Donna Jones' Celebration of Life
Donna Jones' celebration of life will be held August 13, from 3-7 PM MT at the Elks Lodge in Ontario, Oregon. A meal will be served at the ceremony.
State Controller Woolf penned an op-ed tribute to his friend and mentor titled In Every Generation an Unexpected Leader Arises.
Donna’s family planned the celebration with a red, white and blue theme, representative of her many years of dedicated service to the people of Idaho.
Photo circa 2008. Pictured left to right: Roger Jansson, Donna Jones and Mick Schanilec
Wildfire Update
As of Thursday, August 4, there had been 89 fires totaling 345 acres reported across the 6.3 million acres IDL protects. 63 of these unwanted fires were human caused and burned 92% of the reported acreage. Overall, the number of fires reported to date is 62% of the 20 year average. The total acreage burned is 2% of the 20 year average.
The total estimated suppression costs on land protected by IDL is $8.4 million. Of this amount, $2.8 million is reimbursable, leaving IDL responsible for approximately $5.6 million. This amount reflects up front costs like aircraft contracting.
IDL has two amphibious water scoopers, two type 2 helicopters, and four single engine air tankers on contract. The pre-positioning of these resources is detailed in the attached report.
For IDL's 12 fire protective districts, 4 districts have a fire danger rating of Very High, 8 districts are at High. With fire dangers rising, burn permits are limited to crop residue only in most districts.
Wildfire Information Resources for Media
IDL distributed a statewide media advisory this week providing resources that will make it easier for reporters to track and report on wildfires that are under the protection of IDL or the TPAs.
The newest resource is a Media Fire Resources webpage that aggregates IDL's valuable fire resources all in one place. It can be found at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/media-fire-resources/.
The media advisory also reminded the media about the Fire Information Duty Officer number, 208-334-0233, when calling IDL about a wildfire.
National Night Out Participation
On Tuesday, August 2, IDL’s Forest Protective Districts participated in three National Night Out events in north Idaho.
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Spirit Lake: The IDL Fire Prevention Specialist, and the Mica Forest Protection District participated with an engine and crew in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Panhandle National Forest fire staff.
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Moscow: IDL’s Ponderosa Forest Protective District participated with an engine and crew.
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Lapwai: IDL Helitak participated by landing a firefighting helicopter and had crew members available for answering questions and taking pictures.
Organizers estimate 200-300 people attended the events in Moscow and Spirit Lake. A crowd was gathering for the the helicopter in Lapwai, however, it was quickly called out to work the Tammany Fire in Nez Perce County.
National Night Out events are sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and bring citizens, law enforcement, civic groups, fire departments, neighborhood associations and local officials together to get to know each other and discuss important issues.
National Night Out was a perfect opportunity for the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to interact with communities about the important topic of wildfire prevention. As more communities grow into the wildland urban interface (WUI) it is critical for the public to do their part and learn what proactive measures they can take to protect their homes from wildfire, and what behaviors they could change to reduce the chances of igniting a wildfire.
 Helitak visit to Lapawai
 Setting up in Moscow
 Spirit Lake
Payette Lake Cottage Site Auction Date Changed
There has been a decision to move the 2022 VAFO/ULA Payette Lake Auction from September 8 to Wednesday, September 14, 2022. It will still be held at the Waters Edge Event Center in Eagle at 1:30 p.m.
ProxiBid on-line participants will need to pre-register with Emily Mueller at Corbett Bottles, no later than September 9, 2022.
Western Governor's Conference
Director Miller joined Governor Little last week at the summer's WGA conference in Coeur d'Alene. Governor Little was the 2022 chair of the coalition of western leaders. Governors Jared Polis (Colorado), Doug Ducey (Arizona), David Ige (Hawaii), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Spencer Cox (Utah) and Mark Gordon (Wyoming) also attended the event.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough delivered keynote addresses. Highlights of the conference included roundtable discussions between the Governors and regional experts addressing wildfire, emerging wildfire technology, cybersecurity, supply chain issues and drought.
Governor Little's Wildfire Conversation with the Secretary of Ag, USFS Chief
At last week's WGA meeting, Governor Little invited Director Miller to participate in discussion about Idaho's Master Fire Agreement with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. The Master Fire Agreement between IDL and the federal agencies (FS, BLM, NPS, FWS, BIA) defines how participating state and federal agencies cooperate concerning wildfire preparedness and suppression across Idaho.
The meeting resulted in a commitment from Secretary Vilsack for our federal partners to review IDL's proposal to continue providing protection under a modified version of statewide offset that addresses concerns raised during the 2014 California Office of Inspector General audit.
IDL and its federal partners are scheduled to meet later this month to continue negotiations with the assistance of a professional facilitator.
Safety Alert: Heat Wave Across Northwest!
A safety alert went out to IDL staff last week in a Safety Newsletter warning of the weather predictions for triple digit temperatures expected over several days, and the dangers extreme heat can pose.
It brought to attention the need for those who work outside to be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and how to avoid both conditions. It is important to understand the differences of the two so that appropriate action is taken.
One Team One Voice Webpage
With multiple communication channels at our disposal – our website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, newsletters and individual conversations – sharing stories broadly has never been easier. However, given this abundance of communication channels, it’s crucial for our team speak with one voice. Otherwise, important messages we’re trying to communicate can be lost.
The One Team, One Voice webpage features the following resources:
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