTION I: The Goals

9

izes the National Park Service, with new manage­
ment responsibility limited to only those units offi­
cially designated “
national parks”and “
national
monuments”in the “
natural’
*category; creates the
National Urban Park Service with management
responsibility for all units of the park system in
urban settings designed primarily for contempla­
tion, enlightenment or inspiration such as the
National Capitol Parks; creates the National Rec­
reational Park Service with management responsi­
bility for all National Recreation Areas o f the park
system and other units primarily used for recrea­
tional purposes; creates the National Historical
Park Service with management responsibility for
all national historic parks and similar units of
primarily historic interest.
H ie present National Park Service with its
domain in excess o f 80 million acres has grown into
a bureaucracy so huge and powerful that it can
ignore the public will, the intent of Congress and
direct orders o f the Secretary of the Interior with
impunity. Such concentrated power cannot be al­
lowed to persist within a representative form o f gov­
ernment. This Act will separate out from the pres­
ent conglomeration o f diverse units four different
kinds of national heritage lands that have previ­
ously been lumped together into a single vast and
unresponsive agency. The new arrangement will
group together those that are naturally similar for
appropriate management to protect the essential
character o f each different kind ofjiark.
M ISSION 2010: Adequate Park Visitor Ac­
commodations. A mqjor throat should be made to
properly accommodate the increased visitor load on
our parks through a 20-year construction program
o f new concessions including overnight accommo­
dations, classic rustic lodges, campgrounds and
visitor service stores in all 48 national parks, with
priority given to Great Smoky Mountain, Ever-

 10

The Wise Use Agenda

glades, Rocky Mountain, Big Bend, Canyonlands,
Sequoia, Redwoods, North Cascades, Denali, and
Theodore Roosevelt. Concession restoration should
begin immediately in Yellowstone (West Thumb).
I k e lodge at Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic
National Park, which was demolished by the Na­
tional Park Service, shall be rebuilt in replica on its
original site and become the first project o f Mission
2010, to become known as the Don Hummel Memo­
rial Lodge honoring the late outstanding leader of
the national park concession movement. The Con­
cession Policy Act o f 1965 should be extended to all
facilities of the proposed four park services.
Appropriate overnight visitor facilities should
be constructed in all national monuments, national
recreation areas, and major historical areas. Poli­
cies that exclude people shall be outlawed. The
possessory interest o f the private concessioner firms
now serving the visiting public should be maxi­
mized. Private firms with expertise in peoplemoving such as Walt Disney should be selected as
new transportation concessioners to accommodate
and enhance the national park experience for all
visitors without degrading the environment.
All actions designed to exclude park visitors
such as shutting down overnight accommodations
and rationing entry should be stooped as inimical to
the mandate of Congress for “public use and enjoy­
ment" in the National Park Act o f 1916.
12. Pre-Patent P ro te ctio n o f P est C on trol
C h em icals. The patent clock on newly discovered
pest control chemicals should start running only
after government-imposed regulation-compliance
requirements have been met. Since the testing
period for new chemical approvals typically exceeds
three years, during which tne owner of the chemical
can realize no income on investment, it is only fair
that patents run from the time an innovation be-

 SECTION I: The Goals

II

comes marketable, yet pre-patent protection should
be granted as a matter of governmental duty.
13. C re a te th e N ation al R an gelan d G ra zin g
System . Congress should authorize a National
Rangeland Grazing System on all federal lands
presently under permit according to the terms o f the
Taylor Grazing Act [43 U.S.C. 315-315(o) , or man­
aged as rangeland under the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act o f 1976 [43 U.S.C. 1701-1782J
or other applicable rangeland statute, and which (1)
generally contains split estate values of privately
owned possessory interests in the Federal lands,
including but not limited to: water rights, range
rights, privately owned range improvements such
as roads, fences, stock watering facilities, ranch
houses, cock houses, and bunk houses, (2) is ren­
dered more valuable by the contribution of commen­
surable private land, (3) is biologically suited to
grazing ny either intensive or extensive livestock
management methods, and (4) may also be avail­
able to multiple use for purposes including but not
limited to hunting, hiking, motorized recreation,
watershed management, wildlife management,
timber harvest and minerals management but no
application shall impair the operation of the rangeland as livestock grazing areas.
14. C o m p a s sio n a te W ild ern ess P olicy. The
'veterans and Handicapped Wilderness Provision
should be enacted by statute to allow motorized
wheel chairs into all Wilderness Areas in the Na­
tional Wilderness Preservation System.
16. N ation al In d u stria l P olicy Act. Enact the.
following provision: “
all agencies of the Federal
Government shall include in every recommenda­
tion or report on proposals for legislation and other

 12

The Wise Use Agenda

major Federal actions significantly affecting the
quality o f the human environment, a detailed state­
ment by the responsible official: *
(vi) the economic impact of delaying or deny­
ing the proposed action,
(vii) the economic benefits of immediately
going forward with the proposed action.
16. T ru th In R e g u la tion Act. In all agency plans
that presently combine the production costs with
overhead costs o f a Federal action such as the
offering o f a timber sale on a national forest, all non­
production costs shall be identified separatelyand
conspicuously, including costs o f writing the NEPA
Environmental Impact Statement, costs o f comply­
ing with environmental regulations on the ground,
costs o f government buildings, vehicles and utilities
required to complete the plan, and salaries and
benefits o f all agency staff employed in the project.
17. P r o p e r ty R ig h ts P rotection . Railroad ease­
ments when abandoned by the original or successor
railroad operating company, shall revert to the
underlying adjacent property owner. No easement
shall be given by government decree to a “
Rails-toTrails”program without payment o f just compensa­
tion plus money damages for loss o f economic oppor­
tunity.
18. E n d a n g e r e d S p e c ie s A ctA m endm ents. The
Endangered Species Act shall be amended to spe­
cifically classify the appropriate scientifically iden­
tified endangered species as relict species in decline
before the appearance o f man. including non-adaptive species tuch as the California Condor, and
endemic species lacking the biological vigor to spread
in range such as the wildflower Pipers harebells o f
the Olym pic mountains. Federal projects designed
to protect species identified as reucts shall require

 SECTION I: The Goals

13

a report stating all costs, separate and cumulative,
o f protecting the relict species, including computa­
tions of lost economic opportunities for projects
denied because o f the relict species.
All costs associated with mitigation and pro­
tection efTorts required by federal law to protect
endangered species shall be fully identified, sepa­
rated from accounting statements and documented
and made available for public inspection in an
annual report to the Congress to be filed by the
Secretaries o f affected departments.
Hiding, disguising or willfully concealing the
existence o f an endangered species protection cost
shall be a felony malfeasance of office subject to
severe penalties of fine and imprisonment.
19. O b stru c tio n ism Liability. Any group or
individual that challenges by litigation an economic
action or development on federal lands and subse­
quently loses in court shall be declared “
not acting
in the public interest”and shall be required to pay
to the winner the increase in costs for completing
opportunity.
Congress should provide for obstructionists
to indemnify American industry against harm when
they use the law to delay economic progress. The
law must require that those who bring administra­
tive appeals or court actions against timber harvest
plans, mining plans, grazing plans, petroleum
exploration or development plans or other commod­
ity uses o f federal lands shall post bonds equivalent
to the economic benefits to be derived from the
challenged harvest plus cost overruns caused by
delay. Ifth e appellant or plain tiff loses, payment in
full is to be made to the defendant in proportion to
his losses and expenses.

 14

The Wise Use A genda

20. Private Rights In Federal Lands Act

* Congress should enact measures which rec­
ognize that private parties legitimately own posses­
sory rights to timber contracts, mining claims, water
rights, grazing permits and other claims that are
recognized by tne several states and by Internal
Revenue Service estate tax collection policy as valu­
able private property rights. Establishes the prin­
ciple o f the Private Domain in Federal Land.

21. Global Resources Wise Use Act

Congress should enact a policy measure that
explicitly recognizes the shrinking relative size of
the total goods sector o f our w orld’
s economy and
takes steps to insure raw material supplies for
global commodity industries on a permanent basis.
Should include free trade measures and incentives
lor developing nations that favor private enterprise.
Should provide for technology exchange o f wise use
methods and a global data bank o f technical infor­
mation on sustainable resource development proc­
esses including prevention and cleanup techniques.
22. P erfect th e W ild ern ess Act. The National
Wilderness Preservation System must be reassessed
and reclassified into more carefully targeted catego­
ries according to the actual appropriate use, includ­
ing:
1) Human Exclosures, areas where people
are prohibited altogether, including wildlife scien­
tists who frequently harass to death the very ani­
mals they are supposed to protect;
2) Wild Solitude Lands, managed exactly as
present W ilderness areas;
3) Backcountry Areas, which allow widely
spaced hostels, primitive toilets to prevent unsani­
tary conditions that prevail today along Wilderness
trails, and higher trail standards to prevent the
trail erosion that plagues current Wilderness areas;

 SECTION I:The C obIb

A.SJ

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 o f Wild Solitude Lands; 30 million
acres of Backcountry;30 million acres of Frontcoun­
try; and 10 million acres of Commodity Use Areas.
Congress must also address the serious ques­
tion o f continuing to operate the National Wilder­
ness Preservation System at a deficit. Vast amounts
o f natural resources are contained within Wilder­
ness boundaries and substantial annual appropria­
tions go to maintain hiking trails, camp sites, fire
rings, horse rails, primitive toilets and other facili­
ties, and large amounts of taxpayer money go 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 entpr 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 o f all Wilderness users consist o f the educa­
tionally and economically disadvantaged. Wilder­
ness users should pay for their recreation.
23. S ta n d in g T o S u e In D efen se O f Industry.
Just as environmentalists won standing to sue on
behalf of scenic, recreational and historic values in
the 1965 case Scenic Hudson Preservation Confer­
ence v. Federal Power Commission, so pro-industry
advocates should win standing to sue on behalf of
industries threatened or harmed by environmental­
ists. Today, a specific individual or firm that is

 16

The Wise Use A genda

harmed must join a lawsuit as a plaintiff and pro­
industry advocacy groups such as the Center for the
Defense o f Free Enterprise cannot bring a lawsuit
as a party o f interest, despite their years o f advocacy
in support o f business and industry. Because indus­
tries m ust continue to live with their regulators
after lawsuits are settled they are hesitant to bring
legal action in all but the most horrendous circum­
stances, which chills their access to justice. Just as
Scenic H udson conferred standing to sue on organi­
zations devoted to saving natural features, recog­
nizing them as harmed parties, so our court system
m ust confer standing to sue on organizations de­
voted to saving industry, recognizing them as harmed
parties. There is no symmetry today between the
rights o f environmentalists to sue and the rights o f
pro-industry advocates to sue. This is not fair and
m ust be changed in the name o f justice.
24. N a tion a l R e cre a tio n T ra ils T ru st Fund.
Trail enthusiasts using motorized vehicles pav
m illions in federal gasoline taxes annually whicn
are used to construct highways, not aid motorized
recreation programs. These monies should instead
be returned to a National Recreational Trails Trust
Found. The fund would provide matching grants to
state and federal land management agencies, and
local governments, coordinated through appropri­
ate state agencies (state parks and recreation de­
partments or departments o f natural resources)
with the primary goal o f encouraging multiple-use
trail development. A provision should also be made
for adding additional revenues to the fund in the
future, revenues derived from trail activities which
do not generate fuel taxes.
25. T h e E nd o f the “L et B urn" P olicy. All
naturally-caused wildfires in national park units
and wilderness areas will be immediately and effec-

 SECTION I: The Goals

17

lively extinguished to prevent the loss of natural
and economic values. More importantly, all ground
fuel accumulations which could lead to disastrous
wildfires shall be actively prevented by a wise use
management program.
Wildfire Prevention. All national park and
wilderness areas will be managed to prevent the
long-term buildup of ground fuels such as dead and
down trees that create the ignition base for wild­
fires. Prevention must be actively pursued on all
areas and is not optional. Prevention techniques
may be o f two kinds, to be permitted by temporary
suspension o f the Wilderness Act o f 1964 in anected
areas to allow motorized vehicles proper economic
and rational access to danger sites:
1) Managed Fuel-Reduction Burning. Fuel
accumulations o f dead and down wood in all na­
tional parks and wilderness areas will be periodi­
cally inspected, gathered and moved by tractor into
appropriate batches and burned in accordance with
state forestry regulations. Areas will be restored to
pre-burn condition within two calendar years after
managed fuel-reduction burning by hand raking
crews and planting the affected area in fast-grow­
ing native indigenous herbaceous ground cover
plants.
2) Commercial Fuel-Reduction Harvest. Fuel
accumulations o f dead and down wood in all na­
tional parks and wilderness areas will be periodi­
cally inspected, gathered and chipped by motorized
portable equipment, and the chipped wood removed
from the natural area. Chip transport trucks shall
take the chips to the nearest mill willing to buy the
chips and sold at market prices. Areas will be
restored to pre-chipping condition within two calen­
dar years after commercial fuel-reduction harvest
by hand raking crews and planting the affected area
in fast-growing native indigenous herbaceous ground
cover plants.

