STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Josh Johnson will lead a Comment Writing Party for Wilderness on Wednesday.
Johnson is providing the drinks and pizza. He just needs bodies to sign up to provide input on the areas of the Salmon-Challis National Forest that should be recommended for wilderness in the new forest plan.
The party will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Idaho Conservation League’s Ketchum office at 110 W. 5th St., Suite 201, in Ketchum. Participants are encouraged to bring laptops so they can submit their comments on line.
Johnson, conservation associate for the Idaho Conservation League, will offer talking points to consider and any additional assistance people may need.
The Salmon-Challis National Forest is required to complete a thorough wilderness evaluation as part of its forest plan revision process. The Forest Service has identified several remote areas called Focal Evaluation Areas that are large enough and sufficiently undeveloped to provide wilderness characteristics.
After citizens offer their imput, the Forest Service will analyze the impacts of wilderness recommendation for qualified areas and develop a range of alternatives. The final decision will include a formal recommendation for which lands Congress should consider for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
At 4.3 million areas the Salmon-Challis National Forest is the second largest national forest in the Lower 48 behind the 6.3-million-acre Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada.
It includes the largest portion of the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48—the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It has two of the nation’s premiere Wild & Scenic Rivers, including the Middle Fork of the Salmon. Not only does it contain Idaho’s highest peak—Mount Borah--but it has Idaho’s 19 highest peaks. And it’s got a variety of wildlife, including mountain goats, wolves and bears.
To visit the Forest Plan Revision website, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/scnf/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fseprd544724 For more information, contact Gina Knudson at 208-756-5551 or email scnf_plan_rev@fs.fed.us.