The Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust has acquired 920 acres of ranchland and wildlife habitat from the Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands. According to a news release from Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, or SSLT, the property, known as Kackley Ranch, contains several different habitats such as a mixed forest, sagebrush steppe and pastureland. The mixed habitat supports a variety of wildlife, including Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, elk, deer, moose, migratory songbirds, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, reptiles and amphibians.
Eric Pankau, SSLT stewardship manager, said in the news release that this property protects a valuable corridor of undeveloped land in Southeast Idaho. "It represents an amazing opportunity for partnership, education and managing working lands to benefit wildlife," he said in the news release. "We are so excited to use this property as a focal point to showcase collaborative conservation efforts in this landscape.
" Back in 2006, brothers Alvin and Ellis Kackley, the owners of the land, granted Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands a conservation and fee ownership. The family loved the property and wanted it to remain in its current condition to protect all the wildlife that lived in it. Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands, or IFPL, took care of the land for all that time, making sure to honor the request of the original owner.
They agreed to work with SSLT, a local land trust that would better preserve the property. SSLT works to protect and enhance natural lands.
