Bonner County voters will be asked if they favor the Scotchman Peaks on the May 15 primary ballot. Although a non-binding, advisory vote, our County Commissioners and Senator Jim Risch have said they will honor the outcome. This vote matters; your vote matters!

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness believe that our public lands can be managed for all multiple uses. This includes Wilderness as well as timber, mining, grazing, wildlife habitat, motorized and quiet recreation. In the 2.5 million acres of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, there is room enough for all these uses. There are places that are most appropriate for each use. For the Scotchman Peaks proposed wilderness area, which makes up .5% of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, the rugged, wild landscape isn’t well suited for many of these uses. When looking at which part of Bonner County is best suited for Wilderness, the Scotchman Peaks area is the clear candidate.

For the last ten years, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness have been an active part of the Panhandle Forest Collaborative. Members of the collaborative have moved past old conflicts. We have found that we can do more good for Idaho’s public lands, wildlife, and rural economies when we put aside our differences and work together. In the panhandle, diverse stakeholders have come together to look at the big picture of how we can manage our forests responsibly, so that all of these multiple uses can be accommodated. Finding ways to improve and agree on timber projects that are good for our forests and our economy, and to support protecting special places like the Scotchman Peaks are part of responsible management.

This balanced and common sense approach is what our communities want and need. Many businesses, civic groups and community leaders agree. This is why the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Forest Group and many current and former county commissioners support Wilderness for the Scotchman Peaks.

In the Scotchman Peaks, you can find quiet places beyond the fast-paced world we live in today.

Lined with old growth cedar and hemlock trees, clear, clean water flows through the Scotchmans’ deep and steep canyons into Lake Pend d’Oreille. Forested slopes and ridges are home to abundant wildlife including grizzly bears, lynx, wolverine and mountain goats.

Groups like the Idaho Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Idaho Wildlife Federation and Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited support designation, because protecting fish and wildlife habitats as wilderness ensures that sportsmen will have access to high quality hunting and angling.

Bonner County continues to grow and change at a rapid pace and we don’t know what the future will bring. We need to set aside certain places while they are still wild and undeveloped, so we can preserve what makes Bonner County so special. Wilderness designation will give Bonner County the certainty that the Scotchman Peak area will never change.

Please join us by voting “in favor” of Senator Risch’s Scotchman Peaks Wilderness proposal this May.

Phil Hough is the executive director of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.