Pro public lands access bill dies in committee

Last week, House Bill 101 was voted down in the House Resources & Conservation Committee. The bill was similar in form to legislation that also appeared last session and would have required that any public access right of way to public lands and waters vacated at the county level would have to be replaced by equivalent access. IWF testified in support of the bill.

As Idaho grows and develops, ensuring continued access to our shared public lands will only become a more pressing concern. We only have to look to the “No Trespassing” signs that have cropped up in the wake of land purchases by developers such as the Wilks Brothers to understand the risk – as more private land changes hands and values about public access among landowners may shift, the limited access points we still have will become all the more precious.

While this legislation would have been a positive for public access, the objections raised to the bill centered around potential fiscal impacts to counties. Many of Idaho’s counties are largely made up of public land, and IWF looks forward to working with counties to help inform future legislation that can ensure we have continued access to our public lands without creating an undue financial burden at the county level.

IWF would like to thank Representative Rasor for introducing the bill. Remember, it is always a good time to contact your elected representatives and tell them that public lands and public access are a vital component of the Idaho way of life.

For updates on more legislation that IWF is monitoring this session, check out our bill tracker here.