It was going to be a great day. I was headed up to re-bait my 2 wolverine stations with 2 entertaining women & one outstanding young man. The weather was perfect, we had a plan & it was going to be FUN! Well, 2 outta 3 ain’t bad. My biggest mistake was the statement, “it [...]
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.
Most Recent Blog Posts:
Click on any Title to view the full Post and to comment
It’s Wolverine Wednesday!
January 25th, 2012
It’s Wolverine Wednesday!
Hello volunteers! Below is the latest news from the wolverine world. Please read through and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for all your hard work this past week and your continued commitment to the project as we head quickly into February.
Firkin Friday the wolverine way:
Keeping [...]
The Glamorous Side of Volunteering -Beaver Prep
January 24th, 2012
Disclaimer: This post deals with material that is by nature somewhat graphic. If you got your parent’s permission to skip the dissection lab part of high school biology, you should read no further.
A Guest Blog by Cate Huisman, Writer & Editor
While FSPW’s many volunteers continued to pursue the more glamorous aspects of wolverine research—namely hiking/skiing/snowshoeing [...]
Enjoy Firkin Friday the wolverine way.
January 23rd, 2012
Keeping in the tradition of a monthly get-together for our Wolverine Project volunteers, we invite all our project participants to join us on February 3rd for Firkin Friday at Laughing Dog Brewery in Ponderay, ID. This will be a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and to share stories from your camera station adventures this [...]
Tracking Class Update
January 20th, 2012
Tracking Class Recap
If you missed last weekend’s tracking class you missed a fun and fact filled experience! You may recall that we had very little snow until the last few days, so the field portion of the class presented less than ideal conditions to find critters. But Brian drew upon his vast experience in botany [...]
It’s Wolverine Wednesday!
January 18th, 2012
Hello Wolverine Volunteers!
It’s Wolverine Wednesday yet again, and oh what a week it has been! The beavers have arrived, new snow has fallen, and our first photos of critters have come back from the field.
This upcoming week is going to be a big one for the Wolverine Project. Please read through the updates that follow, [...]
Forest Plan
January 18th, 2012
The Draft EIS and Draft Management Plans for the Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle National Forests have recently been released. These documents and additional supporting materials including maps and instructions on how to comment can be found on their website at:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/kipz/home
The Forest Plans do not make decisions on specific projects but provide general guidance about how [...]
Gulo gulo!
January 9th, 2012
This just in: After checking their first round of rare forest carnivore monitoring stations this past week, Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists discovered that a very special visitor had been caught on camera in the Selkirk mountains of the Idaho Panhandle. A wolverine! The biologists have confirmed that it visited the station twice, [...]
Endow-Bio
January 5th, 2012
2012 Is Our Year!
Endow Bio has selected the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness as one of the five organizations that it will support in 2012!
A relatively new organization, Endow-Bio is the first National Endowment for Biodiversity. They describe their number one goal this way:
“Each year, we raise money for a different, chosen few organizations, various [...]
It’s Wolverine Wednesday!
January 4th, 2012
I hope everyone is enjoying the first week of the New Year. Happy 2012 from all of us here at FSPW! We’re excited to have four camera stations up and running, with ten more set to go out in the next week. It won’t be long until we’re able to retrieve photos from the cameras [...]
Wolverine Wednesday Update
December 28th, 2011
Hello Wolverine Volunteers!
I hope everyone enjoyed a fun and happy holiday week! Best wishes from all of us here at the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness as we greet 2012 this Sunday. We’re looking forward to a great year for the Idaho Panhandle Wolverine Project!
I’ve just returned to the office and have a few updates [...]
Let the Season Begin!
December 28th, 2011
Let the Season Begin!
Earlier this week, Deb, myself and John Harbuck ventured out to set up the season’s first Wolverine Monitoring Stations. Let’s call it a “Soft Opening” to the study season, since delays in procuring a regular supply of bait have left us with only a very limited number of stations we can [...]
Trainings scheduled for wolverine station leaders.
December 13th, 2011
Attention wolverine wannabes! For those of you who have signed up to be monitoring station leaders and were unable to attend our December 3rd training day, there are two additional trainings scheduled in the next week.
In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we have scheduled the first training for Saturday the 17th at [...]
Help Wilderness in Montana
December 10th, 2011
Breaking out of the cycle of combative politics and cynicism that has left Montana with no new wilderness designations for almost 3 decades is important to all wilderness campaigns, including ours.
Our friends at the Montana Wilderness Association have asked for your help today. With a final push, the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act could pass [...]
Give the Gift of Wilderness!
December 7th, 2011
Whether it’s a last minute gift for someone special or a year-end donation, there is never a better time than December to remember Wilderness with a gift!
The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness rely on your support to accomplish all that we do. Your passion, time and energy and financial support have helped protect the Scotchmans [...]
It’s almost wolverine season!
November 30th, 2011
Here at the office we’re quickly gearing up for what promises to be a great season for wolverine “hunting” in the Idaho panhandle. This season marks the second year of FSPW volunteer involvement in the rare forest carnivore study begun by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in 2010. The study uses camera stations [...]
Four wines. Four new labels, all from out Plein Air painters
November 23rd, 2011
Come Monday the 28th and check out the wine, meet the new wolverine project coordinator, and hang out with your Friends!
4:30 to 8:30 at the Pend Oreille Winery at the corner of 3rd and Cedar, Downtown Sandpoint. All sales benefit the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.
Scotchman Peaks – Common Ground
October 28th, 2011
The Scotchman Peaks – A Place of Common Ground
By Phil Hough
Driving across the long bridge for the first time 10 years ago a feeling of awe swept over me. I knew that I had found home. Every time I cross the long bridge, or drive the highway to Hope and the Scotchmans, I am still [...]
Help Us Protect Wolverines!
October 7th, 2011
What to Wolverines have in common with Cheetahs, Rhinos, Lemurs, Orangutans, Lewis Woodpecker, Crocodile and Tarsiers? All are subjects of conservation projects that are finalists for grant funding from the Zoo Boise Conservation Fund!
Zoo Boise created the Zoo Boise Conservation Fund to help preserve animals in their natural environments. Designed to support conservation programs in [...]
Sanders County Waterfest was damp and fun.
October 6th, 2011
Not often do I get the chance to spend much of a day with a bunch of 11-year-olds. Not often enough, anyway. But when I do, it’s a blessing and a lesson and a bunch of fun all rolled into one.
My most recent chance was Tuesday, October 4, and the opportunity was presented by Green [...]
Upcoming Guided Hikes
Additional Pages
Extras & Goodies
Scotchmans on Film
Check out the trailers for two soon-to-be-released documentary films by Wildman Pictures about the Scotchman Peaks!
En Plein Air captures the experiences of artists during a 5 day trek through the mountains. Grass Routes tells the story of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks' efforts to achieve official wilderness designation for this scenic wild area. Don't miss them!
Our Fundraising Efforts
You can help!
Check out our progress
or help if you can!
Archives By Category:
Archives By Month:
Wilderness Organizations:
Our Thanks To:
- Mountain Meadows
- Merriweather Inn
- Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce
- Eichardts
- Outdoor Experience
- Pend d'Oreille Winery
- Common Knowledge Organic Cafe & Bookstore
- Keokee Publishing
- River Journal
- Only In Clark Fork
- The StoryTelling Company
- The Cinnabar Foundation
- St. Croix Printing
- Blue Creek Press
- Woodland RV Park
- Kally Thurman's Outskirts Galley
- Greasy Fingers Bikes n Repair
- Endow-Bio, Inc