[Vision2020] The Cedars

[Mark Solomon]

Good thoughts, but I'm not aware of the county 
owning any property beyond the courthouse, 
fairgrounds, Robinson Park and Phillips Park. 
Somehow exchange or $$ value has to appear. 
Almost 15 years ago we had the support of then 
Congressman LaRocco to include the cedars as part 
of the Arkansas/Potlatch land exchange but that 
was nixed by Senator Craig. Then in 1992 we lost 
half the orginal section fo land as part of the 
Lindstrom Peak exchange between the state and 
Bennett Lumber (although the initiation of that 
exchange actually goes back to Plum Creek Timber 
threatening to cut critical winter range elk 
habitat in the Little N. Fk Clearwater R. 
headwaters unless someone bought them out.

Mark

At 9:40 AM -0900 1/25/06, Chris Storhok wrote:
>Mark,
>I imagine the county owns property that can be traded to the school land
>trust for the parcel.  I have a hunch if you could show the legislature that
>by keeping the cedars in the school land trust the state will lose money on
>that site.  Perhaps one of the V2020 participants who has access to school
>land trust property values, timber sales data, and the cost of site
>management can put together a study that could demonstrate that the state
>would be better off to sell (or exchange) the land with the county. 
>
>Another thought, are there any other large land swaps in the works similar
>to what the state put together with the USFS and BLM to preserve the Boise
>foothills?
>
>Phil, do you know of any mining companies who may need to make a land trade
>with the state that can take advantage of this parcel?
>
>There must be a solution, the "cedars" is just to valuable as a natural
>area.
>
>Chris 
>   
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
>On Behalf Of Mark Solomon
>Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 9:20 AM
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] The Cedars
>
>Chris,
>
>Thanks for the support. Turning it into a county park could be the
>second step. The first big hurdle is getting it out of the school
>lands trust and I somewhat doubt that the legislature would fund
>creation of a county park outright.
>
>m.
>
>>Mark,
>>I am glad to see that the cedar grove is back in the news, I hope this time
>>you will be able to lock that site up for good.  Is it possible that the
>>site can become a county park?  Latah County has such a wonderful park
>>system and I am sure Andy Grant, the park staff, and local volunteers would
>>be able to manage and tend the area better than State Parks could. T
>>	The county can apply for a LWCF grant to fund acquisition and
>>upgrades to the site.  Use of LWCF funds also means that the county must
>>preserve the site in perpetuity as a park. I also believe that adjacent
>>landowners may be more willing to grant easements or also outright sell or
>>donate neighboring parcels to help with formation of a locally owned park.
>>
>>	I wish you the best of luck in preserving the cedars.  I sure loved
>>hiking and skiing through there when I lived in the county and I hope that
>>future generations can enjoy the grove as well.
>>
>>Chris Storhok
>
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