Boulder-Whiteclouds Mountains - Your help and input needed!

[MtnBoy]

Some of You might or might not know, but for years it has been up in the air what is going to happen to management of the Boulder-Whiteclouds Mountains of Idaho (Unit 36a area roughly). Congress has failed to take action and the fear is if nothing is done they will make it a National Park, which isn't good for hunters & anglers.

A new group has formed to push through legislation to make the area a National Monument while keeping management controlled by the state with as little Federal Involvement as possible, preserving it for generations of sportsman to come.

I chukar hunt with John Caywood occasionally, who is heavily involved, and can say without a doubt he has the best interest of sportsman and our future generations in mind.

This area is home to 20% of the Mtn Goat tags in Idaho, 1,000+ elk, enough habitat to support 1,000 bighorn sheep and some true "backcountry" mule deer hunting, not to mention some amazing backcountry fishing as well. It is definitely land worth preserving.

These guys could use a few signatures on their petition to help gain some momentum.

Here is a link to their site if you want to check it out: http://www.sportsmenforbwc.org/

Thanks guys!

 

[tim]

why can't they just leave it alone. The boulder whiteclouds doesn't need to be wilderness, or national momument. just leave it alone.

 

[tim]

some of us enjoy working hard in the backcountry and we need places that can still challenge us. By placing this area in a wilderness or national momument, mountain biking will go away. The boulder whiteclouds are a great place for the person who wants to challenge themselves. There is enough designated wilderness. lets leave some places where man can see what he is made of.

 

[MtnBoy]

Because its not going to stay the way it is forever, and a National Monument is a lot better than a National Park.

The whole idea behind a Narional Monument is to preserve the way it is right now.

And truth be told, if we have to sacrifice Mtn Biking to preserve hunting & fishing then so be it....there is world class Mtn biking right down the road in Sun Valley.

 

[tim]

Because its not going to stay the way it is forever, and a National Monument is a lot better than a National Park.

The whole idea behind a Narional Monument is to preserve the way it is right now.

And truth be told, if we have to sacrifice Mtn Biking to preserve hunting & fishing then so be it....there is world class Mtn biking right down the road in Sun Valley.

and there in lies the rub with environmentalist. If you don't like my way go somewhere else. I respect your opinion but I also disagree.

Personally we need a whole new designation. One that protects the land but still allows recreational use of the land. There is more to the mountains than just hunting and fishing.

 

[MtnBoy]

I wasn't trying to say Mtn Biking shouldn't be allowed, I have actually spent a considerable amount of time motorcycling on Forest Service Trails so I fully agree that there is more to the mountains than hunting and fishing. For that matter I'm a believer that horses do more damage in a lot of instances than Mtn bikes or motorcycles (hope I didn't open a can of worms there)

The point I was trying to make is, I would gladly take Mtn Bikes being off limits in the Boulder-Whiteclouds over losing the opportunity to hunt & fish there.

Believe me, I have done my fair share of battling environmentalists and land closure issues...I'm far from an environmentalist.

I don't recall seeing any Mtn Bikes cruising the trails at Glacier National Park when I was there last year....

I fully agree with your last statement, and that is essentially what they are trying to do, custom fit designation, maybe shoot them an email and let them know how you feel, who knows, maybe they feel just like you do.