Math was never a weak subject for me, but it seems that I might have flunked it when I was adding up the years since my first trip carrying the red and black patrol pack (See Confessions of a reformed couch potato: Part 1). I said 15 years. Maybe it seems like 15 years, but [...]
Roughly 60 miles south of Canada, the 88,000 acre Scotchman Peaks roadless area spans the Idaho-Montana border. Since the 1970s, when the U.S. Forest Service carried out extensive evaluations of lands suitable for wilderness, this rugged, scenic and biologically diverse portion of the Cabinet Mountains has been managed for its wilderness potential. The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness believe now is the time to preserve the Scotchmans, one of the last, and largest, wild areas in our region.
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Walkin Jim Wanders Into Sanders County
March 10th, 2010
Walkin Jim visited Sanders County this last week, bringing his unique blend of inspiring songs and slides. I must confess at the outset, Walkin Jim is a personal hero. Having walked over 27,000 miles, Jim is the envy of many a long distance hiker such as myself!
But what I admire most about Jim, is the [...]
Confessions of a reformed couch potato: Part 1
March 4th, 2010
Sometime in the decade before last, I awoke from a long hiatus from a physical life and realized that I hadn’t been anywhere with a pack on my back for an embarrassingly long time — well over a decade. In fact, I didn’t even own a decent backpack. Or a packable tent or stove. I [...]
A Toothless Lion
March 1st, 2010
Today is March 1st. Here in our corner of Idaho the sky is blue and the temperature is approaching 50F. Down in the valleys the snow is all gone, save for the smallest of well shaded patches that piled up during the last large storm, which fell a couple months ago back in early January. [...]
Mr. Scotchman has Facebook figured.
February 25th, 2010
In “friends Q&A,” a game that runs on Facebook, people answer questions about Facebook friends. The friends are subsequently asked to sign into the game page, after which questions and answers are revealed to them — but not who provided the answers. If you want to know who answered, you must pay “coins” earned by [...]
Way to Go Brad!
February 22nd, 2010
Recently the Wilderness Society announced that Brad Smith, our very own map maker, will receive the 2010 “Murie Award.”
Presented annually, the Murie award recognizes a “front-line federal or state land management employee—or any young environmentalists, early in their careers, especially those who are innovative and have taken risks to promote the principles of natural resource [...]
Do wildlife turn out for wildlife films?
February 18th, 2010
Some days, thinking of things to blog about is like fishing for paddlefish. All you can do is throw a big hook out and drag it back and see what you catch. Once in a while you end up writing about an old tire.
And then, some days, a fish jumps right into your lap. Thank [...]
Convergence
February 16th, 2010
There’s a powerful convergence of holidays and celebrations going on this week. Sunday was both Valentine’s Day as well as the Chinese New Year (in comes the Year of the Tiger, this time). Monday was President’s day; and the Carnival Season kicks off with Mardi Gras Tuesday, although I have heard of people already celebrating [...]
Banff Mountain Film Festival brings 44 new Friends
February 11th, 2010
The last weekend in January was a good one for lovers of good film and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Against the backdrop of the Banff Mountain Film Festival at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint and then at the Kroc Center in Coeur d’ Alene, FSPW signed up over 40 new Friends. In its five [...]
Wilderness and the Urban Interface
February 8th, 2010
This weekend I was reflecting on Wilderness and a recent visit to Tucson. While it may seem odd to put those two things together, Wilderness and a major metropolitan area, it is precisely what Congress has done.
You see, the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area is to be found in Tuscon’s backyard, literally. The Pontatoc Trail begins [...]
New banners from Bonner Awards help us tell our story.
February 4th, 2010
Part of the job of advocating for Scotchman Peaks is getting folks’ attention; a crucial part of the FSPW mission to preserve the 88,000 acres of roadless area as wilderness. With that in mind, three new banners have been designed and printed to be displayed in booths and tables at events FSPW attends as a [...]
Idaho Business Women of the Year
February 3rd, 2010
On Tuesday the Idaho Business Review announced their list of honorees for the 2010 Idaho Business Women of the Year. We are proud to announce that Carol Jenkins, Vice-Chair/Idaho and Grant Writer for the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness was among the individuals selected for this honor!
The 50 women selected will be honored in a [...]
Congratulations on Chamber Choice Awards
February 2nd, 2010
On Friday night the Greater Sandpoint Area Chamber of Commerce held their Second annual “Chamber Choice Awards”. We’d like to congratulate to all of the Winners and Nominees! You can read a full recap of the evening’s nominees and winners at this link: http://sandpointchamber.org/chamberchoice.html
The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness are proud to have been nominated [...]
Star Peak: a “new” name for an old mountain — and a great hike
January 28th, 2010
First, and at the risk of turning this into a product review, let me first say that the Lightning Ascent snowshoes from Mountain Safety Research are a bit pricy, but boy, do they work well. Last Sunday, mine got their first workout as I accompanied Susan Drumheller, Brad Smith, Bev Newsham and Cabell Hodges on [...]
Wilderness Workshop
January 25th, 2010
Recently, 35 active volunteers including our board and staff came together to attend a Wilderness Workshop. Our primary goal was to increase our ability to work with effectiveness and enthusiasm both individually as well as a group.
The half day session was intense but enjoyable. A Wilderness Workshop can take many forms and formats. For the [...]
American Hiking Society will hike to the Hill
January 21st, 2010
The American Hiking Society (AHS), which is hosting a hike in Washington, D.C. in February (http://bit.ly/6rUFvf), is a group that shares many of our sensibilities as Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.
Besides having a killer logo (I wish I had designed it), I admire this group because they are, again, like FSPW, moderate in their approach, [...]
Congressman Rehberg Gets an Earfull
January 18th, 2010
This last Saturday, January 16th, Congressman Denny Rehberg held a “listening session” to hear public comments on Senator Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” which would establish over 670,000 acres of Wilderness in Montana. Over 200 people showed up at the Libby High School, and the Congressmen head from both impassioned supporters of the bill [...]
Congressman Rehberg Listening Session Sat
January 15th, 2010
This Saturday, January 16th, Congressman Denny Rehberg will be holding a public meeting to take comments on Senator Tester’s “Forest Jobs and Recreation Act” which would establish over 670,000 acres of Wilderness in Montana. This “listening session” will take place at 3pm to 4:30pm in the Ponderosa Room at the City Hall in Libby MT.
This [...]
Good news for bull trout is good news for land dwellers, too.
January 14th, 2010
By Sandy Compton
The news today about the expansion of bull trout habitat (http://bit.ly/6jWqUj) is good news for fish and good news for humans, too. A government agency which under the Bush Administration had been reluctant, at best, to enforce laws it is supposed to is signaling a new era has begun within its ranks. Thursday, [...]
Happy Anniversary!
January 14th, 2010
Five years ago today, on January 14th, 2005, a group of concerned citizens from Idaho and Montana gathered together in a centrally located living room, crowding couches and spilling onto pillows around the floor to chart the course of what became the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Happy 5th Year Anniversary!!
Working with a passion and [...]
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New Montana Wilderness Legislation
By now most everyone has heard about the legislation recently introduced by Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), which includes almost 700,000 acres of wilderness. This message to the Friends of Scotchman Peaks will attempt to answer some common questions and provide links to more …
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