Boise nonprofit needs $100K to buy 320 acres of Foothills open space. It has a month
A Boise nonprofit hopes to raise $100,000 to purchase a key piece of land in the Foothills and preserve it as open space. Officials say they have just over one month to secure the funding.
The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, which works to preserve land and open space in the Boise area, announced Thursday morning that it “has a golden opportunity” to purchase 320 acres — about half a square mile — for $250,000. The land is located near the Avimor and Hidden Springs planned communities north of Boise.
“These opportunities come very seldom,” Eric Grace, the nonprofit’s executive director, said in a news conference Thursday.
Grace said fundraising must be complete by late October or early November, when the organization expects to close on the property. In just 24 hours, Grace said, the Land Trust already raised $2,000. The Land Trust said it has already committed $173,000 to the project.
People can donate at the Land Trust website or by sending or delivering checks in person to the organization’s office at 708 W. Franklin St. in Boise.
The parcel is bordered to the east and south by public land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. To the north is Avimor-owned open space with existing trails. To the west, it’s bordered by Avimor property slated for development.
Land Trust officials said the current landowner approached the organization in hopes of selling the land while keeping it open to the public. If the Land Trust purchases the property, it could later sell it to the Bureau of Land Management, the executive director said.
According to Grace, there are unofficial trails already on the property that connect to Avimor and Bureau of Land Management routes. The Land Trust would look at developing new trails, potentially including one that could go to Stack Rock — though Grace noted the terrain would be extremely steep.
Grace said the area’s proximity to development and wildlife habitat makes it a key parcel for protection. The nonprofit said the space is winter range for several wildlife species, including elk, mule deer, sage grouse and black bears. It’s not yet clear if the area would need to be closed in the winter to protect wintering animals, Grace added.
The news release said it’s the group’s biggest undertaking in more than a decade. In 2010, the Land Trust raised more than $500,000 to purchase the Harrison Hollow area, a 58-acre parcel off of Bogus Basin and Hill roads. The area is now part of the 260-acre Hillside to Hollow reserve after the city of Boise purchased the remaining land. The land trust will also spend the next month repairing erosion on Harrison Hollow Trail, one of the most popular routes in Boise’s Ridge to Rivers system.
This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 11:42 AM.
