Inside the powerful, elusive animal roaming Idaho’s forests
The wolverine is an animal roaming Idaho that you’ve probably never seen – but you might have wondered, ‘what are they, exactly?’
Only 300 are estimated to be left in the lower 48 – mostly in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. It’s also the mascot of several Idaho schools including Wood River Valley High School in Hailey. READ MORE
North American Wolverine
The North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) is a medium-sized, solitary carnivore adapted for digging, climbing, and traveling long distances in deep snow during the winter. Since the wolverine is a highly elusive creature, the 2018 Species Status Assessment (SSA) mapped the current potential extent of occurrence for the North American wolverine spanning through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, and Canada. As mentioned in the SSA, the wolverine occupies a variety of habitats including Arctic tundra, subarctic-alpine tundra, boreal forest, mixed forest, redwood forest, and coniferous forest.
Stock use rules in BLM and USFS-managed wilderness.
One of the most common categories of rules in wilderness is rules associated with stock use. Stock rules can include feed requirements, party size limits, camping setbacks from water and/or trails, grazing restrictions, as well as stock restrictions to certain trails or outright prohibition of stock. This research describes the frequency of stock rules in wilderness areas managed by the BLM and USFS. Additionally, the differences associated with the rules that are included in Wilderness Character reports as well as how they are weighted are also explored.
C. “Griff” Griff is a Professor in the Biology Department at Grand Valley State University. Her research focuses on unconfined recreation in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Randy Rasmussen, Public Lands Policy Expert for the Back Country Horsemen of America will also participate in this discussion with a horseman’s perspective.
National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance
LINK TO RECORDING
Contact Lisa Ronald lisa@wilderness.net if you have a question.
BCHA continues to operate under a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service 11/12/2021
Do you have a service project you would like to accomplish on a nearby national forest? BCHA continues to operate under a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service related to trail maintenance and public education and outreach. We recommend you share a copy of the MOU with your local forest. Many BCH chapters operate under a similar forest-specific service agreement, which often can be expedited if both parties are made aware of the national MOU. BCHA’s current MOU with the U.S. Forest Service is active to August 31st 2021.
21-MU-11132424-362-SIGNED-BCHA-signed-MOU_FinalSigned
From Melanie Vining – Executive Director
ITA is doing a January 5th, 2022 evening presentation on packing goats, llamas and horses/mules at Lost Grove Brewing at 6pm. I’ll do the mule part and a gal from New Meadows will talk pack goats, and a couple from Boise about their llamas. Should be a fun evening. Presentations start at 18:00 (6pm)
Located in downtown Boise, our 70 seat, dog-friendly, craft beer tasting room sits directly adjacent to our brewing facility. Large windows separate the space to give you a view into where we get our hands dirty. Newly added outdoor seating on our front and side patios provide plenty of space for safe social distancing to enjoy one of our draft beers and food from one of our local rotating food trucks.
Come grab a beer and let us help you get lost. 1026 S. La Pointe Street, Boise, ID 83706
https://www.americantrails.org/
American Trails brings agencies, trail builders, planners, architects, advocates, and volunteers the latest in state-of-the-art information on all aspects of trails and greenways. Our webinars focus on a variety of trail topics, usually applicable to all trail types, with expert presenters. Webinar topics are chosen from current cutting-edge trail topics selected from attendee/presenter suggestions as well as recent popular conference sessions.
This webinar will be recorded and offers real-time closed captioning in English (email us if another language is required). A link to the recording, closed caption transcript, and the resources slide with links and the presenter’s email will be sent within 1-3 business days. It takes us a little time to gather all the materials.
LINK: https://www.americantrails.org/training/wheels-and-legs-reducing-nonmotorized-trails-conflicts
Slow And Say Hello
Val Baker Jonhson, husband, father, brother, friend, grandfather, packer, mule-man, teacher, and political scientist passed away Friday morning, November 12, 2021, at Grace Assisted Living in Twin Falls, Idaho with his family by his side.
Val was born in Nampa, Idaho on March 6, 1941, to Marie Baker and Lafe Gwilliam Johnson. He was raised in Cascade and joined by sister Sharon and later, brother Joe. Being older, Val was their caregiver and backbone of the family for many years. As a youngster, he traveled to the backcountry with his dad, uncles, grandpa, and grandma to the Snowshoe Cabin area, many summers herding sheep.
