St. Joe National Forest

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St. Joe National Forest
St Joe River at Red Ives.jpg
St. Joe River in St. Joe National Forest
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Location Idaho, United States
Nearest city Coeur d'Alene, ID
Coordinates 47°10′08″N115°40′08″W / 47.169°N 115.669°W / 47.169; -115.669 Coordinates: 47°10′08″N115°40′08″W / 47.169°N 115.669°W / 47.169; -115.669
Area867,882 acres (3,512.19 km2)
EstablishedJuly 1, 1908
Governing body U.S. Forest Service
Website Idaho Panhandle National Forests

The St. Joe National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the Idaho panhandle and is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (the other two are the Coeur d'Alene and Kaniksu National Forests). In descending order of land area St. Joe National Forest is located in parts of Shoshone, Latah, Clearwater, and Benewah counties. It has a total area of 867,882 acres (3,512 km2). [1] \

Contents

Description

St. Joe is home to a numerous variety of mammalian species including white-tailed deer, mule deer, raccoon, elk, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, skunk, timber wolf, cougar, marten, beaver, bobcat, river otter, mink, and wolverine. Bird species include wild turkey, grouse, ravens, blue jays, bald eagle, osprey, golden eagle, California quails, and numerous types of owls.

The forest headquarters is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There are local ranger district offices located in Avery and St. Maries.

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Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area

Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area is located near Clarkia in the St. Joe National Forest of Idaho in the northwestern United States. The grove is a 240-acre (97 ha) area containing old growth Western Red Cedar estimated to be 500 years old. The upper area contains Western Red Cedar surrounded by Oregon boxwood. The lower portion of the area contain the giant cedars surrounded by Lady-fern. The forest was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980.

The Coeur d'Alene salamander is a species of woodland salamander (Plethodon) in the family of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae) found in northern Idaho, western Montana, and southeastern British Columbia. This species was discovered in 1939 by James R. Slater and John W. Slipp on the south shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. It was once considered to be a subspecies of Van Dyke's salamander, as P. vandykei idahoensis, but appears to be a distinct and separate species as originally suggested by Slater and Slipp (1940).

Saint Joe River

The Saint Joe River is a 140-mile (225 km) long tributary of Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho. Beginning at an elevation of 6,487 feet (1,977 m) in the Northern Bitterroot Range of eastern Shoshone County, it flows generally west through the Saint Joe River Valley and the communities of Avery and Calder. Past Calder, it flows into Benewah County and through the town of St. Maries, where it receives its largest tributary, the Saint Maries River. It then turns northwest, passing through Heyburn State Park before reaching its mouth just north of the Kootenai County line. Much of the river's route through Heyburn State Park is partially flooded due to raised water levels from the Washington Water Power dam at Post Falls on the Spokane River below Coeur d'Alene Lake. With a mouth elevation of 2,129 feet (648.9 m), it is claimed to be the highest navigable river in the world. Multiple rivers in Canada are both higher and navigable, including the Babine, and Middle Rivers.

The Palouse Forest Reserve and after March 4, 1907, the Palouse National Forest was established by Presidential Proclamation on March 2, 1907 and was one of President Theodore Roosevelt's Midnight forests, created before the federal law banning new forest reserves in six western states, including Idaho, became effective.

Heyburn State Park

Heyburn State Park is a public recreation area in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located almost entirely in Benewah County, with a small portion extending into southern Kootenai County. The park was founded in 1908 and is the oldest state or provincial park in the Pacific Northwest. The park has 5,744 acres (23.2 km2) of land and 2,332 acres (9.4 km2) of water on three lakes: Benewah, Chatcolet, and Hidden. A dam constructed on the Spokane River in Post Falls in 1906 raised the level of Lake Coeur d'Alene, connecting it to the park's three lakes. The surface elevation of the lakes is 2,125 feet (648 m) above sea level. The park's year-round recreational opportunities include camping, boating, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and picnicking.

Idaho v. United States, 533 U.S. 262 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the United States, not the state of Idaho, held title to lands submerged under Lake Coeur d'Alene and the St. Joe River, and that the land was held in trust for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe as part of its reservation, and in recognition of the importance of traditional tribal uses of these areas for basic food and other needs.

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