IDL Budget Update: Bills Clear House and Senate
This year IDL's budget is split among three bills in the Legislature. The bills have been approved by the House and the Senate.
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Senate Bill 1117 provides Fiscal Year 2023 supplemental funding (additional funding for the current fiscal year) in the amount of $1,171,400 to purchase equipment for the Cottonwood Fire Protective District in Eastern Idaho and for firefighting equipment for use across the state. This legislation passed in the Senate with a 23-10-2 vote and in the House with a 54-12-4 vote. Yesterday it was delivered to the Governor. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Van Burtenshaw (District 31 - Terreton, ID) and Rep. Britt Raybould (District 34 - Rexburg, ID).
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Senate Bill 1123 corrected an error in IDL's Fiscal Year 2023 budget that appropriated $80,900 for IDL's Business Services from the wrong fund. This correction has no net impact on our budget. This bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by the Governor on Tuesday. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Julie VanOrden (District 30 - Pingree, ID) and Rep. Wendy Horman (District 32 - Idaho Falls).
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Senate Bill 1174 provides Fiscal Year 2024 funding for IDL in the amount of $86,205,900, authorizes 355.27 full time equivalent (FTE) positions, and fund's IDL's 12 decision unit requests. It also includes Fiscal Year 2023 supplemental funding for seasonal employee housing in the Maggie Creek Supervisory Area and for a study of the effectiveness for using ground-based fire retardant for fire mitigation. This legislation passed in the Senate with a 26-9-0 vote and in the House with a 48-16-6 vote. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Van Burtenshaw (District 31 - Terreton, ID) and Rep. Britt Raybould (District 34 - Rexburg, ID).
HOUSE VOTE TOTALS FOR SB1174 ON 3/24/23
Master Fire Agreement Negotiation Update
State and federal response to wildfire in Idaho is governed by a Master Fire Agreement that is renegotiated every 5 years. The agreement defines how IDL cooperates predominantly with the BLM and US Forest Service on preparedness and fire suppression across the vast Idaho landscape.
Generally, fire directors for the respective agencies negotiate the agreement and submit it to the appropriate level within their organizations for signature. For IDL, the signatory is the State Forester.
IDL briefed the Land Board in Tuesday's meeting regarding the status of the negotiations, noting the State's interests were well covered with a new proposed agreement. At the March Land Board meeting, IDL State Forester Craig Foss provided a follow-up informational briefing to the board. The briefing memo from the March 2023 Land Board meeting is attached.
Over the past few budget cycles, IDL has been working to modernize our fire program and position ourselves to continue to maintain a successful track record on initial attack under a new agreement. Last summer IDL fire crews kept 94% of fires we were responsible for to less than 10 acres, which is an impressive feat. We greatly appreciate the support of the Land Board and the Legislature of our efforts to provide our men and women on the fireline the resources, training, leadership and compensation they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently.
The current agreement expires at the end of April 2023 and IDL is in a good position to sign the proposed agreement by the end of next month, with implementation to begin this fire season.
Capital for a Day in Gooding
Randal Brunmeier, a Lands Resource Supervisor from the Jerome Field Office, represented IDL at Governor Little's Capital for a Day in Gooding last Friday. The Jerome Field Office is administratively attached to IDL's Eastern Supervisory Area. Eastern is affectionately known as "Area 51" because it covers 51% of Idaho's landmass.
The endowments own 21,114.75 surface acres in Gooding County and distributed nearly $550,000 to local schools in Fiscal Year 2022.
FY 2022 endowment distributions for the school districts in the county:
Gooding School District #231 $227,462.95
Wendell School District #232 $193,009.64
Hagerman Joint School District #233 $81,667.55
Bliss Joint School District #234 $44,414.39
$546,554.53
FY 2022 Endowment Income in Gooding County:
Grazing Leases (14 leases / 6,651 AUMs) $45,625.86
Cropland Leases (1 lease / irrigated) $34,879.51
$80,505.37
Because an IDL Team Member Asked for It...
