Safety Bulletin: Vehicle Emergency Kit Checklist
Winter driving in Idaho always carries the possibility of getting stuck, having to wait for accidents to be cleared or mountain passes being closed for avalanche work and snow plowing. We never know when something like this may catch us unexpectedly.
Prepare your vehicle ahead of time and have appropriate travel kit items in the vehicle.
The items on the checklist should be included in your vehicle's kit based on the type of vehicle, type of travel, and location of travel. Remember that any highway in the west can become an isolated location in the event of severe winter weather. Be prepared for the unexpected!
Items should be kept together in a kit, maintained regularly by the person responsible for the vehicle, and safely secured in the vehicle.
DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST
Flying Mere Feet from a Historic Home, IDL's Tyke Lofing Flawlessly Falls State Christmas Tree
Harrison Boulevard just north of downtown Boise is known for its historical homes, not Christmas trees. However, that changed this year with David, Lisa, and Delaney Beale's donation of a 25 year-old blue spruce from their front yard. The tree now graces the front steps of the State Capitol Building as Idaho's official Christmas tree.
The overgrown tree crowded the front of the Beale's home, but that didn't slow down IDL's very own Tyke Lofing who expertly fell it. Tethered to a crane, as Tyke's Stihl chainsaw severed the tree from its stump, the spruce gracefully pirouetted horizontal and soared above the canopy of surrounding trees.
Watch Idaho's official Christmas tree soaring above treetops
Dispelling Confusion About Interest Relief on Timber Sales
Given the extraordinary volume of salvaged endowment timber brought to market this year, in October IDL reviewed a request for providing interest relief on existing green timber sales. Ultimately, industry decided to pull back their request to remove stumpage interest relief from last month's Land Board agenda.
Had this item been brought before the board, IDL was prepared to recommend that the Land Board deny industry's request for interest relief. There is no historical precedent for offering this type of relief.
Bidders know that when purchasing endowment timber, stumpage interest is part of the process along with IDL's standard three-year contract term. Compared to our neighboring states, by charging interest IDL has more flexibility when it comes to contract administration.
Salvage sales require purchasers' immediate attention and may delay harvesting on green sales. However, salvage sales are generally priced much lower than green sales due to damaged timber and other economic factors.
Given industry acceptance of IDL's standard timber sale contract terms, discount pricing for salvage sales and historical precedent, IDL concluded waiving stumpage interest would not serve the financial needs of endowment beneficiaries.
Supt. Ybarra Visited CDA Staff Office, Expressed Appreciation
On Tuesday, Nov. 23 Land Board member and Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra visited IDL's staff office in Coeur d'Alene. She met with the local bureau chiefs and division administrators and heard updates about key work underway at IDL. She also brought cupcakes. According to Craig Foss and Archie Gray they were delicious!
Before concluding her visit, Supt. Ybarra expressed her appreciation for the great work done by Team IDL!
Survey Says, Annual Report Here to Stay
Earlier this month IDL's communications team launched a survey about our annual report to evaluate if this publication meets the agency's needs. The survey was completed by 105 respondents and found 90% relied upon the annual report for information, with 59% using it "occasionally" or "often". Respondents were also twice as likely to use the print version of the document over the electronic PDF version. Those charged with providing information to the public reported sourcing their information equally from the annual report and IDL's website (27% and 26%, respectively).
The survey also identified an opportunity to increase public interest in obtaining copies of the report from supervisory area offices. Only 6% of employees working in area offices reported that the public requests copies of the annual report.
Respondents gave the quality of our annual report 4.18 stars out of five, and provided valuable feedback with suggestions for making it even better, including:
- Using QR codes in the report to link to related content and programs on the IDL website.
- Producing handouts from key pages that can be distributed at public events.
- Including more fire related information and comparative statistics.
- Focusing more on the work of IDL's foresters.
Expressing appreciation for the feedback and sheer volume of responses, IDL Policy and Communication's Chief Scott Phillips noted, "the annual report is a communications tool used by many of our teammates, and I'm grateful they shared their fantastic ideas for making it even better."
Work is concluding on the Fiscal Year 2021 edition, which will go to print shortly. The feedback collected from this survey will be used to improve the FY2022 annual report.
Updated Public Records Request Policy Released
Earlier this month IDL rolled out updates to our Public Records Request Policy. This policy guides how we respond to requests for records filed pursuant to Idaho Code Title 74, Chapter 1, the Public Records Act.
This policy had last been updated in 2015. The changes released this month focused mainly on reformatting it to fit our new policy template, and providing clarification for how statutory deadlines are applied.
READ THE POLICY
Thanks for Adopting IDL's New Email Standard
Thanks go out to the many team members who have updated their email signature blocks per the new standard!
In case you're still waiting to update your signature block, a handy guide for setting up your email signature block in Outlook is available in Microsoft Word format. It features simple instructions and a "cut and paste" template for updating your email signature.
DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE
Dept. of Administration Reminds Employees: Personal Mail Received at Central Post will be Returned to Sender
The Department of Administration recently asked us to remind our team that state policy does not allow the receipt of personal mail or packages at workplaces. Personnel mail received via Administration's central post will be returned to sender.
Postal services will, however, continue to pick up outgoing personal mail that has the correct postage already attached.
This memo applies to offices served through the state's central post.
READ the MEMO
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
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