I would like to commend Holly Davis for her letter in the DCI on March 4 regarding the Dominguez Wilderness Area and its effects on the people who call it home. Cutting off this area to people is not only wrong, but also immoral. Catering to environmental groups has become the "way of the west" it seems.

Nearly 20 years ago, a significant part of this area was designated as a "Wilderness Study Area." In doing this, some roads were shut down and the area they served was off limits. Over the last five years, the BLM has been closing more and more of the original roads in the area in the name of "wilderness." By definition and the Wilderness Act Law, wilderness areas are to be "roadless." These roads have been here since the 1940s. Most were used and maintained by the ranchers in the area, but also some mineral development was sought during the uranium boom. These roads provide sportsmen with access to land that can not be accessed on foot. This leads to the issue that only the elite can use the land as Ms. Davis pointed out. This plays right into the outfitters' hands as they have the means to own horses that can access these areas where before they could be accessed by vehicle. As Ms. Davis pointed out, very little water is in the area in question, which provides a great shelter for both the hikers that come up from the river into this area and the hunters that come down from the upper regions. A person can not carry enough water from the end of the roads from the top, nor can you haul enough water from the river area up to ever cross paths. This natural buffer zone seems to me to be ideal. No one has to encounter the other, and no money needs to be spent on enforcement.

In these tough economic times, it does not make sense to close these roads, then require BLM officials patrol them to ensure no one is traveling on them. One road in particular was closed only 1⁄4 of a mile from the end of the road. This road can not be extended due to the cliffs in the area. Roads are part of the landscape and can be clearly seen on any Google map of the area. Even roads that were closed in the early 1990s can be seen even though no one has traveled on them in over a decade.

More and more, we sportsmen are just letting these things happen. Next up is the HR-45 gun bill being sent through Congress. When are people going to stand up? When did a small majority of the people become so powerful that the majority just lies down? Stand up people. Help fight for what we believe in. Hold the people accountable that try to skirt the law in the name of "environmental concerns."

Terry Kimber

Austin

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