The Nez Perce - Clearwater Forest Plan
Learn more about the recent plan from the U.S. Forest Service and why IRU is objecting.
BACKGROUND: The Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests of North Central Idaho are home to vast expanses of wild forest, free-flowing rivers, and important habitat for fish and wildlife. This four million acre area of Idaho includes the rivers of the Clearwater basin, and a portion of the Salmon River watershed. The rivers and streams of the forests provide incredible recreational opportunities for paddlers and anglers, and also host critical habitat for Endangered Species Act listed steelhead, Chinook salmon, and bull trout.
On November 28th, the Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest (NPCNF) released its long-anticipated Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision (FEIS/ROD) for their updated Land Management Plan. Here are our main concerns:
The Nez Perce-Clearwater NF’s streams are regionally & nationally significant
With 1.1 million acres of federally designated wilderness and five Wild and Scenic designated rivers, the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (NF) is home to some of our nation’s most cherished and ecologically intact public lands and waters.
Pristine tributaries to the Clearwater, Lochsa, Salmon, Selway and Snake rivers feed the forests that support the local timber industry, while simultaneously providing world-class recreation opportunities and hundreds of jobs for local river guides and outfitters.
Stewarded for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, these streams are steeped in rich cultural history and are home to a number of cultural sites, including one of three places indicated in Nimiipuu oral history as a place-of-origin for the Nez Perce Tribe.
All streams found eligible or suitable for Wild & Scenic designation warrant protection
In accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the USFS 2012 Planning Rule, the Nez Perce-Clearwater NF inventoried all of the named streams on the Forest, including 29 streams that were found to be eligible through the 1987 Nez Perce and Clearwater forest plan revision processes and additions from the 1990 Clearwater NF amendment.
The Forest then assessed their eligibility for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS) as part of the forest plan revision process. Through this process, 89 streams were found to be free-flowing and possess one or more outstandingly remarkable value (ORVs), making them eligible for inclusion in the NWSRS and granting them protections to safeguard these characteristics.
IRU and our partners commends the Forest for its exceptionally good work on this Wild and Scenic eligibility report. We believe each and every one of these stream segments deserves protection.
MORE RESOURCES:
““The Tribe objects to a number of the plan components as vague, incomplete, too broad, and unenforceable and, therefore, is insufficiently protective of aquatic resources on the Forest.”
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