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Land trust had at least $1M pledged for Cougar Island
The Star-News, 9-22-22
More than $1 million was available for the Payette Land Trust to bid on Cougar Island last week, the group’s executive director said.
However, the land trust did not place any bids because it could not afford the entire 14.2-acre island and nobody bid on the island’s four undeveloped lots, Executive Director Craig Utter said.
The island was offered as a whole for $8.8 million at an auction held in Eagle by the Idaho Department of Lands.
The island also was offered in five individual lots with minimums bids ranging from about $1.4 million to $2.6 million.
“If we had raised all the funding to meet the new appraisal amounts, we would have bid on the entire island,” Utter said.
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The auction of Cougar Island largely failed. We are working to preserve public land
Idaho Statesman (Guest Opinion), 9-22-22
On Sept. 14, a room full of people gathered and watched as the State of Idaho held an auction for Cougar Island. Members from the United Payette Cougar Island Task Force and Steering Committee were there along with Payette Land Trust President Rick Fereday and Executive Director Craig Utter.
After auctioning off two cottage sites in the Payette Lake area, the event focused on Cougar Island. The island was to be offered under the “multi-parcel” bidding structure or “multi-par.” A multi-parcel auction is an auction where the property can be sold either as a whole or in tracts. The auction company decided to start the offering by putting individual lots for sale followed by an offer for the entire island.
The auctioneer began with Lot #2, which is the only lot with existing structures. The owner of the house was the sole bidder and was successful at the minimum bid price. The auctioneer then offered the remaining four lots on the island which were unsuccessful in receiving any bids.
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Management of state lands needs an overhaul
Star-News, 9-22-22
The Idaho Department of Lands held an auction last week, but nobody came. The silence that greeted the call of the auctioneer for Cougar Island in Payette Lake should be a loud and clear message that an overhaul is needed in the way state endowment lands are managed.
It was not surprising that no one bid on Cougar Island as a whole or any of its lots except for the person who already leases one of the lots, and he admits he likely will default on his bid. One reason was the unrealistic minimum bids placed on the lots based on a recent appraisal. A second reason was the fact that any successful bidders would have been unable to build anything on their lots once the parcels switched from state ownership to private. The land would then come under the purview of local zoning laws, which the state ignores, that forbid more than the one house already on the island.
But the most compelling reason the lots did not sell is the underlying mandate driving the management of state endowment lands in the Idaho Constitution. That mandate says there is no alternative except to raise the most money for state endowments that support public schools and state institutions. The Cougar Island debacle proved this mandate is no longer workable.
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With auction over, explore alternatives for Cougar Island
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, a room full of people gathered and watched as the State of Idaho held an auction for Cougar Island. Members from the United Payette Cougar Island Task Force and Steering Committee were there along with Payette Land Trust President Rick Fereday and Executive Director Craig Utter.
After auctioning off two cottage sites in the Payette Lake area, the event focused on Cougar Island. The Island was to be offered under the “multi-parcel” bidding structure or “multi-par.” A multi-parcel auction is an auction where the property can be sold either as a whole or in tracts. The auction company decided to start the offering by putting individual lots for sale followed by an offer for the entire island.
The auctioneer began with Lot No. 2, which is the only Lot with existing structures. The owner of the house was the sole bidder and was successful at the minimum bid price. The auctioneer then offered the remaining four lots on the island which were unsuccessful in receiving any bids.
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A suspended prison sentence was ordered for a Challis man for starting a campfire that resulted in a wildfire on Joseph Plains last month.
At his Sept. 15 hearing in District Court, Anthony L. Morreale, 41, was sentenced on a third-degree arson charge, a felony, to serve three years in the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction; two years fixed and one year indeterminate, with credit for 31 days already served. However, District Judge Gregory Fitzmaurice suspended the prison sentence and placed Morreale on unsupervised probation for two years. Court fees of $245.50 were imposed, and restitution — when determined — will be paid by Morreale within five years of being ordered.
