There were four goals of the Ragg Station Restoration Plan:

• Restore an historic trail to an enjoyable, useable standard
• Protect critical fish habitat in upper Slate Creek
• Create jobs for Idaho County residents, Nez Perce Tribal members, and Forest Service force account persons
• Provide an opportunity to learn new skills in an educational, participatory environment.

These goals were met in the Gospel Hump Wilderness through the use of non mechanized Dry Stone Masonry and adaptation of skyline logging and rigging techniques to construct rock causeways and erosion control structures and continue employment skills training for people in the local and regional area. The Ragg Station Trail is an historic wilderness wagon road that has experienced over 100 years of heavy use. This heavy use, combined with unchecked erosion, has culminated in health and safety concerns for stock users and hikers. The loss of original trail tread and/or the development of multiple pathways around bogs have lead to injuries to stock and people and there is a risk of losing a popular low elevation trail utilized by many Forest visitors. Erosion from this trail has adversely impacted the adjacent Slate Creek watershed and spawning and rearing habitat for endangered steelhead, bull trout, and salmon. In order to repair the trail and staunch sediment flow, the installation of erosion control devices was needed. The construction of causeways and other drainage structures using rigging and dry stone masonry work was strongly supported by watershed, fisheries, and archaeology divisions in the Nez Perce Tribe and National Forest. Additional support cames from the Backcountry Horseman, several recreational user groups, a commercial outfitter, private Foundations and organizations. There have been indications that success in this reconstruction work could allow for more job opportunities including collaboration and multiple funding sources for similar trail work in the future.

Under a training and development plan, the Salmon River Ranger District employed a regional team comprised of persons from Idaho County, Montana Conservation Corps members, and Forest Service employees to repair the trail and learn new skills. In a time when there is uncertainty for timber dependant communities like Elk City and unemployment reaches as high as 17%, the teaching of dry stone masonry techniques, climbing and rigging applications would provide skills that can be used in the private sector in a variety of occupations. Rehabilitation and educational efforts on this trail would also create opportunities that allow workers to bid competitively on contracts in watershed, timber, and trail projects that take place on state and federal lands. On-the-ground training for crew members was provided by Forest Service personnel that have had experience in rigging, climbing, and construction of rock causeways and erosion control devices. One in-depth training session taught by a professional stonemason was conducted. Along with the proposed crew other professional trail workers, including Forest Service trails foremen, interested contractors and members from Americorp’s Nez Perce Salmon Corps and Montana Conservation Corps also attended. During each of the sessions, the crews completed six to eight miles of heavy maintenance including rock causeways across boggy areas, drainage around those areas, water-barriers and drainage with crush/fill in areas that require additional surfacing. Vegetative rehabilitation would be conducted as follow up in sections where multiple trail treads were reduced to a single tread for optimum access through areas that have been adversely impacted due to sloughing or heavy water flows.

Newsome/Crooked River Defensible Space Project 2004 – 2005