 18

The Wise Use A genda

The neglect by any national park or wilder­
ness administrator o f ground fuel accumulations
shall be a felony malfeasance o f office subject to
severe penalties of fine and imprisonment. A ground
fuel wildfire, but not a crown fire, on any national
park or wilderness area shall be prima facie evi­
dence of negligence and malfeasance.
With such practical and beneficial techniques
ready to hand there is no excuse for such disasters
as the Yellowstone Holocaust o f 1988.

 SECTION II
LETTERS TO
PRESIDENT BUSH

National Council for
Environmental Balance
Louisville, Kentucky

Dear President Bush,
We appreciate this opportunity to report to
you the findings of our organization on environ­
mental matters. The following is our statement for
inclusion in the Wise Use Agenda:
I. SCOPE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL
INTERESTS
National and world concern over environ­
mental issues has riveted the attention o f a very
sizeable segment of the American population. There
is little or no public opposition to any policy offered
as protection for the environment, but unfortu­
nately, there is considerable controversy over what
constitutes a significant degree of environmental
19

 The Wise Use A genda

36

hunting and the conservation and wise use o f our
renewable wildlife resources has become increas­
ingly concerned with this abridgement of the rights
of law-abiding citizens; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the National Rifle Asso­
ciation o f America opposes any further expansion of
the National Wilderness System and National Park
System and implementing regulations that do not
adequately recognize ana preserve existing hunt­
ing access and opportunities; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the National Rifle Asso­
ciation o f America supports the restoration o f hunt­
ing access and sound wildlife management prac­
tices in such areas where they have been improperly
curtailed.
Passed by the Board o f Directors of the National
Rifle Association o f America in meeting assembled
the 27th day o f April, 1987 in Reno, Nevada

Blue Ribbon Coalition Inc.
Pocatello, Idaho

. Dear President Bush,

National Recreation Trails Trust Fund

Americans today spend more time and more
dollars on recreation than ever before. At the sam e
time, the number o f different recreational activities
has soared. This increase in recreation is very
evident on A m erica’
s trails but in many cases this
expanded demand has not been matched by ex­
panded supply. The result has been a growing
problem in providing quality trail experiences.
Snowmobiles, trailbikes (motorcycles) dual
purpose motorcycles, and ATV’
s represent one o f the
fastest growing recreational interests in America.
There has been a very positive impact on our na-

 SECTION II: Letters to President Bush

37

tional economy as a result o f the growth of the
distribution facilities, dealer networks, repair shops,
and in some cases manufacturers of these off high­
way vehicles (OHV’
s).
Some states have recognized the value of es­
tablishing state registration programs to help pro­
vide facilities for the growing OHV user population.
Incorporated into the most successful state pro­
gram s has been the provision for that portion or the
state gasoline tax that is estimated to be used off
highway to be deposited into these programs. The
P resident’
s Commission on Americans Outdoors
recognized the effectiveness of these programs and
recommended that federal fuel tax receipts gener­
ated by motorized vehicles used off-highway be
used to aid recreation.
Trail enthusiasts using motorized vehicles
pay millions in federal gasmine taxes annually
which are used to construct highways, not aid
motorized recreation programs. These monies should
instead be returned to a National Recreational
Trails Trust Found. The fund would provide match­
ing grants to state and federal lana management
agencies, and local governments, coordinated through
appropriate state agencies (state parks and rec. or
DNR), with the primary goal of encouraging mul­
tiple-use trail development. A provision should also
be made for additional revenues to the fund in the
future, revenues derived from trail activities which
do not generate fuel taxes.
Legislation establishing the National Rec­
reation Trails Trust Fund should incorporate the
followingjpoints:
• The U. S. Dept, of the Interior should
administer the program using no more than 5% of
annual receipts for dispersing funds and providing
technical assistance. (We feel that 5% should be
sufficient because the engineering, project inspec­
tion, and supervision should be handled at the state