Morreale was charged with arson along with four misdemeanors — violation of forestry closed season requirement, trespass with property damage in excess of $1,000, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia — following an Aug. 16 investigation by Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) of a wildfire in the Wolf Creek area of Joseph Plains. According to court records, Morreale reported being stranded in the area, and had started a campfire as a signal to get someone’s attention. According to IDL, the Quinn Fire burned 450 acres, and involved efforts of 150 personnel, one dozer, four engines, and aircraft.
Pretrial hearings are pending for Morreale on the subsequent misdemeanor charges.
Bovines all set to get luxury milking parlor following OK of land purchase
Lewiston Tribune, 9-21-22
The University of Idaho will move forward with plans to construct a state-of-the-art milking parlor at its Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment following approval of the purchase of farmland in southeastern Idaho.
The purchase was approved Tuesday by the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners using funds from the November 2021 sale of 282 acres of endowment land near Caldwell no longer in use. Proceeds from the Caldwell property will be used to acquire 638 acres of farmland north of Rupert. The university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will use the remaining funds to construct a state-of-the-art milking parlor on that property capable of serving a 2,000-head dairy herd.
UI president Scott Green noted that agriculture remains Idaho’s number one industry, with livestock accounting for more than 60% of the state’s agricultural cash receipts.
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Idaho Land Board approves investment in country's largest research dairy
Boise State Public Radio, 9-21-22
The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners voted Tuesday to purchase farmland in south-central Idaho that will be the site of the country’s largest research dairy.
The Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, known as the CAFE project, will include a 2,000-cow dairy and farm fields in Minidoka County, an outreach center in Jerome and a food-processing training program at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.
Idaho is the number three milk-producing state in the country after California and Wisconsin.
The land board decided Tuesday to acquire the 640 acres in Rupert valued at $6 million. The University of Idaho and the Idaho Dairymen’s Association each currently own about half of the land, and the Dairymen’s Association will donate its portion as part of the deal.
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Idaho Land Board approves $23 million for CAFE research dairy farm
Capital Press, 9-21-22
The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday approved a request by the University of Idaho to purchase land central to its Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, known as CAFE.
In November 2021, 282 acres of agriculture college endowment land in Caldwell was sold for slightly more than $23 million, according to a press release from the Land Board.
The university had leased the land since the 1940s but sold its adjacent facility, and the land was no longer used for research farming.
The funds were placed in the land bank fund to be used for the acquisition of real property. The university sought to reinvest in land for CAFE.
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Opinion: Water Resources Development Act: Expanding collaborative partnerships in Idaho
Post Register, 9-21-22
- By SEN. MIKE CRAPO | Guest columnist
Through collaborative processes, we can achieve workable solutions to some of the most challenging issues involving our natural resources that balance the clear need for ecological health, adhere to multiple-use principles and achieve economic vitality. Good Neighbor Authority plays a key part in preventing forest fires and is a prime example of what can be achieved when agencies work together to implement a shared vision of healthy, productive lands. The Senate-passed Water Resources Development Act extended GNA to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve federal lands in Idaho.
Congress generally enacts WRDA legislation every two years to support the Army Corps of Engineers’ water resource development programs and projects. The House of Representatives passed its version of WRDA on June 8 by a vote of 384-37, before the Senate passed the bill with my support by a vote of 93-1 on July 29. The recent WRDA legislation would authorize the Corps to carry out water resources development projects and revise civil works policies and programs of the Corps.
Very importantly, WRDA contained language fellow U.S. senator for Idaho Jim Risch, Gov. Brad Little and I backed to establish a Good Neighbor Authority pilot project in Idaho to reduce fire risk around Corps projects. Specifically, the legislation authorizes the Corps to carry out a pilot program to enter into GNA agreements with the governor of Idaho to carry out forest, rangeland and watershed restoration services on federal land.
