Wilderness proposed to honor Hemingway

BOISE – U.S. Rep. Michael Simpson on Thursday rolled out an updated proposal to designate federal wilderness in the Boulder-White Cloud Mountains, adding a 40,000-acre area north of Sun Valley to commemorate Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway.

“This is a fluid process,” said Lindsay Slater, Simpson chief of staff. “We’re going to come out with more proposals. I think the key is the congressman is responding to what he’s hearing at town hall meetings. He didn’t go to them with his mind made up.”

The Idaho Republican also proposes locating three off-road vehicle recreation parks near Boise, Twin Falls and Pocatello. Land for them would be transferred from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to the state if Idaho wants to participate.

The updated plan comes after about two dozen environmental groups said earlier this week they were giving up on Simpson’s proposal to set aside up to 300,000 acres. They said it sacrifices too much land to off-road enthusiasts and development.

Craig Gehrke, Idaho representative for The Wilderness Society, said he had not gone over Simpson’s suggestions. But he said his organization would continue to be active in the process of preserving the mountain ranges.

“We’re going to keep working this,” he said. “We’re not going to back away.”

Simpson has said the proposition includes trade-offs to help settle controversial land-use issues. Attempts to resolve the Boulder-White Clouds debate other ways have failed for three decades.

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 motorized activity. Slater said Simpson received 300 letters over his Boulder-White Cloud plan and many called for a wilderness near Sun Valley.