University of Virginia Library

Lost Wilderness

It is extremely urgent that a bill
in Congress be stopped. The National
Forest Timber Conservation
& Management Act of 1969 (H.R.
12025) will be debated and voted
on Thursday, Feb. 26, 1970. H.R.
12025 would turn all natural forest
land (not already withdrawn) that
is capable of producing timber, into
timber production only and will
create a fund to be used for accelerated
timber production. The
fund provides for pruning, thinning
and underbrush removal. (This will
destroy most wildlife habitat.) It
provides for fertilization (nitrates in
fertilizer are killer pollutants) and
pesticides (DDT is not the only
staying insecticide). H.R. 12025 is
designed to put an end to wilderness
preservation and to National
Park creation.

There is nothing desirable about
this bill. It cannot be interpreted as
anything but a rape of our forests.
The only winners are the big timber
industrialists. The rest of us lose the
right to observe, study and appreciate
a complete ecology in these
areas. We lose the chance to set
aside more recreational areas (our
national parks are already overcrowded).
We lose for ourselves and
for all future generations the right
to the wilderness experience. And
for those of us who have spent
some time in the wilderness, we
lose the inalienable right to "pursuit
of happiness."

This is the age of "Silence Means
Consent." If you don't write your
Congressman now, there will not be
another chance. Your children will
have no chance at all.