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Selling endowment lands is a loss to the public. State departments should buy them (opinion)
Idaho Statesman, 6-24-22
Here we go again. Another iconic piece of Idaho is about to become a vacation homesite for some billionaire. The Idaho Land Board has determined that the best use for Cougar Island, in the middle of Payette Lake, is as a site for one or more moneyed individuals to call their own. The public will lose access and likely endure the sight of a cabin on steroids designed to elicit the maximum amount of envy from mere mortals.
Cougar Island is part of the of 2.4 million acres of endowment land the state of Idaho owns. Those lands were granted to the state by the federal government at the time of statehood. They are “endowment” lands because they were meant to provide an ongoing source of revenue for Idaho schools.
The decision to sell Cougar Island is theirs, but the Idaho Land Board has little choice in the matter. According to Article IX of Idaho’s constitution, Idaho’s endowment lands are to be managed “... in such manner as will secure the maximum long-term financial return....” Selling lands at market value or trading them for lands of equal or better market value can fulfill that constitutional mandate. Unfortunately, the framers of Idaho’s constitution did not foresee that one day the highest and best use of such lands might not always be an economic use.
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State stands by decision to sell Cougar Island
Star-News, 6-23-22
The state land board held firm on Tuesday in its decision to sell Cougar Island in Payette Lake in a public auction tentatively set for Sept. 8.
The land board rebuffed a request by Valley County commissioners to delay the auction to give the county time to raise funds to buy or preserve the island.
An appraisal of the 14.2-acre island will be completed this summer to set minimum bids at the auction, IDL spokesperson Sharla Arledge said.
The land board, made up of Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra and State Controller Brandon Woolf, voted unanimously to move forward with the auction.
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Opinion: No need to rush on auction of Cougar Island
Star-News, 6-23-22
The state land board should hold its horses when it comes to the auction of Cougar Island in Payette Lake. There is no reason to rush the process when there are groups and governments working to preserve the island for public use.
On Tuesday, the land board, made up of the top five elected officials in the state, brushed aside a request by Valley County commissioners to delay the auction to give the county time to come up with a plan to preserve the island. United Payette, a coalition of citizen groups, also is trying to muster funds to make the state an offer. The island has been there for many millennia and isn’t going anywhere, so why wouldn’t the land board agree to a postponement? We don’t know, because the board went behind closed doors - violating the intent of the Idaho Open Meeting Law - so they could discuss the topic without the prying eyes of the pesky public.
It is odd that the land board chose Cougar Island as the first parcel of state endowment land to put on the block under its year-old plan to cash in on valuable state parcels in the McCall area. Since it is obvious there is great public interest in the island, why would board members turn such a deaf ear to the distraught objections of opponents to the sale?
If the land board is looking for low-hanging fruit to turn a quick buck, it should sell parcels on which there are no arguments, such as the 80 acres on Deinhard Lane. The board should either table the Cougar Island auction, or be respectful enough to tell the public what’s lit the fire under their chairs.
On the block: Land Board says it will auction McCall’s Cougar Island
BoiseDev, 6-21-22
The Idaho Land Board voted Tuesday to move forward with an auction of lots on Cougar Island in Payette Lake near McCall.
As BoiseDev reported in April, a local auction firm listed the lots on the island for future auction, as early as this summer.
The Valley County Commission came out against the auction, writing a letter to the Idaho Dept. of Lands asking the panel to reconsider auctioning off the 14-acre piece of land.
“Cougar Island is what we are really concerned about,” commissioner Edgar Allen said in May. “Looking long term at Valley County, it’s just not a good thing to happen. Cougar Island is a gem of Payette Lake.”
Commissioner Sherri Maupin said during Tuesday’s meeting in Boise that the county was working to raise funds for a potential land exchange for the island, but said the county was not yet prepared to make a formal application.
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Endowment lands in southern Idaho closed due to misuse
KSAW, 6-21-22
An area of endowment land at the east for of Rock Creek in Power County has been closed due to people abusing the recreation parcel.
The decision was made after trash, human waste and large tread marks were found left over. The large divots pose a safety threat and are a cost to refurbish back to normal.
Endowment lands are significant in the funding of public schools last year, earning over $54,000,000 and also supporting universities and colleges in Idaho.
