Merrills Fill Gap Along the Main Snake River

Jefferson County landowners Ron and Hellen Merrill have partnered with the Teton Regional Land Trust to permanently preserve 400 acres of their land. Surrounded by Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Deer Parks Wildlife Management Unit and Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s (IDFG) Market Lake Wildlife Management Area, the Merrill property fills in a former gap in protected land along the main Snake River.

The 400-acre Merrill property was protected in a two-phase process. TRLT worked with Ron Merrill and his family using the BLM’s Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) funding to purchase the first 103 acres in a fee-title transaction that closed in August 2007.

A major TRLT conservation partnership with the BLM, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy is applying further sources of federal funds to protect key river-corridor lands. Grants through BLM’s FLTFA and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) make purchase of many conservation easements possible.

"We are very fortunate to be the recipients of a national Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act allocation which coincided with the Merrill family’s desire to conserve their riverfront property," BLM District Manager Joe Kraayenbrink stated. "The family’s decision to conserve 400 acres as open space will undoubtedly bring enjoyment to those who recreate on the Snake River for generations to come."

The Merrills worked with the Land Trust and BLM in January 2008 to close on the second phase, a purchased easement of 297 acres. The property adjoins public lands owned and managed by IDFG and the BLM, and its conservation will help buffer and protect important wildlife habitat on these adjoining public lands. The Merrill property creates a contiguous stretch of land between Market Lake WMA and Deer Parks WMU. The property also lies within IDFG’s highest ranking wetland conservation area, one of the most unique and biologically diverse ecosystems in the state of Idaho. The BLM considers the Merrill property a "vital link" between the two Wildlife Management Areas.

Many types of wildlife will benefit from the conserved acres, including red fox, moose, white-tailed deer and elk. Numerous species of fish such as mountain whitefish, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, brown trout and rainbow trout will gain from preserved banks along the Snake River. Abundant species of birds also use the property for habitat including sage grouse, great blue heron, osprey and many waterfowl species. Bald eagles will benefit directly as the largest winter roost within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is found along the Snake River in this area.

When asked about the project, Mr. Merrill said, "This land is very special to our family and needs to be protected. A conservation easement gave us the option we need to accomplish our goals." ■