The Emerald of the Rockies
The public lands and waters of Idaho’s Clearwater River Basin make up one of the largest unprotected intact ecosystems in North America. It is home to:
The entire Gospel-Hump Wilderness, plus portions of the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church-River of No Return Wildernesses lie in Clearwater Country.
The Clearwater is home to over 1.5 million acres of wildlands lacking congressional protection called roadless areas.
Seven threatened and endangered species: wolverine, lynx, grizzly bear, chinook salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and whitebark pine.
Three nationally-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers: the Lochsa, the Selway and the Middefork-Cleawater Rivers.
The Lewis-Clark National Historic Trail and the Nez Perce National Historic Trail cross the region.
Sporting opportunities abound, including steelhead fishing and big game hunting.
Wilderness is the highest level of protection afforded to public lands.
All or portions of three wilderness areas lie in our core mission area—the Selway-Bitterroot, Gospel-Hump, and Frank Church-River of No Return. They offer solitude for visitors and opportunities to experience native wildlife in their wild settings.
Roadless areas are undeveloped public lands that have not been protected by congress. They are basically unprotected wildernesses.
There are over 1.5 million acres of roadless wildlands in Wild Clearwater. You can read more about the diverse roadless areas of the Wild Clearwater here.
For an overview of roadless area conservation in general, click here.
As of writing, there are 7 species native to the Wild Clearwater that are protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. There are several species that may warrant listing that are unprotected, including fishers, wolves, and Pacific lamprey.
Wild and Scenic Rivers are waterways protected for their outstanding natural features.
The 1968 Wild & Scenic Rivers Act protects rivers under several categories, including Wild, Scenic, and Recreational. The Lochsa, Selway, and Middle Fork Clearwater were among the first rivers protected under this law.
A view from Fish Butte near the historic route of the Nez Perce Trail. Haverstick photo.
A map of the flight of the Ne Perce in 1877, the basis of the Nez Perce Historic Trail. Public domain map from wikimedia.org.
Wild and Scenic Rivers are waterways protected for their outstanding natural features.
The 1968 Wild & Scenic Rivers Act protects rivers under several categories, including Wild, Scenic, and Recreational. The Lochsa, Selway, and Middle Fork Clearwater were among the first rivers protected under this law.