“We had to close the land and that is really a last course of action that we wish to take. In a perfect world folks will respect endowment land. Treat it like their own backyard. Not leave garbage, not leave human waste piles for others to counter or have to pick up,” said Scott Phillips, policy communications chief at Idaho Department of Land.
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Idaho to sell ‘high-end’ island in Payette Lake near McCall (long version)
Associate Press, 6-21-22
Idaho officials on Tuesday voted to sell at auction a 14-acre “high-end” island in Payette Lake near the vacation and second-home town of McCall.
Republican Gov. Brad Little and four other members of the Idaho Land Board voted 5-0 to reaffirm a previous board decision to sell the island, potentially this fall.
The island has five lots, with one leased. State officials plan to offer the lots individually or the island as a whole and take whichever brings in the most money. Only two of the five lots are capable of having a septic system, officials said, limiting the value of the three other lots to “campsites” and likely making selling the entire island as a whole the best option.
“I kind of feel sorry for the current lessee,” Little said after the meeting. “I think somebody with really deep pockets is probably going to buy (the entire island) and only put one place on it.”
The state constitution requires the Land Board to maximize financial return over the long term, benefitting mainly public schools. State land managers say the island is underperforming, and selling it is in the state’s best interest.
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Idaho gears up for wildfire season with bolstered crews
Associated Press, 6-21-22
Cooler and wetter weather this spring has alleviated drought concerns in much of Idaho but spurred grass growth that could cause large rangeland wildfires in the southern part of the state as plants dry out this summer, wildfire forecasters told the Idaho Land Board on Tuesday.
Officials also told the board, which includes Republican Gov. Brad Little and four other statewide elected office holders, that the state is well-staffed with wildland firefighters following legislation approved earlier this year to increase firefighter starting pay to $15 an hour and also provide hazard pay up to 25% above their hourly wage.
“First it’s too dry, then it’s too wet and you’re going to have fuel,” Little said after the meeting. He said he felt the state is prepared for wildfire season but can never be 100% ready.
The Land Board directs the Idaho Department of Lands that is responsible for handling fire protection on 9,800 square miles (25,000 square kilometers) of state, federal and private land. The department had one of its worst wildfire seasons in 2021 with some 225 square miles (580 square kilometers) burned, six times the 20-year average and costing the state $75 million.
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Officials: Idaho wildland fire risk currently normal, but could rise in August
KMVT, 6-21-22
Southern Idaho’s wildfire risk is currently typical for this time of year, but that could change in the coming weeks and months.
Idaho State Forester Craig Foss provided the update during Tuesday’s Idaho Board of Land Commissioners meeting in Boise.
According to Foss, the wet and cooler spring weather has helped the fire potential outlook; but the concern in Southern Idaho going forward is heavy grass growth in some areas. As temperatures rise deeper into the summer, drying grass could ramp up the fire risk.
“Some of the grass growth we’ve seen in Southwest Idaho and portions of eastern Idaho [we’re] expecting above-normal potential once that grass finally started to cure as we get into late July, early August, as that grass cures and will be available to burn,” Foss said.
Also discussed were efforts state officials have made to educate the public on human-caused wildfire risks.
According to the Idaho Department of Lands, 80% of all wildland fires on Bureau of Land Management Public lands are human-caused.
Officials said last year they played public service announcements on gas station televisions, which allowed for their fire safety message to reach approximately 1.2 million people.
This year, they are offering information via QR codes. If individuals scan the QR code with their phone, they will be taken to the state’s burn permit website where the most up-to-date information will be available.
Land Board unanimously votes to auction off Cougar Island in Payette Lake, over county objections
Idaho Press, 6-21-22
Idaho’s state Land Board voted unanimously today to proceed with an auction of Cougar Island in the middle of Payette Lake, over the objections of Valley County commissioners, who said they’d like to look into ways to raise funds for a public purchase of the iconic island to protect its recreation and scenic values and the water quality of the lake.
“It is extremely difficult for public entities to participate in the auction process,” Commissioner Sherry Maupin told the Land Board, which is chaired by Gov. Brad Little and also includes the attorney general, secretary of state, state controller and state superintendent of public instruction. “Cougar Island is a historical gem of Valley County,” she said, long available for public access and recreation. Maupin said the area’s economy rests on tourism and recreation, and pleaded with the board to find a way to accomplish both its goals – maximum long-term returns for the state endowment, whose largest beneficiary is the state’s public schools, as required by the Idaho Constitution – and the local community’s goals, including preserving and enhancing its environment and economy.
