USFS to dispose of Bennett Lands!?
3/15/2006
WIN STAFF- The Mountain Home District of the Boise National Forest is planning to trade five parcels of valuable wildlife habitat and limited existing public access in the Bennett Hills totaling 5,240 acres for 1,550 acres of private in-holdings in the Danskin Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) area. This trade has proceeded largely under the radar of most deer and elk hunters in Idaho. The impacts of the trade could be huge for most deer and elk hunters who are lucky enough to draw for unit 45 and the public in general. Access is the key issue here, or lack of it.
The USFS Proposed Action Report states that the purpose of the trade is to secure the future integrity of the designated motorized trail system in the Danskin OHV area and to dispose of the Bennett Hills parcels which the USFS considers "costly and difficult to manage".
According to Dave Parrish, Magic Valley Regional Supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), three of the five parcels scheduled for disposal in the Bennett Hills represent some of the best and last remaining opportunity to access public land for big game hunting in Unit 45.
We all know about Unit 45. As Parrish says, "Unit 45 offers some of the most highly sought after big game hunting opportunity in the State of Idaho". Last year more than 2,500 hunters applied for 50 trophy deer permits in one hunt and 1,073 hunters vied for 75 in another.
Deer hunting in Unit 45 is desirable because it is "where the big boys are". Controlled hunting and limited access has resulted in an older age population structure (lots of big bucks). Numerous record book bucks have been taken in the Bennett Hills over the years and the prospect of a "once-in-a-lifetime" buck is what attracts hunters.
Even if you are lucky enough to draw a deer or elk permit in Unit 45, the challenge remains to find a place to hunt. Most of the good hunting in Unit 45 is on private land where permission to hunt is nearly impossible or very costly.
Landowners covet the available Landowner Appreciation Tags which reportedly sell for upwards from $6,000. There is little incentive to provide public access when the value of landowner tags is directly tied to the exclusive nature of the hunting opportunity.
Private lands also block access to those limited public lands available in Unit 45. Private acquisition of Parcel 1 in this trade would effectively "land-lock" nine sections (5,760 acres) of BLM and State lands from public access.
On the other hand, the lands proposed for acquisition under this proposal will provide little enhancement of hunting opportunity. They lie within Fish and Game Management Unit 39 which has a general hunt available to all licensed hunters and high exploitation rates as a result of motorized access, which results in a younger aged population with fewer trophy-aged bucks.
The Forest Service desires to trade this valuable hunting land to secure an OHV trail system in the Danskin area, while the Idaho Fish and Game Commission is considering a ban on hunting from ORV’s in all of southwest Idaho, including this area.
Folks familiar with the Bennett Hills cite the particular values associated with Parcel 1 of the proposed exchange, also known locally as the "Sheep Driveway". Many families use those areas in Parcel 1 adjacent to the Bennett Mountain road to camp and hunt.
IDFG issues anterless deer permits in this area for the purpose maintaining wintering deer numbers within carrying capacity of the winter range and to limit depredation on private lands. "Lack of hunter access to private and public lands hinders the Department’s ability to achieve antlerless harvest objectives", Parrish said
Fourth generation Mountain Home native Jim Davidson probably spends as much time in the Bennett Hills as anyone. "I have hunted from Lighting Creek in north Idaho to the Nevada border and there is no better big game habitat or populations in the state than those found in Parcel 1 slated for disposal", Davidson said.
"My family has hunted this area for years, and it would be a shame to be excluded in favor of those willing and able to pay a private landowner big money for access. If anything, the Forest Service should be trying to acquire more land in Unit 45 for public access" Davidson said.
Not coincidentally, the 5,240 acres in the Bennett Hills proposed for transfer to private ownership in this trade are among the 26,194 acres proposed for sale in Idaho alone, under the President’s 2007 Budget to provide funding for rural schools.
It remains to be seen whether the President’s proposal will be acceptable to Congress, but this trade would preclude the generation of revenue that proposal envisions. The President’s proposal would allow for States, Counties, or Land Trusts to purchase the lands before they are put on the auction block.
