Bonners Ferry, ID 83805
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2026
The Boundary County Board of Commissioners has become aware of recent road obliteration on Ball Creek Road in the Bonners Ferry Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Boundary County was not aware that this work was taking place and was not consulted regarding the work before it occurred.
Since learning of the situation, the Commissioners have been working directly with the U.S. Forest Service to understand what occurred and to find a solution. The matter has received attention from senior Forest Service leadership, and discussions are actively underway. The Board’s immediate priority is to see Ball Creek Road restored to a condition that allows for both commercial and recreational use.
Ball Creek Road provides important access for wildfire suppression and emergency response, forest management, fuels reduction, timber management, post-fire recovery and reforestation, law enforcement, recreation, and other uses of National Forest System lands. Recent wildfires in Boundary County have reinforced the importance of maintaining strategic road access for emergency response and long-term forest management.
The Board appreciates the Forest Service’s response and will provide additional information as the facts become available and a course of action for restoring the road is established.
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Boundary County Board of Commissioners
Ben Robertson, Chairman
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
Lester Pinkerton, Commissioner