Fire Danger Forces Temporary Closure of Access to Private Land Hunting Area

By Mark Rhodes, District Conservation Officer Since 2011, the Mica Bay Land Company and the Godde Family have been very generous to allow hunters to access about 22,000 acres of previously inaccessible private property near Coeur d'Alene. They initiated and entered into a public access program to allow hunting in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Hunters are required to sign a contract agreeing to certain rules, and to pick up a free permit at the Fish and Game office that allows individuals to access the property. This program is still ongoing, and our hope is to continue it for many years. However, the current fire danger has led the owners of the property to follow suit with other land managers and close the property to ALL human entry until the fire danger decreases. No more permits will be issued until there is a significant change in conditions and the decision is made to once again open the property to access. Permits have already been issued to some individuals. Those permits were issued before fire danger became extreme. Although the permit says that you are welcome to enter the property starting September 6th, that date is no longer accurate. The property will remain closed to ALL human entry until further notice. Fish and Game is currently attempting to contact everyone who has a current permit to notify them of the closure. Please reference the Idaho Fish and Game website for updates and status changes. Look under the "About Us" tab, on the "Panhandle Region" page. It will obviously take a very significant period of high moisture to change the current conditions. Nobody can predict when that will occur. Permit holders are asked to please be patient and respect the closure! Any human entry prior to the new opening will be considered a trespass and will be handled through the legal process.