Feds, state propose unique land swap
BOISE – A unique property exchange between the federal government and the Idaho Department of Lands would include key parcels in the Boise Foothills and the Panhandle, state leaders say.
The proposed deal is unusual in that it contemplates using both U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service parcels to swap with state endowment lands on an equal value basis. The trade would reduce the danger of wildfire to federal property, while benefiting the state endowment which funds public schools.
Some details were released on Tuesday. Idaho’s congressional delegation and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne also planned an announcement Friday.
Boise has assisted the effort by using funds from its 2001 Foothills Levy to pay for research into environmental conditions, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, timber species and volume and mineral resources.
The proposal is unique in that the BLM and Forest Service properties are “pooled” together to balance out the state lands. Congressional approval is needed, as well as permission from the State Land Board.
The BLM would transfer 605 acres in northern Idaho to the Idaho Department of Lands. They are four scattered parcels ranging in size from 80 to 319 acres and are adjacent to or surrounded by state lands used as commercial forest.
The Forest Service will shift 7,418 acres in northern Idaho to the Department of Lands. There are 14 tracts ranging in size from 15 acres at Potato Hill to 3,100 in Willow Creek. All are in areas of large state holdings except for Willow Creek.
Lands will transfer 4,158 acres to the Forest Service: 13 parcels totaling 3,058 acres in northern Idaho and two covering 1,100 acres in the Boise Foothills. Parcel sizes range from 11 to 960 acres. It would help the Forest Service protect the habitat in the Elk Creek area of northern Idaho’s Clearwater National Forest.
Lands will swap 7,661 acres to the BLM, 3,761 in northern Idaho and 3,900 in southern Idaho. There are nine state parcels in the Boise Foothills and five in northern Idaho. Their sizes range from 20 acres to 1,155. It would help the bureau manage the Boise Front and creates permanent public access in the Foothills.
An evaluation of timber indicates about 114 million board feet of timber on the state parcels and 154 million on the federal land. The difference is due in large part to the state parcels in the Boise Foothills that lack timber. The value of that land is its potential for residential development.
In order to balance out the interests of the BLM and Forest Service, Congressional authority is needed to shift 2,100 acres on Grandmother Mountain in northern Idaho from the BLM to Forest Service.
Public input would be accepted from Sept. 20 to Oct. 20. Public meetings are scheduled for Sept. 20 in Kellogg; Sept. 21 in St. Maries; and Sept. 22 in Moscow.