Last year, about 900,000 people marveled at the majestic old-growth redwoods of Muir Woods. But if President Theodore Roosevelt had not saved those trees by declaring a national monument, people would be admiring a municipal reservoir rather than the majestic Cathedral Grove.
The importance of national monuments was on our minds as we headed to the final stop on our family tour of special places that the Sierra Club is working to protect. If it happens, the proposed Boulder-White Clouds National Monument in Idaho will be one of the biggest conservation achievements of the Obama administration. At 572,000 acres, it would be more than 1,000 times larger than Muir Woods. Just east of the Sawtooth Range in the Northern Rockies, the proposed monument's boundaries include the largest still-unprotected roadless wilderness in the U.S. outside of Alaska. This is Idaho at its best: stunning beauty, clear water, and rich wildlife habitat.
With three young kids and a long weekend, we knew that experiencing more than a fraction of this mountainous wilderness -- where Idahoans love to hike, mountain bike, backpack, ski, hunt, and fish -- would be impossible. What we did get to see, though, was spectacular.
We drove from our campground on the Big Wood River (just north of Ketchum) into the southern tip of the proposed monument. The last ten miles along a dusty Forest Service road brought us to the trailhead for our final family hike of the trip.
The road to the mountains. See more pics and updates from our trip here.
Hiking to lakes seems to be a recurring theme on this trip, and the short trek to Fourth of July Lake rewarded us with yet another sparkling alpine gem. Lakes and mountains go together really well, don't they? Retreating glaciers carved hundreds of lakes into these mountains.
Sebastian hangs with Matt Kirby, from the Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign, at Fourth of July Lake.
This scenic, remote, and rugged landscape is beloved by locals and visitors alike. It's a national treasure, and (not counting the odd mining company) nobody wants to see it despoiled. And yet despite many years of effort by both concerned citizens and enlightened politicians, the U.S. Congress has stubbornly refused to move on legislation that would provide proper wilderness protection for these lands.
That failure by Congress means that it's up to President Obama to ensure long-term protection for these pristine mountain ranges. The Sierra Club's Idaho Chapter is part of a broad coalition of local groups that support a monument proposal that reflects the many ways people love to experience this wilderness. Whether we are hikers, backpackers, or sportsmen -- we all know that protection for these mountains can't wait. A new national monument would ensure wise management of recreational access, while creating a lasting sanctuary for people, fish, and wildlife.
After my first taste of what the proposed Boulder-White Clouds National Monument has to offer, I needed to see more. So, early on Saturday, I headed back up the highway to the Smiley Creek Airport (actually, a well-mowed grass strip) and squeezed myself into the backseat of a small plane for a flyover. From above, the mountains and canyons looked as wild and inviolable as they have for millennia. Yet without long-term protection, they have an uncertain future.
A bird's-eye view of the proposed monument.
President Obama has stepped up the pace of his national monument designations during his second term and, as I heard him say at the signing ceremony last May for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, he's not finished yet. Here, in the heart of Idaho, is one of the last and greatest unprotected jewels of American wilderness. You can help us convince President Obama to save it.
Let President Obama know that you think Boulder-White Clouds deserves to be our next national monument. You can tell him the Brune family sent you.