trails in caribou recovery zone

U.S. Forest Service officials plan to meet with groups of snowmobilers and others to decide which trails could possibly be reopened for snowmobile enthusiasts.

Around 470 square miles of national forest land in northern Idaho was set as off limits to snowmobiles last month in an effort to save the last mountain caribou herd in the contiguous 48 states. The area will remain closed until a winter recreation strategy taking into account the impact of snowmobiles on the herd is decided upon.

Mark Sprengel, of the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, said some trails could be open, while others would not. "We should be able to accommodate some of what (snowmobilers) want without putting the caribou in jeopardy," but he also noted that the loop trail around Upper Priest Lake was "definitely off the table" because that trail passes through critical winter habitat.

It is important to remember that the ruling only applies to federal land, and not hundreds of miles of trails on state land on the east side of Priest and Upper Priest lakes.

The issue will be worked on in the next several weeks.