FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

---

SUPPORT FOR GREATER WILDERNESS AND NATURAL VALUES IN IDAHO'S PANHANDLE NATIONAL FOREST

    The Idaho Panhandle National Forest (IPNF) is revising its forest plan. It has developed a draft forest plan that is available for public comment. The plan covers the historic St. Joe, Kaniksu and Coeur d'Alene national forests. The IPNF covers 2.5 million acres of public lands, encompassing over 777,000 acres of roadless forests.

    The plan addresses land management issues in the area, including logging, fire management, wilderness recommendations, wild and scenic rivers, water quality, wildlife habitat and others. Unfortunately, the plan recommends less than 20% of the available roadless acreage for potential wilderness protection (138,900 acres). The draft plan also abandons any requirement to protect clean water, wildlife habitat, or old growth forests.

    The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs strongly recommends that the Forest Service in its final forest plan for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest:

-- include additional recommended wilderness, including all of Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest, all of the Mallard-Larkins area, Grandmother Mountain and Continental Mountain;

-- prohibit any and all logging of old growth forests;

-- establish buffer strips to protect water quality and the native fisheries; and

-- protect from development all eligible wild and scenic rivers and related river corridors.

[contact: Marty Huebner, Vice President, Idaho, patmarty@srv.net]

next >>