Moscow, Idaho, Paradise Creek and Moscow
Mountain remain two focal points for restoration
and continued stewardship because of previous
abuse and apathy. In the summer of 1994,
Bennett Lumber signed on to assist with cleanup
attempts that brought about benefits for both
sites. The entire effort was dubbed the Moscow
Mountain Collaboration and it not only improved
a badly abused area of Moscow Mountain but it
drastically improved conditions in the watershed
that feeds Paradise Creek.
Why the Bennett involvement? In part, the
company joined the effort because they own
6,000 acres of timberland on Moscow Mountain.
But Bennett people, many of them avid
recreationists, also know the extreme abuse and
degredation that had occurred around Pond 9.
Several abandoned vehicles lay mired under
rubbish and leaves, plastic sacks of garbage
littered the landscape, as well as other trappings
of cast-off society. What was origianlly a lush
forest and tranquil pond had plainly become a
garbage dump which bothered nearby residents
and others that wished to enjoy the site.
