Land Sale First of F&G Sale for Land Trust

August 22, Idaho Fish and Game completed the sale of 80 acres on the South Fork Salmon River to the U.S. Forest Service. The parcel, known as the Withers property, was purchased by Fish and Game in 1948 to protect big game winter range. This is the first surplus Fish and Game property sold to the Forest Service, which will manage it to maintain its existing undeveloped habitats consistent with forest plans. The sale brought $410,000, which will be used to protect priority fish and wildlife habitats and provide public access. The Forest Service has options on two additional Fish and Game properties on the South Fork with a combined appraised price of $1,170,000. Fish and Game has identified additional surplus backcountry properties for sale to the Forest Service. Proceeds from such sales would help increase Fish and Game's ability to protect wildlife habitat and public access in other areas. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission and Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore are working to establish a Land Legacy Trust, with funds from the sale of surplus Fish and Game property and from a potential settlement with Bonneville Power Administration for impacts to wildlife habitats from federal dams in Idaho. "Sustainable growth through proactive stewardship is my goal for Idaho's public lands - ensuring that 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. The Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Game view the Land Legacy Trust, which is modeled after similar programs in other states, as a good business tool because it makes better use of existing department assets to meet wildlife challenges of today and the future, and that will benefit all Idaho residents who appreciate wildlife.