Valley Commissioners Oppose Cougar Island Sale

Letter to state worries about loss of ‘way of life’ 

BY DREW DODSON

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

Valley County commissioners said Monday they are opposed to the planned auction of Cougar Island in Payette Lake.

A letter approved by commissioners on Monday asks the Idaho Department of Lands to stop the auction so that ways to keep the island public can be developed. 

The auction would result in a “degradation of the resources we value and a way of life we envision remaining in perpetuity,” the letter said. 

The 14.2-acre island is set to be auctioned sometime this year. 

State law requires the state land board to reconsider endowment land sales when the local county commission objects, IDL spokeperson Sharla Arledge said. 

“Although the board has not yet received Valley County’s letter, the land board is likely to reconsider its decision at a future public meeting,” she said. 

Selling Cougar Island to the highest bidder could lead to development that would harm water quality in Payette Lake, the City of McCall’s source of drinking water, commissioners said in the letter. 

“Our pristine water source must be protected for future generations,” the letter said. “This water source also serves other communities along the river corridor.”

The auction would allow bidders to bid on the whole island or on any of the five currently platted parcels, one of which currently has a cabin on it. 

The letter urged the state to instead work toward a permanent solution for the entire island with the county, City of McCall and United Payette, a local endowment land conservation coalition. 

“These solutions could include incorporating Cougar Island as a public park which would continue to be enjoyed by all while helping to safeguard water quality,” the letter said. 

The Cougar Island auction would mark the first auction under a state plan to sell 377 acres of endowment land around Payette Lake within 20 years. 

Publication Date: Thursday, May 12, 2022