Long Time Area Manager, Pat Brown, Retires
After a career that spanned more than 35 years with IDL, Eastern Supervisory Area Manager Pat Brown is retiring. His career spanned eight administrations, from Governor John Evans back in the late 80's to the present Governor Brad Little. About 50 friends, family, fire cooperators, lessees and co-workers convened in Idaho Falls yesterday to bid him farewell.
Pat spent his entire tenure in Eastern, most of it as the Area Manager. He nicknamed it Area 51 as Eastern covers 51% the state and he was known for providing Area 51 buttons to visitors. Being responsible for endowment lands on more than half the state is a huge responsibility he seemed to handle with ease.
Pat was presented with a number of unique gifts in recognition of his dedication and service to IDL and to his community. They included an Area 51 plaque adorned by Pulaskis, an engraved knife, a remote control forklift and a signed historical photo of IDL's old forestry logo that was in a barn wood frame.
The celebration included a BBQ lunch, a number of games, and the opportunity to spray water out of a fire truck. Director Miller is seen below taking advantage of that opportunity.
IDL greatly appreciates all that Pat has done for the State of Idaho and the Eastern Supervisory Area. He is well liked and respected by his fellow managers, employees, and the local fire departments that received equipment thanks to Pat's hard work and dedication. He will be missed.
IDL Participates in Capital for a Day at Carmen
Carmen, Idaho, located about four miles north of Salmon, became Idaho's Capital for a Day on Thursday. Director Miller joined Governor Little for the event.
IDL manages 34,125 surface acres in Lemhi County, 100% are rangeland assets. In FY23 the trust distributed $232,698 to the local school districts. Lemhi county has 3,818 AUMs with a total revenue from grazing of $27,795.00.
Many questions centered around forest health and fuel mitigation in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. There was a lot of interest in the newly signed GNA agreement between IDL and the Salmon-Challis NF.
Currently IDL has contractors doing mastication work on the Salmon-Challis NF. Wade Kaufman with Ambient Green from Driggs is completing the work on the project and is a Salmon native. The funding was provided by the USFS. Additional work and fuels reduction is expected to continue next year but available funding and IDL capacity will be important factors.
 
Salmon River Forest Products Tour
On Thursday, before Capital for a Day, Director Miller joined Governor Little at a tour of the Salmon River Forest Products sawmill. This is a small facility owned and operated Ron Parmenter and Britt McFarland, both long time Salmon residents.
The operation is primarily post and poles as the mill doesn't have kiln capacity for larger products.
The mill has struggled to source adequately sized timber sales for their smaller operation because they can only buy and store so much timber at once. Federal federal timber sales are usually larger than they can handle.
Currently, their main source of timber is through Montana timber harvests. The company is very interested in IDL's new GNA agreements with the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Caribou-Targhee National Forests.
 
IDL Takes Delivery of New Wildland Fire Crew Carriers
BME Fire Trucks recently delivered a pair of crew carriers the department ordered months ago. IDL received funding for these vehicles as part of its FY2022 budget which was approved by the Idaho Legislature and signed by Governor Little during the 2021 legislative session.
While it’s taken considerable time and effort to secure these vehicles, that effort is worth it!
As an agency, we often talk about the importance of safety. Purchasing these crew carriers turned that talk into action. Carriers are crucial for keeping our people safe because often the most dangerous part of a fire is traveling to or from it. Our new 10-person crew carriers are built to get IDL personnel to the fireline quickly, safely, and comfortably. They are designed to handle the rough terrain inherent to fighting fires in Idaho, featuring tubular skeletons that increase roll-over protection and crew safety.
Quagga Mussel Larvae Found in Snake River, Idaho Responds Aggressively
In September the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) confirmed the presence of quagga mussels at larval life stages in the Centennial Waterfront Park area of the Snake River. These findings mark the first time a rapid response plan has been put into action for quagga mussels in Idaho.
The plan includes a multi-agency response designed to swiftly and aggressively treat the affected area of the Snake River with the hope of eliminating this highly invasive species. Director Miller is fully engaged in supporting this effort.
Treatment in the affected stretch of water is scheduled to begin next week. Today IDL team members participated in a multi-agency technical meeting at Centennial Park in Twin Falls to help prepare for the treatment.
On Sunday, October 1, 2023, staff from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture held a townhall meeting in Twin Falls, Idaho, to discuss the state's quagga mussel treatment plan and answer questions from citizens. This meeting was recorded and can be viewed on the state's quagga mussel YouTube playlist.
Why is this serious?
- Because this invasive species can quickly spread and clog pipes that deliver water for drinking, energy, agriculture, recreation, and a variety of other uses. They also could negatively affect fish populations and wildlife habitat.
- If we are not successful, an unchecked spread – which we are doing all we can to stop – has the potential to cost Idaho hundreds of millions of dollars in actual and indirect costs. It could potentially increase your taxes and bills.
What can you do to help?
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CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY ALL WATERCRAFT AND ITEMS THAT GO IN THE WATER – This situation is reminder to anyone who has watercraft or items you put in the water to be vigilant in practicing the steps of CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY before putting your watercraft or item back in the water. This includes boats, kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, oars, waders, boots, lifejackets, fishing gear, buckets, nets, and other items. Visit idaho.gov for information on CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY.
