An Era of Change

Notes from the Executive Director’s Desk
-Phil Hough

January 2026 will bring in a new year, marking the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness 21st Anniversary! January will also bring in a transition of leadership for FSPW. I will be retiring, and Rose Olson will step up to become our next Executive Director!

It seems like only yesterday, but the 21 years I’ve spent leading FSPW has been longer than my career in hotel management. In 2005, those of us who launched this grassroots campaign thought, naively, we would be done and wrapped up in 3 to 5 years. I had no idea this would become a second career, but the Scotchman Peaks came to define my life’s work, my “second act”.

This work has been made possible by an ensemble cast. I am so grateful to all the many current and former volunteers, board members and staff; their dedication and passion for wild places has been remarkable and inspiring. It has kept me going for two decades. And together we have accomplished so much.

In the very first months our steering committee met every week, learning about the area, about Wilderness, about grassroots advocacy, about each other. We laid out plans. We put together 18 benchmarks. These were stages to achieve and build on leading up to the final goal – the passage of a bill, by Congress, designating the Scotchman Peaks as Wilderness. Except for this final step (and it’s a big one) we have accomplished every stage.

We brought together thousands of people from across Idaho and Montana, as well as the rest of the nation in support of wilderness. We have nurtured a broader, deeper sense of conservation by community leaders. We have built a robust trail maintenance program to keep trail access open to all. Our Trail Ambassadors keep hikers safe, trails open and mountain goats wild. The wide eyed wonder of the 5th graders who come through our Winter Tracks program inspire everyone involved. We brought together non-traditional allies in support of community based solutions for forest land management challenges. I am proud of the legacy we are passing on.

My most cherished memories are the friendships built over coffee (or wine or beer) with the “timber guys” or the “mining guys”. The discovery that we all share a personal connection to the land.

I am proud to have led FSPW’s growth into a strong organization. We have a dedicated board and staff, over 12,000 supporters and engage over 150 unique individual every year as volunteers. Our organizational “bones” are solid. The next generation of staff and board members are ready. It’s time to let them fully flex their wings, to bring fresh energy and ideas. It’s hard to let go of something that’s occupied so much of my life over 21 years; but I also know that the time is right. The organization is solid. Rose, our deputy ED, is ready to take on the role of ED and guide FSPW into the next 21 years. And perhaps to get congress to come along as well.

I’ll always call Sandpoint home and continue to be a part of building a strong local community. I will volunteer and work (part time) for causes that matter. There’s more legacy work to be done.

But now, it’s time for me to explore my “3rd act”. My recent sabbatical reminds me there are trails and rivers to explore. So many wild places I have yet to visit. It reminded me of Ed Abbey’s “Final Paragraph” of advice: “It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So, get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.”