Video: Confusion Over Public Road Sparks Controversy on Private Land and Public Access
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.26.17
In Boise, Idaho, tensions continue to grow between outdoor enthusiasts and a Texas company that purchased thousands of acres of popular hunting land and is now telling Idahoans to stay out.
A video, that has since gone viral, was posted online showing a security guard from DF Development confronting a citizen for driving on Forest Road 409, also known as Clear Creek Road in Valley County.
The issue at hand is that Clear Creek Road is a public road, however, the land surrounding it on both sides is private. This has, of course, led to an enormous amount of confusion.
According to KIVITV, it was at one time owned by Boise Cascade for decades, and they allowed the public to access the land for hiking, hunting or fishing. Since DF Development purchased the land, however, people are beyond upset that they are now locking up the land and no longer allowing the public to access it.
That’s where this video picks up, as a security guard working for DF Development is attempting to inform a citizen of what’s going on in the area. Obviously, considering the confusing circumstances, the security guard is just doing his job, but the guy shooting the video wants answers.
A statement reportedly released by DF Development reads:
“An employee of a private security firm retained by DF Development came upon a stopped vehicle on a public road bordered on each side by property that we own. The guard believed that the owner of the vehicle intended to unload and then operate the off-road vehicles that were on the trailer. The guard’s intention in speaking to the owner of was simply to reinforce that the land on either side of the road was private.”
Here is video of the altercation, can you decide who’s wrong here?:
