Nature-Friendly Idaho Land Swap Nears Ok

A land swap aimed at protecting ancient cedars and vital wetlands at Upper Priest Lake is one step closer to being a done deal.

David Wright, supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, decided June 27 to proceed with the exchange.

Anyone who objects to his decision has until Aug. 15 to appeal. If there is no appeal, the exchange will take place within five days of that date.

Support for the proposal has been overwhelming, with timber industry workers and environmentalists speaking up on behalf of saving the cedars.

Recent letters of support included one from Moscow conservationist Dennis Baird, who noted that his comments were similar to those submitted by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, a frequent opponent when it comes to forest issues.

“For obvious reasons,” Baird wrote wryly, “this is a source of some concern to me.”

The Forest Service plans to give Riley Creek Lumber Co. 2,305 acres, mostly timber land in the Frost Peak/Latour Baldy area southeast of Coeur d’Alene. Riley Creek would give up the 520-acre cedar grove and another 10 acres near Cascade Creek in Kootenai County. , DataTimes