No Packgoats in Idaho Wilderness
#1
Exclamation 
Wilderness Under Fire
 
The newest wilderness in the United States is in Idaho, and consists of four parts. The Hemingway-Boulders, White Clouds, Jim McClure-Jerry Peak, and Sawtooth Wildernesses. In the White Clouds, an area that I have returned to on a number of occasions, anywhere in this area that you would want to visit, i.e., all the lakes,  stock are prohibited. This rule completely overlooks the differences in, and impacts of, the stock that could be potentially used. It is my contention that there is no more impact from our goats, than from the deer or bighorn sheep that inhabit this area. That, coupled with the fact that goatpacker visits to these areas are extremely infrequent, make this an onerous and unacceptable rule.
 
I earnestly solicit your involvement in this project which requires your input by January 31, 2017.
 
The place to start is here: http://arcg.is/28Z6RVo
 
There are a number of downloadable documents and each section of this wilderness has its own website, so there is a lot of information to digest. The only section of this plan that I have found so far that affects us is the stock prohibition in the White Cloud mountains, but there is so much documentation dedicated to this plan, that there certainly could be others.
 
Their information indicates that comments be forwarded to here:
Send an email to: comments-intermtn-sawtooth-nra@fs.fed.us. Please indicate “Wilderness Plan” in the subject line. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), and Word (.docx).
 
Questions/Comments: lrobinson12441@gmail.com
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#2
Thank you for posting this, Larry. I'll be writing these folks a letter. At least in this case it's not only goats that are being banned. For whatever reason that makes me feel better.
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#3
(01-20-2017, 11:30 AM)Nanno Wrote: Thank you for posting this, Larry. I'll be writing these folks a letter. At least in this case it's not only goats that are being banned. For whatever reason that makes me feel better.

What you say is true if the only issue is the 'fairness doctrine'. However as you already know, horses and llamas can be left in camp while you dayhike. Goats cannot! So, in practice, this rules out any access of this area by a goatpacker.
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#4
Meanwhile, Trump's Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, has also sent a memo to all federal agencies to initiate an immediate freeze on all new regulations.

Press secy @seanspicer also says WH Chief of Staff Reince Priebus directing federal agencies to initiate immediate regulatory freeze.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 21, 2017
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#5
This is infuriating. I'm not in Idaho, but I do occasionally vacation there with family that lives there. I will write a letter & share on FB to get the word out.
Have a nice day, & hug your goats often!   Heart

https://www.instagram.com/eugene.m.stoner.the.goat/ 
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#6
This observation was made about half way through reading this document. I found this under the "Proposed Action" for "Wildlife Resources" objective 2116 on page 32
"Minimize contact between domestic animals (e.g. pack goats, dogs) and bighorn sheep."

United States Department of Agriculture United States Department of the Interior Forest Service Bureau of Land Management
Hemingway-Boulders & White Clouds Wilderness Management Plan 
Sawtooth National Forest, Sawtooth National Recreation Area BLM, Idaho Falls District, Challis Field Office November 14, 2016

http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc...906741.pdf
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#7
In the document listed above I found proposed standards for "Recreational Resources" noted as:
2172* The following are prohibited:
a) Having greater than 12 persons in a group. 
b) Being in the area with a combined number of pack and saddle stock in excess of 14 animals.
c) Shortcutting trail switchbacks on foot or with pack and saddle stock. 
d) Building, maintaining, attending, or using campfires above 9,000’ elevation, with the exception of Walker, Island, Upper and Lower Chamberlain (9,477’ and 9,197’) and Boorn Lakes (See Figures 4 and 5). 
e) Building, maintaining, attending, or using campfires within 200 yards of Swimm Lake.
f) Tethering pack and saddle stock within 100 feet of springs, lakes, or streams. 
g) Tying pack and saddle stock to live trees for periods longer than one hour. 
h) Recreational grazing within 200 yards of lakes. 
i) Depositing human waste within 100 feet of water, trails and campsites, and/or not burying waste before vacating the area. 
j) Recreational stock use above Lodgepole Lake, above Quiet Lake, within Gunsight Creek, and within the Big  Boulder drainage (see Figure 6 below) excluding Walker and Island lakes.

I would be grateful if anyone else has the time to review this Wilderness Management Plan to point out to me any other areas you find of interest to packgoats.
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