A logical place for a joint purchase by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Mule Deer Foundation and the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, "It would be nice to see some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by those foundations locally to be spent locally for critical habitat and hunter access", Davidson said.
Initially, Tripp hoped to proceed with a Categorical Exclusion under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). A Categorical Exclusion (CE) is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. A CE does not require an environmental assessment (EA), an environmental impact statement (EIS), or any public involvement.
"The Forest Service has a category for land exchanges where there would not be a change in land use and we thought this trade fit that category", Tripp said. When asked if he felt that public access to the Bennett parcels would be allowed under private ownership, Tripp replied "Yes, we did."
After comments from the public and public agencies, including those from Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which focused primarily on the almost certain loss of public access, the Forest Service opted to conduct an Environmental Analysis (EA).
An EA is a concise public document that provides evidence and analysis for determining the extent of environmental effects or consequences of a proposed action and alternative actions. An EA must contain analysis of alternative courses of action and their environmental impacts.
Currently, the exchange is under review in Washington, D.C. to determine whether the USFS should proceed. If the District receives the go-ahead from Washington, they will announce a 45-day public comment period by public notice in local newspapers. Tripp indicates that if the Washington office opts not to proceed, only those who have specifically expressed interest in the exchange will be notified. WIN will keep you posted.
To insure that you have input regarding this land exchange, you should request to be notified of the opportunity by writing:
Larry Tripp, District Ranger
Mountain Home District, USFS
2180 American Legion Boulevard
Mountain Home, ID 83647
Or calling 208-587-7961 or by email: [email protected]
The Proposed Action Report is available at www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/projects/Danskin_Land_Exchange.pdf
WIN has obtained documents under the Idaho Public Records Law which indicates that the U.S. Forest Service has from the outset desired to proceed in this exchange with a minimum of public visibility.
In a December letter to the private party desiring to acquire the Bennett lands, Larry Tripp, Mountain Home District Ranger stated, "…It continues to be my hope that we can consummate this land exchange without considerable controversy and public or state opposition".
3/15/2006
WIN STAFF- The Mountain Home District of the Boise National Forest is planning to trade five parcels of valuable wildlife habitat and limited existing public access in the Bennett Hills totaling 5,240 acres for 1,550 acres of private in-holdings in the Danskin Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) area. This trade has proceeded largely under the radar of most deer and elk hunters in Idaho. The impacts of the trade could be huge for most deer and elk hunters who are lucky enough to draw for unit 45 and the public in general. Access is the key issue here, or lack of it.
The USFS Proposed Action Report states that the purpose of the trade is to secure the future integrity of the designated motorized trail system in the Danskin OHV area and to dispose of the Bennett Hills parcels which the USFS considers "costly and difficult to manage".
According to Dave Parrish, Magic Valley Regional Supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), three of the five parcels scheduled for disposal in the Bennett Hills represent some of the best and last remaining opportunity to access public land for big game hunting in Unit 45.
We all know about Unit 45. As Parrish says, "Unit 45 offers some of the most highly sought after big game hunting opportunity in the State of Idaho". Last year more than 2,500 hunters applied for 50 trophy deer permits in one hunt and 1,073 hunters vied for 75 in another.
Deer hunting in Unit 45 is desirable because it is "where the big boys are". Controlled hunting and limited access has resulted in an older age population structure (lots of big bucks). Numerous record book bucks have been taken in the Bennett Hills over the years and the prospect of a "once-in-a-lifetime" buck is what attracts hunters.
Even if you are lucky enough to draw a deer or elk permit in Unit 45, the challenge remains to find a place to hunt. Most of the good hunting in Unit 45 is on private land where permission to hunt is nearly impossible or very costly.
Landowners covet the available Landowner Appreciation Tags which reportedly sell for upwards from $6,000. There is little incentive to provide public access when the value of landowner tags is directly tied to the exclusive nature of the hunting opportunity.
Private lands also block access to those limited public lands available in Unit 45. Private acquisition of Parcel 1 in this trade would effectively "land-lock" nine sections (5,760 acres) of BLM and State lands from public access.
