Scotchman Peaks Wilderness - In The News

PEAK EXPERIENCE - Our Newsletter published every other month.

Our Current Issue:
PEAK EXPERIENCE Newsletter, Vol 4, Number 3, May/Jun 2008

Please note: Our newsletters are PDF files, which may require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open, unless your browser supports opening PDF files. For a free download of this Reader software click on this link: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readsetp2.html

Inland Northwest Home and Lifestyle Magazine - April 2008

The April edition of the "Inland Northwest Home and Lifestyle" magazine, a 'Journal of Business' plublication based in Spokane, WA, did a nice two-page feature on the Scotchmans. Unfortunately they do not post content online, so we've provided scans of the article for your viewing pleasure. Please note that these scans will open in a new browser window, and are fairly large so that you can read the text.

View Page 1 (JPG file, 304kb)
View Page 2 (JPG file, 248kb)

Second Annual Goat Mountain Hop sets record!

Led by Jim Mellen, a record 14 hikers summited Goat Mountain on March 22, 2008 during the second annual "Goat Mountain Hop". The Hop is a very challenging, but highly rewarding hike, and if you look at the photo printed in the Bonner County Daily Bee you'll noitce it seems like everyone did indeed have a good time. If you're counting, I believe the missing person is the photographer (I don't think they counted the dog)....

Friends of Scotchman Peaks - 2007 Annual Report

Yep, it's that time of year again! If you like numbers and pretty charts, you can view the full PDF here. It's a fascinating read - you won't want to miss it. Yes, really! (Note: 244kb PDF file - will open in a new browser window or download based on your browser's settings).

Bonner County Daily Bee - Progress 2008

On Sunday March 30th the Bonner County Daily Bee published their "Progress 2008" - a supplement to the Sunday paper. If you missed it, use these links to read the article and enjoy the photo gallery.

Photo Gallery

Article - Page 1 (PDF - 134kb)

Article - Page 2 (PDF - 128kb)

2006 Annual Report

"A real page turner - I couldn't put it down!" - New Belgian Times
"A classic! One of the best Annual Reports ever written!" - Tokyo Daily Standard

Read the Friends Of Scotchman Peaks 2006 Annual Report (660kb pdf file)

Walkin' Jim Comes to Sandpoint

Woody Guthrie meets Ansel Adams in Walkin’ Jim’s “Give Thanks for the Wild!” performance. Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet America’s one-of-a-kind wilderness troubadour. Join us for a multimedia show/concert, to be held Saturday November 24th at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint.

Walkin’ Jim Stoltz has trekked from coast to coast, Mexico to Canada (3 times), Yellowstone to the Yukon, from high in the Arctic to deep in the Utah canyons. All those years in the wild places and over 26,000 miles of walking have given him a great love for wilderness which Walkin Jim will share in “Give Thanks for the Wild!” Walkin’ Jim sings in a deep bass voice, plays guitar, and tells stories about his travels while projecting spectacular images of the wilderness he has photographed on his travels.

Doors open at 6:00pm, show starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are only $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets are available in Sandpoint at Eichardts, F.C. Weskills, Monarch Mountain Coffee and the Outdoor Experience; In Trout Creek at the Huckleberry Thicket.

For more details read the Press Release (PDF), or view the Flyer (PDF).

Sanders County Ledger Article - November, 2007

US Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) recently addressed the Sanders County Democrats at their annual dinner in Thompson Falls. Doug Ferrell (Executive Committee Member, Friends Of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness) had the opportunity to speak with Senator Tester regarding the possible official Wilderness designation for the Scotchman Peaks roadless Area. If you'd like to read a scanned JPG of the Sanders County Ledger Article, click here.

11th Annual Wild Idaho North! Conference

Please join the Idaho Conservation League and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for the 11th Annual Wild Idaho North! conference in Sandpoint on Oct. 20.

