Gentle forested terrain and lush meadows are the font of an abundant food supply for predators and prey alike in the Twin Sisters and Hoodoo roadless areas. Located in the midst of the Kettle Range Mountains in eastern Washington, these two areas provide prime habitat for rare wildlife species -- the grizzly bear, wolverine, marten and lynx -- and for more common but nevertheless cherished species such as moose, elk and mule deer. Deadman Creek flows through the areas to join the Kettle River less than two miles before its confluence with the mighty Columbia. This creek nurtures red-band trout, and the greater watershed comprises suitable habitat for the bull trout (listed as threatened by the federal government), which has been documented in both the Kettle and Columbia rivers. The areas are so special that they have been supported for wilderness designation for more than 20 years.
The proposed Deadman timber sale, ostensibly to reduce the fuel load on the Colville, threatens the wild nature and many ecological benefits of Twin Sisters and Hoodoo. The sale would allow logging of 20 million board feet of timber and the construction of 28 miles of new roads to access the sale area and haul out the fallen trees. In addition to damaging the roadless areas' assets, this sale would leave scars on the landscape-an unsightly vista greeting visitors to the nearby popular Kettle Crest National Recreation Trail and Hoodoo Canyon Trail. In late March 2001, the Forest Service released a Record of Decision that allowed the Deadman timber sale to proceed. That decision was withdrawn when the sale was appealed.
