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Man-made Rocky Canyon hot spring pools near Crouch removed Monday

By Patrick Orr - porr@idahostatesman.com

Published: 11/10/09


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Boise National Forest crews removed a series of popular man-made hot spring pools on the Middle Fork of the Payette River Monday because they were built illegally.

The man who built the pools radically - and illegally - altered the landscape and broke federal land-use regulations, Boise National Forest officials said last month.

That decision doesn't make local hot spring enthusiasts like Brandt "Barney" Seefeldt happy. He told the Idaho Statesman in October the pools are an improvement and provide a unique experience for Idahoans.

Seefeldt, like many users of Rocky Canyon Hot Spring, wonder why they are not just left alone - especially since the man who built them already paid a fine and did community service as punishment.

It is not uncommon for people to use tarps and rocks to make impromptu pools near hot springs in Idaho's forests.

But a man - who officials with the U.S. Attorney's office refuse to identify - used mortar and rocks to make a series of permanent pools on the riverbank.

Boise National Forest officials say the construction done without their permission or from the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe, which would have had to be consulted for the work to be approved.

Work crews were removed the pools using sledgehammers Monday morning and hauled the material away from the site, Boise National Forest spokesman David Olson said.

Ted Howard, the cultural resources director of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, told the Idaho Statesman last month the hot spring was part of the traditional territory of the tribe and a spiritual place.

"Those (hot springs) are still sacred to us - the tribes are a living culture, and we are still protective of our culture, " Howard said. "What we prefer is to leave it in its natural state. Nobody is saying (people) can't go and enjoy themselves at the hot spring. Just leave it natural. It's a spiritually significant site."

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