Dear wildland advocates,
This Friday August 26 we will be hosting our annual Hot Summer Days Barbecue at East City Park in Moscow. FOC will provide hamburgers, veggie burgers and condiments. Please bring a supplemental dish, drink of your choice and a comfortable chair to relax in. The grill will be hot by 5:30pm. Rifka Helton will be performing My Father’s Idaho at 7:00pm. Event is family friendly!
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Supervisor Cheryl Probert has “withdrawn approval” of the 85-million board feet Clear Creek Integrated Restoration Project. The Nez Perce Tribe litigated the project over concerns that the agency applied outdated or inaccurate models, and grossly underestimated the amount of sediment currently leaching into the drainage, including additional sediment that would be produced by the project. The Forest Service is now going to conduct a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to ensure the project complies with the Forest Plan.
The Clear Creek timber sale was a product of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative. The Nez Perce Tribe was part of the group, before officially withdrawing earlier this year. FOC has never been part of the collaborative, and filed an objection to the Clear Creek project in 2015, along with the Nez Perce Tribe. We will keep you apprised of the next public comment opportunity.
In December 2015, the Forest Service proposed a 40-million board feet hazard tree logging project disguised as “road maintenance.” The Road, Administrative, and Recreation Site Project called for logging up to 200-feet on either side of the road, including those that parallel roadless wildlands like Weitas Creek, Meadow Creek and others. Public input helped convince the agency that an Environmental Assessment must be completed first – the agency wanted to initially log under a Categorical Exclusion.
Further public scrutiny has now forced the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests to severely reduce the scope of the project, and the latest analysis calls for logging 7.5-million board feet. FOC still has concerns over the project, and we will keep you updated as we review the decision.
Hope to see you Saturday September 17, 2016 for the 2nd Annual Free the Snake Flotilla at Swallows Park in Clarkston, WA. The all-day event will feature water activities, food, music, guest speakers and camping. Please register today!
Thank you for making a difference!
Brett Haverstick
Education & Outreach Director