Preparing for the New Land Board Members - ACTION NEEDED
With three new members joining the Land Board after the first of the year, a few preparations are in order.
ACTION NEEDED / BOARD MEMBER PHOTOS - Please remove photos of Attorney General Wasden, Secretary of State Denney, and Superintendent Ybarra from the reception area of your office. Save the frames because you will be mailed official photos of the new Board members as soon as they are available.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS - The new Land Board members spell their names as follows:
- Phil McGrane, Secretary of State
- Raúl R. Labrador, Attorney General
- Debbie Critchfield, Superintendent of Public Instruction
LETTERHEAD TEMPLATES - IDL's letterhead templates in Word format have been updated and are available for download from the SharePoint intranet site under Programs > Administration > Forms. For the time being, the old versions of the templates which list the previous Board members are available alongside the new versions. The new versions are designated with the suffix "v12222022."
NOTARY BLOCKS - With a new Secretary of State, IDL's notaries must update their notary signature blocks. Secretary McGrane signs his name as "Phil McGrane," so notary blocks will change to "PHIL MCGRANE" and his title should be listed as "Secretary of State" or "Secretary of State of Idaho." Please match whatever case is in the documents/templates being updated. Attached is a sample notary block in Word format with the change.
DOCUMENTS FROM 2022 REQUIRING SIGNATURE IN 2023 - There may be documents currently out for lessee/permittee signature that will not be returned to IDL before the new year. For those instances, the signature page for the Governor, Secretary of State, and Director will need to be printed with the new Secretary of State's name ("Phil McGrane") and inserted into the document.
IDL WEBSITE - The new members will be added to IDL's website on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
Leasing Program Webpages Now Sync with GIS-Enabled Leasing Opportunities and Inquiry App
At the direction of the Land Board, in 2019 IDL launched its GIS-enabled Leasing Opportunities and Inquiry Application. This online tool was designed to help advertise and increase public awareness about the process for leasing endowment land.
Until now, leasing opportunities listed on IDL's website and the GIS app were unconnected, and the app was difficult to find.
After retrofitting IDL's leasing webpages with newer technology, leasing opportunities listed online now dovetail seamlessly with and leverage the mapping power of the GIS app.
In practical terms, by replacing the old tabular format for listing leases with a new, streamlined format, individual leases offered on our website are easier for customers to understand and readily viewable in the GIS-enabled app.
Overall, the various leasing program webpages now have a consistent look and organization that is more aesthetically pleasing than the old format. As a bonus, it is almost impossible for customers to overlook the GIS app!
Other changes to the leasing webpages include:
- Streamlining the main Leasing navigation menu option from the homepage
- Creating a new Leasing Endowment Land portal webpage, connecting customers with relevant information quickly
- Embedding prominent links to the Leasing Opportunities and Inquiry Application in leases listed on the IDL website, leveraging the power of online mapping
- Eliminating the duplicate posting of leasing documents in Dropbox and in the GIS app, saving precious staff time
 
Coming Soon: Digital Signage Pilot Program
In the past, television monitors were acquired for IDL offices with the idea of displaying digital signage in the agency's local offices. A new pilot program aims to bring that idea to life.
IDL is exploring using digital signage software to remotely manage content displayed on television monitors located in the reception areas of our area, field, and staff offices.
The software IDL is evaluating, Posterbooking.com, supports displaying videos or images that are relevant agency-wide and playlists curated specifically for local offices. The technology required to implement the system is minimal: a wireless internet connection, Amazon Firestick, and a television with an HDMI port.
For many organizations digital signage has been a boon for improving external and internal communications. The types of content that IDL is considering displaying on the digital signage includes:
- Office-specific welcome messages
- Facts about endowment land
- Permanent and temporary job listings
- Season-specific messaging for topics like burn permits
- Timely IT-related notices and information
A pilot program will soon expand to three IDL offices with a goal of further evaluating Posterbooking.com. This software-as-a-service has already undergone testing in the Boise staff office over the past month.
