The Lookout Roadless Area is a pristine, lower elevation (2000-6000') ecosystem located just a few miles west of the towns of Twisp and Winthrop. At over 18,000 acres, it is larger than many wilderness areas (the Forest Service arbitrarily divides it into the Lookout Mountain and McClure areas). As one of the best examples of an intact lower elevation forest we have in Eastern Washington, it is a remarkable wildlife refuge, home to a diverse, and rare mix of species. (See our page on wildlife) The Forest Service acknowledges only a small portion of this area as "potential wilderness", a legal classification that is the first step in protecting it.
The Lookout Mountain Roadless should be protected as potential wilderness area, or as wilderness. We created this website to help achieve this goal.
Now is the time to get some kind of protection in place for the Lookout Roadless. The forest plan proposes up to 2 miles of road for each square mile of the area. Unfortunately, a massive logging operation called the Mission Project is underway in the watershed, which is devastating it's ecological integrity. If this low elevation oasis is not recognized, off-road vehicle use, overgrazing, and logging could devestate any hopes of it remaining intact. Here's some of our thoughts about the next step: What Next.
Thanks to Peter Morrison and his website for some of the information in this description. http://www.pacificbio.org/initiatives/wildlands_answers.html