Tuesday evening brush fire in Boise Foothills burns acres north of Lucky Peak State Park
Idaho Statesman, 9-21-22
A grass fire on open space land north of Boise grew to 15 acres Tuesday evening before fire crews contained the slow-moving blaze, likely ignited by lightning.
The vegetation fire, located in the Boise Foothills north of Lucky Peak State Park above East Warm Springs Avenue, was reported at about 7:25 p.m. Tuesday, Jared Jablonski, spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management’s Boise Fire unit, told the Idaho Statesman by phone. It started on BLM land, he said.
The wildlands fire, named the Homestead Fire, did not threaten any structures as it traveled away from the city, the Boise Fire Department reported, which also responded with resources. Lightning in the days before was the suspected cause.
Firefighting crews with the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands and Eagle Fire, as well as Boise Fire, worked to contain the fire at midnight Wednesday, Jablonski said. In total across the four agencies, nine fire engines, a bulldozer, two battalion chiefs, a safety officer and a fire investigator responded.
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Fire prevention top priority for IDL and DEQ
Idaho County Free Press, 9-21-22
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are reminding the public that state burn permit restrictions are in effect to help reduce the threat of wildfire and smoke impacts.
State burn permits are issued between May 10 and Oct. 20 through IDL and are required for those living outside city limits who wish to use burn barrels, burn yard waste or piles of debris from a timber harvest known as slash. The permitting process considers fire danger conditions, weather, as well as smoke and air quality.
Due to current weather and fire conditions, IDL fire wardens are restricting burn permits across Idaho, with most not allowing anything except burning crop residue. DEQ and IDL coordinate closely to ensure that crop residue burning is allowed when fire safety and air quality are protected.
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Idaho a step closer to having largest research dairy in US
Associated Press, 9-20-22
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The University of Idaho’s plan to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm cleared a big hurdle on Tuesday.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and two other statewide-elected officials on the Idaho Land Board approved the university’s plan to use $23 million to buy roughly 640 acres of farmland in south-central Idaho, the heart of the state’s dairy industry.
That would be the main focus of the school’s proposed Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, or CAFE.
Idaho’s dairy industry is the third-largest dairy producer in the nation, behind California and Wisconsin. But the industry in Idaho — and in general — faces a range of challenges with greenhouse gas emissions from animals, land and water pollution, and waste systems from dairies that can have thousands of cows that produce tons of manure.
University of Idaho’s president Scott Green, who called the vote a big win for the state, the university and the dairy industry, said the school hasn’t been able to do the large-scale research the industry needs to find solutions for those and other complex problems.
“The research that we do there is going to help us improve the water quality within the state,” Green said after the vote. “It’s going to help us utilize waste products from the dairy industry in a way that’s beneficial to the environment and to agriculture.”
Idaho's Land Board approves land exchange with developer
Idaho Press, 9-20-22
BOISE – Top state officials on Tuesday approved a land exchange between the state and the Avimor development near Highway 55, which already includes hundreds of homes.
Idaho’s state Land Board voted unanimously in favor of the exchange, which has been in the works for two years. Avimor will get title to scattered, 40-acre parcels of dry grazing land that are in the route of its development, and in exchange will deed over to the state endowment 800 acres of dry grazing land near the summit of Horseshoe Bend Hill.
Many of the current, scattered endowment parcels lack any legal access. The block of land atop Horseshoe Bend Hill all has legal access from a county-maintained road.
Plus, six neighbors of the Horseshoe Bend Hill property wrote to the Land Board in support of the exchange. All said they liked the idea of the property coming into state management, with grazing leases, and functioning as an “unmanaged state park,” with public access and wildlife habitat.