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Idaho fire officials say cool, wet spring could produce a more normal fire season
Idaho Capital Sun, 6-21-22
Thanks to a cool, wet spring, the wildfire outlook for July across most of Idaho looks more normal than last year, officials told the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday.
Although the news is good in the short term, the risk will increase later in the summer, officials cautioned.
“Looking at July, at least for Idaho, we are expecting near normal fire potential. It may even be on the lower end of normal because of the wet spring and cool spring we have had that has continued well into June,” said Jim Wallman, a meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. “We are looking very good here, at least in Idaho, for July.”
A year ago, fire officials were dealing with extreme heat and drought and bracing for the potential for above average risk of significant, damaging wildfires.
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Idaho to sell ‘high-end’ island in Payette Lake near McCall (short version)
Associated Press, 6-21-22
Idaho officials on Tuesday voted to sell at auction a 14-acre “high-end” island in Payette Lake near the vacation and second-home town of McCall in west-central Idaho.
Republican Gov. Brad Little and four other members of the Idaho Land Board voted 5-0 to reaffirm a previous board decision to sell the island, potentially this fall.
The island has five lots, with one leased. State officials plan to offer the lots individually or the island as a whole and take whichever brings in the most money.
The state constitution requires the Land Board to maximize financial return over the long term, benefitting mainly public schools. State land managers say the island is underperforming, and selling it is in the state’s best interest.
Officials said only two of the five lots are capable of having a septic system, limiting the value of three of the lots and likely making selling the entire island as a whole the best option.
Valley County commissioners opposed the sale and asked for more time so they could ask for donations so the county could buy the island. Commissioners also proposed a possible land swap for county land.
But the board moved ahead with the auction.
Public land misuse forces closures in Idaho
KMVT, 6-20-22
Public land in Idaho offers many chances for recreation, from camping to off-road riding to target shooting.
Occasionally, however, officials are forced to shut down public lands, as was the case with the endowment land at the East Fork of Rock Creek in Power County.
“When a few bad apples decide to do things that damage the land and destroy its revenue-producing ability, we are left with no other option than closing that land to access,” said Scott Phillips with the Idaho Department of Lands. “It really is a last resort action for the department.”
Phillips says last year they tried to educate the public. It worked for a while, but the problem persisted this year, forcing them to shut down that area to camping and OHV riding.
“Just a lack of common sense,” Phillips said. “For example, if you pack it in, you need to pack it out. For day use areas that do not have restroom facilities, plan ahead and act appropriately, don’t leave this laying on the ground that no one wants to step on.”
This particular land was an endowment land, meaning the money raised from grazing and other activities generates money for the public school system in Idaho.
“Recreation though is secondary to the revenue-generating potential of the land, so when a few bad actors do things that result in the closure of land, it really reduces the opportunities for all Idahoans,” Phillips said.
Rich Gummersall with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation says if we don’t educate and inform people about recreating responsibly, it’s only going to get worse.
“Stewardship is one of the most important things we can impart into the next generation to ensure that the generation after that has a safe place to ride,” Gummersall said.
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Job Deadline Extended
Posted June 22, 2022
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***Extended deadline - July 17***
IDL has an opening for a Lands Program Manager, Forest Practices, located in our staff office in Coeur d’Alene.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please visit the Division of Human Resources website at: https://loom.ly/E3PViCo
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HISTORIC NEWS
Posted June 17, 2022
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The Nez Perce Tribe and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests recently signed a Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement that will allow them to share and build capacity for important work in the Nez Perce Tribe’s ceded territories. This is the first GNA agreement with a tribe in the Forest Service’s Northern Region, and among the first in the nation.
The initial focus will be on fuels reduction projects.
The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests has existing GNA agreements with the Idaho Department of Lands and Idaho Department of Fish and Game, making this agreement with the Nez Perce Tribe the forest’s third GNA agreement. To learn more about the Good Neighbor Authority, visit https://loom.ly/9h2WhNI
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