Wilderness plan sparks opposition
KETCHUM, Idaho – Rep. Michael Simpson’s draft plan to sweeten his central Idaho wilderness proposal by preserving an extra 40,000 acres in the name of Ernest Hemingway may have run into trouble.
The Hemingway Wilderness proposed for the southern spine of the Boulder Mountains was intended to complement the nearly 300,000 acres designated as wilderness in Simpson’s original proposal, but it puts off limits most of the area used for helicopter skiing.
That has upset the local operator.
“When we found out what it was, it was pretty disturbing because it encompasses just about all of our local skiing,” said Mark Baumgardner, owner of Sun Valley Heli-Ski.
“Their plan all along was to not put any existing businesses out of business,” Baumgardner said.
Simpson spokesmen Lindsay Slater said the problem could be insurmountable, although the issue is still being reviewed. The congressman said from the outset that he has no intention of creating economic disruption with his attempt to settle the dispute over additional wilderness that has raged for three decades. But he conceded the plan requires trade-offs by all sides.
Baumgardner said before the wilderness area was proposed, it was among the first in the country to offer backcountry helicopter skiing. He said the plan is a double blow because the U.S. Forest Service already has placed restrictions where his helicopters can fly in the backcountry to avoid skiers who climb mountains under their own power.
The proposed Hemingway Wilderness Area would add about 40,000 acres adjacent to and north of Sun Valley and the Hemingway Memorial, named for the author who died in Ketchum in 1961. It is east of Idaho Highway 75 and north of the Trail Creek Road.
The area proposed is currently closed to all-terrain and off-road vehicles.
The proposal would leave the upper reaches of the West Fork of the North Fork of the Big Wood open to snowmobiling.
The Stanley-area Fourth of July Basin would remain open to snowmobiling from Blackman Peak to Patterson Peak. It would be closed to all other motorized or mechanized activities. A wheelchair-accessible trail would be established to Fourth of July Lake from the Phyllis Lake cutoff.
Simpson suggests three motorized recreational parks across southern Idaho. They would include a beginner track to teach safe, responsible riding techniques as well as areas for different skill levels. Those zones could be managed by the state Parks and Recreation Department with funding from the federal Off-highway Vehicle Fund.
Some off-road enthusiasts have opposed Simpson’s idea, saying that central Idaho already has thousands of acres of wilderness and that closing off the area would remove popular trails.
The plan would also transfer more than 1,000 acres of federal land to Custer County and would authorize a buyout of ranchers’ grazing allotments affected by the proposal.
As the congressman has been circulating his draft proposal, local preservationists have been circulating petitions to build support for bringing the North Fork drainage of the Big Wood River under wilderness protection.
Four years ago, the area was earmarked for snowmobile use under a compromise between skiers and snowmobilers for areas for their activities.
Simpson has honored that deal, but Blaine County Commissioner Sarah Michael said the tract represents wilderness values and motorized vehicles should not be allowed.
“The highest peaks that we see from our valley, and the watersheds that we see from our valley looking up the North Fork, are not included in this legislation,” Michael said. “To me, this North Fork area, more than any other in Blaine County, symbolizes the Boulder Mountains, and it’s the dramatic gateway to the Boulder wilderness.”