Stan Myers raised a number of interesting questions in his letter of Nov. 1 about the Scotchman Peaks. Some of these questions are more about recreational or wildlife management than wilderness. I’d like to offer some clarity on these different management themes as well as where the roadless and proposed wilderness boundaries lie.

In the Scotchman Peaks Roadless area there are no current or former roads. A few hundred acres of the proposed Scotchman Peaks wilderness lies outside the Scotchman Peaks roadlless area and does contain a small amount of roads, long ago abandoned. These roads are reverting to their natural state by natural process. They are are not being mechanically restored. Any use of excavators is outside the boundaries of both the road less and recommended wilderness areas.

Congress envisioned the very real possibility of natural renewal when adopting the Wilderness act, which says: “The Wilderness Act establishes that an area is qualified and suitable for designation as wilderness which (i) though man’s work may have been present in the past, has been or may be restored by natural influence as to generally appear to have been affected by the forces of nature.”

Wilderness preservation is about maintaining the natural processes and preserving the wild qualities which define a place. Specific threats are generally lacking as most wilderness areas are established where there are very few, or no, competing interests. Wilderness is one component of multiple use management, which also includes logging, mining, grazing, and responsible motorized and mechanized recreation; each in its most appropriate place. Wilderness designation is our commitment to preserving those places we want to remain wild, for ourselves and for the future.

The potential for human-goat conflict has increased in the Scotchmans, as we have seen an increase in both mountain goats and hikers. Trails across our country are seeing an increase in hikers. There are potential conflicts everywhere with wildlife, or competing uses, which will require suitable management strategies, whether these places are inside wilderness or not.

Reducing such conflicts is primarily about common sense and education. Education is best done by experienced and responsible hikers doing their part to make sure less experienced folks know that wild animals should be left alone, not fed or allowed to lick or pose with us for photos. Common sense should be used with food storage and precautions taken to recreate safely in the backcountry, enjoying wildlife only from a distance.

Reducing conflicts is important whether we are talking about leaving alone the moose in town, or not feeding the geese in city parks, or behaving with caution to avoid bear encounters in the backcountry or the backyards. Common sense and keeping a safe distance from mountain goats is vital when we recreate whether we are on top of Scotchman Peak, in the Cabinets, Selkirks or elsewhere.

So, do your part to help protect all these magnificent creatures and to preserve the landscapes in which they live. This will ensure both are as wild in the future as they are now.

Phil Hough of Sagle is executive director of Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, and a long distance hiker with more than 12,000 miles of trail experience.