Five Years
In Review
Message From Board President
Tom Lucia
Dear Members and Friends of the Sagebrush
Steppe Regional Land Trust:
It is hard to believe it has been over 5 years since the
original Land Trust Board members got together to
start working to create a locally based voluntary land
conservation organization for Southeastern Idaho.
We are very fortunate indeed to have come such a
long way in a very short time, protecting over 1,120
acres combined! As we reflect on what made this
possible, we recognize that this was accomplished
through the hard work and dedication of individu-
als, organizations, and concerned partners within our
community. The spectacular conservation achieve-
ments described in the following pages—the natu-
ral resources safeguarded, the working farms and
ranches protected, all spring from strong community
support.
We are excited to be working to protect open
spaces, working farmlands, and important wildlife
Continued on page 2
A publication of Sagebrush Steppe Regional Land Trust, PO Box 1404, Pocatello ID 83204
(208) 241-4662 • joselin.matkins@sagebrushlandtrust.org • www.sagebrushlandtrust.org
Letter From the President
Message From Board President Tom Lucia
Continued from cover
habitat in our community, and even more excited by the community
support we have received in these first few years. The outreach connec-
tions we are developing will be crucial to our conservation successes, and
they will help assure that our work today endures long into the future.
As we compiled the list of the Land Trust’s accomplishments, it is appar-
ent that we are furthering those desires of the community at large that
share our concern and vision for what we want Southeast Idaho to look
like well into the future. People want to live here because of the quality
of life and the lifestyle Southeast Idaho has to offer. We are passionate
about preserving these special places, and we will continue to work for
all Idahoans to keep these lands protected. We have just scratched the Tom Lucia, Board President
surface, but it’s a start. We all recognize there is so much more to do.
Involvement in SSRLT is a great way to accomplish on-the-land
protection of the places your love. I would like to extend a big “Thank
You” to all of our members and partners for providing the energy, hard
work, and financial support required to pursue our collective goals.
Tom Lucia, President
Our Mission Advisors
Our mission is to protect and enhance natural and working Randy Budge
lands, now and for future generations, in Southeastern Idaho. Geoff Hogander
David Maguire
Deb Mignogno
Quick Facts Brent Nichols
Originated in 2003 by area volunteers
Paula Jones
Board Governed
Full-time Executive Director
Non-profit public Benefit Corporation Board
Membership based Lance Bethke
Community Supported Bill Davidson
Work with willing landowners Joan Hansen
Serves Southeastern Idaho Marjanna Hulet
115 Members Tom Lucia
Garry Ratzlaff
Bonnie Shaw
Executive Director Babette Thorpe
Joselin Matkins
Brent Nichols
Deb Mignogno
Land Protected
1,120 acres protected
Service Area
Bannock County • Bear Lake County
Contact Us Bingham County • Caribou County
Po Box 1404, Pocatello ID 83204 Franklin County• Onieda County
joselin.matkins@sagebrushlandtrust.org Power County
Phone: (208) 241-4662
2
Our Work
Conservation
Five Years of Voluntary Land Conservation in Southeast Idaho
The Sagebrush Steppe Regional Land Trust (SSRLT) use. Over time, we hope to serve as the primary
was established in 2004 by area volunteers interested networking conduit between citizens, sportsmen,
in safeguarding our region’s quality of life, now and contractors and developers, local, state and federal
for future generations, by helping to protect the agencies, farmland protection agencies, and any
natural and working lands that make Southeastern other groups concerned with open space conser-
Idaho such as wonderful place to live, work, and vation, fish and wildlife conservation, and con-
play! We are Board governed, servation of wildlands and
with a full-time Executive wetlands.
