Acquisition to expand Market Lake Basin
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-The Idaho Fish and Game Department has acquired 649 acres of property that will be incorporated into the Market Lake Wildlife Management Area for public access.
The property is located 20 miles north of Idaho Falls near the town of Roberts. It is on the west side of Roberts on the west side of Interstate 15.
The ground is part of what used to be the historic Market Lake lakebed. It once covered 7,000 acres and supported large concentrations of waterfowl.
It will expand a 342-acre parcel previously purchased by Idaho Fish and Game in 2018. Combined with the new parcel, the properties will now be known as the Market Lake Basin Unit. The area will be managed as a shallow wetland to provide foraging habitat for waterfowl and other birds that utilize the management area. It will be open to the public for hunting, fishing, and trapping.
“This is an important acquisition that would not have been possible without the help of Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited,” says Market Lake Manager Brett Gullett. “Because of their efforts, we now have over 6,000 acres of public access at Market Lake and encompass 33 percent of the historic lakebed.”
The properties were originally purchased by Ducks Unlimited, which identified the basin as an important waterfowl conservation area. Idaho Fish and Game used a Pheasants Forever grant to purchase the property from Ducks Unlimited this year.