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Land Purchase Approved for Magic Valley Research Dairy
KLIX, 9-20-22
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-The University of Idaho can move forward with the purchase of land that will serve as the center for a research dairy in the Magic Valley. The Idaho Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) made up of the governor and other state elected officials, gave the University of Idaho (UI) the go-ahead to purchase land near Rupert for the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE). The approval will allow UI to purchase 638 million acres for the experimental and research dairy which will include funding for a state-of-the-art milking barn and hold up to 2,000 dairy cows. “Agriculture remains Idaho’s number-one industry with livestock production accounting for more than 60% of the state’s agricultural cash receipts,” said U of I President C. Scott Green in a prepared statement. “This facility will serve our students well, preparing them to work on the cutting edge of agribusiness and dairy sciences.” President Green added that the CAFE will be eligible for grant funding for research. According to the Idaho Department of Lands, funds from the sale of the onld Agricultural College endowment land near Caldwell, $23,250,000, will be used to purchase the land in the Magic Valley. The CAFE has already received upwards of $8.5 million in donations from the industry.
University of Idaho CAFE Project Reaches Major Milestone as Land Board Approves $23 Million for Land and Dairy Infrastructure
Big Country News, 9-20-22
On Tuesday, the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) approved a request by the University of Idaho (U of I) to purchase land central to its Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE).
In November 2021, 282 acres of Agricultural College endowment land in Caldwell was sold for $23,250,000, as it was no longer used for experimental farming. The funds were placed in the Land Bank fund to be used for the acquisition of real property.
With Tuesday's vote, which was unanimous, the Land Board approved the use of proceeds from the Caldwell property to acquire 638 acres of farmland north of Rupert currently owned by U of I. The university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will now use the land from the endowment and the remaining funds to construct a state-of-the-art milking parlor on that property capable of serving a 2,000 head dairy herd.
“Agriculture remains Idaho’s number-one industry with livestock production accounting for more than 60% of the state’s agricultural cash receipts,” said U of I President C. Scott Green. “This facility will serve our students well, preparing them to work on the cutting edge of agribusiness and dairy sciences.”
“Economically, CAFE opens doors for U of I to receive millions of dollars in grant funding for research, unleashing new ideas and innovative solutions for Idaho’s and the nation’s dairy industry,” he added.
Research at CAFE will also help develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from animals, housing areas, waste systems, and in-field applications, advancing the dairy industry’s nationwide net zero initiative.
The Land Board determined buying the property and investing in the milking infrastructure as part of the CAFE project is in the best long-term interest of the beneficiary.
“This development of CAFE will yield good returns for students today and well into the future,” said Governor Brad Little. “The important research will help the dairy producers, manufacturers, and University of Idaho agricultural students and future veterinarians who will assist with the vast spectrum of research.”
“It will ensure our industry thrives, adding to Idaho’s diverse and vibrant economy, as well as preparing students to thrive in this industry,” he added.
To learn more about the University of Idaho CAFE project and its many benefits for Idaho’s students and economy, click HERE.
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Moooooving Forward
Posted September 20, 2022
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Did you hear the great news? The University of Idaho's Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment is moooooving forward!
Today the Land Board approved $23 Million to buy the land and dairy infrastructure.
Learn more: https://loom.ly/XZJvcfk
 GNA Timber Sale
Posted September 21, 2022
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Using Good Neighbor Authority (GNA), we conduct vegetation treatments on authorized federal lands. Revenue generated from GNA timber sales offsets our costs. The receipts also fund hazardous fuels treatments and a broad range of forest and watershed restoration activities.
On 10/20 we’ll sell at auction 24,879 tons of timber, which equates to 4.4 million board feet, at our Payette Lakes Supervisory Area office in McCall. Learn more about the Sloans Point GNA Ton timber sale at https://loom.ly/M9nD3GY
FREE Workshops
Posted September 21, 2022
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Check out these upcoming FREE workshops from the Idaho Prescribed Fire Council!
Oct. 5 - SMOKE - Learn about mitigating smoke impacts
OCT. 26 - PILES - Best practices for controlling and monitoring slash pile burning
https://loom.ly/SJzcuKM
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