Director. We work with will- Working in the
ing landowners to protect and seven Southeastern Idaho
enhance natural and working Counties: Bannock, Bear
lands in Southeastern Idaho. Lake, Bingham, Caribou,
We are membership based and Franklin, Onieda, and
community supported. Since Power, the Land Trust is
its inception, the SSRLT has rapidly becoming a leader
secured legal counsel, wrote in efforts to protect critical
its articles of incorporation habitat and provide private
received 501(c)(3) status, landowners with a mecha-
established numerous partner- nism to protect their land,
ships with land management now and for future genera-
agencies and stakeholder tions. To date, the Land
groups, and protected 1,120 Trust has completed 11 proj-
acres in southeastern Idaho. ects protecting 1,108 acres
Protection of Southeastern in 3 of our 7 service area
Idaho’s natural open spaces and counties, Bingham, Caribou,
working lands is vital to main- and Franklin.
taining our region’s high qual-
ity of life. We envision a future
in which population growth
and development is matched
by land protection, thus creat-
ing and maintaining a high quality and balanced
environment for future generations. The Land Trust
is accomplishing its mission by partnering with pub-
lic and private landowners to identify methods and
options for protecting sensitive open spaces for the
We envision a future in
benefit of landowners, wildlife, and thepublic. Also which population growth
critical to accomplishing our mission, we are work- and development is matched
ing with landowners to explore possible income and
estate tax benefits for open space protection, fund- by land protection, thus
raising to enable purchase of critical and sensitive creating and maintaining a
lands or easements, and increasing public awareness
of the needs for and benefits of protecting sensi-
high quality and balanced
tive lands and open spaces for public and wildlife environment for future
generations.
3
Service Area Map
4
Conservation
Lands Easements and Preserves
Protected
During this past 5 years, the Sagebrush Steppe Regional Land Trust completed 11 conservation projects
that protected 1,120 acres. This accomplishment include:
• conservation easement purchases totaling 149 acres
• conservation easement donations totaling 800 acres
• land purchases totaling 159 acres
Conservation Easements Acreage Watershed Date
Henderson Preserve 210 Bear River 2008
Mink Creek Canyon Ranch 600 Bear River 2007
Twin Creeks Ranch 100 Bear River 2007
Cove Easement 1/Olsen 0.25 Bear River 2006
Cove Easement 2/Hansen 0.04 Bear River 2006
Cove Easement 3/McCurdy 0.68 Bear River 2006
Cove Easement 4/Olsen 0.24 Bear River 2006
Cove Easement 5/Harris 1.0 Bear River 2006
Robert Lehman Cedar Creek Preserve 37 Blackfoot River 2006
Fee Title SSRLT Preserves Acreage Watershed Date
Kackley Preserve 157 Bear River 2006
Cove Preserve 2.3 Bear River 2006
Our conservation work protected working farms and ranches, riparian forests, natural areas,
wildlife habitat and recreational access as follows:
• All 11 projects protect habitat for the plant and wildlife species in SE Idaho
• 2 active farm and ranch parcels
• 1 parcel with public access to the Bear River
• 11 parcels that protected wildlife habitat and riparian areas
• 9 projects that protect important habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout
• 1 project that enhances and protects important habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
5
Lands Protected
Henderson Preserve
The 210-acre Henderson Conservation Easement
is located along the Bear River in Franklin County.
The conservation easement permanently protects
the property’s diverse open space values, including
riparian woodlands and prime agricultural and ranch
lands. The conservation easement allows the land-
owners to continue traditional farming and ranch-
ing, but forever prohibits development and harmful
uses and activities on the property.
Mink Creek Canyon Ranch
The 600-acre Mink Creek property is located in
the Bear River watershed in the upper reaches of
Mink Creek. The property consists of woodlands,
sagebrush steppe habitat, cultivated fields and ranch
lands, and riparian and riverine habitat. These
habitats support a wide range of wildlife including
waterfowl, neotropical migrant birds, raptors, upland
game birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Mink
Creek also supports one of the best populations
of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in the Bear River
Drainage.
Twin Creeks Ranch
The 100-acre Twin Creeks property is located in the
Bear River Watershed. The land consists of working
ranch lands, sagebrush steppe habitat, and scenic
open space.
6
Lands Protected
Robert Lehman Cedar Creek Preserve
The 37-acre Robert Lehman Cedar Creek Preserve is
located in the Blackfoot River watershed northwest of
Blackfoot. The project restored a reach of Cedar Creek
which had been diverted into a ditch to facilitate agricul-
tural operations. The project partners worked together
to recreate the stream channel, plant native species, and
manage invasive weed populations. The conservation
easement protects the new channel and the surrounding
uplands.
