Feds Buy Land Overlooking Falls

A federal agency spent $195,650 this summer to keep private developers from snatching up 195 acres of prime canyon-rim land overlooking Star Falls from the north.

The Bureau of Land Management purchased the land from LeeAnn and Eugene Moncur. Many sightseers use it to reach one of the few remaining free-flowing waterfalls on the Snake River.

Many visitors each year also crossed the Moncurs’ private land south of Hazelton to view the bubbling, churning bowl also known as Cauldron Linn, a National Historic Register Site.

The Moncurs were among the locals who opposed Bish Beymer’s proposal to dam Star Falls for hydroelectric power. The federal government rejected the hydro plan in November 1994, saying it would harm the area’s wildlife, scenic beauty and historic character.

But earlier this year, the Moncurs were trying to sell the land above the falls and expected an offer from a private individual. The couple had also been negotiating with BLM officials since last year to work out a deal, and the agency finally wrapped up the sale in July, said Kay Billington, a realty specialist for the BLM’s Shoshone District.

Billington said the BLM wants to preserve the culture and history of the natural, undeveloped atmosphere around the Star Falls-Caldron Linn area.