Protecting our Forests

Roadless Areas — Idaho's Natural Treasures

  • The alpine lakes of the Mallard Larkins
  • The blue-ribbon fishery at Kelly Creek
  • The rugged granite Needles of the Payette
  • The natural landscape of the Trinity Mountains
  • The unique spine of Centennial Range along the Continental Divide

These special public lands fall under the category of "roadless areas." These are the natural areas where your family escapes for the weekend to ride horses, hike or ski. These are the "secret spots" where Idahoans hunt for bull elk or bighorn rams. They are the high headwaters of our rivers and streams in which you and your children and grandchildren boat, fish and swim.

Look at these gorgeous roadless areas for yourself - visit our gallery for interactive panoramic views of the Boulder-White Clouds, Owyhee Canyonlands and Wild Clearwater Country.

These places aren't all famous — but they are loved. Of all the forests and watersheds in Idaho, these tend to be the healthiest. Yet they are under constant pressure. Some politicians and special interests are pushing the Forest Service to bulldoze even more roads in these special areas.

With more than 30,000 miles of roads in Idaho's national forests, the Idaho Conservation League believes there are ample roads for logging and motorized access.

Learn about the Adopt-a-Roadless-Area Program - Conservationists, hunting and fishing groups, and small businesses from around the state are participating in a cooperative effort to find adoptive parents for Roadless areas in Idaho's national forests.

Additional Forest Service roads:

  • Cost tax payers money.
  • Are expensive to build and maintain.
  • Damage our very best wildlife habitat.
  • Shatter the quiet and solitude these areas offer.
  • Are often built on fragile, steep mountainsides that can wash out and pollute streams with mud and debris. For example, in the Clearwater National Forest, 70 percent of landslides in the 1996 floods were associated with roads.

The Idaho Conservation League works to prevent needless new roads from being built in our best wildlife habitat and in fragile watersheds. We want to make sure current roads are kept up for safety, access and forest management.

For more information contact John Robison at jrobison@wildidaho.org or call 208.345.6942 x13.

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Idaho's Wildlife Heritage

Idahoans love their wildlife. From popular big game species like elk and deer to the state bird, the mountain blue bird, to our inspiring and beautiful runs of salmon, steelhead and native trout, to the mighty grizzly bear.

Wildlife makes our lives more exciting — and contributes to our economy. Idaho's wildlife heritage is the birthright all Idahoans inherited. We have a responsibility to pass that birthright on to our children and grandchildren. We share a duty to prevent the extinction of fish, plants and wildlife; once a species is gone, we cannot bring it back.

Wildlife should be hunted wisely, poaching and other illegal killing steals wildlife from all of us. The Idaho Conservation League understands that the best way to conserve our wildlife is to make sure the animals, birds and fish have adequate habitat and that habitat stays healthy. That's what we do.

Special Project: Fisher Research

As part of the Idaho Conservation League s mission to protect Idaho s clean water, wilderness and quality of life we work to ensure that fish and wildlife populations are protected. We work with partners to ensure that state and federal agencies are using the best available scientific information to safeguard these species for future generations.

A new project that we re working on involves conducting research related to the fisher. It s a medium sized mammal (just larger than a house cat) in the weasel family that depends, in part, on old growth forests. Fisher are found throughout central Idaho and the Panhandle, and are considered a sensitive species.

Unfortunately, there s not much information out there on the specific needs of the fisher, particularly in Idaho, and that s why we re partnering with researchers at the University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and the Potlatch Forest Holdings, Inc. to increase our understanding of this unique animal.

This website will provide information on an ongoing research project that will evaluate the habitat needs of fisher and seeks to better understand the role that logging and other land management activities play in fisher ecology. Learn more about the project here.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Jonathan Oppeheimer at 208-345-6942 ext. 26.

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The Idaho Conservation League is working to improve wildland fire management

Idahoans know that wildland fires are a natural and inevitable part of hot, dry summers. Fighting fires is a huge and increasing drain on tax dollars and human resources. In Idaho, too many fire fighters have paid the ultimate price for failed fire policies.

The Idaho Conservation League supports science-based wildland fire management. That includes fighting some fires, thinning some forests, and "prescribed" fires where they are safe. Some fires are tragic and destructive, while others are natural and help clean up the forest and improve wildlife habitat. Protecting homes, rural communities and safety must be the first priority.

Instead of pointing fingers and playing politics with fires, we need to work together to keep people and property safe and our wildlife habitat healthy.

For questions about fire contact Jonathan Oppenheimer or call 208.345.6942 x26.

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