Congress shouldn't waste time on proposal
As we near 2017 with a new president and Congress dedicated to fixing the many serious issues facing this nation, we shall see if Congress will waste time on a small and poorly-defined proposed wilderness in northern Idaho. The 13,900-acre Idaho portion of the proposed Scotchman wilderness is the western margin of the larger 88,000-acre area, which is mostly in Montana. The western boundary of the small Idaho portion weaves wildly around roads and old clearcuts, while the entire eastern boundary is the north-south state line, which cuts across canyons and mountains, irrespective of natural geographical boundaries.
The crazy boundaries create two separate, unconnected “islands” of wilderness, making this even more ridiculous. The northern area consists of the timber covered, not particularly scenic, Lightning Mountain, which is almost completely surrounded by old roads and clearcuts. The mountain also has a (man-made) steel electronics container and communications tower on top, but somehow has transformed into an area “untrammeled by man.” The southern area, while consisting mostly of steep and brushy slopes in the Lightning Creek drainage, includes Scotchman Peak. Scotchman is very scenic, no doubt, but it is on the western edge of the highest and most scenic terrain in the area, most of which is in Montana (a mile and a half to the east).
Besides the hoards of hikers and the infamous people-goat problems that the FSPW propaganda blitz to “protect” (from exactly what, we never hear) this area has caused, FSPW tells us we need to support this because “open spaces are shrinking at an alarming rate” and “leaving them unprotected, they could potentially be sold to developers.” Who really believes that? We see public land increasing every year, with acquisitions by the State, Forest Service and public use easements, but, hey, never let facts stand in the way of a good propaganda campaign! Scotchman was never logged when we had a strong logging industry and it was deemed to have no or very little mineral potential, so, even if we play along with the ridiculous fear mongering, why would anybody buy it? To sell tickets to hike to the peak? Actually, with all the hikers now, that might be a real money maker. FSPW also says they are not opposed to logging and mining. Really? Then let’s see a poll of the individual “Friends” on whether they would support more logging in Lightning Creek and the development of the Rock Creek deposits, even if mined from the Libby side of the Cabinets.
If you oppose more rules, regulations and government bureaucracy on public lands, it is time to make that known to our US Senators and Congressman. The wilderness supporters tell them that there is very little opposition to this, which may be true for downtown Sandpoint, but Bonner County is bigger than Sandpoint. Our county commissioners also support this, but the commissioner who was up for reelection this year lost his job (perhaps the others should take heed). Make your voice against this heard now and stop this waste of time and money.
Stan Myers is a resident of Hope since 1972 and has been a geologist for 29 years.