Friday, June 13, 2008

Work on Middle Fork camps begins

Team hopes to assess 10 riverside camps impacted by 2007 fires


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

A team from the Salmon-Challis National Forest began assessing hazards earlier this week at riverside camps along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River that were burned during last year's extensive wildfire season.

According to the forest's Middle Fork Ranger District river manager John Haugh, work to mitigate the safety hazards should begin sometime next week.

A total of 15 camps were heavily burned last summer. The fires left behind upright burned snags that are now at a high risk of falling over into campsites during high wind events or wet conditions, a news release from the forest states.

Five camps along the river already deemed unsafe will not be assigned to boaters this year. They include camps at Lake Creek, Johns Camp, Greyhound and Dome Hole. All are located upstream from the Indian Creek Guard Station along the Middle Fork. The Horsetail Camp, at river mile 52.7 will not be available for three to five years because of the threat of debris flows from a drainage that burned directly above the camp.

The forest's assessment team will determine what will be needed to make the other ten camps "reasonably safe" following the effects of last year's fires, the news release states. These camps include Elkhorn, Saddle, Scout, Sheepeater, Fire Island, Rapid River and Dolly Lake on river right. All of these camps are located upriver from the Indian Creek Guard Station. The team will also assess conditions at Culver Creek at river mile 45.6, White Creek at river mile 47.3 and Cub Creek at river mile 53.5.

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Haugh said the work to remove hazardous trees requires special skills and knowledge.

"Our personnel will focus on clearing as many camps as possible to keep the maximum number of camps available," he said. "We are bringing in smokejumpers from the base in McCall who have special expertise for this technically difficult work and will pair them with folks from the Salmon-Challis."

Haugh said the forest is mobilizing as many folks as they can to make the camps safe as soon as possible. He said the work was planned to begin much earlier, but high water and cool spring weather have delayed the start of the project.

Officials have advised boaters and other wilderness users to carefully evaluate all campsites for hazardous situations before setting up camp along the Middle Fork. The forest news release states that launch site personnel may need to restrict, or even eliminate, layover days in the upper stretch of the river, and trip leaders will be asked to take the smallest camp possible for their group.

Boaters may need to complete a very long or very short first day on the river. Smaller groups may have to share some large river camps if enough campsites are not available.




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