Lookout Pass expansion map raises questions about Montana-Idaho state line
<p>Mineral County Commissioners Laurie Johnston, Roman Zylawy and Duane Simons discuss the differences in maps of the Lookout Pass Ski Resort expansion at their weekly meeting.</p>
SUPERIOR – The correct shape of the Montana state line was called into question recently as maps of the area show two different versions. The county commissioners have taken up the task of looking into the issue.
The Lookout Pass Ski Resort has planned a project to expand the resort. It was discovered there were two versions of the area’s maps. The maps show the state line between Idaho and Montana differently than other sources. The result of the problem would be for a patch of land in Montana to be transferred to Idaho.
According to Tim Read, county planner, the Forest Service developed a map with a misrepresented state line. He said he could find no information on a survey to support the line the Forest Service presented and it could not be easily verified.
“You start seeing a couple different renditions, but you still see original renditions of the state line from the same agency,” said Read.
He explained how a search through the federal government’s database showed a straight line through the area in question. But a search through the Shoshone County, Idaho website would show the Forest Service line as well as the one from the federal records. This has led to some confusion of where the line sits.
It was determined the difference in the lines was because the Forest Service used different state lines for land management. Read said the state line marked by the Forest Service followed the topography of the area and went to the highest point available. This still left the question of how to prove where the line was.
It was decided the best way to do this would be to prove there were buildings on the Montana side of the line. Read said it would fall to assessors to determine where the actual line fell and whether the line split any buildings. He also said he had received suggestions for ways to speed the process up by working with the ski resort to organize their expansion project.
Read explained if they waited until Phil Edholm, owner of the Lookout Pass Ski Resort, had his documentation on the expansion, it might be beneficial to their goal. He believed if the documents showed Edholm planned to build something on the site, they would be able to go to the assessors and encourage them to determine where the line was.
Read said a solution could be found if two assessing organizations confirmed the location of the state line with the boundary markers. The commissioners agreed it was a solution worth pursuing and it should be looked into quickly.
“I just want to accomplish it [through] the easiest method possible,” said Read.