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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Obama signs into law Sawtooth wilderness protection

Time to thaw: Minimal snowpack remains at 8,300 feet elevation in central Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness as Ed Shaw stands at Baron Lake. The photo looks west toward 10,000-foot Monte Verita Spires, left, and 10,201-foot Warbonnet Peak, right. (Bob Drzymkowski photo)

With the stroke of a pen, President Barack Obama added wilderness protection Friday to more than a quarter-million acres in Idaho.

He signed the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act, adding about 275,665 acres in the Boulder-White Clouds region to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The central Idaho area features high peaks, alpine lakes and diverse wildlife. It has been the subject of debate by ranchers, recreation groups, environmentalists and politicians for some 40 years.

Republican Rep. Mike Simpson worked for 13 years to get consensus among different groups wanting to use the area. His bill passed the House unanimously last month, and companion legislation from Republican Sen. Jim Risch passed the Senate unanimously Tuesday.

At the signing in the Oval Office, Obama complimented Simpson for pushing through a bill “with not a single no vote, which does not happen often in the House of Representatives.”

He also sounded a bit like a travel agent plugging the Gem State for tourists.

“I think everybody here knows that one of the prettiest states we have with some of the greatest national treasures is the great state of Idaho,” he said.

“This is a remarkable area. It is used by fishermen, hunters, rafters, people taking hikes. It is not only beautiful, but it’s also an important economic engine for the state – attracting tourism, creating jobs.”