Forest Service officials recently held a three-day administrative hearing to consider objections to a draft Land Management Plan for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.
The four-million-acre national forest encompasses much of the Clearwater Basin and portions of the Salmon River Basin in north central Idaho. The forest is known for its wild rivers, wildlands, old growth forests, and abundant wildlife.
The existing management plans for the forest were approved in the late 1980s and have become outdated.
However, if approved as is, the new plan would put wildlife, wildlands and wild rivers at risk by drastically increasing motorized access and logging.
For example, there is no direction in the plan to protect mountain goat winter range, wolverine denning habitat, or grizzly bear core habitats from the increasing use of off-road vehicles and snow machines.
While the agency modestly increased the size of the proposed Mallard-Larkins Wilderness and added East Meadow Creek to the Forest Service’s list of recommended wilderness areas, the proposed Great Burn Wilderness was reduced in size to provide additional areas for snowmobile use despite the impacts that doing so will have on mountain goats and wolverines.
Under the existing plans, approximately two dozen rivers and streams are eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Under the new plan, only eleven streams were found suitable, and iconic rivers like the North and South Fork are notably absent from the list.
During the three-day proceedings, Forest Service officials primarily sought clarification regarding written objections submitted by organizations and members of the public earlier this year. However, potential resolutions were not hammered out during the hearings. It remains unclear whether specific resolutions will be reached.
The Forest Service announced that a written response will be published sometime in June. A final decision will follow thereafter. Stay tuned for more updates from ICL as we continue our advocacy on this issue, and speak up for the water, lands, and wildlife that make this area special.