On March 28th, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is having their Wild & Scenic Film Fest On Tour Event at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, ID for the 6th year running. This year, they’re bringing the show to Thompson Falls and Libby, too. This is one of their biggest events of the year and bound to be a great night of community connection at their local historic theater! Folks can expect to enjoy good company, snack on some classic buttery popcorn, enjoy a local beer, and test their luck on winning a raffle prize at intermission. At each of their three shows, one of their board members has generously offered to raffle off a scenic flight over the Scotchman Peaks in his Cessna 185, a bush plane used around the world for backcountry flying. The films will inspire connection and adventure in our wild backyard.
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is a grassroots organization fueled by the support and volunteer spirit of northern Idaho and northwestern Montana towns. Their mission is to pass on a Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for their children and grandchildren. Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is committed to connecting people with their wild backyard – the Scotchman Peaks. Situated along the Idaho-Montana border, the Scotchman Peaks are an 88,000-acre roadless area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Friends’ mission is to make sure this rugged land is kept wild forever.
The proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness area is National Forest land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The 88,000-acre area is a great place for wildlife and people to find solitude. That means making the area accessible with well-maintained trails. It means teaching the public how to care for our public land. It means protecting the native plants and animals. And it means advocating for laws and public policy that keep wild places undeveloped and open for recreationists.
The Scotchmans are the traditional lands of the Qlispé (Kalispel), Ktunaxa (Kootenai), and Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) people. TThe Scotchmans contain high alpine ecosystems, moist cedar groves, ponderosa pine forests and so much more. Grizzly bears, wolverines, elk, and mountain goats all call the Scotchmans home.
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness helps people fall in love with the wild by offering outdoor education and citizen science programs. This includes programs such as Trail Ambassadors and Weed Monitoring. They have also organized studies of Whitebark Pines and Wolverines. As well, they are staunch advocates for the Scotchman Peaks.
They also have an active stewardship program. Their staff and volunteer trail leads teach interested individuals everything they need to know about trail safety, cross-cut saw techniques, weed identification, trail building methods, and more. They offer free guided hikes led by volunteers which are open to everyone. They host events in northern Idaho and NW Montana to bring people together who love to get outside. Some events are educational and others are simply a celebration of their wild backyard. Their Voices in the Wilderness storytelling project is all about exploring wild places. Stories are written by locals and featured regional newspapers.
Rose Olson, Deputy Executive Director of Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, says, “This is our largest fundraising event we do every year! This will be our sixth year hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Sandpoint, and we’ve added two more shows to our hosting calendar this year in Libby and Thompson Falls to celebrate our 20th year as an organization. After all the behind the scenes work that our small team has been putting in for months, it’s such a satisfying moment to get to share these films with our community. Everyone leaves feeling inspired to get outside and advocate for our wild spaces.”