 The W ise U se A genda

34

Wise Use o f the Environment:
The American Freedom Coalition's Task Force
on the Environment is committed to protecting
Earth's environment and wise use o f our natural
resources to promote economic growth and human
progress while assuring protection from pollution,
overuse, and depletion. We therefore support legis­
lation that would authorize the Secretary o f the
Interior to lease, in an expeditious and environmen­
tally sound manner, the 1.5 million acre Coastal
Plain o f Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
for oil and gas exploration.
In order to lessen our reliance on imported
oil, America m ust rely on both greater conservation
and the development o f oil and gas resources that
might be found on the ANWR Coastal Plain.
H ie national defense and energy security o f
the United States will be greatly enhanced if major
petroleum reserves are discovered and developed.
Michael F. Beard
National Field Director

T.EAM. Taxpayers for the Environment
And its Management
Scotia, California

f

Dear President Bush,
The decision-making process on our public
lands, including national forests, needs to be revised.
All policy development should be based upon
factually- reliable studies. Only scientific reports
that have been properly replicated to assure relia­
bility should form tne basis for each federal policy.
No study which has originated from a special inter-

 SECTIO N 11: Letters to President Bush

35

est lobby should be allowed to stand by itself, but
should be considered only if opposing interests haye
had an opportunity to submit comparable data.
Priority must be given to local legislation and
management of natural resources to ensure eco­
nomic stability and credibility. Federal policy must
follow local policy, not lead it.
Only local judicial units should be permitted
to review appeals on resource management dis­
putes. Judges' schools should be instituted on p
community stability issues.
Government agencies should be required to
provide a minimum of one year for regional study
and local public input before allocating or approv­
ing any tax funds for wilderness designation or
private land acquisition.
Gary Gundlach
Janet C. Baird
T.E.A.M. Organizers
N a tion a l R ifle A ssocia tion o f A m erica
Washington, B.C.
Dear President Bush,
WHEREAS, Lawful hunting has been sig­
nificantly curtailed by certain unreasonable regu­
lations adopted as a result of the expansion of Die
National Wilderness System and National Park
System; and
WHEREAS, These arbitrary and capricious
regulations in fact do not promote the interests of
wildlife conservation or the responsible public en­
joyment o f wilderness lands, contrary to the intent
of Congress; and
u ru c’
r*rr** " —

$

 156

The Wise Use A genda

President's Commission on Privatization, Privati­
zation: Tow ard More Effective Government, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
March 1988
Schnidman, Frank, Abrams, Stanley D.t and De­
laney, John J., H andling the Land Use Case Little,
Brown and Company, Boston 1984
Siu, R. G. H., The Tao o f Science: An Essay on
Western K nowledge and Eastern Wisdom 'DieM.I.T.
Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1957
Soderberg, K. A., and DuRette, Jackie People o f the
Tongass: Alaska Forestry Under Attack Free Enter­
prise Press, Bellevue, Washington 1988
Task Force on Outdoor Recreation Resources and
Opportunities, Outdoor Recreation In a Nation o f
Communities, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. July 1988
U.S. Department o f Agriculture, Wilderness
M anagement by John Hendee, et al., Forest Serv­
ice Miscellaneous Publication No. 1365, U.S. Got.
Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1977
Williams, Roy 6., Waste Production and D isposal
in Mining, M illing, and M etallurgical Industries
Miller Freeman Publications, San Francisco 1975

 Index of
The Wise Use Movement
Listed by State

The two hundred twenty-four citizen organi­
zations, government agencies and individuals listed
here attended or supported the Multiple Use Strat­
egy Conference in August, 1988 at Reno, Nevada,
where the Wise Use Movement mandated the pub­
lication o f this agenda. The public interest organi­
zation participants in the Wi&e Use Movement
represent memberships exceeding ten million
Americans and Canadians. The Canadian contin­
gent supports the U.S. Wise Use Movement’
s recom­
mendations to President Bush to enhance cordial
international relations, but submitted no recom­
mendations o f its own.
For those one hundred fourteen leaders o f the
movement that contributed statements, the page
number o f their statement iB indicated after the
name. The people o f the movement are a resource
themselves to be wisely usedhy all.
A laska
Alaska Miners Association, Anchorage
Alaska Motorcycle Racing Association,
Anchorage, 41
Resource Development Council for Alaska,
Anchorage
167

