Forest Service seeks comment on Hope-Sagle land swap
SANDPOINT — The U.S. Forest Service is gathering public comment on a land exchange with Stimson Lumber Co. that’s designed to improve recreation access and wildlife habitat near Hope.
The Sandpoint Ranger District completed an Environmental Assessment of the proposed Hope-Sagle land exchange and the public comment period is open for the next 30 days.
If approved, the exchange will add a 922-acre parcel of private land near Hope to the national forest system. In return, the Forest Service will exchange some or all of 1,821 acres of scattered parcels of national forest lands in Bonner County.
The 10 public parcels to be traded to Stimson are located on Grouse Mountain northeast of Priest River, near Algoma Lake, southwest of Blacktail Mountain, north of Three Sisters Peaks near Bayview, northwest of Farragut State Park, north of Spirit Lake and south of Oldtown.
The public would gain a 922-acre parcel owned by Stimson near Becker Draw.
The Forest Service selected parcels to trade that were difficult to manage because of access or because they were isolated from contiguous portions of national forest.
Although 1,821 acres of national forest lands are on the trading block, the total number of acres exchanged by the Forest Service will not exceed the value of the property being acquired. Based on current market valuations, it’s estimated the final land exchange would be approximately an acre-for-acre swap.
The Forest Service initiated discussions about the land swap with Stimson in 2001, according to the EA.
“Completing the land exchange would not only consolidate the lands we manage, but also allow the Forest Service to provide an opportunity to relocate the trailhead for Bee Top Trail, and secure important elk and fisheries habitat,” district Ranger Dick Kramer said in a statement.
Bee Top Trail No. 120, despite being designated a National Recreation Trail, currently lacks a trailhead. The designation is meant to recognize exemplary trails of local and regional significance.
The land exchange is also expected to aid grizzly bear management in the Lightning Grizzly Bear Management Unit and increase lower-elevation spring range for ungulate species such as white-tailed deer, moose and elk.
“We have worked on this project for a long time and I am happy that we have finally gotten to this point,” said Kramer.
The land trade has the support of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, Bonner County Sportsmen’s Association and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Kramer said RMEF has contributed financial and technical support toward the swap.
• The Environmental Assessment, which includes a map of the affected lands, can be downloaded from the Forest Service’s website (fs.usda.gov/goto/ipnf/hope_sagle).