Idaho Department of Fish and Game to decide Cd'A River land purchase

Idaho Department of Fish and Game will decide Cd’A River land purchase IDFG considers chinook fishery Controlled tags must be purchased Aug. 1

Idaho Department of Fish and Game commissioners will vote this week on whether to acquire a 36-acre property along the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

The land purchase would protect riparian lands of the Lambros property approximately three miles north of Interstate 90.

The property has a mixture of large cottonwoods, cedar and aspen and willow, dogwood, alder and grass fields. Fish and Game says the $450,000 purchase will benefit wildlife and cutthroat trout.

The property is adjacent to a 17-acre parcel where IDFG holds a conservation easement to protect fish habitat, and it borders U.S. Forest Service land. The acquisition will be paid with funding provided by Avista mitigation for Post Falls dam.

At this week’s Idaho Fish and Game Commission meeting in Idaho Falls commissioners will consider setting a fall chinook salmon season.

Because of low returns, IDFG closed much of its chinook waters to fishing for the sea run salmon earlier this year including its South Fork of the Salmon River and Clearwater fishery.

The department has surveyed anglers asking for input on how to manage the chinook fishery in the future.

Successful hunters in the 2020 Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing must purchase their controlled hunt tags by Aug. 1 or forfeit them.

All unclaimed tags, along with controlled hunt tags no one applied for, will be available in a second drawing, with the application period running from Aug. 5 through Aug. 15, according to IDFG.

Successful applicants for the second drawing will be notified by Aug. 25.

After the second drawing, any leftover tags will be sold first-come, first-served beginning Aug. 26.

— From staff reports