This year's conference theme is "Protecting Wild Places," featuring discussions on protecting wilderness in North Idaho - a landscape filled with wild places but no designated wilderness areas. Longtime wilderness advocate Brock Evans, now president of the Endangered Species Coalition in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker. Evans was involved in the creation of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area in Northeast Washington as the Sierra Club's Northwest Reprsentative, served eight years as the head lobbyist for the Sierra Club's Washington, D.C., office, and spent 15 years as the Vice President for National Issues for the National Audubon Society.

Other presentations at the Oct. 20 event will cover wolf packs of North Idaho, the controversies surrounding public lands collaboration and wilderness politics. The $45 registration fee covers the day-long event, lunch, dinner and evening music.

For more information, contact Susan Drumheller, Idaho Conservation League North Idaho Associate, at (208) 265-9565, or at sdrumheller@wildidaho.org.

View the Flyer (pdf file - 260kb)

Challenge Grant Announced for 2007

Once again the Cinnabar Foundation has generously agreed to a donation of $3,000 in the form of a "matching grant", meaning that we need to raise that same amount in order to receive the award.....so the challenge is on! Now is an opportune time to make a donation to FSPW so that we can obtain this grant as soon as possible. Please consider sending your tax-deductible donation today to:

FSPW
P.O. Box 2061
Sandpoint, ID 83864

To view our progress check out our Fundraising Progress Chart featuring Monty, the mascot of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

River Journal Article - June 27, 2007

Kate Wilson penned a nice article on the Scotchmans for the recent edition of the River Journal.....thanks Kate!..........You can pick up the recent issue or read a scanned PDF version here (note this article spans two PDF files):
River Journal Article - Part 1 (436kb)
River Journal Article - Part 2 (260kb)

Annual State Of The Scotchmans

Do you ever look up from Lake Pend Oreille at the towering turrets of the Scotchman Peaks and wondering why they aren’t yet designated as wilderness? We sure do! Well, wilderness takes time and community support, lots of support. Come join the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for our annual "State of Scotchmans" event................
Read the Press Release for more information (226kb pdf)
View the Flyer (3.9MB pdf)

North Idaho Wilderness Advocate Awarded

Wilderness advocate Phil Hough, of Sagle, Idaho, was awarded the Idaho Conservation League’s highest award for environmental activism on May 19, 2007 during the organization’s Wild Idaho Conference in Stanley, Idaho. Hough received the Keith and Pat Axline Award for Environmental Activism for his work on the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.........Read the full press release here.

Great Old Broads Coming To Scotchmans!

Great Old Broads for Wilderness [GOB], a hard-working, tenacious national wilderness advocate organization, will visit the Scotchman Peaks area to help promote its designation as a Congressionally established permanent Wilderness Area. Headquartered at the Clark Fork Field Campus, all activities are open to the public including hikes in the Scotchman area, excellent speakers about wilderness efforts in Idaho and Montana, and a volunteer trail maintenance project with the Forest Service.

GOB was established in 1989 in Durango, Colorado. Membership is now nationwide, and includes, men and younger women (known as "Broads In Training"). It attracts public interest and attention in ways other organizations cannot. Its approach is one of perseverance rather than militancy and contentiousness. Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness has been working for over a year to bring Great Old Broads here and we're grateful for their support.

You're welcome to participate in the planned activities and assist in making their visit successful.

Dates: July 26-30, 2007
Location: near Sand Point, ID
Cost: $125 tent campers, $135 RV parking , or $190 for bed in shared room bunkhouse
Visit the Great Old Broads website for more information.

Jack Gladstone and Kendall Flint to perform in concert

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness proudly present Jack Gladstone, with special guest Kendall Flint, in concert on Saturday February 3rd at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint! Read the full story here.

2006 Annual Report

"A real page turner - I couldn't put it down!" - New Belgian Times
"A classic! One of the best Annual Reports ever written!" - Tokyo Daily Standard

Read the Friends Of Scotchman Peaks 2006 Annual Report (660kb pdf file)

Spokesman Review Guest Opinion

Be sure to check out the November 8th Spokesman Review - Doug Scott (author of "The Enduring Wilderness") wrote a very eloquent Guest Opinion on wilderness protection for the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area.........or Read the Article here

Challenge Grant Announced

We are excited to announce that the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness has been awarded a $5,000 Challenge grant by the Cinnabar Foundation!!

