Gold Hill Project

This timber sale is located in the northwest corner of the Palouse Ranger District on the Clearwater National Forest. The Forest Service is seeking public feedback (scoping) as to “why the project should or should not proceed.” The scoping deadline is Thursday May 30.

Things to know:

♦ Project size is 2100 acres and will take place in Gold Creek sub-watershed, Big Creek sub-watershed, and Meadow Creek sub-watershed (see map).

♦ Idaho Department Environmental Quality currently lists water quality for Gold Creek and Big Creek as impaired but the Forest Service is claiming the project will improve conditions.

♦ 10 miles of new “temporary” roads.

♦ 865 acres of commercial logging (1 acre is the size of a football field). Most of the logging is termed, “forest regeneration,” which is a 21st century word for clear-cutting.

♦ Habitat for flammulated owls, northern goshawk and pileated woodpeckers may be in the project area. See scoping letter for entire species habitat list potentially in the proposed project area. Let the Forest Service know in your comment if you have seen any of them.

Other Considerations:

♦ How will logging affect potential future snag habitat crucial for certain species?

♦ What is the peer-reviewed science that supports justification for this “forest health” project?

♦ How will climate change affect the project area post-logging? How will this logging project affect climate change? What analysis will be done?

♦ Is the agency considering the potential cumulative impacts from this project and the proposed White Pine Timber Sale and Crane Point Timber Sale?

♦ Why is the Forest Service only giving the public a little more than two weeks for scoping when the norm is 30 days. It appears the agency is attempting to short change public involvement.

The scoping deadline is Thursday May 30. Add any personal experiences that you may have had in the proposed project area in your comment. Comments can be sent to comments-northern-nezperce@fs.fed.us or use the comment form below.