State Arbor Day Celebration
The State Arbor Day Celebration was held today at the Idaho State Museum. Director Miller participated in the event by reading the Governor's Arbor Day Proclamation and sharing the history and future of Idaho's Working Forests. The giant check showing the endowment distribution to public schools was on display.
Matt Perkins, IDL's urban interface/planning program manager, presented certificates to the Treasure Valley cities who have once again earned the title of Tree City USA.
A tree was planted in Julia Davis Park as part of the ceremony and in honor of Arbor Day.
IDL participated in Arbor Day statewide, with many supervisory areas holding local events. All area offices as well as the Boise and Coeur d'Alene staff offices are offering seedlings while supplies last.
 
Wildfire Awareness Month Proclamation
Governor Brad Little today proclaimed May Wildfire Awareness Month. He signed the proclamation at the Wildland Fire Memorial at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Director Miller attended the event as well as Deputy Fire Chief - Operations Julia Lauch, IDL Fire Prevention Specialist Jennifer Russell, and Idaho Firewise South Idaho Project Manager Brett Van Paepeghem.
The proclamation is intended to bring awareness to the potential threat wildfire poses to homes and communities in Idaho and the need to prepare at both the community and homeowner level.
A vital part of increasing the survivability of homes and property is coordinated education and collaborative efforts. IDL and Idaho Firewise are two agencies working together to help citizens better prepare their homes and communities for wildfire.
Support for IDL Fire Management
Rep. Britt Reybould wrote an opinion piece published in the Post Register on Saturday noting the legislature's support this legislative session .
The representative noted the 2023 Legislature supported several steps by IDL to modernize our in-state firefighting capacity. She mentioned the Master Fire Agreement was about to be signed, the implementation of the Cottonwood Forest Protection District and the approval for additional equipment and personnel to staff the new area to protect public and private property. She added that responsibility for Cottonwood represents an increase in IDL's overall firefighting obligations.
Reybould also explained the increase in funding for forest management to reduce potential fuel resources. She praised IDL increasing the amount of harvested board feet by 33%, and she anticipates that amount will increase in future years. She expressed continued legislative support for use of Good Neighbor Authority to help manage federal lands.
Idaho is Training Loggers to Fight Forest Fires
In a news release today Governor Little explained how IDL is creating new opportunities to train loggers, foresters, and landowners of large tracts of industrial forestland to safely help fight wildfires, keep lands healthy, and save scarce firefighting resources.
In his first State of the State and Budget Address in 2019, Governor Little talked about Idaho’s leadership in embracing fresh, collaborative approaches to land and fire management. He pointed to the hundreds of ranchers and farmers who have become members of rangeland fire protection associations across southern Idaho.
“I want to carry over this successful wildland firefighting model to Idaho’s forestlands by expanding the initial attack capabilities of our loggers,” Governor Little said.
The IDL online fire training portal provides access to training resources that qualifies these boots-on-the-ground to safely fight fire within areas where the IDL provides fire protection. It is available at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-training-for-loggers-and-industrial-foresters/.
Take Your Kid to Work Day
IDL's first ever "Take Your Kid to Work" event had a nice turnout. This national day gives children access to the working world. At IDL, many of the participating kids took part in an agency-wide Zoom call with Director Dustin Miller, who reminded the children that much of the work that is done at IDL is to earn funding for Idaho public schools. Michele Andersen, Division Administrator of Operations, hosted the call, even including a scavenger hunt to get the young participants familiar with their parent’s work space.
 Take Your Kids to Work Zoom Meeting
 Tom Kearns putting his son to work
What the Heck is a Lek?
Early in the morning on Monday, April 17, Director Miller joined Josh Uriarte, the Species Program Manager for Idaho's Office of Species Conservation, on a trek to monitor leks in the Owyhees near Oreana, ID.
Two of the leks were on endowment land.
In case you're wondering, a lek is an area where sage grouse gather for competitive courtship displays and breeding. The males strut and fan their spiky tails, create a popping sound from the air sacks on their chests and compete for breeding rights, while females watch the dance from the sidelines.
As part of Idaho’s commitment to conserving sage grouse, IDL developed conservation measures for state endowment land and IDL regulatory programs that complement the Sage Grouse Plan for federal land management in Idaho. Learn more about this important effort on IDL's website.
Undeterred by lacking a camera outfitted with strong telephoto lens, Director Miller improvised and captured this great shot of a male sage grouse strutting his stuff using a phone and binoculars!
Re-creating Public Land Recreation
On Tuesday, April 18, Director Miller joined Governor Little and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Tracy-Stone Manning, at a conference hosted by Boise State's Andrus Center for Public Policy.
During the conference, Re-creating Public Land Recreation, speakers representing federal and tribal land managers, state and local governments, and business leaders with expertise in recreation discussed:
- Collaboration - working across jurisdictional proximities
- Funding - overcoming infrastructure and operational shortfalls
- Policy - shortfalls of current laws and policies.
IDL is certainly feeling the pressure of a growing population and increasing recreational demands. As such, we continue to look for ways to provide opportunities for the public and monetizing those opportunities, while protecting our ability to generate revenue for the endowments.
Critchfield Visit to IDL Area Offices a Success
On Wednesday, April 19, Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield visited IDL's Ponderosa Supervisory Area office in Deary and the St. Joe Supervisory Area office in St. Maries. Additionally, she toured endowment land near Santa, ID, included in the Benewah County Land Exchange.
In thanking IDL for organizing the tour, Superintendent Critchfield noted that the time spent visiting our offices was "extremely valuable and well spent," and that she learned much.
Oil and Gas Town Hall Meeting
On Wednesday, April 12, The IDL held a town hall meeting in Fruitland, Idaho, to answer questions from local residents regarding the revised Oil & Gas Act, as well as general questions about oil and gas operations, property rights, and future of the industry in Payette County. There was strong interest in updates on the field and new operator.
Administrator Mick Thomas and Program Manager James Thum hosted the meeting to a full room of over 55 attendees, the majority of whom were local residents. Topics discussed were broad including:
- How the changes to the Oil & Gas Act impact local residents and their surface rights
- Applicability of the state’s oil and gas lease as a template for local mineral interest owners
- Operational questions about well development and construction as well as site selection
- Precautions taken to protect drinking water
- Revenue to the city of Fruitland, Payette County, and individual mineral interest owners
The town hall was well received by those both for and against development. Local residents and city officials in the room expressed thanks for the meeting being specifically for Payette County residents.
News Coverage:
Employees Leaving IDL
We wish departing team members the very best in their new endeavors:
- Shy Boisa, Coeur d'Alene Staff Office
- Kate Christensen, Coeur d'Alene Staff Office
In Case You Missed It
One Team One Voice Webpage
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:
|
