State Arbor Day Celebration
A crowd of about 100 people gathered for Idaho's Arbor Day celebration, held on April 26 at the Idaho History Museum in Boise's Julia Davis Park.
Director Miller welcomed the guests and read the Arbor Day Proclamation signed by Governor Little.
Idaho State Forester Craig Foss gave a presentation on the History of Arbor Day and the Importance of Forests. Foss and the Director then presented certificates to Treasure Valley's Tree City USA participants. Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle, Garden City and Kuna were all recognized for their stewardship.
There was opportunity to see the winning photos from the Arbor Day 2024 Photo Contest, with the youth present to receive recognition. The kids then helped to plant a tree in Julia Davis Park.
Director Dustin Miller reading the Governor's proclamation. photo by Robbie Johnson
Craig Foss and Dustin Miller present the Tree Cities USA award to Kuna representatives. photo by Robbie Johnson
IDL Take Your Kids to Work Day
The Boise staff office and the Coeur d'Alene staff office had very successful Take Your Kids to Work Day events on Thursday April 25.
Boise had about 20 children participate. The activities were designed for parents and kids to do together. Kids were given tours IDL and the State Capitol.
There were a number of hands on stations that included Minerals (Marin Sandborn), Map Genius (Robin Dunn), I want to work in IT (Robert Mason), Understanding Fire (Robbie Johnson) a coloring station, and a chance to meet wildland firefighters with opportunity to roll out hoses, and spray water at a target.
Feedback from both parents and children was positive.
photo by Robbie Johnson
photo by Drake Sanborn
photo by Marin Sanborn
Take Your Kids to Work Day was also a great adventure at The Coeur d’Alene staff office, filled with excitement and discovery.
15 children explored various engaging activities. Tree identification sessions allowed young minds to learn about different species and their unique characteristics that make them valuable in products we use daily.
The thrill of discovering heights allowed kids to measure trees, gaining an understanding of their vertical stature. A drone demo added a modern twist, showcasing technology's role in forest management.
The compass and pacing scavenger hunt encouraged teamwork and navigation skills, while map exploration introduced youngsters to the art of cartography. They learned about forest insects and diseases and learned about how these impact forest health and wood quality.
A big thank you to the Idaho Forest Products Commission for their invaluable support, providing enriching learning materials and memorable SWAG. Through this event, children not only bonded with their parents at work but also gained a deeper appreciation for Idaho's thriving forest industry.
photo by Joel Clark
photo by Joel Clark
photo by David Greenwood
A Message to Administrative Professionals from the Director
I would like to take a moment to recognize some very important people in our organization, our Administrative Professionals. As your director and as an agency I want you to know we appreciate you and the work you do to support all aspects of our agency. Life at IDL would be extremely difficult without you.
I would ask everyone to take a moment when you see an Administrative Professional in your office to take the time to let them know how much you value them and and all they do.
AP’s we depend on you and are thankful for you.
Administrative Professionals on a recent Field Tour in Eastern Supervisory Area- photo by Robbie Johnson
IDL Boot Allowance Policy
IDL will now be offering a boot allowance for qualifying positions within the organization. Good field boots can be a significant expense for many of our field and fire staff members, so the Director is pleased this boot stipend policy is now in effect.
Many have already purchased new boots for the upcoming field and fire season, so this policy is retroactive effective January 1, 2024.
IDL’s Boot Allowance Policy (and procedure and Luma guide) are posted on SharePoint’s policies page (in the folder 0350-Safety). They are also attached. Please review this information for eligibility and reimbursement requirements. This policy covers eligible permanent and seasonal employees.
Director Miller would like to thank Jeanne Bradley, Vikki Snider, Amy Johnson and Michele Anderson for their dedicated efforts working with the Executive Team to make this happen. He very excited to see this cross the finish line.
Safety Program Survey Results
Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent IDL Safety Program Survey.
Overall, the results show that we are doing a good job with our safety efforts. Our managers and supervisors are providing safety related discussions and trainings and supporting additional safety efforts.
The survey was anonymous to allow for open and honest feedback. If you commented in the survey and you would like to discuss your concerns further, please contact Vikki Snider directly. She would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern and hopefully provide some mitigation efforts.
Below are some comments and her follow up:
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"It would be nice to have a window breaker/seat belt cutter in each vehicle."
- I agree! While I don't believe we have had an incident that this was needed, it only takes once. I have received authorization to purchase this safety item for EVERY IDL vehicle. I am researching cost, etc. so stay tuned!
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"Where our Area is having issues is in the field with ATV's."
- Read the entire Safety Bulletin
- Review the Survey Results
Southwest RT-130 Class
The Southwest Forest Protective District held an fire refresher class this week. A total of 19 IDL employees participated.
Members of the class practicing shelter deployment - photo by Ruth Luke
Market Lake Wildlife Management Area Prescribed Burn
IDL's East Idaho Forest Protective District assisted the Idaho Fish and Game and Bureau of Land Management with a prescribed burn of the Market Lake WMA.
Fire Warden Kelly Hoffer, Gary Billman and Katina Kienlen-Hoffer helped burn more than 130 acres of cattails and bulrush to open up the acreage for wildlife. At the time of the photo below Gary was the lead burner for the crew he was assisting.
Photos were taken by Austin Catlin of the BLM.
 
Boise First Aid and CPR/AED Training
All IDL employees are required to participate in First Aid/CPR/AED training and maintain certification. (See the attached policy)
IDL Boise staff office is providing an opportunity for those in Boise or the Southwest Supervisory Area who have never taken the course or if their certificate will expire in June 2024. If you are from another area but will be in Boise during one of the trainings, and it works with your schedule, you may be able to participate.
IDL will work with Rich Gummersall of ASHI Training Center and allow everyone an opportunity to take the training course.
There is no cost to you as an employee of IDL and you will receive a 2-year Certification after the course is completed.
The trainings will be held on the following dates:
- Monday, June 3, 2024 – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Wednesday, June 5, 2024 – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Friday, June 14, 2024 – 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM
For more information contact Tammy Armstrong at tarmstrong@idl.idaho.gov or 208-334-0215
More Great Photos from Boise and Coeur d'Alene Bring Your Kids to Work Day
Thank you to all the IDL staff who participated and to all the staff and parents who shared their photos of these great events!
CDA - photo by Joel Clark
CDA - photo by Tara Mayers
CDA - photo by Tara Mayers
CDA - photo by Joel Clark
CDA - photo by David Greenwood
CDA - photo by Kyel Seigley
Boise - photo by Robbie Johnson
Boise Capitol tunnels - photo by Marin Sanborn
Boise - photo by Marin Sanborn
Boise - photo by Robin Dunn
Boise - photo by Tammy Armstong
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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