Bonner County natural resources panel reviews past caribou work, winter travel impacts; cannot act without quorum
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Summary
Committee members recounted a multi‑year coalition effort that reduced proposed caribou critical habitat acreage and discussed winter travel plan closures affecting snowmobiling; no formal votes were taken because the meeting lacked a quorum.
The Bonner County Natural Resources Committee reviewed its role as a county advisory and research body and recounted past multi‑year work with neighboring counties and federal agencies to limit proposed critical habitat designations for caribou — work committee members say reduced a proposed designation from about 376,000 acres to roughly 30,000 acres.
The committee chair (name not specified) described the committee’s purpose as “to act as a research and utilization interface between policies of the state and federal government that will impact Bonner County's property, especially the federally controlled lands that are in Bonner County.” The chair said the natural resources plan and the county comprehensive plan gave the county “standing” to press federal agencies on land‑use decisions: “It gave us standing,” the chair added.
Committee members said their earlier effort (around 2010–2012) formed a coalition of as many as 13 counties across Idaho, Montana and Washington that produced research and worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and federal courts to reduce the scope of a proposed critical‑habitat designation. The committee noted that critical habitat designations influence related processes such as winter travel plans for snowmobiling around Priest Lake, because those plans identify routes that are open or closed to protect habitat for species including caribou, lynx, wolverine and grizzly bear.
Members discussed a prior idea, pursued by the committee and partners, to use Good Neighbor Authority mechanisms to allow local or county entities to source private funds and design primitive campgrounds on federal lands (Clark Fork / Big Lightning Creek areas were cited). Committee members said materials and documentation from those earlier efforts remain available and could be revisited with a new administration.
The chair and other members emphasized that the committee only advises county decision‑makers; formal decisions rest with the Bonner County Board of Commissioners. Because the meeting lacked a quorum, committee members recorded updates and public comments but took no formal action.