Volunteers clean up Idaho wilderness area's trails

BOISE - A group of volunteers who have worked to keep trails in Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness clean and ready for visitors is expanding its efforts to the Frank Church-River of No Return wilderness.

The Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation bypasses politics in favor of the dirty work that is critical to public access of Idaho's wilderness. With the expansion, volunteers will take on caring for a combined 3.6 million acres, according to The Idaho Statesman.

"We are not about wolves, we're not about politics, we are not about salmon," said Rob Mason, the foundation's executive director. "We are not an advocacy group."

The expansion makes sense because the two wilderness areas are one ecosystem, Mason said.

Since the foundation was formed in 2005, its staff, interns and volunteers have rebuilt and cleared hundreds of miles of trails. They've also cleaned up hot springs and campgrounds and helped clear invasive weeds.

Last year, they cleared 49 miles of trails, removed 37,000 pounds of trash and restored or eradicated 146 campsites.

The foundation managed more than 13,300 hours of volunteer work. That many man-hours would have otherwise cost the U.S. Forest Service more than $278,000.

"It basically adds to our work force," said Joe Hudson, Moose Creek district ranger in the Nez Perce National Forest. "We've got 1,000 miles of trails, and there's never enough budget for us to cover all those."

Some of the money comes from the forest service, but most of it comes from grants and donations. In April, the Southwest Resource Advisory Committee voted to recommend that the foundation get enough funding to pay for a crew leader, interns and other costs for the expansion.

John McCarthy, a member of the committee and a staffer for the Wilderness Society in Boise, joined the volunteers last summer to open up a trail on the Selway-Bitterroot. McCarthy and 14 other volunteers cleared more than 300 trees, cleaned out 65 water bars and restored 5 miles of trail.

"It was extraordinarily well organized," McCarthy said.

The skills to work in the wilderness are dying out across much of America, McCarthy said, because they're simply not needed in most areas.

He said the foundation helps preserve those skills along with access to the wilderness.