Bonner County (Idaho) Commissioners are recommending that the Scotchman Peaks be designated as Wilderness. The Scotchman Peaks areas were described as “steep slopes, remote valleys, grizzly bear habitat and possession of the highest point in Bonner County all support inclusion as wilderness,” in a letter the Commissioners sent to Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.

The Commissioners’ recommendation on Scotchman Peaks surprised Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, an organization advocating for it to be designated a wilderness area. “I really didn’t think they’d make any specific recommendations pro or con for any areas, so it was actually really pretty exciting that they singled out Scotchman’s for support,” Phil Hough, the group’s chairman, told the Bonner County Daily Bee.

Sandpoint, Idaho, Mayor Ray Miller is behind protecting the area as well. “Some of our favorite places in Bonner County are backcountry areas accessed by trail,” Miller said in a statement thanking the commission for its support of the wilderness designation. “These areas protect our best remaining fishing and hunting spots, as well as the clean water flowing into Lake Pend Oreille. The commissioners recognized these important values, and our children and grandchildren will be glad they did.”

The push for the Wilderness designation coincides with the Forest Service’s revisions of management plans for the Idaho Panhandle and Kootenai National Forests, both of which contain portions of the Scotchman Peaks area. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest is recommending the Scotchman Peaks area for wilderness, but officials have designated the Kootenai National Forest portion of the area as “wild lands.”

Background
Roughly 60 miles south of Canada, the 88,000-acre Scotchman Peaks roadless area spans the Idaho-Montana border. Since the 1970s, when the U.S. Forest Service carried out extensive evaluations of lands suitable for wilderness, this rugged, scenic and biologically diverse portion of the Cabinet Mountains has been managed for its wilderness potential.

The Scotchman Peaks are wild, rugged and roadless, with alpine vistas and clear streams flowing into Lake Pend Oreille. Many plant and animal species call the Scotchman Peaks home. This area provides prime habitat for mountain goat, elk, moose, deer, bull trout, black bears and grizzlies. Leaving this special place undisturbed protects plants, wildlife and water quality. The Scotchman Peaks provide unparalleled access to experience the wilderness and the great outdoors.

A group of concerned residents of North Idaho and Western Montana have formed the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness to support the permanent protection of the Scotchman Peaks as wilderness.

For More Information

• Craig Gehrke, The Wilderness Society, Idaho, 208-343-8153
• Phil Hough, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, 208-255-2780