SHOSHONE, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Shoshone Field Office approved a land exchange with Idaho’s Blue Canyon Corporation. The BLM, Blue Canyon Corporation and Wood River Land Trust initiated the land exchange in an effort to resolve a long-standing inadvertent trespass and to meet the land tenure adjustment objectives of the BLM Shoshone Field Office, which include acquiring lands with higher resource values than the lands considered for disposal. All lands involved in the exchange are located in Blaine County, Idaho.

Under the land exchange, the BLM would convey one parcel of federal land totaling approximately 20 acres to Blue Canyon Corporation for the acquisition of two parcels of non-federal land totaling about 547 acres, owned by the Wood River Land Trust and under option to the Blue Canyon Corporation. Land exchanges are processed on an equal value basis rather than acre-for-acre. This particular land exchange consolidates land ownership patterns for more effective and efficient management and enables BLM to acquire important wildlife habitat, including preliminary priority habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse, key habitat for pygmy rabbits, crucial mule deer winter range, and mule deer, pronghorn and elk migration routes and wetland and riparian habitat.

The federal lands are situated approximately one mile north of Ketchum, Idaho. The non-federal parcels are located approximately 25 miles south of Ketchum.

The BLM prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that described a proposed action and alternatives. This EA, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Decision Record can be found at the following website: https://www.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/projectSummary.do?methodName=renderDefaultProjectSummary&projectId=23352. 

The BLM welcomes comments regarding the land exchange. Comments should be submitted in writing to Holly Hampton, Assistant Shoshone Field Manager/Monument Manager, 400 West F Street, Shoshone, Idaho 83352, on or before November 26, 2012.