01/07/08 Proposing tax incentives to save open spaces

It's called the Farm, Ranch and Forest Protection Act and Idaho lawmakers will be asked to pass it in the annual legislative session which opens today. This bill would give landowners an income tax credit when they agree to keep open spaces from being developed. Mark Lundquist doesn't want to see his 15 hundred acre spread along the Snake River turned into houses as is now happening up and down the river. LUNDQUIST "Put a house on it, its done. You don't take the house off it and farm it but any other use that we do we can always go back to farm if the land isn't encumbered with a house or subdivision or something." Suzie Schafer will carry the open spaces message to the House and Senate meetings in Boise. SCHAFER "Whether we're looking at timberlands or ranching lands or farming lands of course we have a broad spectrum because those folks are interested in not just the sportsmen's aspect of it but the working lands historical cultural aspect of it and also preserving some of our pretty rare wildlife values." Even before the recent news that Idaho is the fourth fastest growing state this coalition was saying its time to save what we can. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott