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Idaho mulls change to post-exchange grazing permits
Capital Press, 2-8-24
Idaho ranchers will be able to keep key features of a federal grazing lease after the state assumes ownership in a land exchange under a bill before the state legislature.
The Senate Resources and Environment Committee on Feb. 5 voted to send Senate Bill 1243 to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation.
The bill would apply to “a very narrow set of qualified lands,” according to its purpose statement.
Wilderness designations, wildfire management needs, and improved connection are among reasons that the Idaho Department of Lands and a federal agency may exchange parcels. In the West, a patchwork of ownerships and jurisdictions may prompt exchanges.
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IDL is now accepting project proposals for several forestry and fire grants
Clearwater Tribune, 2-8-24
Coeur d’Alene, ID - Several forestry and fire grants are now open for submission of project proposals. The grants help reduce wildfire risks in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), support county wildfire protection planning and improve forest health. They are administered through Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and fall under three categories: Hazard Fuel Reduction, Western States Fire Managers and Landscape Scale Restoration.
Those eligible to apply include: state, county and local agencies; non-profit (501c3) organizations; tribes; and educational institutions. A limited number of project proposals for each program will be selected for full development and submission for a competitive process for the western United States.
IDL is offering a webinar to help with the application process.
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PF Community Forest still mostly off limits
Coeur d'Alene Press, 2-8-24
POST FALLS — While the mercury slowly rises toward warmer spring temperatures, the city of Post Falls is reminding the public that climbing is still prohibited in a large portion of the Post Falls Community Forest.
"We expect that to be closed until late spring," Post Falls urban forester Preston Hill said Tuesday.
The 500-acre Post Falls Community Forest, which stretches west along the Spokane River and to the west and south of Q'emiln Park, was extensively burned when the Parkway Fire tore through the area Aug. 4, 2023.
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Hill and his team have also been working on a $125,000 grant-funded hazard fuels treatment project along the southern and eastern boundaries of the Community Forest, inside and outside the burn zone.
The project includes the city of Post Falls, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management and Avista Utilities, all of which are working to create a 300-foot-wide shaded fuel break. This will remove vegetation and small trees to thin out the area and put the brakes on a wildfire if another one comes through, Hill explained.
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Bill to protect public land, water access clears Senate panel
Bonner County Daily Bee, 2-7-24
State lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that seeks to protect public access to Idaho’s lands and waters if a local government decides to vacate a roadway.
If a public right-of-way provides access to state lands or waters, Senate Bill 1258 would require counties and highway districts to obtain equivalent replacement access for the public before deciding to vacate it.
“Before abandonment, we are asking our local governments to provide a replacement,” bill sponsor Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, explained to the Senate Transportation Committee.
Herndon said a local dispute in Bonner County over the end of Camp Bay Road on Lake Pend Oreille has reached its conclusion and would not be impacted by the bill, but was the inspiration behind it.
“It wasn’t what this bill calls for, which is the same scope of use and substantially similar, but that situation is basically adjudicated,” Herndon said. “This is really looking out for future situations for all of Idaho.”
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Now Hiring
Posted February 8, 2024
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NOW HIRING WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS Fight for Idaho - Build a Career Cataldo Forest Protective District Kingston, Idaho SALARY: $15.91 - $19.09 Email: bpugh@idl.idaho.gov Call: 208-682-4611 OTHER AREAS HIRING FOR IDL FIRE TOO! #NotYourOrdinaryJob #IDLFire #IdahoJobs
Log Scaling School
Posted February 7, 2024
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 Free Log Scaling School!
The Idaho Department of Lands will hold its Log Scaling School March 12-14, 2024 at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel and a local log yard in Lewiston, Idaho. This is an introduction to scaling for anyone interested in learning more about scaling, training to become a scaler, or preparing to take the state scaling licensure test.
Visit our website for full details: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-forestry/log-scaling-school/
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