Idaho Conservationist, July 2013 Vol. XVI, Number 2

Volume XVI
Number 2
July, 2013

Consensus in the Clearwater
Background
The Clearwater Basin is a landscape rich
with resources and history. With its towering
pines, unbroken backcountry forests, robust
fish and wildlife, and rural lifestyle, the
Clearwater is a land of abundance. Yet, for
decades, competing interests have been at odds.
So in 2008, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
convened the CBC to forge commonsense
solutions for the people of Idaho—and
for all Americans. Representatives from
conservation, timber, state and local
government, recreation, economic
development, the Nez Perce Tribe and

Every member of
the Clearwater
Basin Collaborative
voted to endorse
the agreement.

(continued on page 3)

Snow Peak, Clearwater country / Jonathan Oppenheimer

For five years, the Idaho Conservation
League has met with diverse interests in the
Clearwater Basin of north-central Idaho
to hammer out an agreement addressing
economic development, wilderness
protection, resource management, watershed
restoration, tribal needs and recreation.
In May, after dozens of meetings,
hundreds of phone calls and thousands
of cups of coffee, every member of the
Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC) voted
to endorse the agreement, which outlines
specific actions and recommendations that
satisfy the diverse needs of our constituents.