- If your watercraft (including kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, boats, and others) has been on the Snake River in the Centennial Park area of Twin Falls in the past 30 days, please take it to an Idaho State Department of Agriculture hot wash station in Twin Falls for proper treatment. DO NOT attempt to decontaminate watercraft yourself. Call (208) 332-8620 for location information or visit www.idaho.gov/quagga.
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Stay out – Closures are in place in and along the Snake River until further notice as the investigation in the area continues. The public’s cooperation in staying out of the impacted area is crucial to the success of our efforts. For current closure information, visit www.idaho.gov/quagga.
How can you stay updated?
WATCH THE ISDA TOWNHALL MEETING TO LEARN MORE
Miller Meets with East Idaho Legislators, Discusses Recreation
This week Director Miller met with Sen. Van Burtenshaw, Rep. Jerald Raymond and Rep. Rod Furniss to discuss the the impacts of dispersed camping on endowment land and IDL's effort to earn revenue for the beneficiaries through commercial recreation leasing. A number of area residents participated in the meeting, too.
As Idaho's population continues to grow, the ever-expanding use of endowment land by the public impacts those who currently lease endowment land for activities like grazing. This increased use also damages the resource and creates angst for citizens who live in areas subject to high recreation pressure.
Participants also discussed how legislative action could further address recreational impacts on endowment land and communities.
Director Miller assured the meeting participants that IDL is committed to finding solutions that meet both the Land Board's constitutional mandate to maximize long-term revenue and the needs of communities near endowment land.
Interagency JLUS Committee Coordinates Land Use in Southwest Idaho
In 2010, under a contract managed by the Idaho Department of Commerce, a Joint Land Use Study was completed through the collaborative efforts of local, state, and federal officials, state agency representatives, residents, land owners, business representatives, tribal government, citizens and military leadership from the Idaho National Guard and Mountain Home Air Force Base.
The study sought to catalog current and future land uses that could impact base operations, and foster collaborative land management solutions.
Since the study, a core group of collaborators, including IDL, have continued to meet regularly to discuss and coordinate land use plans that may impact Gowan Field, Mountain Home Airforce Base, the Orchard Combat Training Center and the Saylor Creek Air Force Range.
IDL manages more than 15,000 acres of endowment land in the training areas.
This week the committee met and discussed plans to convert the fighter wing at Gowen Field to F-16s. Starting in 2026, the 16 venerable A-10 tank-busting Warthogs currently stationed at Gowen will likely be replaced with an equal quantity of upgraded, Block 40 F-16s, a staple of U.S. air superiority. Staff from the Idaho Air National Guard detailed efforts underway to mitigate noise impacts for area residents and businesses.
According to an Scott Phillips, who represented IDL at the meeting and lives in the flight path of Gowen Field, "although F-16s are a little louder than A-10s, they both sound like strength and freedom!"
The group also toured the Orchard Combat Training Center and the Saylor Creek Air Force Range via Blackhawk helicopter, focusing on the impacts of wind and solar power generation projects on the training ranges.
Fast moving fighter jets train at altitudes as low as 100' which is well within the height of many wind turbines in the area. The towers upon which the turbines perch can foul an F-16s active electronically scanned array radar's view of threat emitters in the training range. Glare from solar installations can also blind pilots, putting them at risk particularly during takeoff and landing. New transmission lines can impact training, too.
These world-class training ranges in southwest Idaho are one reason why Idaho is likely to receive a new F-16 mission when the A-10s are gone. The ability for fighter planes and helicopters to train at low altitudes in these areas make them more desirable than other ranges where flight decks are much higher.
There are significant land use challenges stakeholders on the committee are working to address. For IDL, one challenge is balancing the national security needs fulfilled by the training ranges with the Land Board's constitutional mandate to maximize long-term revenue for the beneficiaries. Endowment land in the area holds significant potential for wind and solar energy leasing.
Through the collaborative JLUS process, identifying solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders will be possible. For example, the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) Program was identified as one potential funding source that could help meet the financial needs of the beneficiaries. Historically, this program has been used by military installations to work with partners to encumber off-post land to protect habitat and buffer training without expanding federal land ownership.
Hunting season is upon us, can hunters see you?
Endowment land provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. With fall's arrival, hunting reigns supreme. A reminder was sent to IDL employees to be extra vigilant about how we do our business during hunting season.
Wearing orange is an essential component of hunter safety. It's also crucial for keeping IDL field staff safe during hunting season. Wearing blaze orange helps ensures an employee will be seen from a long distance and in various conditions.
IDL provides field-going employees with high visibility t-shirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps and stocking hats.
Drowsy Driving Kills More than 1,500 Annually
According to the National Safety Council, drowsy driving accounts for about 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities annually. Don't become a statistic!
Employees were reminded to be aware of their limitations and conduct self-checks. If while driving they become tired, to pull over, get out and walk around or take a nap (in a safe location of course). We want employees to come home safely from whatever they are doing!
Idaho Sportsman Claybuster
Last Friday, Director Miller spent part of a vacation day participating in a clay pigeon shooting event in Caldwell hosted by Idaho Sportsmen and benefitting the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke and Representatives Josh Tanner and Ned Burns, among others, also participated in the event.
Idaho's bipartisan and bicameral Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus was established in 2004 as an entity through the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses – a national network of organized state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses with a current collective membership of approximately 2,000 legislators.
Since its inception, the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus has continued to work collaboratively for the benefit of conservation and Idaho’s shared outdoor heritage and sporting community by advocating for science-based policies to protect and advance hunting, angling, trapping, and recreational shooting.
In Case You Missed It
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