St. Joe Logjams Given A Jolt

Fri., May 12, 2000

By Zaz Hollander zazh@spokesman.com

Boaters can enjoy popular whitewater sections of the St. Joe River again, after the Forest Service blasted out several logjams.

Logs blocked rapids on the St. Joe last week, after raging spring runoff lodged them in narrow sections. But Forest Service crews rappelled off cliff walls, teetered on the riverbank, placed explosives on the logs and then got out of the way.

Ten logs drifted downriver, clearing the jams.

But with rain and snow falling on Thursday, people still need to be careful on the water, officials caution.

“Only experienced river runners should attempt the river at this time of year, and they should scout it before they go,” said Jaime Schmidt, with the St. Joe River Ranger District.

Popular whitewater runs at Tumbledown Rapids and Skookum Canyon are rated as challenging Class III to Class IV rapids at current flows.

That’s water wild enough to leave out inexperienced paddlers.

For some, though, the crazy spring flows make for the best trips.

“Now it’s clear and people will be happy. It’s one of the best runs in North Idaho, especially right now,” said Candy Bening, with Rivers Odysseys West in Coeur d’Alene. “The St. Joe is really aggressive and fun at higher water levels.”

Whitewater on the St. Joe starts at the Red Ives ranger station, and runs about 25 rapidfilled miles past the Tumbledown section that was blocked last week.

Right now, the river is running at 3,600 cubic feet per second at the Hoyt River, and higher at Calder.

“I have run that river at 35,000 (cfs),” Bening said. “It was cranking. It took a matter of minutes to go 12 miles.”

Last week’s blasting operation is unusual for the Forest Service’s recreational side, Schmidt said.

“We only mess with Mother Nature when they think it’s a true safety hazard,” she asid. Along with the explosive-bearing staffers, the team took along a fish biologist.

The logjams may threaten boaters, but they provide refuge for trout. The logs were left to float downriver to provide cover for fish in calmer areas downstream, biologist Lisa Hawdon said.

The whole thing was pretty cool to watch, Schmidt said.

“It was interesting because the explosion seemed to just lift up the water and the logs,” she said.

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