Blaine Commissioners Oppose State Take-Over of Federal Lands

HAILEY, Idaho ( KMVT / KSVT ) - Blaine County’s Commissioners are speaking out against the idea of transferring federally-administered lands to the State of Idaho.

On Monday, the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution intended to recognize the value of federally-administered public lands in Idaho. The resolution clearly opposes the wholesale transfer of these lands to the State of Idaho or their privatization.

Blaine County is Idaho’s seventh largest county. It ranks fifth among Idaho counties in public land acres managed by the federal government. "We think it's important that we not ignore this issue, even though it seems latent at this time, that we not ignore it.

That we speak out about it and that we encourage other jurisdictions that feel similarly to consider a resolution like ours," said Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen. Schoen says he was encouraged to draft the resolution after he was approached by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.