An excerpt of Chief Dombeck's speech.  I will forward the entire speech to
anyone who would like to read it.
Jane Clark
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Nothing should ever compromise public ownership of public lands. Our
overriding objective must be to maintain the health, diversity, and
productivity of our lands and waters - recreation use must occur within
those ecological sideboards. Outdoor recreation is a wonderful way to
educate our children about the wonders of nature and the imperative of
treating and stewarding the land with respect.

In the end, recreation use - all uses of national forests and grasslands
are
about limits. Talking about limits to growth is very difficult for such a
prosperous culture as ours. We are a nation of optimism, where we attempt
to
use technology and wealth to find solutions to resource dilemmas.
Unfortunately, such growth even with the best technology often carries
consequences.

Wild places and natural areas are of increasing importance to a society
that
can afford to protect them. We are all too familiar with the battle between
protection and development. The writer, T.H. Watkins recently said, ``in
natural regions, as in public libraries, we should not be allowed to do
everything we can merely because we can do it.'' A decade ago, the timber
program on national forests ran up against a buzz saw of changing social
and
environmental values in the Pacific Northwest. And just as surely as a
river
will find its flood plain, social values will prevail in such debates.

Most Americans value public lands for the sense of open space, wildness and
naturalness they provide, clean air and water, and wildlife and fish. Other
uses, whether they are ski developments, mountain biking trails, or off
road
vehicles have a place in our multiple use framework. But that place is
reached only after we ensure that such activities do not, and will not,
impair the productive capacity of the land. That is the essence of our
recreation strategy.

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