Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness to hold online auction

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is holding its “ Incredibly Wild Online Auction” to raise money for Scotchman and its programs.

The auction, which is ongoing, is set to end April 28.

Over 60 auction items will be available, including local arts and weekend getaways including a horseback ride into the Cabinets, a sunset sail on Lake Pend Oreille, a day floating and fishing on the Kootenai and a plane ride over the Scotchmans.

The public can also bid on packages for a family or friends get-together like group baking lessons with wild huckleberries, a farm and wildflower tour or a private beer tasting.

All the items in the auction were donated by local community members or businesses that support Friends of Scotchman Peak Wilderness and its mission.

“All of the proceeds are going towards our programming and our trail work,” said communication and outreach coordinator Kelsey Maxwell.

Those include a free guided hike run by Scotchman, she said, and volunteer trail restoration programs. It also includes education through the Trail Ambassador program, which aims to keep hikers safe.

Volunteer trail ambassadors hike Scotchman Peak during the summer and early fall, and talk to visitors about safety in mountain goat habitat. That includes keeping a distance of 100 feet or more and not allowing the goats to lick salt from hikers’ skin.

Friends of Scotchman Peak Wilderness will also be holding their trail project days starting April 27 to restore trails in the area. Work includes clearing downed trees, repairing tread, removing waterbars and reducing user-created shortcuts on the trail.

The maintenance and restoration is important for keeping Idaho’s nature protected, Maxwell said.

“We know that the best way to show people that Scotchman Peak is worth saving for our children and grandchildren is to get them out on the trails,” she said.

Each trail project requires a maximum of about eight to 12 people, she said. Volunteers should wear sturdy boots, carry plenty of water, pack lunch and snacks, dress in long pants, a long shirt and a hat, wear sunblock and bring their own work gloves.

The trail maintenance is especially important considering the pandemic-fueled uptick in hikers during the past year, Maxwell said.

“Last summer our trail ambassadors talked to more hikers than ever before,” she said. “Overall, because of the pandemic, there were significantly more people getting out. We expect that trend of increased visitation to continue.”

The auction items can be found online at 32auctions.com/FSPW.