In the far reaches of northwestern Montana, roughly 45 miles south of the U.S./Canadian border, lies 35,000-acre East Face Cabinet Roadless Area-a reserve for some of the state's only remaining stands of western hemlock, cedar and western white pine and a management area for the grizzly bear. Located on Kootenai National Forest, this roadless area borders the eastern side of Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area, which is located west and south of Libby. Combined, the roadless and wilderness areas encompass a large, pristine wildlands enclave for wildlife species. Two major rivers, the Kootenai and Clark Fork, bound the roadless area, creating important streamside habitat.
The Forest Service recommends East Face Cabinet for designation as wilderness, but creation of the proposed Treasure Mountain ski resort would destroy the special wilderness characteristics of the area and thus its chances for wilderness designation. If plans to build the resort succeed, a new three-mile road would be bulldozed through the East Face Cabinet, fragmenting this intact, forested gem and disrupting its natural ecological processes.
The resort proposal is particularly troubling in light of the fact that a ski area -- Turner Mountain -- near Libby has already been fully developed and appears capable of handling skiing demand in this remote part of the state.