 168

The Wise Use A genda

Alaska Women In Timber, Coffman Cove
A rizon a
Arizona Bowhunters Association .
Arizona Desert Racing Association, Phoenix, 41
Arizona Motorcycle Dealers Association,
Scottsdale, 41
Arizona Outdoor Coalition, Tucson, 41
Greenlee Public Lands Committee, Clifton, 41
B ritish C olu m bia, C a n ad a
Cariboo Lumber Manufacturers Association,
Williams Lake
Council o f Forest Industries, Vancouver
Furney Distributing, Ltd., Port McNeill
MacMillan Bloedel Ltd., Vancouver
Mining Association o f British Columbia,
Vancouver
Jack Mitchell, Alderman, City of Port Alberni
Share Our Forest Society, Cobble Hill
Share the Stein Committee, Lytton
Truck Loggers Association, Vancouver
W estern Forest Products, Ltd., Port McNeill
C a lifo rn ia
BAAA Company, Cutten
Carl Anderson, Mary Sue Anderson, Eureka
California Association o f 4WD Clubs Inc.,
Sacramento, 52-53
California Cattlemens Association, Oroville
California Chamber of Commerce. Sacramento
California Farm Bureau Federation, Sacramento
California-Nevada Snowmobile Association,
Placerville, 41
California Outdoor Recreation League, Inc.,
Newberry Springs, 134-139
California Women In lim ber, 32-33
Shirley Campbell, Tuolumne County Board of
Supervisors, Sonora

 Index o f the Wise Use Movement

159

Consumer Alert, Modesto, 115-118
William Dart, South Lake Tahoe
Del Norte Tax Payers League, Crescent City
Dirt Alert, Santa Clara, 41
Wendy Dougherty, Burney
Faber Associates, Rocklin
Georgia Pacific Corp., Fort Bragg
High Desert Multiple-Use Coalition, Ridgecrest
Intermountain Community Alliance for Resources
and Environment (ICARE),
Burney, 130-133
Joughin Ranch, Lake Isabella
Kaupanger Logging, Inc., Burney, 139-141
Kennedy Meadows Property Owners Association,
Inyokern
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,
Los Angeles
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Calpella
Motorcycle Industry Council, 41
National Association of Mining Districts,
Tustin, 96-97
National Inholders Association, Sonoma, 69-83
Nolan Trucking Company, Fortuna
Pacific Legal Foundation, Sacramento
Pacific Lumber Company, Scotia
Roger Rodoni, Scotia
Save the Employees, Carlotta
Sequoia Alliance for Environment and Resources,
T V im Fta IIn

SHARE and KARE, Redding
Sierra Forest Products, Terra Bella
Suburban Ford, Sacramento
Tahoe-Donner Association, Truckee
T.E.A.M. Taxpayers for the Environment And its
Management, Scotia, 34-35
Timber Association o f California,
Sacramento, 114
Trinity Resource Action Council,
Weaverville, 44-48

 160

The Wise Use A genda

Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources and
Environment, Standard
West Coast Alliance for Resources and
Environment (WE CARE), Eureka, 60-68
Western Chapter, International Snowmobile
Council, Rancho Cordova, 41
C o lo r a d o
Exxon Company, U.S.A., Denver
Colorado Motorcycle Dealers Association,
Denver, 41
Colorado OfT Highway Vehicle Coalition,
Littleton, 41
City o f Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs
Mountain States Legal Foundation,
Denver, 55-59
Southwestern Water Conservation District,
Pagosa Springs
Timberline TraUriders, Steamboat Springs, 41
D ela w a re
Du Pont Company, Agricultural Products
Department, Wilmington
D istr ict o f C olu m b ia
Accuracy In Academia
Competitive Enterprise Institute
International Association of Snowmobile
Administrators, 118-121
National Association o f Mining Districts
National Association o f Wheat Growers
National Inholders Association, 67-81
National Rille Association, 35-36
American Freedom Coalition, 33
F lorid a
Pauleitta Phillips, Ft. Lauderdale

