< All Press Releases

CHALLIS, ID— The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Challis Field Office and Salmon-Challis National Forest are entering the initial stages of planning for the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness (JMJP) and want your comments. 

“The Wilderness Act provides the overriding mandate to each agency to preserve wilderness character,” said Emily Simpson, Wilderness Planner. “We use these parameters in addition to the legislation creating the wilderness and agency policy to develop a wilderness plan.” On Aug.7, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law Congressman Mike Simpson’s legislation creating three new Wilderness areas totaling 275,665 acres in the heart of Central Idaho. Public input can help achieve the best management choices for these lands. 

As the agencies begin this planning effort they are looking for comments on:

• Values and desired conditions for the JMJP Wilderness 
• Concerns or issues within the wilderness, or 
• Proposed management actions, which may include topics such as the management of wildlife, recreation, or noxious and invasive weeds.

“The comments we are looking for now will help us frame the plan,” said Simpson. This represents one of many opportunities the public will have to comment and help shape the plan as it is developed. Comments made now will be considered as a scoping document and draft plan are developed. Once the draft is developed and published, the public will have further opportunities for comment. 

Those interested on commenting during this preliminary scoping period may respond in one of the following ways by Aug. 25, 2016:

• Send an email to Emily Simpson, Wilderness Planner, at emilysimpson@fs.fed.us, 
• Send a hardcopy letter to BLM, Challis Field Office, 1151 Blue Mountain Road, Challis, Idaho 83226
• The agencies anticipate a draft wilderness management plan for the JMJP Wilderness will be available for public review in early 2017. The comments you provide at this time will help guide the development of the plan. For more information on the JMJP Wilderness, including a map, please visit the BLM’s website.

The JMJP Wilderness is the easternmost of the three wilderness areas created under Rep. Simpson’s legislation. Since the JMJP area includes BLM-managed lands as well as Salmon-Challis Forest lands, the wilderness plan will be developed jointly by the BLM and the Forest Service. The two other wilderness areas, Hemingway-Boulders and the White Clouds Wilderness areas, fall almost entirely within the Sawtooth Forest and its Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), and will be managed under a single, separate plan to be developed by the Sawtooth National Forest with assistance from the BLM. Those wishing more information about that planning process and comment opportunities can find more information at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=49647.