All mines in Idaho are required to properly and safely reclaim the land and waterways at the end of mining. Mines provide reclamation plans and financial assurance to IDL to ensure reclamation will be completed.
In FY22, there were a total of 1,545 mine sites covered by reclamation plans. Of these 1,514 were sand and gravel mines, 31 were hardrock, phosphate and complex industrial sites. There were also 31 sites covered by dredge and placer permits in FY22.
Director Miller's Favorite Dad Joke This Week:
Q: What kind of dogs do miners like most?
A: Golden Retrievers
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Governor Little Signed Endowment Land Recreation Bill into Law
On Tuesday Governor Little signed Senate Bill 1049 into law, stakeholder legislation designed to help address recreational impacts on endowment land.
Over the past year IDL worked on this legislation with a broad group of stakeholders including the Idaho State ATV Association, Idaho Sportsmen, Idaho Cattle Association, Idaho Recreation Council, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Idaho Recreation Council, and the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association.
The new law was sponsored in the House by Rep. Jerald Raymond (District 31 - Menan, ID) and in the Senate by Sen. Mark Harris (District 35 - Soda Springs, ID).
Micro-Learning: LUMA SCO Dashboard and LUMA Q&A
IDL staff will have the opportunity to learn more about the new LUMA system. Three micro-learning sessions are available in April. Here is what is in store for the learning sessions:
Goal:
- Get the inside scoop on LUMA!
- Find out what this exciting new system means for you and your work.
- Learn the ins and outs of the SCO Dashboard and how to log in.
- This is the key to unlocking everything LUMA has to offer!
- Have all your burning LUMA questions answered.
- Use this opportunity to ask questions you may have about this game-changing system.
Attendance is not mandatory, but everyone is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to get set up with the SCO Dashboard and discover all the incredible benefits of LUMA.
The three date options are:
- Tuesday, April 4, 2023 – 3:30 pm MT
- Wednesday, April 5, 2023 – 10:00 am MT
- Monday, April 10, 2023 – 2:00 pm MT
Not all wildfire work happens on the fireline. Wildfire dispatchers ensure resources like crews, engines and aircraft are swiftly deployed on incidents so wildfires can safely yet aggressively be suppressed.
IDL, Idaho's timber protective associations and federal agencies with wildland fire responsibilities all rely on dispatch centers. Seven centers, strategically located across the landscape, serve the state. Dispatch centers typically employ a crew of 12 to 14.
This year marks the 25th season of operation for the Coeur d’Alene Interagency Dispatch Center. To help raise awareness about the important role of dispatch and recruit new dispatchers, IDL produced the video A look Inside a Wildfire Interagency Dispatch Center.
If you know someone who is interested in a fast-paced and exciting career in wildfire dispatch, please encourage him or her to contact Beth Crowell at bcrowell@idl.idaho.gov.
WATCH THE RECRUITMENT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
Urban Wood Utilization - Making The Most of Trees When They Are Done Being Trees
We often promote the many benefits that trees in urban environments provide for people who live among them, but there are times when community trees need to be removed for risk mitigation, new construction, and a variety of other reasons.
The March edition of Idaho Community Trees, IDL's Urban and Community Forestry Newsletter, explains ways the wood products created by these removals can become a recognized instead of a waste stream.
READ THE MARCH EDITION OF IDAHO COMMUNITY TREES
 One of several benches that were made from reclaimed urban wood in McCall - these benches will last forever! They can be enjoyed at Legacy Park. Photo Courtesy McCall Parks and Recreation.
Employees Leaving IDL
We wish departing team members the very best in their new endeavors.
- Steve Millert, Mica Supervisory Area
Doubling Down on Dad Jokes
Sticking with the pet theme, this joke is purrfect:
Q: What mineral do cats want to get their their paws on?
A: Jaspurr
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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