U.S. Forest Service officials said no to a 90-foot cellular tower on Galena Summit, citing the "substantial impairment" the facility would have had on the scenic ridgetop.
On Monday, Sawtooth National Forest Supervisor Jane Kollmeyer announced that she chose the "No Action" alternative described in an environmental assessment (EA) that considered the potential impacts of the cellular tower. This means the facility will not be built.
Proponents of the facility said the cellular tower would have added a significant measure of safety for the traveling public in the rural area surrounding Galena Summit, which marks the divide between the Big Wood and Salmon river drainages.
The site where the 90-foot self-supporting cellular tower and accompanying 968-square-foot equipment building and fenced enclosure was proposed for construction is accessed by a rough dirt road off state Highway 75 on the Stanley side of Galena Summit. The proposed facility would have been placed near the old microwave reflector site northeast of the Galena Summit parking area. The remote spot—a popular wintertime destination for Wood River Valley backcountry skiers and snowboarders—is located within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA).
In arriving at her decision, Kollmeyer had to consider the attractive qualities that draw thousands of visitors to the SNRA each year, a Sawtooth National Forest news release states. The law that established the 756,000-acre recreation area identifies the area's scenic resources as a key value that must be preserved.
"Scenic resources on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area must be protected," she said. "In making my decision, I relied on the effects analysis documented in the EA as well as the forest plan."
Since the creation of the SNRA 36 years ago, forest officials have worked diligently to protect the visual resources of the rugged, scenic landscape, Kollmeyer said.
"A 90-foot cell tower in that particular location would visually dominate the landscape," she said.
The proposal was the brainchild of Ketchum-based Idaho Tower Co., which sought to build the wireless telecommunications facility on public land. The company conducted a balloon test as part of the application process to see if the cellular tower would have been visible from the highway, the Sawtooth National Forest's project leader for the Galena cellular tower proposal, Jackie Richter, said last year.
From the highway on the south side of the summit closer to Ketchum, the balloon wasn't visible when set at a height of 90 feet at the proposed tower site, Richter said. However, the simulated photos of the tower taken from different distances along Highway 75 indicated the tower would have been visible from several points north of Galena Summit.
Representatives of Idaho Tower Co., which is owned by Wood River Valley residents Jennifer and John Campbell, had a camouflaged cellular tower design in mind that would have blended into the surrounding forest, she said.
"In this case, it's a pine," she explained.
At a height of 90 feet, the tower would clear the surrounding trees by about 40 feet, according to the Sawtooth National Forest. The tower could have provided space for up to four cellular carriers.
During an earlier interview, Jennifer Campbell said the undulating topography of the Galena Summit area, with its multiple ridges and gullies, would make the tower hard to see from most vantage points.
"It really mitigates the presence of the tower," she said.
Campbell added that the cellular tower would make emergency communication possible north to the Smiley Creek area. She said south of Galena Summit, the tower's range would be more limited because of the area's variable topography.
Speaking by phone on Tuesday, Richter said Idaho Tower Co. representatives gave the Sawtooth National Forest "names of carriers who expressed interest" as part of their application.
She also noted that one of the other alternatives considered but ultimately rejected in the EA called for two 70-foot towers to space out the cellular carriers at a less noticeable height.
"That was still considered substantial impairment," she said.
Kollmeyer's decision is subject to appeal by individuals or organizations who submitted comments during the formal 30-day comment period that ran from April 19-May 21, 2007.
By Tuesday, Sawtooth officials had not received an appeal of the decision from the Campbells or anyone else, Richter said. Calls to the Idaho Tower Co. for comment were not returned in time for this article.
