Mr. TAYLOR. Well, thank you very much for that invitation. In our travels yesterday we did see a lot that confirmed what you say, that the area has been well preserved.

Mr. KUHNS. Did you go up around Sand River and Small Bay? Did you go to Little Sand Bay, around Sandy Island? That is an area— you went only probably to what is taken in by the excursion boat.

Mr. TAYLOR. No. We did not ride the excursion boat and we did not get to go as near as we could because the water was rough and the small boats could not make the speeds.

Mr. KUHNS. Now, you would see on a tour that I would give you over that area that there is nothing to see except from the lake. I would take you over the road and I have had people stop me there because I go up 2 miles away and wait for the mail and people stop and ask for directions once in a while, and after the hearing 2 years ago people would stop and say where are these scenic drives that they are talking about? Where is the scenic area?

I say the scenic area is out on the lake. You can go out on the lake, always have been able to go out, always will be, and you can go out on the lake now any time you want to. There is where you see the scenery. You do not see it going along the drive looking over it. You can go up the fire tower and see it. You can see the islands there. But any drive that has been promoted will not give you any more scenery than you find any other place in the State.

Mr. TAYLOR. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Kuhns. As far as the invitation is concerned, we have to be up in Minnesota early in the morning. We have a similar inspection and hearing with regard to the proposed Voyageurs National Park area.

Mr. KUHNS. On your way back you are still welcome.

Mr. TAYLOR. If we could get an opportunity to accept your invitation, we would be glad to.

Mr. KUHNS. I have not had any one accept my invitation from the Congress and I would be thrilled, I would be flattered that you would accept it.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you very much.

One more witness and then we will adjourn for lunch.

Mr. W. V. Thomas, general manager, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association.

STATEMENT OF W. V. THOMAS, GENERAL MANAGER, WISCONSIN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Mr. KASTEN MEIER. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to welcome Mr. Thomas here. He is a constituent of mine and represents very competently a large and important organization in the State and I am grateful he could come all the way up here from Madison.

Mr. THOMAS. Thank you, Mr. Kastenmeier.

My name is W. V. Thomas and I am general manager of the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, which organization is a statewide association of 30 rural electric cooperatives in Wisconsin. And in appearing before this committee to endorse the proposal to establish the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, I am implementing the wishes of these

member organizations as expressed in the form of a resolution unanimously adopted during our annual meeting in Madison.

This resolution emphasized that "it always has been an important part of our mutual concern that this Nation's rich heritage of natural resources must be conserved and added to."

A resolution adopted by our board of directors underlined a similar

thought:

This association and the 30 electric cooperatives in this State which it represents have a history of deep concern for the preservation of our natural resources, and for the prudent and carefully planned use of these resources in the overall development of Wisconsin's economy.

Complete copies of both resolutions are attached to this statement. (The resolutions referred to follow :)

A RESOLUTION

Adopted at the annual meeting of Wisconsin Electric Cooperative at the Park Motor Inn, Madison, Wis.

Whereas, it always has been an important part of our mutual concern that this nation's rich heritage of natural resources must be conserved and added to, and,

Whereas, legislation now pending in Congress would help assure the preservation of an important part of that heritage by establishing the 57,511-acre Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the south shoreline of Lake Superior, and,

Whereas, this woods and water combination of untouched natural beauty will provide unexcelled opportunities for wilderness camping, hiking, natural science studies, boating, fishing, cave exploration and game-sighting, and will be affording these opportunities to an estimated one million people annually by 1970, now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that we ask Wisconsin's representatives and senators, and all other members of the Congress, to support the legislation which proposes to establish this recreation area.

A RESOLUTION

Adopted by the board of directors of Wisconsin Electric Cooperative at a regular meeting in Madison, Wis.

