KAMIAH — The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests have issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an area south of Grangeville referred to as “End of the World.”
Located approximately six miles south of Grangeville, the End of the World project area encompasses approximately 49,565 acres within the Fish Creek, Cove Creek, and North Fork White Bird Creek watersheds. The area is in the heart of Nez Perce-Clearwater Lower Salmon Wildfire Crisis Landscape and is recognized as a wildland-urban interface by Idaho County. The project was designed to address the need to change the nature and arrangement of fuels to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest vegetation, dry meadows, and grasslands to a healthy condition, increase forest resilience, and improve water quality and aquatic habitats.
“The primary focus of this project is fuel reduction and decreasing the risk and impacts of high-intensity wildfire,” said Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Supervisor Cheryl Probert. “This project is of vital importance to many small communities — including Grangeville and Elk City— and dispersed private property and lands within Idaho County.”
The EIS will address concerns related to old growth and cumulative effects raised in District Court Judge Candy W. Dale’s unpublished order issued June 24, 2022, which enjoined both the End of the World and Hungry Ridge projects. The project proposes precommercial thinning on 1,098 acres and timber harvest treatments on another 17,269 acres. All thinning and harvest activities are designed specifically to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels in high-risk firesheds and improve forest health and resiliency.
The project also includes 7,900 acres of prescribed burning to reduce hazardous fuels, the creation of a fuel break along Grangeville-Salmon Road 221 (FSR 221) to increase public and firefighter safety, and hand thinning to reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire in areas adjacent to private property. Additional benefits of the project include wildlife and aquatic habitat improvement, soil and meadow restoration, and the replacement of failing or undersized culverts to reduce runoff and erosion.
Individuals who have been involved in the project will receive information through the GovDelivery email system. Individuals who want to become involved can sign up at the End of the World project webpage: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests – Home (usda.gov). The federal notice can be found at 2024-08954.pdf (govinfo.gov).
The next formal public comment period is expected to be August 2024. Questions about the End of the World project can be directed to Jeff Shinn, Salmon River District Ranger (Jeffrey.shinn@usda.gov), 208-839-2103.
The End of the World project is named as a tribute to local community members who often gather at the previous Fish Creek Lookout site (located within the project area) which they affectionately dubbed “the end of the world” because of the incredible view.