In order to receive these funds we need your help to raise matching contributions. The sooner we raise the matching funds the sooner that Cinnabar will release the grant money and the more effective our campaign will be. Click Here to read the full article

Scotchmans on the front page of the Daily Bee

Jim Mellen's recap and Rod's photo of their recent snowboarding trip to the top of Scotchman Peak were in full color on the front page of Today's Daily Bee, with a nice lead in to the presentation at the chamber this afternoon. Click Here to view the article (note that this is a .jpg file that will open in a new browser window).

The wilderness values expressed in this photo speak way more than a "thousand words" and the timing could not have been better with the release yesterday of the forest plan.

Thanks Jim & Rod!

KOOTENAI FOREST PLAN DECISION
Your Help Is Needed

The Kootenai National Forest, in their forest revision draft map, has eliminated ALL recommended wilderness, replacing it with a "wildlands" category. We need letters NOW to the regional forester Gail Kimbell expressing our over this outrageous decision and urging her to return wilderness to the Kootenai forest! Your letter does not need to be long, just make it clear that you want Wilderness for the Scotchmans and send it today.

There are two ways that you can help:

Visit the Montana Wilderness Association Action Center - this is a user-friendly and interactive website that allows you to compose and submit templated electronic letters to the elected officials that make decisions about wilderness lands designation and protection. It's a very easy way to make your voice and opinions heard.
Send your letter today! - If you prefer to sit down and put pen to paper, visit this page to read more about this decision and for a list of officials to whom your comments should be directed.

Please take the time today to let our government know how you feel on this subject. Together we really can make a difference.

Endorsements for Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area growing

Read the latest endorsements for the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area in our newest section of our site, most creatively named "Endorsements" . They like us! They really, really like us!

Lake Pend Oreille Cruises: Benefit for Scotchman Peaks

One of our 'Friends', Lake Pend Oreille Cruises, is offering for the 1st time Clark Fork Delta Cruise this Sunday, May 21 as a benefit to FSPW. Please see their press release for information.

The Spokesman Review - March 15, 2006

Wilderness Proposal Gets County Support - by James Hagengruber

Momentum appears to be building for North Idaho's first federally designated wilderness area in the Scotchman Peaks east of Sandpoint. Buried in a letter sent to the Idaho governor earlier this year was an unprecedented two-sentence statement from ........ <Read More>

The Daily Bee - March 16, 2006

County Backs Scotchman's Wilderness designation - by Keith Kinnaird

Bonner County commissioners are throwing their support behind an effort to designate the Scotchman Peak area as wilderness, adding an important voice to the growing chorus of people calling for the area to be protected.............. <Read More>

The Sanders County Ledger - January 12, 2006

Scotchman Peaks Offers Grand Wilderness Addition - (no byline)

(Please note: this is a scanned copy of the Sanders County Ledger article that will open in a new window).

The Spokesman Review - September 11, 2005

Roadless Areas Under Siege - by Rich Landers

The Scotchman Peaks region north of Lake Pend Oreille is among the darlings of Idaho's unofficial wilderness areas. Studded with peaks and ripe with lakes, streams and wildlife, the area was among the first in the state to be embraced by conservationists for a ....... <Read More>

The River Journal - July 13, 2005

Sandy Compton's column, The Scenic Route, on July 13th describes a 4-day odyssey into the heart of the Scotchmans.

Imagine you're a movie camera, focused on the broken edge of a sunlit surface of reddish-gray stone embossed with ripples of a 750-million-year-old sea bed. In your field of view, a sun-browned hand appears, getting purchase on the rock....... <Read More>

Photo of Sandy hiking in the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area
(Sandy enjoying a hike in the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area)

Bonner County Daily Bee - May 26, 2005

Exceedingly well-written Guest Opinion by Phil Hough and Jan Griffitts - don't miss it!

Wilderness is a vital component of a balanced strategy for managing our public lands. Multiple use should recognize the highest value for each area........ <Read More>