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The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners has rejected petitions from the Idaho Conservation League and the Sawtooth Historical and Interpretive Association to hold a public hearing on a controversial proposal to build a 195-foot-tall communications tower in the Sawtooth Valley, the ICL reported Tuesday.
The project would sit on state-owned lands on a ridge overlooking Redfish Lake. At three times the height of surrounding trees, the proposed tower would protrude above the landscape and impact the views there, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, the ICL noted in a press release.
The proposed tower would be built by AT&T as part of the national FirstNet emergency communications network. It would also handle public cell phone calls. However, it has been met with widespread public opposition, including from the Custer County commissioners and Sawtooth Search and Rescue.