Fish & Game OKs Clagstone easement

SANDPOINT — The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a 13,169-acre conservation easement for Clagstone Meadows Ranch on Nov. 17. The easement is worth $13.1 million, said IDFG, and includes both the Stimson Lumber Company-owned property and 1,263 acres on the western shore of Lake Pend Oreille at Cape Horn.

The conservation easement is meant to preserve the massive tract as a working forest with public access. The easement supplants at 1,200-unit housing development that was approved by Bonner County in 2010.

Stimson Lumber Co. proposed the housing development, but later pivoted and opted to keep the parcel intact for timber production.

The proposed easement was drawn into question by commissioners Todd Sudick and Glen Bailey in March, just as Idaho lawmakers were asked to accept funding for the easement. The commission said the easement project progressed without any coordination on how it may affect the county’s comprehensive land use plan, future tax base and impact on surrounding properties.

The Idaho Legislature has already approved funding for the purchase. The conservation easement will allow public access in perpetuity.

Funding for the easement will come from several sources.

IDFG will provide $2 million in federal Pittman-Robertson funds, the Forest Legacy Program will provide $5.6 million, the Trust for Public Lands will contribute another $2 million, and Stimson will give $3.6 million in value, said IDFG in a Nov. 21 release.

The Idaho Land Board authorized the Idaho Department of Lands to sign the easement Nov. 15.

The property provides habitat for waterfowl, ungulates, and predators, and has a history of mixed agricultural and forestry use.

“The conservation easement would protect both the continued management of timber and the property’s fish and wildlife resources, as well as public access to most of it,” Idaho Fish & Game officials said in a press release.

Portions of Clagstone Meadows fall within the State’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.

The easement has been welcomed by conservation groups and neighboring landowners who opposed the large-scale housing development. However, some residents have taken issue with the concept of paying a private business not to develop its land.