IPPLI Agreement and Legislative Proposal
Introduction
For more than two years, representatives of motorized recreation groups, mountain bikers, conservation organizations, timber companies, sportsman, landowners, and other stakeholders worked together through the Idaho Panhandle Public Lands Initiative (IPPLI) to develop a shared vision for the future of public lands in Bonner and Boundary Counties.
The proposal reflects areas of agreement among participants and seeks to balance conservation, recreation, forest management, access, and private property interests. While no participant received everything they wanted, the agreement demonstrates what can be achieved through local collaboration and compromise.
The maps below illustrate the proposed public land designations, travel management changes, land exchanges, and land transfers that make up the agreement.
Proposed Public Lands Designations and Travel Management Changes
Map: Proposed Public Lands Designations and Travel Management Changes (PDF size 36 x 48 Inches)
The proposal would:
- Establish the Selkirk Crest National Recreation Area (approximately 32,220 acres), protecting many of the Selkirks’ most iconic lakes and landscapes while allowing mountain biking, seasonal snowmobile use, trail maintenance, and active wildfire management.
- Designate approximately 39,600 acres of new wilderness in the Selkirk Crest.
- Add approximately 16,900 acres to the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, extending permanent protection to additional roadless lands near the Idaho-Washington border.
- Designate approximately 20 miles of the Upper Priest River as a Wild and Scenic River, protecting one of Idaho’s most outstanding river corridors.
- Maintain key recreation opportunities, including mountain biking on designated trails and continued over-snow vehicle access to select areas.
- Create new opportunities for motorized recreation through carefully targeted trail and road designations while also providing habitat protections for wildlife.
- Designate approximately 5,280 acres between wilderness and private lands as actively managed General Forest to help reduce wildfire risks and provide management flexibility.
Proposed Land Exchanges and Land Transfers
Map: Proposed Land Exchanges and Land Transfers (PDF size 36 x 48 Inches)
The agreement also includes a series of voluntary land exchanges designed to improve public land management and reduce conflicts associated with scattered ownership patterns.
The proposal would:
- Consolidate private inholdings located within priority conservation areas through voluntary exchanges with willing landowners.
- Consolidate state endowment lands through voluntary exchanges that would improve management efficiency while maintaining revenue-generating opportunities for Idaho schools.
- Require interested parties and the Forest Service to complete agreed-upon exchanges within three years.
- Transfer approximately 16,160 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands in Bonner and Boundary Counties to the Forest Service, creating more consistent management across public lands.
Why This Agreement Matters
The IPPLI proposal demonstrates that people with very different perspectives can come together to find common ground. The agreement:
- Protects important wildlife habitat, watersheds, and backcountry landscapes.
- Maintains and expands recreation opportunities.
- Supports active forest management where appropriate.
- Improves land ownership patterns through voluntary exchanges.
- Provides greater certainty for local communities, landowners, and public land users.
- Reflects a locally driven solution developed by people who know and care about North Idaho.
Read the Full Agreement
Download the complete IPPLI Legislative Proposal (PDF).