Group likes the view from the top

RATHDRUM – After last week’s first-ever public tour to parts of Rathdrum Mountain, Kris Storey said she was mesmerized by its splendor.

“This was fantastic,” said Storey, secretary of Rathdrum’s Chamber of Commerce.

“I can see this as a Tubbs Hill so well,” said Storey, thinking of Coeur d’Alene’s popular urban wilderness area. “I want to be here and so would my grandkids.”

That’s precisely what the tour’s organizers, Friends of Rathdrum Mountain, hope to see – an undeveloped wilderness for low-impact recreation like hiking, horseback riding, bike riding and wildlife watching.

Before that can happen, the city of Rathdrum, which owns more than 500 acres of the mountainside, must agree to open it to the public.

Hundred-year-old cedars and pines sway over the site. Moose, elk, bear and bobcat hang out. And the panoramic view overlooks the tiny community and more mountains behind it.

The group began lobbying for public access to the site about a year ago, said Jim Ochenkoski, secretary of the Friends of Rathdrum Mountain. .

A grass-roots organization with fewer than 10 members, the Friends group is an off-shoot of a committee Rathdrum created years ago to help it earn the state’s Gem Community designation. A few weeks ago, Rathdrum City Council members toured the area and unanimously agreed to explore the public access issue.

Said Ochenkoski: “The wheels are turning. They can be slow at times, but at least they’re turning in the right direction. We’re here to keep the pressure on and keep them on track.”

Public use of wildlands is a hot topic these days.

“As property becomes more scarce, people want to get out and use this property,” said Ochenkoski as he showed community business and agricultural leaders the land last Saturday.

They learned that Rathdrum’s share of the mountain sits amid thousands of acres corporate- and government-owned forest and a few private homes. Other owners include Forest Capital Partners LLC, the J.D. Lumber Co., federal and state governments and the Inland Empire Paper Co., owned by the Cowles Co., also publishers of Your Voice and The Spokesman-Review.

Big industrial owners have begun permitting controlled public recreation on its adjoining mountain sites.

Rathdrum, on the other hand, was surprised to learn recently that it legally lacks access to its own mountainside property, which houses its million-gallon water tank.

Decades ago, railroads conveyed the property – once a major city water resource – to Rathdrum. Access was established by handshakes and promises.

Now, it’ll take time for the city to sort out property easements for its own access.

After that, the Friends group hopes Rathdrum will eventually approve low-impact recreation on the land.

Shelley Tschida owns and operates Quality Services Inc., which oversees most of the private property on the mountain. Her company manages forest recreational use while apprehending poachers, vandals, trespassers and anyone who tries to abandon vehicles or trash.

The trick to permitting public use on such precious lands, she said, is to look for “safe, sane and sensible” activities that are environmentally friendly.

And if Rathdrum OKs the idea, it will enjoy financial benefits, Tschida said.

“Outdoor recreation is responsible for 8 percent of our economy,” Tschida said. “It’s huge. The $80 billion spent in the United States (annually) (has an eventual influx of) $760 billion in our national economy.”