FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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ELIMINATION OF SALMON RIVER LODGES

In September 2000, federal Circuit Judge Sidney Thomas ruled that three permanent resorts, which stand in a wilderness area and on the banks of the Salmon River in Idaho, stand in violation of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and must be removed. The resorts are not only within the boundaries of a wild river, they are also in the heart of the Frank Church-River-of-No Return Wilderness.

In his ruling in the case (Wilderness Watch v. the Forest Service), the judge ruled that "...the law is clear: the construction of permanent resort lodges is not permitted in the Wild River corridor" and is clearly "...inconsistent with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act" (WSRA). At the time, it seemed like this ruling was the culmination of an arduous fight which lasted over twelve years, including untold hours of staff time and thousands of pages of evidence.

In early 2003, the Forest Service released a decision requiring that lodges and cabins here be removed and the sites be rehabilitated by December 31, 2005. The deadline has since been endorsed in a court ordered stipulation between the parties.

However, Senator Larry Craig (R. Idaho) has now introduced legislation (S. 1003) which would nullify the court's ruling by amending the Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980 to permit the three resorts to continue in operation. This bill would reverse nearly seven decades of statutory protection for the Salmon River by granting special rights to those who operate these three lodges, and it would set a terrible precedent by encouraging the notion that similar developments might occur throughout the country within wilderness areas and wild rivers.

Taxpayers have spent millions of dollars to acquire private lands and conservation easements along the Salmon River corridor to protect the area's wild character. S. 1003 would negate much of this effort by authorizing these resorts to continue to be operated on public lands. If S.1003 becomes law, the losers would be the vast majority of visitors to the area who seek a wilderness experience. The losers would also be the great number of Americans who take pleasure in simply knowing that our last wild places survive.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs strongly urges the United States Congress to reject S. 1003, which would amend the Central Idaho Wilderness Act to permit operation and maintenance of these lodges. The Federation further urges the Forest Service to work diligently to ensure that these lodges, cabins and other facilities are removed and that the sites are restored by the end of December 2005.


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