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Local family establishes conservation easement
on large forest land parcel |
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March 11, 2015 |
Seven hundred forty-eight acres of forestland in
Boundary County will be conserved as working
forest and wildlife habitat in perpetuity after
the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), in
partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the
U.S. Forest Service, purchased a conservation
easement from the Hubbard family in February.
For more than half a century, the Hubbard family
has lived on and actively managed the property
for timber production, farming, wildlife
habitat, and recreation. The activities support
jobs and revenue in industries vital to northern
Idaho’s economy. The property provides habitat
and connectivity for Idaho’s iconic wildlife
such as elk, moose, white-tailed deer, black
bear, mountain lion, and several sensitive bird
species.
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below this photo)
“This conservation easement assures the property
we have owned and sustainably managed for three
generations will remain intact as a working
forest, leaving a legacy of conservation for our
heirs,” members of the Hubbard family said. “We
would like to thank those who helped our family
with this most important and rewarding project,
the Idaho Department of Lands, The Nature
Conservancy, and Greg Johnson, Idaho Department
of Fish and Game retiree.”
The conservation easement acquisition was funded
entirely through the Forest Service’s Forest
Legacy Program, which protects environmentally
and economically important forests from
conversion to non-forest uses. Nationally, the
program has protected more than two million
acres of forestland in 48 states and
territories.
Using federal grant funds, IDL purchased the
easement for a discounted price, and the Hubbard
family contributed the difference as donated
land value. Additionally, this conservation
achievement would not have happened without
significant contributions by The Nature
Conservancy.
"We are grateful to the Hubbard family for their
commitment to keeping these forests working,
while also providing vital wildlife habitat,"
said Kennon McClintock, watershed manager for
the Conservancy in Idaho. "Working
collaboratively with local families, IDL and the
Forest Service, we've been able to conserve this
amazing area of Boundary County for people and
nature."
“The Idaho Department of Lands strives to
provide landowners with the tools necessary to
protect and sustain their natural resources,”
IDL Director Tom Schultz said. “All Idahoans
will benefit from the continued economic
contributions of these sustainably managed
timberlands and the protection of water,
wildlife habitat and open space.” |
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