Val graduated from Cascade High School in 1959 and went to Brigham Young University that fall. The second semester he tried the University of Idaho but did not like beer, so transferred back to BYU and graduated in 1963 with a degree in Political Science. Figuring he would get drafted, he enrolled in the US Air Force Officer Training School in San Antonio, Texas in November of 1963. Thereafter, he was assigned to Strategic Air Command (SAC) HQs at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska as a 2nd Lt. Photo Intelligence Officer. It was here that he met Stephen P. Mealey with whom he would later partner and run an outfitting and guide business in Salmon. Val was sent to Vietnam from December 1965 until December 1966. Upon his return, in his new blue GTO with white leather interior, he made it to Offutt AFB for a New Year’s Eve party where he first met Sara Lee McConnell, also an AF Intelligence Officer.
Val and Sara were married on June 9, 1967, at the Offutt AFB Chapel. Their USAF obligations were met within two weeks of each other in February of 1968 at which time they moved to Salmon, Idaho, and with Steve Mealey, started Nez Perce Outfitters and Guides. Big-game hunting and summer float and pack trips were the results. Val and Sara bought 120 acres on the Salmon River, which was ideal for keeping pack string animals and later Hereford cows and pigs. Val and Steve sold the outfitting business in 1971 and Val opted to go to Idaho State University to get his teaching certificate in Social Studies. He kept the float business for a few years and continued his many backcountry explorations.
Daughters Laurie and Suzie were born in 1968 and 1969, respectively, and they all lived in the old log house. The pastures were irrigated via ditches from a pipeline just south along the Salmon River. Wheel lines were added when the kids were gone! In 1971, they built a house east above the highway, and Erik came along in 1974.
For the 25+ years that Val taught at Salmon High School, his voice rang through the hallways. The relationships that he developed with students and faculty went beyond the classroom and continued throughout his life.
In 1978, Val was instrumental in joining three Montana state chapters of Back Country Horsemen, with a newly formed Salmon River Back Country Horsemen, the first in Idaho. Val, Dave Couch, and Richard Smith were the visionaries for the future Back Country Horseman of America. Now in 2021, there are 212+ chapters in 32 states with roughly 13,000 members throughout the US and Canada.
Val’s extreme love of the backcountry and his mules were part of his DNA. His favorite mule, Reuben, carried him thousands of miles and still carries his grandchildren today. He shared his appreciation of mules, hunting, and the backcountry with his children and grandchildren. Lick Creek hunting camp and fellow riding companion stories abound to this day.
From plaza backgammon games in Turkey, travel to India, visiting Suzie wherever she was stationed, 30 days with Cole in South Africa, rodeoing with Erik, and attending high school sports with grandchildren, Val so enjoyed seeing different places and varied cultures. In 2009, Val and Sara purchased a second home in Arizona, where his pace slowed to the desert and warmer climate.
Val is survived by wife Sara of 54 years; daughter Laura Marie (Bill) Lickley of Jerome, Idaho, grandchildren Valene Marie Lickley and Cole Johnson (Anna) Lickley; daughter Suzanna Kay Hardy and grandsons Andrew Johnson Hardy and Kyle William Hardy; and son Erik McConnell Johnson of Eltopia, Washington, and grandchildren Tiegan Grace, Tessa Faith, and Traver Imes Johnson. He is also survived by his sister Sharon (Joe) Stippich of Weiser and half-brother Joe (Marla) Worthington of Red Oak, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Salmon Public Library or your favorite educational or outdoor charity in memory of Val.
BCHA Announces 2012 Legacy Award Winner
Back Country Horsemen of America leads the nationwide effort to preserve trails for horse use, not only for today’s equestrians, but also for tomorrow’s. They seek to leave an inheritance to future generations; a legacy of responsible enjoyment of America’s wild lands the way our forefathers did: by horseback.
With that goal in mind, Back Country Horsemen of America selects an individual member each year whose numerous contributions, made over many years of dedicated membership, exemplify their mission and values. In 2012, BCHA chose Val B. Johnson of the Salmon River Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho.
There From the Start
Val was an organizing founder of Salmon River Back Country Horsemen in Idaho in 1978, the fourth group in the original BCH organization, and the first outside of Montana. Val joined the presidents of the three Montana groups (the Flathead, Missoula, and Bitterroot BCH), to outline a proposal for uniting the existing groups into a formal organization. The presidents presented their plan at the first BCH annual convention in Kalispell, Montana, on March 17 and 18, 1979.