Whereas, This association and the 30 electric and telephone cooperatives in this state which it represents have a history of deep concern for the preservation of our natural resources, and for the prudent and carefully planned use of these resources in the development of Wisconsin's overall economy, and,

Whereas, it is our opinion that the designation of a northern Wisconsin lakeshore area as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, as provided in bill S. 778, will contribute in an important way to both of these purposes, now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that we declare our firm support for this measure as a move in the best interest of the general public of this state and nation, and, be it further Resolved, that we communicate this expression of support to Wisconsin's congressmen and United States senators, to the U.S. Department of the Interior, and to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Mr. THOMAS. Certainly, prudent and carefully planned use of these resources involves the problem of water pollution. I am reminded of a photograph appearing in the August issue of the National Geographic magazine which showed a man cupping his hands to drink water from a mountain stream in one of the busiest parks in the Nation. Rocky Mountain National Park. A stream or lake where the water is clean enough to drink is, unfortunately, extremely rare today.

Too much of our water is polluted by industry and individuals who have little concern for preserving public resources. This can happen to the shoreline of Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula and the beauti

ful Apostle Islands offshore. Population growth is such that it certainly will happen unless the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore plan becomes a reality.

Beyond this, I would like to direct the committee's attention to the fact that the rural electric cooperatives associated in our organization are long-time borrowers from the Federal Government's Rural Electrification Administration. They have sought persistently for ways to improve the general economy of the areas they serve, because this kind of improvement strengthens their own position and, in turn, provides added security for the Federal investment they represent.

Not all of Wisconsin's 30 rural electric cooperatives are located near to the area proposed as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Nearly half of them are a half a State or more distant from this northern Wisconsin boundary. But they are close to each other in the shared belief that this proposed development promises very real economic benefit to all of Wisconsin and some neighboring States, and they are closer still in their demonstrated belief in man's obligation to preserve the blessings of his natural environment, and to improve it when he can.

They have expressed clearly their conviction that creation of the 57,000-acre Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will bring important economic benefits in the near future, and will assure priceless esthetic benefits for generations to come.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee.
Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you very much for your statement.

The subcommittee now adjourns and we will reconvene in this room at 1:30. We stand in recess until 1:30.

(Whereupon, at 12:40 p.m., the hearing was recessed, to reconvene at 1:30 p.m., this day.)

AFTERNOON SESSION

Mr. TAYLOR. The subcommittee will reconvene.

Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Leland Mulder, assistant to the president, Wisconsin Farmers Union.

STATEMENT OF LELAND MULDER, ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, WISCONSIN FARMERS UNION

Mr. MULDER. Mr. Chairman, I have a formal statement that I issued and to expedite your proceedings I feel as though I can dispense with the reading of this and just say that I am here at the direction of the president of Wisconsin Farmers Union, Gilbert Rodie, and Farmers Union totally supports the proposal of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as they did at the Senate hearings 2 years ago, and I think our statement will suffice.

Mr. TAYLOR. Well, thank you very much, and your statement will be placed in the record in full at this point.

(Mr. Mulder's full statement follows:)

35-817-69

STATEMENT OF WISCONSIN FARMERS UNION, PRESENTED BY LELAND E. MULDER, ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT

Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the committee, in September, 1963, Wisconsin Farmers Union participated in the Northern Lakes States Land and People Conference to launch a grassroots effort to plan and build for the economic expansion and growth of the Northern Lake States region, comprising 81 counties of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

The conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture attracted state and national leaders including two Governors and President Kennedy. The conference was called as a consequence of a USDA task force study which explored ways of improving the economy of the region through accelerated recreational development adjustments in agriculture greater use of existing forest resources and better transportation and communication.

We believe that the enactment of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore bill, initiated by Senator Gaylord Nelson and passed by the Senate, would in no small measure fulfill the goals for economic development established by the task force report and discussed by the Land and People Conference participants. Wisconsin Farmers Union, therefore, supports this forward-looking measure and urges its passage.

John A. Baker, former assistant secretary of agriculture, in keynoting the conference, made some telling observations. He said: "The wasting of human resources is compounded by a wastage and misdirected use of natural resources. Much land is left idle, and idle acres do not represent good land use when so many needs of our people, including the need for more income, are unmet." End of quote. At the time of the conference, the task force reported that 9 per cent of the work force of over 500,000 persons was unemployed.

