Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness
The Largest Contiguous Wilderness in the Lower 48
". . . wilderness begins where the road ends; and if the roads never end, there never will be any wilderness."
-Sen. Frank Church
Ecology
The state of Idaho is home to 53.4 million acres of public land. That is about 60% of all Idaho land. Within all of that, located in the central mountains of Idaho, is the largest contiguous wilderness in the lower 48 named the Frank Church- River of No Return has a total area of 2,366,757 acres. Maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, this protected wilderness is apart of the Salmon Challis, Payette, Nez Perce, and Bitterroot National forests. The wilderness is also known for its rugged mountains, steep grassy hills and isolated alpine lakes surrounded by crags. The wilderness was originally named The River of No Return because of many rapids that made upstream travel impossible by boat. It was later named Frank Church-River of No Return after Senator Frank Church devoted his career to protecting the wilderness.
The area is populated with many conifers such as douglas fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, engelmann spruce, and subalpine firs. There is also an abundance of willows bitterbrush, sagebrush, arrowleaf balsamroot, common camas, huckleberry and sacajawea bitterroot. The native bunch grasses that cover the slopes include lupine, bluebunch wheat grass and Idaho fescue.
Within the rugged mountains of the Frank Church there is over 180 miles of free flowing Salmon River. The Salmon River Canyon is known to be deeper than the Grand Canyon. There are 23 fish species that can be found in these rivers. Fish like westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, red band trout, mountain white fish, sockeye salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead, smallmouth bass, squawfish, sucker, white sturgeon, and pacific lamprey call these rivers home.
From the left- Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Chinook Salmon, Bull Trout, Mountian White Fish, Sockeye Salmon, Northen Pike Minnow, Pacific Lamprey, and Steelhead
There are 72 mammals, 173 birds, 7 reptiles and 6 amphibians that also live in this wilderness. The most common animals you might find consist of rocky mountain elk, mule deer, white tailed deer, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, shiras moose, mountain goats, chuckers, and forest grouses . Predators include black bear, lynx, wolverine, red fox, coyote, gray wolf and mountain lion.
From the Left- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Elk, Mountain Goat, Grey Wolf, Mountain Lion, Chucker, Dusky Grouse, Black Bear, Wolverine, Shiras Moose.
Indigenous Tribes
Despite the Frank Church seeming to be untouched by man it has been home to humans for thousands of years. Small families of the Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes lived and made home alongside the Salmon River corridors. The approximate 300 Shoshone that lived in this area were known as the Tuka-Deka or Sheep Eaters. They are called sheep eaters because of their diet that consists of mostly bighorn sheep. They hunted sheep for clothing and food with their bows that were made from the horns of bighorn sheep. The sheep eaters of the Shoshone were the last indigenous tribe to live in the Rocky Mountains traditionally. The Sheep Eater War of 1879 emerged when alleged murders of settlers, miners and ranchers started to pop up around the region. The Sheep Eaters were suspected and soldiers were deployed into the region. By the end of the war the last Sheep Eaters were either killed or taken prisoner and moved to the Fort Hall Reservation. The Sheep Eaters would be the last traditionally living indigenous people in the Rocky mountains. They would also be the last American and Indian War in the Pacific Northwest. Today you can still find ancient artifacts and wall paintings that have been left behind. To keep context in the area visitors are asked not to pick up or touch any artifacts.
The First Settlers
The first Europeans to emerge were either fur trappers or the Lewis and Clark expedition. After the first settlers came to the area a few settlers mined for gold and other material, but it was never developed beyond repair. From 1879 up until the late 1900 the area was left unmanaged, unregulated and left for men like Buckskin Bill (The Last Mountain Man), fur trappers, and hunters, and loggers who who all seeked great fortune of the resources in the wilderness. Today you can still find old remnants from abandond mines, equipment, and settlements that can be visited alongside the river.
Senator Frank Church
In 1964 an Idaho senator and environmentalist named Frank Church, born in Boise Idaho, became the floor sponsor for the Wilderness Act of 1964. This added nine million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System. In 1968 he included the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This protected the main and middle fork of the Salmon Rivers to be free flowing. In 1980 the Central Idaho Wilderness Act was passed creating the The River of No Return Wilderness. He believed in free and protected public lands for generations to come. In January of 1984, Idaho Senator McClure asked congress to change the name of The River of No Return to The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in honor of Frank Church's environmental dedication to the state of Idaho. This was only 4 weeks before Frank Church's death from pancreatic cancer. Because of his dedication, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Gospel Humpfry Wilderness, and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness are all connected and make up 3.3 million acres of federally protected wilderness.
1000
The Tuka-Deka or Sheep Eaters ranged from Yellowstone National Park to the central mountains of Idaho. The Nez Perce tribe inhabit parts of central and northern Idaho.
1879
The Sheep Eater War of 1879 ended the last of the Native Americans living traditionally in the Rocky Mountains.
1931
The U.S. Forest Service declared 1,090,000 acres in this area the Idaho Primitive Area.
1936
The U.S. Forest Service established the Selway-Bitterroot Primitive Area.
1937
Additional lands were added to the Idaho Primitive Area, which brought the total acreage to 1,224,350 acres.
1963
The U.S. Forest Service divided the Selway-Bitterroot Primitive Area into three units: The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, The Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area, and the Magruder Corridor.
1964
Frank Church became the floor sponsor for the wilderness act of 1964 which was passed.
1968
Frank Church introduced the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act that got passed, which added the Middle Fork of the Salmon and Selway Rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
1980
The Central Idaho Wilderness Act was passed, which established The River of No Return Wilderness.
