Tom Pomeroy

“On the big scale of things, 95 percent of the United States is already roaded and accessible to motorized equipment. We can’t make wilderness in other places. Idaho is unique that we still have opportunities to save the wilderness that is left. Lots of compromises have been made on public lands throughout the history of the United States. This is the time to be proactive and to be intelligent and to look forward…It’s important for the economy of Central Idaho that is moves forward. The Boulder-White Clouds and the Pioneer Mountains are extremely important to the economy of Blaine County. Some of the highest peaks of the Boulder-White Clouds are in Blaine Country. There are tens of thousands of acres of the White Clouds in Blaine County. There are more people in Blaine County that live closer to the Boulder-White Clouds than anywhere else. And like I was saying earlier, it is apart of our life; it is apart of why we are proud of living in Idaho.”

Can a compromise be reached between the different user-groups?

“Protecting the River of No Return and protecting Yellowstone probably in their day had some controversy. But anyone that would look back on the River of No Return or the Sawtooths today would say that was the right thing to do, that was people coming together to do something for the future. And the Boulder-White Clouds are similar to that. We are looking ahead to prevent problems, and we are looking to say that this is an incredible spot and we are proud of it. I think the conflicts tend to get overblown. If the Boulder-White Clouds are designated wilderness, all of the roads leading into them will remain open. The access to this country is already really good. Motors will be stopped on some trails. But a lot of those trails the use is overwhelmingly for feet or horse traffic.”