Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds Wilderness

The Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds Wilderness is a 90,769-acre (367.33 km²) protected area in the western United States, located in Custer County, Idaho.[1] The Sawtooth National Recreation Area, in the Sawtooth National Forest, manages the majority of the wilderness, with 450 acres (180 ha) managed by the Bureau of Land Management at the wilderness's eastern edge along the East Fork Salmon River.[2] The wilderness encompasses part of the White Cloud Mountains and is north of the Hemingway–Boulders Wilderness and west of the Jim McClure–Jerry Peak Wilderness.

White Clouds Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Scoop Lake in the White Clouds Wilderness
Location	Custer County, Idaho, United States
Nearest city	Stanley, Idaho
Coordinates	44.055°N 114.607°W / 44.055; -114.607
Area	90,769 acres (36,733 ha)
Established	August 7, 2015
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service Bureau of Land Management

The area, originally White Clouds Wilderness, was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System in 2015 on August 7, with the passage of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act. Sponsored by second district representative Mike Simpson,[3] a Republican from Blackfoot, it passed Congress without objection and was signed into law by President Barack Obama.[1][4][5][6][7]

In 2018 it was renamed to honor the late Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus, over the opposition of Senator Jim Risch.[8]

References

1. Landers, Rich (August 4, 2015). "Idaho's Boulder White-Clouds Wilderness approved". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015.
2. "White Clouds Wilderness Area". Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
3. Connelly, Joel (August 4, 2015). "Idaho gets a new 275,000-acre Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness centered on an amazing peak". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
4. Simpson, Mike. "H.R. 1138" (PDF). U.S. Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 4, 2015. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. "Wilderness Area Proposals" (PDF). U.S. Congress. February 23, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 4, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
6. Landers, Rich (August 7, 2015). "Obama signs Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Bill". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Archived from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
7. Ridler, Keith (August 7, 2015). "President signs legislation creating new Idaho wilderness". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-08-08. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
8. "Andrus spent his life protecting this iconic Idaho wilderness; now it will carry his name". idahostatesman. Retrieved 2018-03-23.