Friends of Idaho Watersheds Project:
The attempt by a Nevada State Legislator from Elko County and the Elko County Republican Central Committee Chairman to provoke a confrontation with the Forest Service at the Jarbidge River Road near the Idaho border in Elko County has failed.
A federal District Judge issued a temporary retraining order at the request of the U.S. Attorney in Nevada on Thursday, October 7 and after first threatening to disobey the order, the ringleaders of the confrontation decided to abide by the decision on Friday October 8. They did hold a barbeque this weekend in the town of Jarbidge (population 30) and about 100 people showed up. There was no conflict or confrontation.
Elko County is already under a billing of $400,000 from the U.S. Forest Service for illegal stream alterations to the Jarbidge River at the river site from their bulldozer efforts of August 1998 to restore the 1.5 miles of road washed out in a flood in 1995. That effort resulted in the emergency listing of the Jarbidge River population of bull trout. The Jarbidge River is the southernmost occupied habitat for that species. The river flows north out of the Jarbidge Wilderness Area into Idaho where it joins the Bruneau River in a spectacular canyon.
Thanks to all newslist recipients who contacted federal offices about this attempted effort to break the law.