U.S. Forest Service - Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

06/08/2026

220 Years Ago Today: “after dark we had the violin played and danced for the amusement of ourselves and the indians.”

By this point in their time in the Clearwater Valley, Lewis and Clark’s party had become increasingly reliant on the wisdom, skills, and talents of the Nez Perce Tribe. Their diaries for this day also demonstrate how much the Corps of Discovery enjoyed the company of their friends in the Tribe. The previous day’s journals mentioned that “Some of the natives again came to visit us, one of whom [8] gave a horse to one of our men, who is very fond of conversing with them and of learning their language” and other entries include Nez Perce vocabulary and personal opinions on favorite types of Nez Perce cuisine, suggesting an increasing level of respect and cultural sharing.

Over the course of the day, Clark continued the intensive medical cure he was providing to an unnamed paralyzed Nez Perce leader, which consisted of sweat baths, cold plunges, poultices, and medicine and which eventually improved his patient’s health. As the day progressed, “The Cutnose (the English translation of Nez Perce) visited us today with ten or twelve warriors…whom we have not previously seen.” Despite this prior familiarity the Corps of Discovery traded horses and tomahawks with their visitors and enlisted members of the Tribe “joined and got our canoe out which was sunk.”
Lewis and Clark also gathered intelligence from their visitors who told them “that we could not cross the mountains untill the full of the next moon, or about the 1st of July. if we attempted it Sooner our horses would be three days without eateing, on the top of the Mountns. this information is disagreeable to us, in as much as it admits of Some doubt, as to the time most proper for us to Set out. at all events we Shall Set out at or about the time which the indians Seem to be generally agreed would be the most proper.”

With the day’s work over, it was time for fun and games: “ several foot rarces were run this evening between the indians and our men. the indians are very active; one of them proved as fleet as 〈our best runner〉 Drewer and R. Fields, our swiftest runners. when the racing was over the men divided themselves into two parties and played prison base [a tag-like game which is our illustration for this post], by way of exercise.” When it got too dark for physical exercise: “ after dark the fiddle was played and the party amused themselves in danceing.”

Unfortunately, the good times would not continue forever, even in the Nez Perce homeland, because: “We, however, mean to remove a short distance to where the hunting is better” in the high country, where fewer Nez Perce people could be found.

Stay tuned for more history as it happened from 220 years ago on our forests!

06/07/2026

Our U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree programming is getting out into local communities.

Do you have any event you would like us to be at or you would like to host?
Hit up our DMs or contact one of our offices!

06/06/2026

It's our favorite holiday: National Trails Day!

We are excited to have crews working on 7 different trails in the Selway and the Frank this weekend, keeping your wilderness areas open and accessible.

We hope you enjoy some time on a trail today!

06/05/2026

Join our friends River Arts Kamiah to help make ornaments for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree!

If you can't make this series of events, join us tomorrow 6/6 at kamiah city park where we will be making ornaments at youthfest or every friday from 1-4 PM at our Kamiah office!

Just a reminder that we are kicking off a month of ornament-making for the Capitol Christmas tree tomorrow with gourd ornaments! Artist Aya Rachael-Hale will guide us in creating with gourds. This class is free and no registration required. 10 am-noon Saturday, June 6

06/05/2026

220 Years Ago Today: “The road too bad and the snow too deep to cross; so we are obliged to remain where we are sometime longer”

On this day in history, Lewis and Clark were still at Long Camp in Kamiah. Their hunters continued to have good luck and “In the afternoon four hunters came in with the meat of five more deer, and a bear.” Their close relationship with the Nez Perce continued, with Clark providing continued medical care for Nez Perce Tribe leaders and members of the party trading for first foods at Kooskia.

The bulk of their journals, however, were filled with scientific observations of the unique plant specimens of the west. Lewis described rhizomatic species, types of grass, rye, and berries. He evaluated their use as forage for horses and seemed genuinely excited when he noted that one species “affords an excellent paterage for horses and appears to bear the frost and snow better than any grass in our country; I therefore regrete very much that the Seed will not be ripe before our probable departure. this is a fine Soft grass and would no doubt make excellent hay if cultivated.”

One interesting aspect of their party’s journals is the optimism Lewis expressed in seeing that “the river falls in course of the day and rises Some at night….this most probably is the melding of the Snows dureing the day.” Clearly he was thinking about how soon he could cross the Bitterroot Mountains. Yet his journal fails to note the testimony of Patrick Gass’s journal which mentioned that “An Indian came with [the hunters] who had been part of the way over the mountains; but found the road too bad and the snow too deep to cross; so we are obliged to remain where we are sometime longer.”

Did Lewis and Clark not know about this visitor? Or were they engaged in self-motivated thinking as they longed to return home after years on the road?

Stay tuned for more coverage of this historic moment in local and national history!

06/05/2026

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, Nez Perce Tribe, and Trout Unlimited Begin Work to Replace Aging Bridge and Improve Fish Habitat:
Hamby Fork Road (FR 651) To Be Closed From June 10-September 25, 2026

On June 10, work will begin to replace a 68-year-old bridge spanning O’Hara Creek on the Moose Creek Ranger District. This work will take place for the entire summer and will require the closure of Hamby Fork Road (FR 651) for the duration of the bridge replacement project. Moose Creek District Ranger Ron Tipton said: “This project is a necessary improvement providing safe access to public land while creating a path for future stream restoration work benefitting the fishery and overall watershed health.”

