Dear public land owners,
With the heat of summer upon us, we wanted to share some important updates on issues we are tracking.
Due to an administrative error, the Forest Service has extended the public comment period for the troubling East Saddle Integrated Restoration Project. This is the proposal to burn and thin thousands of acres in the Weitas Creek, Moose Mountain and Kelly Creek Roadless Areas, as well commercially log off the Toboggan Ridge Road near Cayuse Creek. Please use our action alert and comment form by Friday July 28.
FOC and Palouse-Sierra Club are hosting a car-camping trip this weekend July 21-23 at the Kelly Forks campground on the N. Fork Clearwater! This family-friendly trip will offer a group hike to one of the areas potentially affected by the East Saddle project (above), a spaghetti feed, and lots of relaxation and fun! Please RSVP at 208-882-9755 for more information.
Members of Congress, including (R-ID) Rep. Raul Labrador, have co-sponsored legislation that would threaten millions of acres of roadless wildlands on the National Forests with road building and logging, while also short-cutting environmental review and public involvement. Don’t be fooled by the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, H.R. 2936! It is intended to make road building and logging the highest priority on the National Forests. Read our full action alert and contact your elected officials.
The Idaho Department Fish & Game (IDFG) has released a horrid proposal to allow baiting of wolves by trophy hunters throughout the state. Baiting black bears is currently legal in Idaho, and now anti-wolf interests want to lure wolves to bait stations so they can be further slaughtered. Not a single state in the Lower 48 allows baiting of wolves, but Idaho is in a race to the bottom when it comes to managing this native carnivore. Read our alert and send a comment to IDFG by July 26.
Thank you to Smokin’ Mojo & Friends for playing the 2017 FOC Summer Benefit Concert! We all need a little music to get through these challenging times!
Sincerely,
Brett Haverstick
Education & Outreach Director