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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Cabin owners on state land face increased uncertainty after court ruling

The view from a Priest Lake cabin, which sits on land leased from the state of Idaho.  (Colin Mulvany)
The view from a Priest Lake cabin, which sits on land leased from the state of Idaho. (Colin Mulvany)

Owners of cabins at Priest Lake, like this 1930s one that retired school teachers Jim and Myrna Brown spent years renovating in the hopes that it could be a family legacy, are facing increased uncertainty after the Idaho Supreme Court decision overturning a state law that protected state-owned cabin site leases from conflict bidding. The ruling affects 354 cottage sites at Priest Lake and 167 at Payette Lake. S-R reporter Sara McMullen takes a look at the issues here; cabin owners, who own their cabins but not the state-owned ground underneath, already are in the midst of working with the state in the Land Board's effort to "unify" ownership of cabin sites, through land exchanges and other steps.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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