Aaron Penvose, Idaho Restoration Director for Trout Unlimited explained that: “The current bridge has an increased risk of failure due to age and its wood pier and retaining wall’s deterioration.” The new bridge will be more resilient and able to withstand high flows and natural-occurring woody debris that frequently comes downstream and gets caught on the existing bridge’s center pier, which requires annual maintenance by the USFS. Additionally, the new 134-foot channel spanning bridge will reconnect the adjacent floodplain and allow for upstream habitat restoration benefitting ESA listed steelhead and bull trout.”

Road closures and project work will begin on June 10. Visitors are asked to exercise caution while driving in the vicinity of the project and respect closure orders, both for their safety and the safety of workers in the field.

06/04/2026

National Trails Day is Just Around The Corner!

June 6th is National Trails Day! Established by the American Hiking Societyn 1993, National Trails Day occurs annually on the first Saturday in June and brings together federal land managers, partners, and volunteers to celebrate all trails (whatever their use) and participate in trail stewardship projects.

To celebrate, we wanted to let you know what’s happening on the forests, because it is a busy trails day. There are multiple events happening on the Forests on and near June 6th that you can be involved in. To find more events near you, check out: https://americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/find-an-event

If you want to volunteer on a project, join our partners, the Great Burn Conservation Alliance on Saturday June 6, 2025 from 9 AM-4PM where they will be working to repair blowdown damage from the 2024 windstorm on the Lewis and Clark Trail: https://www.greatburn.org/stewardship-project-list-2026/national-trails-day
You can also pick up a trail cleanup kit at any of our offices, courtesy of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative and help our trails on your own!

Idaho Trails Associationhas three projects for Trails Day:

1) Weekend in the Woods: working on trails at Lochsa Peak (which has already recruited its maximum number of participants)

2) Fly-In To The Selway: Remote Trails, Big Impact: This project will repair parts of the Idaho Centennial Trail from Ditch Creek to Moose Ridge (It is also full).

3) Lewis and Clark Trail Bridge Repair (June 11-14). This project repairing the Cedar Creek Bridge still has spots available. Register here: https://idahotrailsassociation.org/event/2026-lewis-and-clark-trail-bridge.

The Back Country Horsemen of North Central Idaho will be engaged in w**d spraying to control invasive species

The Great Burn Conservation Alliance, Montana Conservation Corps, and Forest Service staff will be working in the Giant White Pine area to repair trails damaged by the White Pine fire.

Can’t make it on National Trails Day? Later in the month, volunteers can join the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance for the Lolo Trail Stewardship & Interpretive Event on the Lewis & Clark and Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trails. More information may be found at: https://lcthf.regfox.com/voluntourism-along-the-lolo-trail.

Happy Trails To You!

06/04/2026

129 years Ago Today: U.S. Forest Service Organic Act Paves Road to Conservation

On June 4, 1897, Congress passed the Forest Service Organic Act, the foundational legislation that established the purpose of our National Forests. Originally passed to protect timber supplies and secure favorable water flows for what were then known as Forest Reserves, this Act shifted public land policy in favor of conservation.

At the time, Forest Reserves were managed by the Department of the Interior and had few—if any—rangers on the ground. In the decade after its passage, Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt collaborated to create stronger forest management for the American people’s shared heritage. Their vision built upon this law to shape the National Forests Americans love today.

Today, this legacy shapes how the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are managed. While its 19th-century focus was primarily on timber production and watershed protection, the Act laid the groundwork for modern, balanced stewardship. It allows the forest to provide clean drinking water, habitat for diverse wildlife, and millions of acres of public access for outdoor recreation.

06/04/2026

Camas is here!

06/03/2026

Learn about the Nest Pirates of Idaho on National Egg Day

Today is national egg day, and to celebrate, we want to let you know about the most unusual and ecologically damaging egg layer that lives on our forests, the Brown Headed Cowbird. These small birds are not native to North Idaho but were first seen on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in the early 20th century. They prefer disturbed areas, like campgrounds and administrative sites, so you might have a good chance of seeing one yourself in the front country, but they are considered nonexistent in our wilderness areas.

Brown Headed Cowbirds are considered nest pirates due to their unusual reproductive strategy: they do not build nests of their own, but instead invade the nests of other birds, lay their eggs amongst them, and rely on the other birds they target to incubate and feed their own young, a reproductive strategy scientists call brood parasitism. To find target nests, female cowbirds carefully observe their local area, looking for birds who are building nests or have settled in them. Once they pick a target, they fly loudly through the vicinity of a target’s nest, making enough noise to frighten their prey into leaving their nest; they then briefly occupy it and lay an egg.

Though this species does not raise its own fledglings, it still maintains an investment in the egg. Brown headed cowbirds will monitor their offspring’s nest to make sure that the eggs they laid are being incubated. Cowbird mothers will also check back in during their chicks early days to make sure that their young are being fed by the birds they have tricked into caring for their young.

Cowbirds negative ecological impact comes from how a cowbird chick impacts its host mother. Cowbird eggs have evolved to hatch more quickly than their hosts’ eggs. That means that they will get earlier food than the chicks of the bird species whose nests they infiltrate. Their quick growth also leads them to require outsized amounts of food compared to their nestmates. Over time, this means poorer health for the other chicks in the nest and the inevitable death of the non-cowbirds in the nest, including members of endangered species.

Have you seen these infiltrating eggs in the wild? If so, share pics in the comments!