Q: Thanks for the wealth of knowledge and research you provide and share every week in the outdoors section. As an avid outdoorsman, I appreciate it very much.
I am looking to float the Boise River and access some of the islands. People have told me some of the islands are private. Is this true?
If so, is there an easy way to tell which islands are private and which are not?
J.P., via email
A: I’ve floated the Lower Boise River a couple of times, and this section of the river and the islands are pretty neat.
I checked with Idaho Fish and Game on this question.
Yes, most of the islands in the Lower Boise River are private and are associated with adjacent ownership on one bank or the other, according to Jerry Deal with Fish and Game.
The islands are typically posted, he said, or have some signs of cultivation.
He suggests the best way to make sure of land ownership anywhere is to check the plat files at the county assessor’s office. This is a tip a lot of outdoor folks can use in determining private and public lands.
The Idaho Department of Lands also holds several public access easements along the banks of the river. As you get farther downstream closer to the confluence of the Snake River, the islands in the river where the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area is on both banks would be part of the WMA and public land. There are very few of them.
Gold Island, a 330-acre island adjacent to Fort Boise WMA in the Snake River, is owned by Idaho Fish and Game.
Most of the other islands in the area in the Snake River are public and part of the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. They are usually posted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Blue Goose” signs, Deal said.
BOGUS SNOW LEVEL
Several readers have asked me about snow levels at Bogus Basin and where we get our measurements for the Idaho Outdoors snow report when the ski area is not posting them.
I usually refer to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service website, which gives snow depths at a bunch of places throughout the state.
The federal agency has Snotel sites scattered around, and there’s one at Bogus Basin. It has been showing around 11 inches of snow, and I wondered how it could be that deep when other areas on the mountain are at 3 inches.
Ron Abramovich, a water-supply specialist with the NRCS, said the Snotel site at Bogus is in a pretty good spot and holds snow.
It is opposite the Showcase Chairlift at 6,100 feet in elevation.
“It is north-facing and holds on to snow. I was at Pioneer Lodge last weekend and the north-facing slopes (Chairs 3 and 5) reflect what we are measuring at this site,” he said.
“One more good storm would help,” Abramovich said.
Pete Zimowsky: 377-6445