 Index o f the Wise Use Movement

161

Id ah o
Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho,
Coeur aAlene, 41
Blue Ribbon Coalition Inc., Pocatello, 36-40
The Brush Bunch Motorcycle Club, Post Falls, 41
Central Idaho Rod and Gun Club, Challis, 41
Cougar Mountain Snowmobile Association,
Boise, 41
Idaho Cattle Association, Boise, 41
Idaho Citizens for Food and Shelter, Boise
Idaho/Eastern Oregon Seed Association, Caldwell
Idaho Falls Trail Machine Association,
Idaho Falls, 41
Idaho Forest Industries, Inc., Coeur d'Alene, 41
Idaho Gem and Mineral Society, Twin Falls, 41
Idaho Hunters Association, Boise, 41
Idaho Public Land Users Association,
Pocatello, 42
Idaho Trail Machine Association, Boise, 42
Idaho Snow Riders, Mountain Home, 42
Idaho State Snowmobile Association, Boise, 42
Idaho Women In Timber, Hayden Lake
Idaho Wool Growers Association, Boise, 42
Magic Valley Trail Machine Association,
Twin Falls, 42
Magic Valley Snowmobilers, Inc., Twin Falls, 42
North Idaho Trail Riders Organization,
Wallace, 42
Northwest Power Boat Association, Lewiston, 42
Our Land Magazine, Idaho Falls
Treasure Valley Trail Machine Association,
Boise, 42
Panhandle Snowmobile Association,
Bonners Ferry, 42
Pocatello Trail Machine Association, Pocatello, 42
K entu ck y
National Council for Environmental Balance,
Louisville, 19-26

 162

The Wise Use A genda

Maine

Hannibal Hamlin Institute for Economic Policy
Studies, Hallowell, 31-32
Maine ATV Association, Augusta, 42
M in n esota
Northern Natural Resources Alliance,
International Falls

Montana

Tom Asay, Forsyth
Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA), Big Arm
Communities for a Great Northwest, Libby
Missoula Snowgoers, Missoula, 42
Montana 4X4 Association, Bozeman, 42
Montana PLUS - Public Lands Used Sensibly,
Bozeman, 150-152
Montana Snowmobile Association, Helena, 42
Montana Trail Bike Riders Association,
Bozeman, 42
N ev a d a
Elko County Farm Bureau, Ruby Valley
Wayne Hage, Pine Creek Ranch, Tonopah
High Country Motorcycle Club, Reno
National Conference on Federal Lands,
Las Vegas, 89-95
Nevada Cattlemens Association, Elko
Nevada Off-Highway Users Council, Las Vegas
Nevada Miners & Prospectors Association, Reno
Loyd Sorensen, Von Sorensen, Elko
Public Resource Associates, Reno
Wilderness Impact Research Foundation,
Elko, 42, 84
N ew H a m p sh ire
Multiple Use Association, Gorham, 44

 Index o f the Wise Use Movement

163

N ew M ex ico
Jackelopes Motorcycle Club, Taos, 42
New Mexico Snowmobile Association,
Albuquerque, 42
Public Lands Council, Roswell
Santa Fe Trail Snowmobile Club, Santa Fe, 42
O h io
American Motorcyclist Association,
Westerville, 42
O ntario, C an ada
NORTHCARE, North Bay
Temagami Forest Products Association,
North Bay
O re g o n
Alsea Valley Alliance, Alsea
Bald Knob Land & Timber, Creswell
Bohenp# Forest Products, Eugene
Boise Cascade Corporation, Medford
Concerned Citizens for Western Lane County,
Florence
Davidson Industries, Mapleton
Douglas Timber Operators, Inc., Roseburg
Frerea Lumber Company, Lyons
City o f Klamath Falls, Klamath Falls
Klamath Basin Snowdrifters, Klamath Falls, 42
Louisiana Pacific Corporation, Portland
May-Be Ranch, Monument
Motorcycle Riders Association, Medford, 42
Moon Country Snowmobilers, Inc., Bend, 43
Norby Lumber Company, Madera
Northwest Forestry Association, Portland
Northwest Road and Trail Association, 43
North West Timber Association, Eugene, 68-69
Oregon ATV Association, Coos Bay, 43
Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, Salem
Oregon State Snowmobile Association, Salem, 43

