Land Board Settles Hauser Lake Dispute Public Access To Popular Fishing Spot Remains, Family Gets Docks

The Idaho Land Board may have solved years of warfare over use of the shoreline of Hauser Lake, a popular Panhandle fishing area.

Controller J.D. Williams and Schools Superintendent Anne Fox, both board members, met last month with Garth, Brett and DanaJo Everett. The board on Tuesday approved the settlement they put together.

“You folks may get the Nobel prize,” Gov. Phil Batt told the two on Tuesday.

“Maybe it will create peace and also save us a lot of money,” Fox said.

The conflict began several years ago when the Everett family purchased the property, known as The Point, and started building a 1,700-foot fence to bar public shoreline access.

“It was always full of people,” explained family member JoAnn Everett. “We were told it was all our private property. It (the heavy use) was a big shock to us. I’m glad it’s all resolved.”

The construction prompted loud protest from anglers, who complained to the state and knocked down the fence.

The state ordered the fence-building to stop until it sorted out title questions. Both sides laid claim to the shoreline around The Point.

Anglers have fished there for generations, and it is difficult to get access to much of the rest of the lake.

The settlement recognizes the state’s ownership of the tip of The Point, while the Everetts hold two sections on either side.

The Everetts will have to remove all fences on The Point and grant the state an easement allowing public access to those two parcels for activities such as swimming and fishing.

JoAnn Everett said the settlement isn’t perfect, but “it’s the best we could do.”

Longtime resident and angler Mary Piggott said she was satisfied.

“I think it’s great, because the people got it back. It’s kind of a relief for me that it’s over,” she said. The agreement prohibits parking within those areas or vehicle traffic except on the paved roadway. Parking still will be available on the stateowned Point, however.

The agreement also allows the Everetts to apply for two dock permits. The family had applied for one permit two years ago, but the Lands Department refused to consider it because of the property dispute.

Williams said local opponents to the Everetts’ fence are satisfied with the settlement.

But Al Sharon, a former resident of Hauser Lake who researched the shoreline property, said the settlement just opens a “Pandora’s Box.”

“As far as I’m concerned he (Garth Everett) didn’t own it, he never owned it,” Sharon said. “What he got he didn’t deserve.”

From his research, Sharon said he found only two families with any legitimate ownership rights to property between the road and the lake, and the Everetts were not among them.

The settlement “may put his problem to bed, but it will only bring up more and more problems,” Sharon predicted.

, DataTimes