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I was surprised that the Clark Fork City Council seemed unaware that residents, elected representatives and officials from the U.S. Forest Service in both Idaho and Montana have been working for about the last 12 years to establish the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest conducted a lengthy, open and public planning process.

The vision of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is very positive: “Spanning the Idaho/Montana border, the Scotchmans are one of the last, and largest, wild areas in our region. We conduct education, outreach and stewardship activities to preserve the rugged, scenic and biologically diverse 88,000-acre Scotchman Peaks Roadless Area. We believe the Scotchman Peaks deserve congressional designation as wilderness for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations.”

FSPW has been working diligently to raise awareness of the Scotchman Peaks potential as wilderness through sponsored hikes, meetings, presentations and exhibits, held over many years. They have gotten support and endorsements from dozens of different organizations. This list includes the past and present governors of Montana, the city of Sandpoint, the city of Thompson Falls and the Bonner County Commission as well as most every newspaper in the area. If your organization or group would like more information, I’m sure they would meet with you. Their website, scotchmanpeaks.org, has tons of information.

GARY DEANER

Sandpoint