Cove Conservation Area Easements
The Cove Area Conservation Easements are located
along the Bear River in Caribou County about 38 miles
north of the Utah border. These easements protect the
riparian corridor from overgrazing, increase riparian
vegetation, and improve riparian habitat along the Bear
River. Altogether, the connected easements protect a
mile-long stretch of the Bear River.
Kackley Preserve
The 160-acre Kackley Preserve is located along both side
of the Bear River in Caribou County. The property con-
sists of sagebrush steppe, emergent wetlands, and riparian
and riverine habitat. The Kackley Preserve is man-
aged by the Land Trust to retain and protect its natural
character including natural open space, fish and wildlife
populations, and scenic, historic, and cultural values.
7
Our Contributors
25,000 and up Sharon and Norm Self Erika Kulman
Heart of the Rockies Initiative Rodney Pearce Michael Larkin and Ana Owsiak
Mink Creek Canyon LLC David Penny James Mariani
PacifiCorp Energy Dale and Holly Reavis Kevin Marsh
The Lightfoot Foundation David and Stella Sandquist Jane Matkins
Mathew and Hannah Sanger Joselin Matkins
$10,000 - $24,999 Pete Savage Ellery Maughan
Agrium Archie and Shea Service David and Lori Mead
Jeff Streeper John O’Connell
$5,000 - $9,999 Charles Trost Will Peterson
Brent Nichols Diana Troyer and Eric Krasa Montelle and Amy Pike
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation United Way of Southeast Idaho Dexter and Verna Pitman
The Nature Conservancy Angier Wills Dennis and Margo Proksa
1st Congregational Church Lee Purser
$1,000 - $4,999 Darrell and Barbara Scott
Geoff Hogander $50 - $99 Guy and Doreen Smith
Garry and Teresa Ratzlaff Carl Anderson Carol Stirling
Wildlife Film Festival Fred Belzer and Terry Kaufmann Anna Streeper
Bonnie and Jim Shaw Robert Brown and Sandra Douglas Nilson
Twin Lakes Canal Company Thorne-Browne Paul and Martha Wackenhut
Richard and Debra Cheatum John and Martha Welhan
$500 - $999 Clyde and Lee Ann Gilbert
Tim Flandro Gene and Beverly Gillette In Kind Donations
Joan Hansen Scott Larsen Alpine Enterprises - Bruce Smith
Tom Lucia Paul Link Bruce Brown
Monsanto Matt Lucia Randy Budge
Babette Thorpe Scott and Linda MacButch Darryl Davidson
Damien Miller Niccole Fuhriman
$250 - $499 Greg Mladenka Geoff Hogander
Bill and Jean Davidson Dana Olson-Elle Glacier Graphics
June Heilman Michelle Pak Tim Lindstrom
Marjanna and Barry Hulet Muriel Roberts David Maguire
Tim and Jessica Lindstrom Leslie and Greg Romriell Stolworthy Family
John and Carol Matkins Dean Rose
M. R. Mickelson Memorial Donations
Deb Mignogno $49 and under In memory of Mildred Delate
Rick Nordseth Donald Allen In memory of Pug Madison
Lance and Karen Bethke Steven and Diane Anderson In memory of Jim Stone
Sandi Arena-Fisher In memory of Helen Flandro
$100 - $249 Scott and Chris Beckstead
Donna Boe Terry and Kathryn Brower Planned Giving and Bequests
Kate Delate “The Raven’s Nest” Roger Bray Priscilla Hearst
Ed and Marsha Desano Henry Buescher
Michael and Linda Engle James and Joy Dougherty Every effort has been made to
Bob and Judy Flandro Steve Ernst ensure accurate representation
Peter and Cathy Frischmann Larry Ghan of contributions.
Don Hampton Daniel and Melissa Green
Bruce and Carol Hodges Marcus Green
Scott Hughes and Vivian Golightly Priscilla Hearst
Flyod Johnson Brian Holmes and Amy Cunningham
Tom Lucia Ardys and Karl Holte
David and Pam Maguire Margeret Hudson and
Jim and Laurie Mende Bernd Beutenmuller
Karin Moscon Virginia Kelly