That weekend, Back Country Horsemen was born, with stated purposes that Val helped draft: 1) to perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America’s back country and wilderness; 2) to work to ensure that public lands remain open to recreational stock use; 3) to assist the agencies responsible for the management of public lands; and 4) to educate, encourage and solicit active participation in the wise and sustaining use of the back country resource by horsemen and the general public commensurate with our heritage. Over the years, slight updates were made, and a fifth was added: to foster and encourage the formation of new state Back Country Horsemen organizations.
In March, 1983, Val was elected Vice Chairman of Back Country Horsemen. He took the Chairman’s seat a year later, with the goal of affiliating with Washington Back Country Horsemen and the High Sierra Stock Users Association of California. Val was also very involved in the drafting of the BCHA constitution, which was adopted in 1986 by representatives of the groups in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and California. The organization officially became Back Country Horsemen of America.
In 1989 and 1990, Val was again elected Chairman. He served on the BCHA National Board of Directors through 1991, and again from 1999 until 2011. Val was also Chairman of the Visions Committee for a number of years, and the unofficial historical and constitutional watchdog.
Many Roles of Service
Born in Nampa, Idaho, and raised in Cascade, Val spent his early years with his father and grandfather at Snowshoe Cabin at the head of Pistol Creek in the Idaho Primitive Area. After college in Utah, he worked one year as the Sulphur Creek Patrolman on the Landmark District of the Boise National Forest. That fall, he attended Officer Training School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He served in Vietnam from December 1965 to December 1966 as an intelligence officer.
Upon returning from Vietnam in 1967, he and a fellow officer from Oregon bought an outfitting and guiding business, offering big game hunts and summer float and pack trips out of Salmon. They sold it in 1971, but retained the summer float and pack trip portion of the business. After earning a teaching certificate, Val began teaching social studies in the Salmon High School in 1972.
Driven by his love for the former Idaho and Salmon River Breaks Primitive Areas, along with the Middle and Main Salmon Rivers, Val became involved with the management of those areas, and eventually became dedicated to promoting the use of horses and mules on public lands.
About Back Country Horsemen of America
Back Country Horsemen of America commends Val B. Johnson of the Salmon River Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho for his outstanding example of commitment and dedication to the vision and principles of BCHA. They encourage horsemen from coast to coast to allow his accomplishments to be an inspiration and encouragement to achieve their goals for protecting our right to ride horses on public lands.
BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates, and at-large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes regarding the use of horses and stock in the wilderness and public lands.
READ LATEST INFO at Idaho Transportation Department
UPDATE #7: 3:30 P.M. 11/28/2021
Idaho State Highway 55 between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road will remain closed another seven to 10 days depending on weather. Construction crews made significant progress today (November 29) shoring up the rockslide area near the Rainbow Bridge about 20 miles south of Cascade, Idaho.
The crews completed construction of a rock structure, known as a buttress, approximately 20 feet tall and 400 feet long to stabilize the base of the slide. The next step is to remove slide debris, install drainage systems above the buttress and widen the roadway to two lanes before the winter.
“We have made very good progress and stabilized the slide area. This allows crews to remove excess rock from the hillside and begin building a two way road around the slide area,” said Jason Brinkman, ITD District 3 Engineering Manager. “Our goal is to finish the work as quickly as possible while also focusing on both the safety of the construction team and the public once the road reopens.”
Until the highway is reopened, travelers can use U.S. Highway 95 as an alternate route.
Folks heading to the McCall area for Thanksgiving will need to plan to take Highway 95.
The Idaho Transportation Department on Friday said the highway will remain closed between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road through Thanksgiving due to a rockslide that occurred on Thursday.
“We understand the inconvenience closing down the road causes, but our objective is to ensure the corridor is safe for travel,” said Jason Brinkman, ITD District 3 engineering manager. “These decisions are not taken lightly. We appreciate the public’s continued patience as we work to clear the material and reopen the road safely.”
Geotechnical experts are on-site evaluating the safety and stability of the slope and figuring out how much material needs to be removed.
The Squaw Butte Ridge is about 8 miles long, runs generally north to south, and has a steep eastern front that rises from about 2500 feet near Sweet and Ola, Idaho to 5500-5800 along the top of the ridge. If viewed from the south or east, it appears that the Squaw Butte ridge is a separate or island-like mountain. Native Americans used the slopes of Squaw Butte as their wintering ground and it’s been claimed that they, not the white man, assigned the Squaw name to this prominent landmark. Nearby Timber Butte is also known as a wintering area and the region’s volcanic rock has been used by natives to quarry and make weapons. In the early 1800’s white men settled the area as ranchers, farmers, and gold miners. The tiny towns of Ola, Sweet, Montour, Letha, and Roystone were some of the first settlements with the town of Emmett developing into a prosperous fruit farming area (due in part to the fertile soil).
