Scoping Meeting Set For Future Use Of 1,501 Acre Chester Wetlands Acquisition

CHESTER - Thanks to a strong commitment by the Fremont County Commissioners to maintain public access to valuable wildlife habitat and hunting & fishing opportunities, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game will be holding a scoping meeting on July 31, to gather input on how the new 1,501 acre Hooray Ranch acquisition should be managed. The property was initially acquired by The Nature Conservancy as part of a cooperative arrangement designed to give IDFG the time needed to arrange financing of the new acquisition through the sale of other landholdings that had previously been designated as surplus. Because of its location on the Henrys Fork, the area has long been popular with local sportsmen, but had been closed to the general public since 1989. This new acquisition will not only provide valuable wetlands habitat, but will be an access bonanza for fishermen and waterfowl hunters alike. Because of its close proximity to the existing Sand Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), the new acquisition will be included under the management umbrella of Sand Creek WMA and its staff. In order to help develop a management plan for the new property, IDFG will be holding a scoping meeting at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, July 31. IDFG is interested in hearing from all the various aspects of the public that will be able to start using the area after the Department takes control of the property on August 2. Like all IDFG properties, the Department makes Payments-In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) to the counties to help make-up for lost tax dollars. Anyone interested in providing comments, but who cannot attend or individuals with disabilities requiring special meeting accommodations should contact Dennis Aslett at the Idaho Department of Fish & Game at 624-7065 or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-3529(TDD). The deadline for all comments is 5:00 P.M. on August 3, 2001.