On the other hand, the lands proposed for acquisition under this proposal will provide little enhancement of hunting opportunity. They lie within Fish and Game Management Unit 39 which has a general hunt available to all licensed hunters and high exploitation rates as a result of motorized access, which results in a younger aged population with fewer trophy-aged bucks.
The Forest Service desires to trade this valuable hunting land to secure an OHV trail system in the Danskin area, while the Idaho Fish and Game Commission is considering a ban on hunting from ORV’s in all of southwest Idaho, including this area.
Folks familiar with the Bennett Hills cite the particular values associated with Parcel 1 of the proposed exchange, also known locally as the "Sheep Driveway". Many families use those areas in Parcel 1 adjacent to the Bennett Mountain road to camp and hunt.
IDFG issues anterless deer permits in this area for the purpose maintaining wintering deer numbers within carrying capacity of the winter range and to limit depredation on private lands. "Lack of hunter access to private and public lands hinders the Department’s ability to achieve antlerless harvest objectives", Parrish said
Fourth generation Mountain Home native Jim Davidson probably spends as much time in the Bennett Hills as anyone. "I have hunted from Lighting Creek in north Idaho to the Nevada border and there is no better big game habitat or populations in the state than those found in Parcel 1 slated for disposal", Davidson said.
"My family has hunted this area for years, and it would be a shame to be excluded in favor of those willing and able to pay a private landowner big money for access. If anything, the Forest Service should be trying to acquire more land in Unit 45 for public access" Davidson said.
Not coincidentally, the 5,240 acres in the Bennett Hills proposed for transfer to private ownership in this trade are among the 26,194 acres proposed for sale in Idaho alone, under the President’s 2007 Budget to provide funding for rural schools.
It remains to be seen whether the President’s proposal will be acceptable to Congress, but this trade would preclude the generation of revenue that proposal envisions. The President’s proposal would allow for States, Counties, or Land Trusts to purchase the lands before they are put on the auction block.
A logical place for a joint purchase by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Mule Deer Foundation and the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, "It would be nice to see some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by those foundations locally to be spent locally for critical habitat and hunter access", Davidson said.
Initially, Tripp hoped to proceed with a Categorical Exclusion under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). A Categorical Exclusion (CE) is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. A CE does not require an environmental assessment (EA), an environmental impact statement (EIS), or any public involvement.
"The Forest Service has a category for land exchanges where there would not be a change in land use and we thought this trade fit that category", Tripp said. When asked if he felt that public access to the Bennett parcels would be allowed under private ownership, Tripp replied "Yes, we did."
After comments from the public and public agencies, including those from Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which focused primarily on the almost certain loss of public access, the Forest Service opted to conduct an Environmental Analysis (EA).
An EA is a concise public document that provides evidence and analysis for determining the extent of environmental effects or consequences of a proposed action and alternative actions. An EA must contain analysis of alternative courses of action and their environmental impacts.
Currently, the exchange is under review in Washington, D.C. to determine whether the USFS should proceed. If the District receives the go-ahead from Washington, they will announce a 45-day public comment period by public notice in local newspapers. Tripp indicates that if the Washington office opts not to proceed, only those who have specifically expressed interest in the exchange will be notified. WIN will keep you posted.
To insure that you have input regarding this land exchange, you should request to be notified of the opportunity by writing:
Larry Tripp, District Ranger
Mountain Home District, USFS
2180 American Legion Boulevard
Mountain Home, ID 83647
Or calling 208-587-7961 or by email: [email protected]
The Proposed Action Report is available at www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/projects/Danskin_Land_Exchange.pdf
WIN has obtained documents under the Idaho Public Records Law which indicates that the U.S. Forest Service has from the outset desired to proceed in this exchange with a minimum of public visibility.
In a December letter to the private party desiring to acquire the Bennett lands, Larry Tripp, Mountain Home District Ranger stated, "…It continues to be my hope that we can consummate this land exchange without considerable controversy and public or state opposition".
