DRIGGS, Idaho — The U.S. Forest Service has acquired a 960-acre private parcel in eastern Idaho in an area favored by outdoor enthusiasts and that also includes headwaters for the Teton River.
The agency earlier this week announced the $3.8 million purchase of the land in the Big Hole Mountain range in Teton County.
The private inholding surrounded by public land had been a top priority for the Forest Service for several years, and at one point had been offered for subdivisions.
Marquita Maytag owned the property until her death in 2011. The land was bought by an investment company called the Beartooth Group in 2014. That group started working with The Conservation Fund and Teton Regional Land Trust to protect the land.
In April, The Conservation Fund bought the property and held it until the Forest Service was able to get the money to buy the land.
Money for the Forest Service purchase came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, a popular program that supports conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the country.
“I applaud the U.S. Forest Service and all the partners involved for working diligently to accomplish this great project,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho in a statement.
