A duty to faith and prairie
Lewiston Tribune, 11-5-21
When Jesus admonished some religious leaders of his day that they could read the weather indicators “but cannot discern the signs of the times,” he apparently was not talking about Sister Placida Wemhoff, of the Monastery of St. Gertrude.
Wemhoff, 79, has been reading the weather and the signs of the times for most of her life. Recently, she won the 2021 Holm Award for more than 45 years of contributions to the Cooperative Observer Program of the National Weather Service.
Incidentally, Wemhoff’s cousin, Sister Carol Ann, was named Idaho Tree Farmer of the Year in 2001 by the Idaho Department of Lands for her work managing the monastery’s small forest. So both cousins have shared in the Monastery’s concerns for the environment.
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Idaho will sue Biden admin over OSHA vaccine mandate Friday
KMVT, 11-4-21
BOISE - Governor Brad Little announced Thursday the state of Idaho will sue the Biden administration over its OSHA vaccine mandate. OSHA released a rule requiring employers with more than 100 workers to require vaccinations or testing and masking for its employees. That requirement will go into place on Jan 4, it was announced today.
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Cellphone tower proposed on state land near Tamarack Resort
Star-News, 11-4-21
A cell phone tower could soon be built near Tamarack Resort under an application pending before the Idaho Department of Lands.
The tower would be built on 1.2 acres of state land near the end of Sugar Loaf Place, a residential road near the resort’s Village Plaza.
The lands department is accepting competing applications for the site until Nov. 17 to determine whether a public auction needs to be held, IDL spokesperson Sharla Arledge said.
The cell phone tower proposal was submitted by Horvath Communications of South Bend, Indiana, which also operates two cell towers on state land in McCall.
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Commissioners handle contracts
Bonner County Daily Bee, 11-4-21
SANDPOINT – Tuesday’s county commissioner’s meeting allocated $2,633,253.70 of federal and county funds. The money will be used for routine expenditures, contract changes, and excess revenue allocation, as well as adding additional grant funds to the budget.
In addition, Road & Bridge asked the commission to add $25,000 of unanticipated revenue to their budget. The money will be used to work on the stretch of road between Rocky Point and Blue Diamond roads. The contract is between the Idaho Department of Lands, and the county. Commissioners approved both items.
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IDL closing Woodrat Mountain access Nov. 5
The Clearwater Progress, 11-4-21
The Maggie Creek Supervisory Area of the Idaho Department of Lands in Kamiah will be closing roads accessing the Woodrat Mountain block of state land on Nov. 5. Entrance roads will be closed at Suttler Creek, Wilson Creek, Harris Ridge, Kidder Ridge, Glenwood Meadows and Woodrat Mountain. Closures will remain in effect through May 27, 2022.
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Idaho Board of Scaling Practices announces new executive director
KIFI, 11-3-21
Shawn Inman was officially announced as the organization’s new executive director Friday, October 29 at the Idaho Board of Scaling Practices (IBSP) meeting.
Inman will officially begin his duties as the new executive director on November 14.
Inman replaces Russ Hogan, the retiring executive director who has worked for IBSP for 26 years. Hogan’s last day is November 15.
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Drilling continues in Fruitland, despite lawsuit
Independent-Enterprise, 10-31-21
While the Fallon 1-10 gas well in Payette has mostly sat idle this year, with only cattle grazing outside of its fenced-off equipment, drilling activity continues just on the other side of the Payette River. Drilling by Snake River Oil and Gas Company’s crews continues on the planned Barlow 2-14 gas well in northeast Fruitland, even with an active lawsuit in progress against the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
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Family foresters are a key part of timber industry
Bonner County Daily Bee, 10-27-21
Timber — and family foresters — are a big part of the Idaho Panhandle.
In assessing Idaho Department of Lands ownership and harvest data, values are estimated at $400/MBF for mill delivered logs and $600MBF for milled products.
Family forests — owned and managed by individual families rather than the U.S. Forest Service, state or forest product companies — are vital to the Idaho Panhandle for low elevation wildlife habitats, water quality, supply for local lumber mills, recreation and many other shared benefits, according to Chris Schnepf, a University of Idaho Extension educator, specializing in forestry.
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Annual South Grangemont road closure
Clearwater Tribune, 10-27-21
Roads accessing the South Grangemont block of state endowment trust land will close to vehicle traffic beginning Thursday, Nov. 4, but will remain open to ATVs (under 50 inches) and motorcycles.
The area involved is south of the Grangemont Road between Rudo Road and Cow Creek Road.
The closure will remain in effect until May 27, the Friday before Memorial weekend.
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