Intolerance Fans Reputation

Sat., June 13, 1998

By D.F. Oliveria daveo@spokesman.com (509) 319-0354

Boundary County commissioners don’t like to be stereotyped as anti-government yahoos. Nor do they want their North Idaho county mentioned in the same breath as its most famous former resident, Randy Weaver. Yet, they keep doing things that conjure images of Ruby Ridge.

In 1996, the commissioners helped spearhead the goofy wise-use movement and squandered local tax dollars, claiming - in vain - that the county had a right to manage state and federal lands within their boundaries. Now, they contend Boundary Creek Road is a public right of way that the U.S. Forest Service cannot close to protect endangered creatures. This week, they were prepared to bulldoze the road open again, until a temporary restraining order brought them to their senses.

Such intolerance of legitimate U.S. government action by local elected officials fans North Idaho’s reputation as a haven for far-right extremists. It also provides official sanction for civil disobedience.

Fortunately, Panhandle National Forests supervisor Dave Wright gave the posturing commissioners and their volatile followers wide berth. He didn’t want uniformed USFS employees confronting bulldozers and who knows what else at a remote forest site. Said Wright: “North Idaho has already had its share of that.” Wisely, Wright opted to let the federal courts settle the dispute.

In fact, USFS officials have treaded softly in Boundary County while trying to protect grizzly bear, caribou and bull trout. They delayed plans to close and obliterate Boundary Creek Road until August, to give the county time to settle the ownership dispute. The Forest Service filed suit to resolve the issue only after commissioners decided to grandstand.

If the courts rule that Boundary Creek Road belongs to the federal government, as they probably will, the USFS should close it. The road is expensive to maintain, routinely washing out and destroying Boundary Creek’s threatened bull trout. Besides, motorists can use alternative routes to reach most of their former destinations - and outdoor enthusiasts still would be allowed to hike or ride horses to access the creek.

Understandably, Boundary County commissioners and their constituents love their neck of the woods. But for some reason they don’t realize that the endangered or threatened Selkirk grizzlies, woodland caribou, sturgeon and bull trout that affect their lives make Boundary County special. A little inconvenience is a small price to pay to keep it that way.

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