Interior Secretary Haaland moves to rid U.S. of racially derogatory place names
- U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the federal agency will establish a process to review and replace racially derogatory terms used in place names.
- Haaland, the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary, said a newly-created federal advisory committee will review and recommend changes to derogatory geographic and federal land names.
- She also declared the term “squaw,” a pejorative for Indigenous women, to be derogatory and ordered to remove the term from federal usage.
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U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Friday that the federal agency will establish a process to review and replace racially derogatory terms used in place names.
Haaland, the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary, said a newly-created federal advisory committee will review and recommend changes to derogatory federal land names, according to a U.S. Department of Interior press release.
The committee, through a new Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force, will consult with the public and tribal representatives on potential place name changes.
Haaland also declared the term “squaw,” a pejorative for Indigenous women, to be derogatory, the press release said. She ordered the Board Geographic Names, the federal body tasked with naming geographic places, to develop procedures that would remove the term from federal usage.
“Squaw” currently appears in the names of more than 650 federal land units, according to Board Geographic Names data.
“Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands. Our nation’s lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage – not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression,” Haaland said in the press release.
“Today’s actions will accelerate an important process to reconcile derogatory place names and mark a significant step in honoring the ancestors who have stewarded our lands since time immemorial,” she said.
Haaland noted that it typically takes years for the Board of Geographic Names to replace place names as their review process is by a case-by-case basis. There are currently hundreds of name changes pending before the board, according to the press release.
The new federal advisory committee aims to make this process more efficient by facilitating a “proactive and systematic development and review” of name change proposals, the press release said.
Some advocates welcomed Haaland’s Friday announcement, saying that the move by the federal government is long overdue.
“Names that still use derogatory terms are an embarrassing legacy of this country’s colonialist and racist past,” said John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, in a statement. “It is well-past time for us, as a nation, to move forward, beyond these derogatory terms, and show Native people — and all people — equal respect.”
“We applaud Secretary Halaand for taking action to make our federal government and public lands more inclusive and respectful of Native peoples,” Echohawk continued.
Paul Spitler, senior legislative policy manager of non-profit land conservation organization The Wilderness Society, also applauded the announcement.
“The names of our mountains and rivers should honor and reflect our nation’s great diversity, and advance dignity for all people,” Spitler said in a statement Friday. “We support the Biden administration’s actions to eliminate the thousands of racist and offensive place names on public lands and to work with diverse populations in local communities to create more equitable and inclusive outdoor spaces for all people.”
The Secretary of Interior and Board of Geographic Names have made similar moves to replace derogatory place names and terms over the years.
In 1962, then-Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall directed the board to eliminate the use of the N-word. And in 1974, the board identified a pejorative term for “Japanese” as derogatory and eliminated its use as well.
The board also voted in 2008 to change the name of a mountain in Phoenix from “Squaw” Peak to Piestewa Peak, in honor of Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military.
Some states have also passed legislation to prohibit the use of the word “squaw” in place names, including Oregon, Maine, Montana and Minnesota, according to the press release.
Earlier this year, Congressional Democrats also introduced legislation in July to rename more than 1,000 places in the U.S. that feature offensive language and racist slurs, Business Insider reported.
Name changing has also occurred in the private sector. In September, the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in California changed its name to Palisades Tahoe. The ski resort is in the Olympic valley, which was formerly known as “Squaw” Valley until it hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.
ITA partnered with Wild Hearts Idaho this year for an all-girls youth trail maintenance trip in the Gospel Hump Wilderness! From a thrilling (and wet!) jet boat ride up the Salmon River to living out of their backpacks for a week, these girls had quite the adventure in Idaho’s backcountry.
Thank you to the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, the Sawtooth National Forest, and Mackay Bar Outfitters for your support on this project.
