# U.S. Forest Service Proposes Doubling Odds for Main and Middle Fork Salmon Permits > The U.S. Forest Service plans to double lottery odds for Main and Middle Fork Salmon river permits, from 1 in 62 to 1 in 29 and 1 in 55 to 1 in 24. - Published: 2026-11-01T13:54:39+00:00 - Section: Regulation & Approvals - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-01/forest-service-salmon-river-permit-lottery-reform-2 - Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/u-forest-looking-reforming-river-132200764.html) ## Key takeaways - The U.S. Forest Service plans to double applicants' odds on the Main Salmon from 1 in 62 to 1 in 29 and on the Middle Fork from 1 in 55 to 1 in 24. - The proposal follows a September 17 executive order directing the Secretary of Agriculture to review high-demand Forest Service river lotteries. - The Salmon-Challis National Forest will propose a Round 2 lottery for U.S. citizens to apply for canceled permits before they enter a general pool. The U.S. Forest Service is proposing changes to its Main and Middle Fork Salmon river permit lotteries that would double applicants' odds, from 1 in 62 to 1 in 29 on the Main and from 1 in 55 to 1 in 24 on the Middle Fork, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/u-forest-looking-reforming-river-132200764.html) reported on November 1. The agency is reviewing the lotteries after a September 17 executive order. ## How the Salmon-Challis Plan Would Work Katie Gorby, a spokesperson for the Salmon-Challis National Forest, said in an email that officials have "undertaken an extensive review of options to modify the river lottery for both rivers" following the executive order. The agency will propose prioritizing U.S. citizens who have not floated the river in the past five years. It also plans a "Round 2 lottery" for U.S. citizens to apply for canceled lottery permits before those permits go into a general pool. Gorby said the plan is expected to double applicants' odds on either stretch. She did not give an exact timeline, saying only that implementation is expected "sometime in the next year or two." President Donald Trump signed the executive order on September 17 with the stated purpose of "Reinvigorating America's Hunting Heritage." It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to review and reform high-demand Forest Service river lotteries "to prioritize permits for United States citizens, including prior unsuccessful applicants, and prohibit the use of automatic computer entries into the lotteries." The review is supposed to take place within 60 days of the order. ## What the Forest Service Manages The [U.S. Forest Service](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0008zg6/u-s-forest-service) is a USDA agency that manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands across all 50 states, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The agency was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Washington. Tom Schultz is the Forest Service Chief. ## Earlier Forest Service Actions In August 2026, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and the U.S. Forest Service announced two Good Neighbor Authority recreation agreements under the EXPLORE Act of 2025, covering the Idaho Panhandle, Nez Perce-Clearwater and Salmon-Challis National Forests, the Idaho Business Review reported. In September 2026, the Forest Service said it would keep 41 research stations open after pushback, though it still plans to close 23 sites with minimal staffing, NPR reported. Also in September 2026, the agency said it would designate Warren as headquarters for a new Mid-Atlantic and New England region covering 13 states, the Times Observer reported. ## Next Steps for U.S. Forest Service Thomas O'Keefe, senior director of policy and science for American Whitewater, said he expects an announcement from the Forest Service about the future of permit lottery reform sometime this fall. He said it is unlikely the agency will have anything to implement before the next round of permit applications begins in December. Officials with the Bitterroot National Forest, which manages the Selway, said this week that no decisions had been made about its response to the executive order. A spokesperson for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which manages the lottery-controlled portion of the Snake, declined to comment until after the agriculture secretary's review is released. ## Companies in this story - [U.S. Forest Service company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0008zg6/u-s-forest-service) · website: https://www.fs.usda.gov - [Bureau of Land Management company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00052uj/bureau-of-land-management) · website: https://www.blm.gov/home --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt