February 15, 2002
John Redding
(208) 378-5212
Carolyn Stone
(208) 378-5395
Public Meeting Set for Resource Management Plan
The Bureau of Reclamation will hold a public meeting March 6, to outline the process for a Resource Management Plan for the Minidoka North Side area. The meeting will be held from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., at the Burley Inn, 800 North Overland Avenue, Burley, Idaho
The scope covered by the plan is an area of about 16,000 acres near the Snake River in Minidoka, Jerome, and Cassia counties. Reclamation representatives will introduce the Resource Management Plan process and solicit public input.
The study area includes Minidoka Dam and about 120 scattered land parcels that are part of the Minidoka Project that were never developed for irrigation. The Resource Management Plan will serve as a blueprint for Reclamation’s future use, management, and development of these lands.
Minidoka Dam was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1909. The dam was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Minidoka Dam impounds Lake Walcott, one of five reservoirs associated within the larger Minidoka Project. Lake Walcott State Park is located adjacent to the lake on Reclamation property.
Reclamation is coordinating with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, its managing partner, for future planning related to the park. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the reservoir water surface and lands on the adjacent Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge. Unlike Lake Walcott State Park, the refuge is considered outside the Resource Management Plan study area.
Other lands in the vicinity are owned or managed by the Bureau of Land Management, A&B Irrigation District, Minidoka Irrigation District, private individuals and entities, and are used primarily for agriculture.
Issues to be addressed in the Resource Management Plan include land use coordination between the different entities and agencies; potential user conflicts and related safety and security issues; noxious weed control; unauthorized use; and protection and conservation of important or sensitive resources, such as wildlife and cultural resources.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, Reclamation will examine the potential effects of implementing the Resource Management Plan. The Resource Management Plan planning process for the Minidoka North Side lands is expected to take just under three years to complete.
The meeting will take place in facilities meeting accessibility requirements outlined in the American with Disabilities Act. Interested persons needing special assistance in this regard should contact Pam Brown, Accessibility Coordinator at (208) 678-0461 ext 32 at least one week before the scheduled meeting so that arrangements can be made. TTY/TDD # 1-800-833-6388.
For information about the Resource Management Plan contact Carolyn Burpee Stone, Bureau of Reclamation, 1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise ID 83706-1234, or by phone (208) 378-5395, or by Fax (208) 378-5305.