Hells Canyon NRA Needs Better Plan to Address Roads
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area consists of 650,000 acres along the Oregon-Idaho border. It has 531 miles of road open to traffic, but funding cannot keep up with repair needs, and the maintenance backlog is up to $16 million. Roads are rife with potholes, and erosion is polluting streams and fisheries.
These are serious problems for most places managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which adopted a policy in 2001 requiring managers to assess their roads and to consider closures and other steps.
A 2003 plan for Hells Canyon calls for a one-third reduction in mileage, but a recent Wilderness Society study concluded that a more ambitious plan is needed because a reduction of one-third would leave hundreds of miles that the agency cannot maintain. The Snake River winds through Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America, and it is critical that we protect the natural qualities prized by boaters, campers, anglers, and hikers.
For More Information
- Craig Gehrke, Director, Northern Rockies/Idaho Regional Office, The Wilderness Society, 208-343-8153
