Continued public access to the lands surrounding Payette Lake was the primary concern of people interviewed at a presentation last week on a potential land exchange.

The Idaho Department of Lands hosted public meetings in Cascade, McCall and New Meadows last week to detail a proposed swap that would see the agency trade ownership of about 15,700 acres around the lake to the U.S. Forest Service. In exchange, the Forest Service could trade up to 10 times as much productive timberland throughout the state.

The forest surrounding Payette Lake could become managed by the U.S. Forest Service instead of the state, according to a proposal being explored by Idaho's Department of Lands.

The state is considering trading nearly 16,000 acres of endowment land around Payette Lake for federal land spread across Idaho.

By the United Payette Steering Team: Jeff Canfield, Randy Fox, Brian Harris, Kristin Sinclair, Craig Utter, Chris Vetter.

United Payette believes this land exchange can benefit Idaho, Valley County, and the public. This exchange may be the only real hope for maintaining public access and protecting the North Fork of the Payette River watershed.

The exchange has the potential to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect water quality.

A proposal to trade thousands of acres of state land around Payette Lake could help maintain public access to the lands, according to the Idaho Department of Lands. 

On Monday, IDL staffers briefed Valley County officials on the framework of a proposal that would trade nearly 16,000 acres of land around Payette Lake to the Payette National Forest. 

Public meetings on a potential land exchange of endowment lands around Payette Lake for federal lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled for later this month.

The potential exchange could involve up to about 15,700 acres of state-managed endowment land around Payette Lake. 

The State Board of Land Commissioners has requested that the Idaho Department of Lands(IDL) move forward with seeking a potential land swap with the federal government. The potential exchange still has a long way to go, but locals in McCall are supporting the exchange.

A proposal that could help preserve long-term public access to state endowment lands around Payette Lake is being formally evaluated by the Idaho Department of Lands. 

Last week the State Land Board, which is made up of the state’s top elected officials, directed IDL staff to complete more detailed work that could finalize parameters of a deal with the Forest Service. 

Valley County residents have weighed regarding their concerns about the future of the state endowment lands that surround a majority of the lakes. The results of this survey conducted by the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources overwhelming support keeping these lands out of private ownership.‍ ‍Click the link below to see the survey results.

The forests and shoreline surrounding Payette Lake define this mountain community, and a new survey shows Valley County residents want to keep it that way.

United Payette, a coalition of organizations and individuals working to conserve endowment lands around Payette Lake and Little Payette Lake, surveyed nearly 6,700 Valley County residents this summer about a potential land exchange. More than 840 people responded.

Nearly all Valley County residents worry about the privatization of public lands surrounding Payette Lake, according to a recent survey conducted by a public lands advocacy group. 

According to a recent survey, 91% of respondents in Valley County were very or extremely concerned that the state lands surrounding the Payette Lakes could be sold and privatization.

Published by the Star-News on Thursday, May 15th, 2025. Republished here with permission. United Payette will send out surveys to over 6,000 addresses across Valley County seeking public opinion on the prospect of future endowment lands management.

More than 2,000 acres of state endowment land around Payette Lake would become part of the Payette National Forest under an exchange being negotiated by the Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands. 

The City of McCall will join a task force formed to evaluate proposals that would make state endowment lands around Payette Lake part of the Payette National Forest.

Published by the Star-News on Thusday, Feb. 8th, 2024. Republished here with permission

Coverage of United Payette’s Public Lands Clean Up. Published by the Star-News in McCall on Sept. 13th. Republished here w/ permission.

By the Idaho Conservation League. Sept. 7th, 2023

Published by and photo by BoiseDev on May 30th, 2023.

Published by the Idaho Statesman on May 30th, 2023.

Published by Boise State Public Radio on May 31st, 2023.

Written by Don Day. Published in BoiseDev on Monday, February 27th, 2023. Photo: Don Day/BoiseDev

This article was originally published in the Star-News in mcCall on Thursday, Dec. 15th, 2022. It is republished here with permission.

This article was originally published in the Star-News in McCall on Thursday, Dec. 15th, 2022. It is republished here with permission.

This article was originally published in the Star-News in McCAll on Thursday, October 20th. It is republished here with permission.

This article was originally published in the Star-News in McCall on Thursday, August 18th. It is republished here with permission.

This Letter to the Editor was originally published in the Star-News in McCall on Thursday, August 18th. It is republished here with permission.

This story was originally published in The Star-News in McCall on Thursday, July 21st, 2022. It is republished here with permission.

This story was originally published in the Idaho Capital Sun on Thursday, June 30th.

This story was originally published in The Star-News in McCall on Thursday, June 23 2022. It is republished here with permission.

Written by Keith Ridler for the Associated Press. Published on Tuesday, June 21st, 2022.

Written by Don Day. Published in BoiseDev on Tuesday, June 21st.

This story was originally published in The Star-News in McCall on Thursday, May 12th 2022. It is republished here with permission.

Written by Don Day, Published in BoiseDev on Tuesday, May 3rd

By Don Day, BoiseDev

This story was originally published in The Star-News in McCall on Thursday, April 28, 2022. It is republished here with permission.

KIVI Channel 6 kivitv.com

Learn the latest about the Payette endowment lands, the outlook for 2022 and the importance of working on short-term, conservation-based safeguards for these lands while long-term, permanent solutions are explored. Photo credit: Angie Smith

Press Release about the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Valley County and United Payette

Signed MOU between Valley County and United Payette

Boisedev.com

Photo credit: Autum Robertson, BoiseDev

BoiseDev.com

KIVI Channel 6

boisedev.com

Public News Service

AP News

UP Press Release