1984
Frank Church died a few weeks after congress renamed the wilderness “Frank Church- River of No Return Wilderness” in honor of his legacy.
Current Purpose and Values
Recreation
The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is no longer just a river you can't paddle up, it is a hotspot for outdoorsmen. Activities such as rafting are most popular in the wilderness but require special lottery permits. Nearly 10,000 people on both the middle fork and the main Salmon Rivers get the chance at navigating the white water every year. Back country hiking and camping, is also very popular in places like the Big Horn Crags known for its exposed granite landscape and alpine lakes. Some people may use animal stock for transportation but are limited due to the terrain. Hunting and fishing is also popular among sportsmen and anglers. Due to the remoteness and accessibility of the Frank Church, there are very unique opportunities in fishing and hunting that can't be found anywhere else.
Back Country Air Strips and Jet Boats
The Frank Church is home to some of the most remote and hard to reach places in the United States. For over 50 years the use of back country aircrafts have been a way to get in and out. Today there are 26 active air strips in the wilderness and more than 5,500 flights are logged every year. Jet boats have also been historicllay used on the main Salmon River 77 miles from corn creek to long Tom Bar. The use of jet boats however is not typically allowed unless a special permit is obtained. The Central Idaho Wilderness Act allowed the traditional use of aircraft and jet boats to continue in the Frank Church.
Land Management
The Frank Church is managed and protected by the U.S. Forest Service. They manage the area by maintaining campsites and trail heads. They however do not fight any fires in the designated wilderness area but keep track and serve them in case they get out of control. The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is "...to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.”
Wildlife Mangement
The Wildlife that live in the Frank Church are managed and protected by the Department of Idaho Fish and Game. Fish and Game collect data from hunters and anglers depending on their area and target species. They then take that data and come up with special season rules for the areas that get fished and hunted. The Department of Idaho Fish and Game's mission is to “protect, preserve, perpetuate and manage Idaho's wildlife resources." The types of management styles these agencies use is progressive management. This is to protect and maintain wild lands for recreational use for generations to come.
Tragedy and Externalities
Before the wilderness became protected the tragedy of eruopean desendints have completely changed the ecology and biodiversity. As settlers moved into the area lumber, gems, gold, and furs made a great fortune for many frontiersmen. During the western expansion frontiersmen and ranchers greatly feared the grizzly bears and wolves. Humans would kill them on sight to protect themselves and their livestock. Grizzly bears and wolves were all extirpated from the region by the 1940s. Although unregulated hunting and trapping hurt the predators in the area, livestock like domesticated sheep carried diseases. Animals like bighorn sheep became susceptible and there population numbers plumeted. The Frank Church also holds some of the very last intact salmon and steelhead habitat. Salmon and steelhead return every year in low numbers because of factors such as over fishing and dams. There have also even been non-native wildlife brought into the wilderness such as small mouth bass and chuckers that outcompete the native birds and fish. Because of the ecological and biological change in the Frank Church, its wildlife might never be the same as it once was. Thankfully due to the conservation efforts of Idaho Fish and Game, wildlife have a chance. Responsible progressive management of wildlife help create healthy population of all animals. Today all native species are present in the Frank Church except for grizzly bears. There have been sightings in and around the wilderness but there has yet to be an established breeding population documented in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.
Work Cited
2022 Seasons & Rules - Idaho department of fish and game. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://idfg.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/seasons-rules-big-game-2022-intro.pdf
About fish and game. Idaho Fish and Game. (2022, January 4). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://idfg.idaho.gov/about#:~:text=Idaho%20Fish%20and%20Game%27s%20mission%20is%20to%20protect%2C,what%20the%20Commission%20does%20and%20meet%20the%20members.
About: Our mission: Bureau of land management. Our Mission | Bureau of Land Management. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.blm.gov/about/our-mission
Andy McGinnis, U. of I. (n.d.). Blood in the Salmon River Mountains: Sheepeater war. Intermountain Histories. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/180
Bighorn Sheep Bows. heartwoodbows. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://heartwoodbows.com/Bighorn_sheep_bows.html
Distance won't stop us: Monitoring salmon and steelhead in the middle of the frank church wilderness. Idaho Fish and Game. (2020, July 30). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2020/07/distance-wont-stop-us-monitoring-salmon-and-steelhead-middle-frank-church-wilderness
Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Forest Service National Website. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/scnf/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5360033#:~:text=The%20Middle%20Fork%20of%20the%20Salmon%20flows%20through,of%20the%20Tuka-Deka%20Sheep%20Eaters%20Native%20American%20Tribes.
Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Bureau of Land Management. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.blm.gov/visit/frank-church-river-no-return-wilderness#:~:text=The%20Frank%20Church-River%20of%20No%20Return%20Wilderness%20now,over%20109%20million%20acre%20National%20Wilderness%20Preservation%20System.
Idaho's public lands. Public Lands – Idaho Conservation League. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.idahoconservation.org/our-work/public-lands/#:~:text=Together%2C%20the%20Forest%20Service%20and%20BLM%20oversee%20most,support%20our%20way%20of%20life%20in%20innumerable%20ways.
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Singletary, E. (2020, June 3). The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Northwest Rafting Company. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.nwrafting.com/middle-fork-of-the-salmon/the-frank-church-river-of-no-return-wilderness
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 1). Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Church%E2%80%93River_of_No_Return_Wilderness
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, June 25). Sheepeater Indian war. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepeater_Indian_War