More issues at Boise-area hot springs including trash, vandalism and glass in hot pools
The Boise National Forest has closed the gates to a popular hot springs north of Boise in light of ongoing vandalism, littering and other issues at the site.
In a post on Facebook, officials said they had opened the gates to Kirkham Hot Springs near Lowman on a trial basis on Aug. 5 after pleading with the public earlier in the year to pick up after themselves at the site. Kirkham was converted from a campsite to a day-use site last fall to cut down on partying and other concerning behavior, Forest Service officials said.
Still, after just a few weeks of having the gates to the hot springs open, officials again encountered trash, habitat destruction and hazardous materials.
“Glass has been found in the hot spring’s pools, signs have been broken and vandalized, and some visitors are not respecting the site’s open hours,” said the Facebook post, which included a photo of the now-closed gate and trash left in the vault toilet restroom.
“Forest Service staff have reported clogged spring pipes and extensively modified upper pools which caused flooding and diverted the hot spring’s natural flow,” officials added.
The Forest Service is using funding from the Great American Outdoors Act to improve the site, according to the post. It wasn’t immediately clear what those improvements would entail.
Boise National Forest spokesperson Venetia Gempler told the Idaho Statesman in an email that Kirkham is still open to visitors, who will be required to park outside of the gate in a parking area along Idaho 21 and walk into the site. The hot springs are open until 9 p.m., and visitors must pay a $5 access fee.
Groups plan cleanup event in Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Several conservation and environment groups in South-Central Idaho have planned a volunteer event to clean up trash at campsites and along trails in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area near Stanley.
According to a news release from the National Forest Foundation, the groups are looking for volunteers to pick up various locations in the recreation area in September. The groups organizing the cleanup include the Idaho Conservation League, Sawtooth Society, Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association, Environmental Resource Center, Pulaski Users Group and the National Forest Foundation.
Volunteers can sign up online and choose the location they’d like to clean up at, as well as the date they wish to clean up and where they’ll pick up a cleanup kit. The effort is “self-guided,” meaning volunteers choose their own time frames and pace, with the effort starting Sept. 12 and ending Sept. 25. Visit https://tinyurl.com/snracleanup21 to sign up.
Last year’s cleanup event yielded 300 pounds of trash, officials said.
Forest Service must protect fish in Sawtooth Valley, circuit court rules
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the U.S. Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to consult with fisheries experts over the impact of water diversion in the Sawtooth Valley on protected fish species. The agency must now begin the consultation process, according to court documents.
The decision is in response to a 2018 lawsuit filed by the Idaho Conservation League, which claimed that the Forest Service harmed endangered salmon, steelhead and bull trout by diverting water from the Upper Salmon River to ditch easements that, in some cases, created additional obstacles for the fish to navigate as they migrated.
“With one of the worst steelhead runs on record, we all need to do our part to prevent iconic salmon and steelhead from going extinct,” said Marie Callaway Kellner, Idaho Conservation League’s conservation program director, in a news release. “ICL looks forward to working with the Forest Service and water users to find a solution so Idaho’s endangered fish can stay in the river where they belong while water users get the water they need.”
