[Vision2020] LMT -- Everyone hears this tree fall

[Area Man (Dan C)]

I'm all for private property rights, but DANG!  This could affect a lot
of people.
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Everyone hears this tree fall

By DEAN A. FERGUSON of the Tribune

BOISE -- Potlatch Corp. could lock up 670,000 acres in the heart of
north central Idaho, ending a 102-year legacy of free public use. 
The company's land holdings include 54,000 acres in the St. Joe River
Basin that could be protected from development if a deal to buy
development rights is finalized. 

Closing the 670,000 acres from Coeur d'Alene to Orofino is a real
option, Potlatch spokesman Mark Benson told a joint meeting between
House and Senate environment and resources committees Wednesday. 

"The bottom line is public use of private forest land is on the
increase," Benson said. 

Potlatch Corp. loses about $300,000 a year to people who destroy
seedlings with snow machines and four-wheelers, wreck roads with
mud-bogging pickup trucks and leave a trail of litter and busted gates. 

There are other options to closing the land, Benson said. 

The company could lease access to private or state interests, sell
access permits, or sell conservation easements to retain public access
and stop development. 

Sen. Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, organized three days of hearings at the
Statehouse to deal with the "emerging issue" of access. 

"Private land has value," Schroeder said. "People are willing to pay for
sporting access." 

The issue arose on the East Coast 15 years ago and has finally arrived
in Idaho, Schroeder said. He hopes the state can find ways to keep open
lands the public has used for hunting, berry picking and exploring for
generations. 

A couple of lawmakers expressed surprise to hear that a deal in the St.
Joe Basin was in danger of collapsing. 

"If we want to help with this easement program, how much money would it
take to match the 25 percent nonfederal match to finish the St. Joe
project?" asked Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum. 

The deal needs $2 million in private or state money to match $8 million
in federal money, Benson said. He added, however, that Bush
administration cuts make federal dollars through the U.S. Forest Service
tougher to come by. For that money, the easement would effectively tie
up a total of 80,000 acres of Potlatch Corp. land, Benson said. 

Schroeder told the Lewiston Tribune he would support an effort to find
the money, possibly looking for it in the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game budget. 

By closing Potlatch land, the company also might cut off access routes
into public land, noted Sen. David Langhorst, D-Boise, who is a hunter
and fisherman. 

Benson didn't have the figures but pledged to let lawmakers know how
much public land the closure of Potlatch Corp. forests would seal off. 

"We could spend $2 million to build an equestrian center or $2 million
to secure 80,000 acres for Idaho hunters, fishermen and families for
perpetuity," Langhorst said. 

Langhorst was referring to Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's proposal to pay $2
million for about 30 to 40 acres of land next to J.R. Simplot's Boise
mansion, which was donated to the state. The land includes a horse barn.


Benson said Potlatch is not close to a decision about how to deal with
the issue of access to its forests. He also said the company's new
status as a real estate investment trust has no bearing on the outcome
of the decision. 

It's a decision that will include consideration of the company's
102-year heritage, the company's neighbors and the company's
shareholders. 

"We believe we get one chance to do this right," Benson said. 
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Tread lightly, Moscow,

DC