Group opposes Scotcman Peaks bill

The following letter was sent to U.S. Sen. Jim Risch from several former and current Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners:

The purpose of this correspondence is to formally request reconsideration of your support for the Scotchman Peaks congressional bill.

Our opposition is based on 44 years of serving the sportsmen of North Idaho as Idaho Department Fish and Game commissioners. As a group — Pete Thompson, Idaho Department of Fish and Game commissioner from 1972-1984; Dick Hansen, 1984-1996; Nancy Hadley, 1996-2005; Tony McDermott, 2005-2013; and Brad Corkill, 2013 to present — all oppose a wilderness designation for Scotchman Peaks as currently written. D. Hansen passed away in 2015, but voiced his opposition to Pete Thompson and Tony McDermott on numerous occasions prior to his death.

Currently two-thirds of Idaho’s land is federally owned and managed. More than four million acres of Idaho is tied up in more than a dozen wilderness areas and we believe enough is enough. Our position is that nothing will change if Scotchman Peak is left as is. The U.S. Forest Service designated the area for wilderness management in the recently approved Panhandle Forest Plan and will continue to manage it as wilderness regardless of the designation. More here.