Scotchman Peaks open house set

HOPE — United State Sen. Jim Risch’s office is hosting a open house on the Scotchman Peaks wilderness proposal on Tuesday, June 6.

The open house runs from 4-7 p.m. in the Hope Elementary School gymnasium, 255 Hope School Road.

Staff from Risch’s office and officials from the U.S. Forest Service will be available to answer questions and gather constituent input on the proposal, which would designate approximately 13,900 acres of the Cabinet Mountains in Idaho as a wilderness area.

The proposed legislation would make the wilderness permanent and binding upon future generations throughout perpetuity.

The broader Scotchman proposal also contemplates a wilderness designation of 48,000 acres in Montana, making it the first interstate wilderness area.