IDFG secures Clearwater sportsmen access

Idaho Fish and Game purchased a 9-acre parcel 12 miles upstream of Kooskia known locally as Harpster Hole — which includes 3,600 feet of South Fork Clearwater River frontage that is directly adjacent to Idaho Highway 14.

The $25,000 purchase was among two land deals in the Clearwater Region and is meant to preserve access to a stretch of Clearwater River frontage that is a popular destination for salmon and steelhead anglers.

In addition, Fish and Game through a land exchange added more public access to the Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The department added 360 acres of private land at the core of the management area, which is a popular bird and big game hunting area south of Lewiston. The land was exchanged for similarly-valued IDFG property at the edge of the management area.

— Ralph Bartholdt