Wildfire Update
As of Thursday, August 11, there had been 104 fires totaling 476 acres reported across the 6.3 million acres IDL protects. 77 of these unwanted fires were human caused and burned 94% of the reported acreage. Overall, the number of fires reported to date is 59% of the 20 year average. The total acreage burned is 2% of the 20 year average.
IDL currently has 1 Incident Management Team in place in the Priest Lake Forest Protective District. The North Idaho Type 3 Incident Management Team 2 (NI IMT 2) assumed command of the Lions Roar Fire on Thursday, August 11. The fire is estimated to be at 55 acres.
The total estimated statewide suppression costs on land protected by IDL is $9.4 million. Of this amount, $3.4 million is reimbursable, leaving IDL responsible for approximately $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, 1 district has a fire danger rating of Extreme, 10 districts have a fire danger rating of Very High, 1 district is at High. With fire dangers rising, burn permits are limited to crop residue only in all but 2 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.
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.
-
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.
-
Moscow: IDL’s Ponderosa Forest Protective District participated with an engine and crew.
-
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 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
Governor Little's Wildfire Conversation with the Secretary of Ag, USFS Chief
At the Western Governors' Association meeting late last month in Coeur d'Alene Governor Little invited Director Miller and State Forester Craig Foss 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.
IDL Launches Major Upgrade to Online Fire Restrictions Finder
This week IDL unveiled a new and improved online Fire Restrictions Finder. The enhancements to the webpages were driven by feedback from the Fire Bureau and implemented with help from IDL's GIS team.
The new webpages clarify what is permissible or prohibited during Stage1 and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, include responses to more frequently asked questions, and provide a new "Know Before You Go" resource that makes it easy to find any restrictions enacted for popular recreation destinations.
Our GIS team also more tightly integrated the Fire Restriction Finder GIS-enabled map with the definitions of Stage 1 and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions and online fire prevention content. When a visitor clicks on a restriction zone on the map the dialog box that opens links directly to restriction information and fire prevention tips.
The changes to the Fire Restrictions Finder, along with targeted search engine optimization, have resulted in this resource ranking high in Google search.
IDL, DEQ Collaborate to Demystify CRB Permit Process
IDL and DEQ collaborated on a news release to try to better explain crop residue burn permits, which is currently the only burn permit allowed across most of Idaho.
IDL is responsible for fire safety burn permits, however, DEQ regulates crop residue burning, and while they incorporate the IDL burn permit, it is a much different process.
As part of the process of developing the news release, DEQ added a button to their website that more easily directs growers to the permitting process.
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.
Urban and Community Forestry Launches New Virtual Library
For years IDL's Urban and Community Forestry Program published quarterly newsletters, distributing them using postal mail, MailChimp, and most recently GovDelivery. While these newsletters were chock full of valuable information, the informative articles they contained were hard to find even though the newsletters were published online.
Now, the great articles buried in the old newsletters have been republished as individual webpages in the program's new Virtual Library. The articles cover a gamut of topics ranging from considering allergies before planting to winter tree care.
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
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:
|
