Tim Blixseth trades about 40,000 acres of land in Idaho, along the Montana-Idaho border near Lolo Pass to the U.S. Forest Service

About 40,000 acres of land in Idaho, along the Montana-Idaho border near Lolo Pass, is in the process of being conveyed to the U.S. Forest Service as part of a land swap with Western Pacific Timber, LLC (WPT).

WPT, partially owned by timber baron and former Yellowstone Club owner Tim Blixseth, purchased the land from Plum Creek Timber Co. in late 2005 with the intent to broker an exchange, a maneuver used in the past by Blixseth to add value to his holdings. The company entered into an agreement with the Forest Service last September to initiate the exchange and an environmental impact statement is currently underway.

The land is composed of about 60 square-mile checkerboard blocks intermingled with Clearwater National Forest land, encompassing the headwaters of the Lochsa River and home to threatened and endangered species. The historic Lolo Trail, used by migrating Nez Perce Indians and later by Lewis and Clark, runs through it.

The swap would effectively extend the reach of the Montana Legacy Project into Idaho, according to Teresa Trulock, project manager with the Clearwater.

By: Matthew Frank

Full Story: http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=5FBC215A-14D1-1357-9C2FA717B79DD7EF