The
Otter-Wing Timber Sale
Why it should never be !
The Twentymile-wing Creek roadless area is a part of the greater salmon selway Ecosystem. This is the largest intact and viable ecosystem in the lower forty eight states. The Otter Wing timber sale is located within the 52,000 acre Twentymile-Wing Creek roadless area. This incredible place forms the northern border of the protected Gospel Hump Wilderness Area.
In 1989 the Nez Perce national forest made a decision to do 4 timber sales in the Twentymile-Wing Creek roadless area. The largest of these sales is the Otter-Wing project which includes 694 acres of clearcuts and 12 miles of new road construction, yielding 13 million board feet of timber.
The Nez Perce National Forest did the original Environmental Impact Statement in 1989 (almost ten
years ago) before Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Lynx, and Bull trout were listed under the endangered species act. No supplemental statement has been completed or presented to the public since that time.
Qualifies for the Proposed Roadless Moratorium in every way except that it was sold to Shearer Lumber products in August 1996.
The proposed logging units already constructed roads, add sediment and degrade aquatic habitats in the Otter, Wing, Huddleson and John''s creeks.
These streams are the last intact aquatic habitat on the South Fork of the Clearwater river, John's Creek and Wing Creek are occupied Steelhead Trout, both listed under the ESA, all the other steams along this river have been badly damaged by excessive logging and road construction.
All four streams are home to West Slope Cutthroat Trout. This fish is listed as sensitive and is proposed for protection under the ESA.
The proposed roads and logging units contain some of the best old growth habitat in Idaho. Th
e Twentymile-Wing creek roadless area is home to Eagles, Pine Martens,Lynx, Wolverine, Elk, Deer, Moose,Mountain Lion, Goshawks,Wolves, Mountain Goats, and Pileated Woodpeckers to name just a few.
Citizens have documented numerous violations of PACfish Boundaries and Best Management Practice (regulations designed to minimize sediment impacts to streams) in the road construction and unit locations.
This sale violates the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Forest Management Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act.