A collaboration between Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and the Nation Forest Foundation and U.S. Forest Service, the Treasured Landscapes of Lightning Creek project kicked off in 2013.
In 2006, floods ravaged the Lightning Creek ecosystem, degrading the landscape and ruining the trails. But the outlook brightened in 2012, when the National Forest Foundation awarded the Lightning Creek Drainage the Treasured Landscape designation. It’s a program designed to preserve valuable ecosystems around the country, and volunteers, working with scientists and conservationists, put it to good use.
Over two years, the teams restored trails, cleared weeds, performed citizen science and restored slopes, valued for the snowmelt and rainwater they shed. It’s a terrific example of conservation teamwork in action.
As part of the National Forest Foundation’s Treasured Landscape program, FSPW partnered with the Idaho Panhandle National Forests on whitebark pine restoration, monitored invasive weed species, and riparian restoration.