MIDVALE, Idaho — The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday announced it acquired 390 acres of land in western Idaho in an effort to preserve "critical" habitat protection for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in the area.
BLM said the land was purchased from the Nature Conservancy with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The parcel is located 11 miles west of Midvale.
The recently-purchased land is also located next to BLM's 4,200-acre Hixon Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Area of Critical Environmental Concern. According to BLM, the area supports western Idaho's largest and "one of the last known populations of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse."
The Nature Conservancy, BLM and Idaho Fish and Game have managed the environmental area since 1987.
“The Nature Conservancy has been a good partner in management and originally purchased this property to prevent future development on the breeding grounds for the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse,” BLM Boise District Manager Tanya Thrift said. “Bringing this parcel into public ownership helps ensure this critical piece of wildlife habitat benefits the grouse, while also providing other public land recreation opportunities.”
A map of the land acquired by BLM west of Midvale is shown below:
Additionally, the 390-acre area of land in western Idaho will be open to the public year-round, according to BLM.
BLM said the purchase aligns with the America the Beautiful initiative, which is focused on conserving fish and wildlife habitat while also expanding access to public lands.
“Decades of successful co-management with the BLM made our goal to conserve vital sagebrush steppe habitat across this landscape possible,” Director of Communications for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, Megan Grover-Cereda said. “We are thrilled the next step in our partnership will continue to offer public benefits and safeguard undeveloped and connected lands that wildlife, including Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, need to thrive.”
For more information on the Land and Water Conservation Fund and BLM's purchase, click here.
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