 164

The Vtise Use A genda

Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Salem
James D. Petersen, Grants Pass, 122
Ross Ranches, Jordan Valley
Seneca Sawmill Company, Eugene, 124
Southern Oregon Resource Alliance,
Grants Pass, 141-142
Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association,
Medford
Timber Resource Education, Inc., Eugene
Western Wood Products Association, Portland
Willamette Forestry Council, Creswell, 84-86
P en n sy lv a n ia
United Four Wheel Drive Associations of U.S.
and Canada, Felton, 124-129
Utah
Beaver County, Beaver, 49-50
Garfield County, Panguitch, 48-49
Iron County Commission, Parowan, 133-134
Kane County Commission, Kanab, 133-34
Millard County, Delta
National Center for Constitutional Studies,
Salt Lake City
National Conference on Federal Lands,
Salt Lake City, 89-95
Sherrell Ott, County Commissioner, Tropic
San Juan County, Monticello
Bert Smith, Ogden
Southeastern Utah Association o f Local
Governments, Price, 26-30
Utah ATV Association, West Valley City, 43
Utah Snowmobile Association, Sandy, 43
Utah Trail Machine Association,
„
American Fork, 43
Washington County Commission, St. George, 123
Western Regional Council, Salt Lake City

 Index of the Wise Use Movement

165

V irgin ia
Peggy D. Hart, Vienna
Constance Heckman, Arlington
W ash in gton
Barbee Mill Company, Inc., Bonney Lake
Bremerton Cruisers, Bremerton, 43
Center for the Defense o f Free Enterprise,
Bellevue, 86-89
Columbia Gorge United, Stevenson
Committee to Preserve Property Rights, Cook
Eastern Washington Dirt Riders, Kennewick, 43
Iconix, Mill Creek
Lake Chelan Snowmobile Association, Chelan, 43
Lake Union Association, Seattle
Mr. and Mrs. John R. La thro p,
Bonney Lake, 59-60
National Association o f Reversionary Property
Owners, Issaquah, 121-122
National Park Users Association,
Bellevue, 103-114
Northwest ATV Association, Monroe, 43
Northwest Independent Forest Manufacturers,
Tacoma, 50-52
Northwest Legal Foundation, Seattle, 143-150
Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association,
Longview, 43
Public Land Users’
Society, Tacoma, 53-55
Ridgerunners ORV Club, Republic, 43
Roadrunners Motorcycle Club, Tacoma, 43
Skagit Motorcycle Club, Mount Vernon, 43
Tacoma Motorcycle Club, Puyallup, 43
Tree Farm Services, Hoquiam
Washington ATV Association, Enumclaw, 43
Washington Contract Loggers Association,
Olympia
Washington Friends o f Farms and Forests,
Olympia

 166

The Wise Use A genda

Washington State Snowmobile Association,
Kirkland, 43
Western Forest Industries Association, Olympia
Wild Rivers Conservancy Federation, Forks
Yakima Valley Dust Dodgers, Yakima, 43
W y om in g
Casper Dirt Riders, Casper, 43
Citizens for Multiple Use, Dubois
The Dubois Alliance, Dubois
Lander Snowdriftera, Lander, 43
Outdoors Unlimited, Beulah
Sour Doughs Snowmobile Club, Lander, 43
Sweetwater County Snowpokes, Rock Springs, 43
Wind River Multiple Use Advocates, Riverton, 37
W yoming State Snowmobile Association,
Pinedale, 43
W yoming Trail Machine Association, Story, 43

 TELEGRAM FROM
PRESIDENT BUSH
To a member organization o f the Wise Use Move­
ment:
TWX WHITEHOUSE
JANUARY 17 1989
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FEDERAL LANDS
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
DEAR FRIENDS:
IT IS A PLEASURE TO SEND GREETINGS TO THE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FEDERAL LANDS. I
AM COMMITTED TO ENSURING PROPER STEWARD­
SHIP OF THE PUBLIC LANDS WHICH ARE SO
INTEGRAL TO LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS IN THE
WEST.
I COMMEND YOUR EFFORTS TO HELP
ADDRESS THE CHALLENGE OF MANAGING THESE
RESOURCES FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL AMERI­
CANS. WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL MEET THAT
CHALLENGE.
SINCERELY,
GEORGE BUSH