Idaho Watersheds Project v. State Board of Land Commissioners

JOHNSON, Justice Pro Tem

This is a state endowment public land lease case. We conclude that section 58-310B of the Idaho Code (I.C.) violates Article IX, § 8 of the Idaho Constitution and remand the case to the State Board of Land Commissioners (the Board) to auction off and lease the land in question pursuant to I.C. § 58-310.

I

THE BACKGROUND AND PRIOR PROCEEDINGS

In 1996, the Idaho Watersheds Project (IWP) submitted twenty-four conflict grazing lease applications (the applications) to the Idaho Department of Lands (the Department) for expiring state endowment land leases (the leases). The…