The Kennelly Creek weekend project scheduled for September 18 is generally a popular and well attended project. This weekend for various reasons it was not! Rob Adams plus three other members signed up for the project. On Thursday one dropped out and one said that they would be coming up early Saturday morning. On Friday, I packed up my trailer loaded, the newly prepped saws and gear and around noon headed up 55 towards Donnelly, ID. I turned on to Paddy Flat road and when the surface changed from paved to gravel, stopped and put my truck in low range 4-wheel drive for the climb up to Paddy Flat summit. Paddy Flat road is a good US forest service type road that winds along hill sides with the first section on private land holding that has had some logging or thinning this summer. There are some very narrow spots but there are generally good places to pass along the road if you go slow and watch for oncoming traffic. Wood gathering and hunting are both going on this time of year, to there is more traffic than is typical on a week day. The drive into the trail head is 13 miles and at mile 7, I came around a blind corner and saw a small SUV pulling a heavily loaded single axel trailer up the middle of the road towards me. What I expected to happen was he would pull over against the hill side and we would sneak past each other and continue on our way. What happen is he did move over a bit and I got my trailer straight behind the truck as far over as I felt safe. Watching the mirror it looked like we might make it. At the last minute he slammed on his brakes and I tried to get my rig stopped before we hit. I was about a foot long, folding his trailer fender up, cutting gashes in both his and my trailer tires.
We had him back up a bit and I could get by and then we surveyed the situation and started working on his trailer first.
His tire needed to be changed which required jacking up his trailer, His jack would not do the job, but I had stuff to help get that done, once the tire was off, it became clear that the front mount on the axel spring had broken so it was likely that the axel could fold up under the trailer. We rigged a chain to hold it in place, used a big hammer to get the fender out of the way and installed a spare that he hoped would get him to McCall. He promised to go really slow and I know for a fact he made it into town. I took my spare off the front of the trailer and swapped out the wrecked one and 30 minutes later was at the camp ground.
I was the only one there, a surprise, it being a Friday afternoon. At 18:30 I grilled a pork chop and by 21:00 it was getting dark and cool, so said good night to the stock and crawled in by bag to read a book before going to sleep. Around 21:30 two pickup came into the camp ground and set up tents, but none with horse trailer.
At 07:30 on Saturday I got up, fed the stock, made some breakfast and then packed up my camping stuff as I planned to head home at the end of the day as a front was expected. By 09:30 I was all saddle and had the equipment packed on my mare and happened to look down at the tire next to where Payette was tied. It was nice and round on top and totally flat on the bottom. $H!T!!!, every back country horsemen nightmare is two trailer flats on the same trip!. I knew it was ok on Friday, but assumed it was also damaged by the fender-bender.
On to plan “B”, I un-saddled the stock and put them back on the high-line with some more certified hay so they were happy but confused. Disconnected the truck and headed with the slashed tired to McCall with hopes of getting a new one mounted. Les Schwab had what I needed and had one mounted and balanced in about 30 minutes and it was back to the trail head. Still no other horse trailers. I pulled the second flat to find a big screw in it so it had nothing to do with the fender-bender. Got the new one mounted and then drove out of the trail head had very carefully making sure I could see and could get pulled over if necessary as I passed a number of hunters on 4-wheeler, side-by-sides and trucks. Getting backed to the paved road was a great relief.
Summary of weekend, No trees cut, No brush removed, No nice ride in the mountains. One great pork chop dinner at a very pretty trail head, minor damage to my trailer fender and two very pricey new trailer tires and a new rim so I can carry two spares going forward. Not the best way to end what had been a very successful BCHI season. I do wonder what happened to the other two guys, maybe they have similar story’s.
After six years leading and organizing trail projects across Idaho, Clay Jacobson is leaving ITA for new adventures, including hiking the Continental Divide Trail next summer. We will miss you, Clay and wish you the very best!
ITA is looking for a Trail Projects Director. This person will oversee the planning, coordination, logistics, and successful completion of our trail maintenance and monitoring projects. They will also train and empower volunteer crew leaders to lead projects. This position requires a highly motivated and well-organized trail enthusiast with a variety of skill sets. Click here to see the full job description!
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and the contact information for three references in a single PDF. Send via e-mail to jobs@idahotrailsassociation.org with the subject line “Trail Projects Director” by or before October 8th, 2021.
Calendars make great gifts and have a much better chance of paying off than a Loto Ticket!
Contact: Scott Morgan 208-989-0632
Rocking JB is located in beautiful Central Idaho overlooking the Camas Praire. I am a home based business specializing in hats, coats, shirts, bags, & sweat shirts. I take orders for large and small quantities. I can purchase items for you or I can personalize your own items.
Jackets and Vests with the BCHI LOGO on it. That is something that each individual would need to discuss directly with Julie. (208) 983-2183, rockingjbbags@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/RockingJbBagsEmbroidery
