Otter wants land trust

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter wants to set up a $50 million state land trust to preserve public and hunter access and wildlife habitat where it’s threatened by private development.

Otter on Friday said he, the state Fish and Game Commission, and Fish and Game Director Cal Groen will establish a “Land Legacy Trust” modeled after similar efforts in other states, including Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. Funding would come from the state’s share of a still-to-be negotiated settlement with the Bonneville Power Administration for impact on wildlife habitat from six federal dams in Idaho, and from sales of surplus land by the Fish and Game Department.

“While Idaho’s growth brings many benefits to our state, we need to balance growth with stewardship to ensure Idaho remains a place where farmers, ranchers and loggers can earn a living and where hunters, anglers and all Idahoans have access to our lands and our wildlife,” Otter said.

Added Groen, “Growth is the biggest threat we have to wildlife habitats, hunting, fishing and public access. We are glad Gov. Otter has offered his leadership to help us find sustainable solutions for Idaho’s fish and wildlife.”

Gregg Servheen, wildlife program coordinator for Fish and Game, said it’s unclear how much either of the identified funding sources would generate, but the $50 million figure is the goal to fund the trust, which would serve as a permanent endowment.

“It would help us do things relative to wildlife habitat and public access,” Servheen said. “We have two potential sources to fund that, which we hope would get us there.”

In other states, such trusts typically purchase easements or negotiate conservation agreements to preserve habitat or public access, Servheen said.

Idaho’s Fish and Game Department has a list of surplus property that’s sprinkled throughout the state, including some land in the North Idaho Panhandle, Servheen said. Some may be suitable for auctioning to the highest bidder.

Other parcels have wildlife or access values themselves, so the state might look into trading or selling them to other public agencies or selling them with restrictions requiring continued public access.

Servheen said many details are still up in the air, but he hopes the Land Legacy Trust can be operating in two to four years.

In a news release, Otter, Groen and the Idaho Fish and Game Commission said the land trust approach will be “a good business tool, because it uses existing department assets without creating an additional burden for Idaho hunters, anglers or taxpayers.”