Friday Afternoon:
Continuing our tour in the Clearwater National Forest we listened at lunch as the US Army Corps of Engineers talk about wildlife. Then we visited the Clearwater fish hatchery for a presentation by Idaho Fish and Game division about salmon. We then headed to Headquarters, Idaho to learn about fire management in the forest from Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (C-PTPA). Finally, we viewed Potlatch's Plantations and Walker's Grove before returning to Headquarters for a BBQ dinner.
Dworshak Dam
The Dworshak Dam is on the North Fork of the Clearwater River, just upstream from where the North Fork runs into the main Clearwater. It was built and is maintained and staffed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Dam was dedicated in 1973 and named for the late Idaho State Senator, Henry Dworshak.
Dworshak is the tallest straight-axis gravity dam in North America. Which means it is straight from canyon wall to canyon wall and basically held in place by its own weight.
The dam has created a 53-mile reservoir that offers opportunities for camping, boating, fishing, picnicking and sightseeing. The US Army Corps of Engineers manages a 33,000 acre forest around the lake.
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Clearwater Fish Hatchery
The Clearwater Fish Hatchery and its four satellite facilities is the largest hatchery complex constructed by the Army Corp of Engineers under the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan. Construction began in 1986 with the Red River satellite facility and ended in 1991 with the completion of the main Clearwater Hatchery in Ahsahka, Idaho. The Lower Snake River Compensation Plan is a federal mitigation program created to provide mitigation for fish losses caused by the construction of the four lower Snake River dams. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game operates the hatchery with funding provided through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Lower Snake River Compensation Plan office.
^ TopClearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (C-PTPA)
From the hatchery we traveled to the C-PTPA airstrip in Headquarters, Idaho for a demonstration of aerial firefighting. We learned about the C-PTPA and their mission of early detection and quick initial attack of forest fires. Teachers were treated to a demonstration of C-PTPA's Jet Ranger helicopter using a Bambi Bucket to transport water for firefighting.
Formed in 1905, the C-PTPA is a fire protection and forest management organization. It has 60 personnel on staff and it provides forest resource protection to its members.
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Plantation/Walker Grove
Walker's park is a stand of old Cedars set aside for preservation thanks to the efforts of Clearwater Forester Bill Walker who made an appearance along with Royce Cox to talk to teachers about the history of forest management in the Clearwater National Forest. In the grove Harold and Bob showed us how foresters collect data on individual trees using tools like a increment borer to determine approximate age and a foresters tape to measure diameter at breast height (DBH).
After an awe-inspiring walk through Walker's Park we were able to view Potlatch's plantation lands. Potlatch manages over 670,000 acres of timberland in North Idaho. We'll be stopping by one of their plantations to examine their management of their timberland for commercial goals. This plantation land is populated by seedlings grown at the Potlatch nursery visited on Friday morning. Potlatch plants eight species of trees in its forests to ensure diversity. Foresters pay close attention to all aspects of forest health including soil erosion, water quality, wildlife biology and even the fish-bearing potential of streams. All this information is cataloged on sophisticated computer systems and used during the planning and maintenance of Potlatch forests to insure the forest thrives.
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Dinner
Dinner Friday night was a barbeque sponsored by Potlatch in Headquarters, Idaho. Headquarters used to be a sprawling town built on the timber industry.
Elwin Hutchins brought his "World's Smallest Sawmill" for teachers to view. The Potlatch crew fixed up a delicious BBQ dinner and teachers were presented gift by Elwin to remember their visit.
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