The war in Vietnam has changed the short run economic outlook of the region, but the need for economic opportunity and development in the long run remains the same if the resources of the region are not continued to be wasted. Wisconsin Farmers Union has had first hand experience with poverty-stricken rural families in the Wisconsin portion of the Lake States region. For the past three and a half years we have been sponsoring a Neighborhood Youth Corps project in the 19 northernmost counties of the state. We have found that many of our NYC enrollees come from homes that are just as deprived and just as ramshackle as those found in the most depressed areas of Appalachia.

Quite obviously, Wisconsin Farmers Union supports this proposed legislation principally for the economic benefits that this national recreation area will bring to northern Wisconsin as well as the rest of the northern Great Lakes region. In doing so, we do not wish to minimize the conservation and recreational aspects of the proposed lakeshore. The attractions of this area, opened and developed for public enjoyment, will be preserved for future generations, including those, we hope, of Farmers Union members.

Former Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, in addressing the Land and People conference, spoke with what now seems to have been prophetic vision. He said:

"I am convinced on the basis of long and careful observation, that recreation development is the fuse that will set off a great economic boom in the Lake States in the years ahead. The fuse already has been lit, and it should receive concentrated attention in the years immediately ahead . . . I venture to predict that by 1980, recreation will be the mainstay of the Lake States' economy and it will be a healthy economy. It could happen sooner, and, if it does, then I will be happy to say I was wrong." End of quote. We hope that Former Secretary Freeman was right in his optimism and wrong in his timetable. We feel this can be accomplished before 1980.

Creation of the national lakeshore will mean increased tourist spending, better transportation facilities, including highways and airports, and new businesses to provide services for the influx of people who will avail themselves of the opportunity to leave congested population centers for a visit to an unspoiled wilderness area. It will also mean new jobs and more income for the Red Cliff and Bad River Indian tribes as well as other residents of this area.

The unique character of the Apostle Islands was recognized by President Kennedy in 1963 when he flew over the islands and the Lake Superior shoreline. "We must act to preserve these assets," he said upon conclusion of his tour. President Johnson sent a message to Congress recommending the establishment of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, which he called a "superb string of islands."

We are privlleged to add the name of Farmers Union to the long list of distinguished organizations and individuals supporting this legislation. In conclusion, we wish to express the hope that this public-spirited proposal does not become the victim of shortsighted economy engendered by the war in Vietnam. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is the type of vision and reality upon which we can build a better society. We do not deny that great spending on the forces of destruction is necessary in our present predicament, but let us not lose sight of the compelling needs to expend some of our great wealth on the forces of construction that are imperiled by delay.

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. William Ruth, chairman, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.

STATEMENT OF MR. WILLIAM RUTH, CHAIRMAN, WISCONSIN WILDLIFE FEDERATION

Mr. RUTH. Mr. Chairman, I am William Ruth of Eagle River, Wis., and I am representing the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation which is at State federation of conservation clubs and is the accredited State affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation has long supported the concept of an Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, as embodied in proposed legislation in the Congress.

Our expanding population, increasing leisure time and greater mobility are making a tremendous impact on our outdoor resources. This could well result in unsightly development and unwise use unless channeled into constructive planning.

In the recreational economy, which Northern Wisconsin represents, much unplanned development has already blighted the natural landscape.

However, the Lake Superior lakeshore and the Apostle Islands themselves represent large unspoiled areas which can best be preserved for our and future generations under the type of development best carried out by the National Park Service.

The preservation of these beautiful natural assets not only result in the best esthetic use of the area, but is bound to help it economically as well. For destruction of the natural assets through unplanned development can lead to economic, as well as scenic blight. When the assets which attract visitors are destroyed, the economic base of the area is impaired also.

However, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will be an invaluable addition to the National Park System, not only for the people of northern Wisconsin, or of Wisconsin, or of the Midwest, but for all Americans from all 50 States.

They will offer a unique outdoors experience to all who love and appreciate nature, from the rugged outdoorsman to the smallest child. They add another kind of natural setting, not duplicated anywhere in our park system. They give our national parks still more variety in the natural facilities they have to offer the people of the United States. We urge this committee to favor and to expedite passage of this bill which will create the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to present our views. Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you, Mr. Ruth.

Dr. B. C. Prentice, chairman, Citizens Committee for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Ashland, Wis.