The first of five related Environmental Assessments (EAs) for Owyhee County Travel Management Areas (TMAs) has been finalized by the BLM.

Alternative D has been chosen in a Decision Record for Canyonlands East Travel Management Plan (TMP). Released October 25, a 30-day objection period has begun. Alt. D yields the most motorized access proposed of any of the Action Alternatives (B, C, D).

Decision Record and related documents here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/12503/570

While a map has been issued within the Decision Record (page 11), it should be considered preliminary since adjustment could occur during Implementation of the EA. Implementation will occur after all five related Owyhee TMPs have been decided, anticipated to be wrapped-up in March 2024. Publishing of finalized travel maps will follow the Implementation phase.

Decisions on EAs are still to come for four TMAs: Canyonlands West (comment period closed 10/23), Grand View, Silver City, and Birds of Prey NCA South (last three EAs not yet opened for comment).

The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness is the most remote and largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48. That’s why it’s no surprise someone seeking a life of self-efficiency and solitude – would choose to live there.

Along with other homesteaders, like Polly Bemis – mountain man Sylvan Ambrose Hart – commonly referred to as ‘Buckskin Bill’ – made a home on the bank of the Salmon River and lived there starting in 1932 up until his death in 1980. The area is so remote, that today the only way to get to it is by jetboat or plane.

Hart, who was born in Oklahoma, not only earned a degree in English and attended a graduate program in petroleum engineering, but he also studied and could speak many languages including German, Russian, Swahili, Portuguese, Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, and Norwegian.

When Hart first came to Idaho, he bought 50 acres of land at Five Mile Bar. Here he survived and lived off the land by by fishing, hunting, growing a garden, and making his own tools like guns and knives, and clothes.

“Forest Service rangers who encountered Hart nicknamed him “Buckskin Bill” because Hart dressed in deerskin clothing,” Hells Canyon Tour’s website notes. “Although he tanned the hides, he allegedly wore the deerskin with the hair against his skin.”

Hart’s compound consisted of a two-story cabin, a blacksmithing shop, and a bomb shelter that he built himself. As rafting became more popular on the Salmon, Hart began to see visitors who would stop and say hello.

READ MORE   /  THE LAST OF THE MOUNTAIN MEN

Reported by Margaret Carmel – BoiseDev Sr. Reporter

Like the rest of the Treasure Valley, Emmett is drawing in new residents for its mountain setting and small-town feel.

But, you might not necessarily pick up on that by taking a stroll down the few blocks of Main Street near Washington Avenue.

Thirteen storefronts across 10 buildings in downtown Emmett are all owned by the same Boise company, Huckleberry Properties Idaho LLC, according to public records obtained by BoiseDev. This company purchased all of the buildings at once in December of 2018 and has owned them ever since, leaving six spaces empty.   READ MORE

Pack Animals:

Pack animals have been helping humans for thousands of years carry heavy payloads from one destination to another. Here in North America the most common pack animals are undoubtedly horses & mules. They have become a staple for most hunters, ranchers and outdoorsmen that live near the Rocky Mountains.

Chances are if you have, hiked, camped or hunted the backcountry in the western states you have most certainly had some kind of interaction with horses or mules. When it comes to llamas not many sportsmen can say they have crossed paths with one and if you have; you were probably too shocked to remember much about the experience.

Why Llamas:

Llamas are often called the Beast of Burden. In ancient times llamas were key to the success and survival of the Inca culture. Today we use llamas to carry the weight we cannot carry ourselves. We love the backcountry of the Western United States and our llamas carry our camp, food, water and gear to each destination we seek. When you pack with trail hardened pack llamas for the first time you begin to understand why people have been packing with them for centuries, it’s just in in their DNA.

Llamas balance 65-70% of their body weight on their front legs. Their feet have a leather pad similar to that of a dog, and a split toe that allows for larger surface area and gripping ability. When it comes to rocky, steep, and tough to navigate terrain llamas excel where some pack stock might fall short. They are smaller than horses and thus they eat and drink much less in comparison.  READ MORE  /  FOR SALE

READ FULL STORY BY NICOLE BLANCHARD Idaho Stateman

A pair of khaki pants on the ground, off-trail in Central Idaho’s Sawtooth Range, was the first sign to Sandy Epeldi that something was not right. The 59-year-old Boise man was exploring near remote Benedict Lake north of Atlanta during a six-day backpacking trip in late July when he found the clothing. The pants had obviously been outside for some time, Epeldi told the Idaho Statesman in an interview. They were inside out, with undergarments still attached. “I knew something bad had probably happened,” Epeldi said. “That’s not something you usually find in such a remote place.”

Within a few moments of searching, Epeldi and his hiking companion, Frank Burke, located a boot. Then they found the contents of a wallet that contained the ID of a man they’d already heard of: Jack Forest Thomas. The 66-year-old Nampa man went missing while hiking in 2016. “He just happened to vanish into the part of the wilderness that’s my favorite part to go into,” Epeldi said. “The year after Jack went missing, I did a route really similar to his and it was always in my mind: ‘Are we going to stumble upon something out here?’ ” When Thomas went missing in 2016, law enforcement looked for about two weeks before calling off the search.

After that, it was up to Thomas’ loved ones to find him. Boise County officials recovered Thomas’ remains a few weeks after Epeldi and Burke found his belongings — more than seven years after he disappeared. Idaho is one of many states where missing person searches fall largely to volunteers who are led by a mishmash of local sheriffs’ offices and nonprofits that are often short on resources. Search-and-rescue officials from around the state told the Idaho Statesman the system works quite well, with the exception of funding shortfalls.

But families of the missing said finding answers becomes much more complicated once sheriffs decide it’s time to call off a search. Search-and-rescue experts say a more formalized system could make it more likely that missing people are found alive or their remains are recovered in much less time — all while saving families the pain of taking on their own investigation.

Jack Davis (1963) painted by Conrad Schwiering (American, 1916 – 1986)

That’s (almost) a wrap

This year our first project was March 19th, with a group of BSU students working the Bernard Creek trail in Hells Canyon as part of their Alternative Spring Break Program. Our last project will be October 7th, maintaining the Dry Creek Trail in the Boise Foothills. That’s nearly seven months of trail work! The upshot of seven months was logging over 13,000 hours of volunteer time clearing almost 300 miles of trail and scouting over 100 for future projects- more than ever before! Rain, wind, heat, bugs…nothing (except the errant wildfire) kept us from pulling saws and working loppers, from scraping tread and cleaning drains. ITA volunteers are tough. And resilient. And fun!

So thank you. It’s you all— the volunteers, the individual and corporate donors, the grantors, the non-profit partners, the land manager partners— who’ve allowed us to expand our season. Having the funds and volunteer power to work low-elevation trails in the cooler seasons and focus on high-elevation trails with a shorter snow-free season in the heart of summer results in more trails cleared in more places, providing access to Idaho’s deepest river canyons and highest alpine lakes.

As ITA staff and board watch the sun set earlier each day and weather besides clear skies and sun take over the forecast, we look back on 2023 with gratitude and forward with optimism on 2024 and beyond. Spring Equinox here we come, Pulaski’s raised (but not over our heads, because that’s dangerous).

Melanie Vining
Executive Director

READ MORE!