Provided the pilot proves successful, the digital signage solution will likely be available for all interested IDL offices this spring. In the future, television monitors displaying curated IDL content could even been installed in the offices of Land Board members.
Resources for Recruiting Seasonal Firefighters Now Available
With the next fire season just around the corner, IDL is already stepping up efforts to recruit temporary firefighters.
In addition to launching the 2023 seasonal job application on IDL's website, the following recruitment posters are available to be printed and posted in IDL offices and on local community bulletin boards:
If your office does not have the ability to print 11" x 17" posters, you may contact Laura Morrison in Human Resources via email and she will print and mail copies to you.
Last year's recruitment posters were date-dependent with a QR code that linked directly to the 2022 seasonal job application form. The QR code on this year's redesigned poster instead links to the seasonal employment page on IDL's website. This means the new posters can be used from year to year.
Additionally, a new and memorable vanity URL has been configured, www.idl.idaho.gov/FireJobs, which should help applicants find our recruitment webpage more easily.
The following temporary firefighter recruitment video will stream on social media and appear on screens in the reception areas of IDL offices participating in the new digital signage pilot program.
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MNOG Launched New Abandoned Mine Land Webpages
This week IDL's Minerals, Navigable Waters and Oil and Gas division greenlighted the launch of a refreshed Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) webpage.
The updated webpage outlines IDL's responsibility under Idaho Code to reclaim abandoned mines, clearly articulates that private landowner participation in the program is voluntary, and explains how abandoned mines are closed.
In concert with the AML webpage refresh, IDL published a new webpage explaining how and why Idaho's Abandoned Mine Program was started.
IDL Reminds Staff About Winter Safety
In the latest edition of IDL Safety News, safety officer Vikki Snider connects staff with resources for winter depression, provides practical tips for preparing for vehicular emergencies, and offers advice for staying active when the weather is too cold for outside exercise.
IDL Year in Review Video
Each year IDL produces a year in review video. Typically, this video debuts during the December Land Board meeting. This year, to tie in with the All Staff theme of Future-Proofing IDL and Celebrating Successes, the video was released early.
This video also screened at December's Land Board meeting.
Kudos to Robbie Johnson for filming, editing, and producing a video that captures who we are, how we work, and why we give the people of Idaho our best!
New "Fast Facts for Board Members" Webpage Launched
In the past, when IDL provided onboarding orientation for new Board members and their staff, the agency prepared a printed binder of material. The unfortunate problem with binders is that they become outdated shortly after printing.
To address this problem and create a resource of ongoing usefulness, IDL launched a new, private webpage for Board members and their staff called Fast Facts for Board Members. The page is available via the memorable address www.idl.idaho.gov/fast.
The page outlines the most common authorities under which the Board and Department operate, and provides quick links to vital information like IDL staff contact information, timber sale plans, asset management information, and more.
If you have ideas for additional content to include on the new page, please send your suggestion to webmaster@idl.idaho.gov.
Three New Land Board Policies
At December's Land Board meeting, the Board approved three new policies.
The Endowment Administrative Sites Policy clarifies the requirements for advertising the leasing of endowment lands and buildings currently used for administrative purposes. Under this new policy, administrative purposes including endowment resource management, protection, and regulatory programs will not be considered a disposition and do not have to go through the lease advertising process.
The Land Board Meetings Policy replaces a series of one-off Board actions that had been compiled into meeting guidelines over the years. It still maintains the Board's informal use of Roberts Rules of Order, but better defines how votes are counted and simplifies how IDL notifies interested citizens about Board meetings.
Both of these policies are available on IDL's Agency Guidance Documents webpage.
The Board also approved a Land Exchange Policy which will soon be posted to IDL's website. This policy provides guidance to the Department for the criteria and process for evaluating proposals to exchange endowment land.
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
One Team One Voice Newsletter Archive
Did you miss some important news? Are you curious about knowing what's happening across IDL? Our One Team, One Voice webpage contains an archive of IDL's newsletters covering:
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