Idaho researcher braves wilds for Forest Service award

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Troy Hall almost died July 27, 2007.

The University of Idaho professor and researcher was about five miles from civilization in Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness, alone except for her Belgian sheepdog, Moselle, when she was stung in the leg by a bald-faced hornet.

"At first, nothing happened, and I kept going," she said. "An hour later, my feet started itching."

Then the swelling began, and she took anti-allergy medication to be able to make it out. Doctors later told her she was lucky to be alive.

Such remote excursions are a fact of life for Hall, 46, who recently received one of the U.S. Forest Service's highest honors: The Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Research Award.

She said she's currently at a transition point in her research, but the award comes on the heels of a 10-year study about how wilderness is managed and used in places where nature bumps up against civilization.

"This is the largest human dimensions wilderness study that's ever been done, probably in the world, because it's the largest effort in the United States, and we have the main wilderness program in the world," she said.

She said about 4 to 5 percent of all land in the lower 48 states is designated wilderness, with restrictions on human involvement and the use of machinery. They're areas intended to let nature take its course and to provide a place of solitude for people seeking an escape from city stress.

Hall said crowding around wilderness areas isn't as much of an issue in Idaho as it is in western Washington and Oregon.

In those areas, wilderness managers must be aware of how crowding affects visitor experiences and how to resolve conflicts that arise between humans and the environment.

"Managers are supposed to be protecting outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive kinds of experiences, and you've got a trail with 400 people going up and down it, so what are they supposed to do? How can they manage these places?" Hall said.

She and her colleagues surveyed visitors about their experiences on-site and via postal mail. She said the resulting information has been useful to the Forest Service and other wilderness managers when they plan how to manage natural areas.

She said the closest wilderness areas to the Palouse are the Wenaha-Tucannon in Washington and Oregon and the Selway-Bitterroot in Idaho and Montana.