The Bureau of Land Management is working to restore illegal roadwork performed last month near Silver Creek, southeast of Picabo. Struthers, who is said to have had the new road bulldozed to divert public traffic off Picabo Desert Road and away from the ranch, declined to comment, and his attorney did not return a call from the Idaho Mountain Express . The investigation, which he said will be finished in a few weeks, could result in the rancher having to pay to undo the roadwork. What the cost of that would be is not known. Rob Struthers Baker said a rugged, rarely used jeep trail already existed at the site of the new road.
Recent earthwork makes the trail wider and flatter.
His department was still investigating whether historic sage grouse mating grounds, called leks, exist nearby. If so, added traffic could discourage mating. But Commissioner Wright criticized Struther s solution of bulldozing an unapproved alternate route. I m just kind of curious how BLM will handle it. It kind of sets a precedent.