In early July, Rep. Simpson hosted three town hall meetings in Ketchum, Stanley and Challis, Idaho to gather public comment on his proposed framework for the Boulder-White Clouds.
All three meetings were well attended. More than 200 people participated in the Ketchum meeting alone. The vast majority of the people who spoke at all three meetings were wilderness supporters and while they praised Simpson for his initial efforts they also called for a number of improvements to the framework including the addition of more Wilderness areas in Simpson’s final legislative package. Critics also outlined a number of other concerns they had with Simpson’s initial proposal including: federal land transfers to Custer County, appropriation of federal recreation management moneys to the state of Idaho rather than the Forest Service, motorized trails and the transfer of management authority for parts of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area from the Forest Service to the state of Idaho.
The Mayor of Ketchum had this to say: “In Ketchum, our economic vitality is he mountains around us,” he said. “Wilderness designation required very little federal action and no federal money.” He continued, “When I get stressed from day-to-day life here, I simply go north to the mountains for rejuvenation. I want you to know Congressman, that more wilderness means less Zantac, less Tums, Less aspirin.”
Background
The Boulder and White Cloud Mountain ranges stretch from Ketchum, Idaho almost 40 miles northward to the Salmon River in the heart of central Idaho. This expansive region is managed by the Sawtooth and Salmon-Challis National Forests and Bureau of Land Management. The Boulder-White Clouds embrace eight free-flowing rivers and their tributaries that provide habitat for salmon, steelhead and bull trout. Elk, mountain goats, Bighorn sheep, wolves, bear and eagles thrive in these wildlands. Debates on how and whether to protect this important area have spread over three decades.
Most recently, conservation groups have been working with Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) to develop a proposal to protect this wild landscape. They have also worked very hard to build in-state support for protecting the Boulder-White Clouds. For example, more than 130 Idaho businesses have expressed their support for officially protecting the Boulder White-Clouds as a Wilderness Area.
On June 18, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) released a document that outlines the components of his “Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Proposal” which proposes, among numerous other recreation and economic development provisions, to designate significant Wilderness Areas in the Boulder and White Cloud Mountains of central Idaho. (See Wilderness Report # 119 for more details on the framework.)
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