A portion of the land around Payette Lake that was once proposed to be swapped into the control of a private developer, has been leased to Valley County.
The county signed a deal with the Idaho Department of Lands for a two-year recreation lease on roughly 1.87 square miles of land, with a parcel on the west side of Payette Lake off Warren Wagon Rd., and another small parcel on the east side of the lake.
The idea came about after a community group, United Payette, sprouted up in opposition to a large-scale proposal that would have swapped unidentified timber lands in North Idaho for much of the land around Payette Lake. That company, Trident Holdings, was turned away by the Idaho Department of Lands. The group is suing the state over the decision, but took a year-long pause to see how recent elections turned out.
Valley County will start its 18-month lease on Thursday. It will pay the Idaho Land Endowment $11,666.78 this year and $20,000 next year.
United Payette said it would fund the county’s payments to the state with dollars from private donors.
The lease lets the county use the land for “non-commercial recreation” on a non-exclusive basis. The lease allows for a broad array of recreational activities on the land, from hiking and mountain biking to snowmobiling and ATV riding, as well as hunting fishing — and even huckleberry picking. The county is allowed to upgrade signage and improve trails.
If everything goes well, Valley County can ask as early as next April to sign a new lease that would start in 2025.
Producing revenue for endowment
Idaho’s endowment lands are managed by the Idaho Land Board to produce a monetary return for education. The state routinely engages in activities, like leases, timber sales and more to produce revenue from the land. Trident had hoped to buy timber lands from a private company in North Idaho, then trade those to the state in exchange for the McCall land. They then would have proceeded with unspecified commercial development on the land.
The Valey Co. deal helps produce some revenue for the land endowment and provides public recreation access.
The parcels leased by Valley County represent a portion of the overall Payette Endowment Lands Strategy area around McCall. PELS is a program by the Idaho Department of Lands to manage the future of the high-profile ground that frames Payette Lake. The PELS land covers about 8.5 square miles.
Trident Holdings’ proposal was originally even larger – hoping to put 26 square miles into private hands.
United Payette heralded the deal.
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
“The lease contains provisions for performing annual maintenance and conservation work, as well as restrictions on commercial glamping,” UP spokesperson Jeff Mousseau said. “This will provide the public with continued recreational opportunities to appreciate and support the state lands in our area.”
