Scotchman on Primary Ballot

Bonner County voters will have a chance to show their support for Senator Jim Risch’s bill (S.3531) for a Scotchman Peaks Wilderness area in east Bonner County.  The designated area would include 13,960 acres and include Bonner County’s tallest summit. The area well known for its herd of mountain goats. 

Supporters of wilderness for Scotchman Peaks include the Idaho Forest Group and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce as well as the Friends of the Scotchman Peak Wilderness. This mix of supporters  - some not known for conservation sympathies -has been enough to worry the Idaho Conservation League, but on balance ICL supports a YES vote.
A hardy brand of tourists would be expected  to be attracted to the Wilderness, boosting the local economy. The number  would not compare with the millions who flock to the National Parks, of course, but adventure tourism is a thriving and growing activity nonetheless.

Not everybody is thrilled with the idea of Wilderness, nor with the prospect of more tourists. I would not have expected Senator RIsch to take an interest – generally you can’t get to the right of Senator Risch without being in danger of falling off the edge of the earth. But everybody is an environmentalist in his own back yard, and don’t we all love Outdoor Idaho on TV!
As to what is proposed: The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness say Wilderness designation would protect water quality, flora and fauna, such as grizzly bears, lynx, mountain goats and bull trout. It would also protect low elevation boreal and old growth forests, “which are not well represented in the National Wilderness Preservation System.”

The Friends note that designation would NOT close any existing roads, motorized trails or snowmobiling areas. It would NOT restrict hunting, fishing, hiking berry-picking or any non-mechanical activities. (Hunting and fishing are controlled by Idaho’s Fish and Game Dept.) It would NOT impact any existing, or proposed, timber of mining areas or jobs.

The vote would be merely an opinion poll, but Senator Risch needs to be backed by popular opinion in dealing with Congress. ICL has concerns about  undue influence of a county vote on a national issue. All the land involved is National Forest land and thus the property of all Americans, not just the people of Bonner County. And all Americans have a stake in Wilderness. 

In any case, Bonner County voters have other reasons to go to the polls on May 15, where they will find the Scotchman Peaks proposal on the ballot, whether they care about it one way or the other.  On the Republican ballot there are contests for two County Commissioner nominations as well as a contest for Assessor. At the Legislative level, there are contests in District 1 (Bonner & Boundary Counties) for State Senator and for Representative A.  And fierce competitions are developing among Republicans for Governor and Congress and some other state-wide offices.

Nor should Bonner County Democrats stay home on election day, because there’s unusual activity on the Democratic ballot, with contests for Governor, Congressman and other statewide offices as well as a race for District 1 Representative A in the Idaho Legislature. Any registered voter, regardless of party preference, may vote on the Democratic ballot. And any registered voter may vote in the single Judicial contest where Judge John T. Mitchell is challenged by Douglas A. Pierce.