When the transaction is complete the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho will own and manage the land. BPA will receive a conservation easement to ensure that the habitat is protected in perpetuity. The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho will provide long-term stewardship and develop a management plan to guide the protection and enhancement of habitat on the property. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the management plan before BPA approves it. The plan will prevent activities that could damage fish and wildlife habitats (such as open pit mining, grazing, etc.) from occurring on this land. The purchase is expected in the winter of 2012.
BPA proposes to fund the acquisition of this property as part of ongoing efforts to mitigate for wildlife habitat losses due to the construction and inundation of Albeni Falls Dam. The Kootenai River watershed supports local populations of migratory waterfowl, neotropical birds, raptors, elk, deer, and moose. The parcel is located in an area significant to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and evidence of traditional use goes back thousands of years. Purchasing this property will not impact surround prime agricultural lands and farming operations.
BPA has prepared a memo and environmental checklist documenting that funding the property purchase and conservation easement is categorically excluded under the National Environmental Policy Act, and that further environmental review of this funding action is therefore not required. This categorical exclusion was approved on January 6, 2012 and has been posted on BPA’s website at:
http://www.efw.bpa.gov/environmental_services/categoricalexclusions.aspx.
If you have any questions about this proposal or would like additional information, please contact Virgil Lee Watts, BPA, at (503) 230-4625, via e-mail at vlwatts@bpa.gov, or toll free at (800) 622-4519. Be sure to reference the “Mirror Lake Purchase."
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| The area enclosed in red is the land proposed for the Mirror Lake purchase. |