FSPW approaches 12-year anniversary
Jan. 14 marks the 12th anniversary of the formative meeting of Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. What started as a small gathering in one of the original Friends’ living rooms has expanded into a network of 6,863 “Friends” (as of Dec. 28), a number that continues to grow steadily each month.
“Our ‘Friends’ live all over the world,” FSPW Program Coordinator Sandy Compton said in a press release, “and they are an incredibly diverse group, both culturally and politically, as well as age-wise. The one thing they all have in common, though, is that they think the best use of the Scotchman Peaks is nationally designated Wilderness.”
FSPW will celebrate 12 years “in business” in a number of ways in the upcoming weeks. The first will be next Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the Idaho Pour Authority on Cedar in Sandpoint, Idaho. Beginning at 5 p.m., FSPW will celebrate winter and the kickoff of the Winter Tracks Outdoor Education season with beers from Ecliptic Brewery, live music and a raffle for “swag” from Ecliptic, IPA and FSPW. Included in the raffle is one of the new “7B Trails Rock” 64-ounce insulated stainless steel growlers commissioned recently by a diverse group of trail-loving non-profits: Idaho Trails Association, Pend Oreille Pedalers, Sandpoint Nordic Club, Idaho Conservation League, Kaniksu Land Trust and FSPW. As an extra, added attraction, IPA will fill the growler with the winner’s choice of beverage. Tickets for the growler are available at the IPA and the FSPW office — 323 N. First, Suite 205.
The “real” FSPW anniversary coincides with Vigo Mortensen’s January 13 and 14 fundraiser for KRFY Community Radio and Team Autism 24-7 at the Panida. “We’ve supported these two great causes as an organization for several years,” said FSPW executive director Phil Hough, “so we will have a staff night out at the Panida on January 14. We hope all of our Friends will attend one of the two nights of Captain Fantastic — and wear their FSPW hats and T-shirts as well.”
The anniversary celebration will be at the Little Panida on Friday, Jan. 27, beginning at 6 p.m. This will be a winter break with a selection of wild movies, local music, a little dancing, some light appetizers and no-host beverages — plus an update on progress of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Act.
For more information on Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness events, visit scotchmanpeaks.org/events or http://www.scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking.