Director Miller Meets with US Forest Service Chief in McCall
Director Miller and State Forester Craig Foss met with US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore at Brundage Mountain outside of McCall on Thursday to discuss challenges and celebrate successes achieved through our cross boundary forest health and wildfire resiliency work in the Southern Idaho Landscape. Several local and regional Forest Service personnel were in attendance along with a multitude of other partners, NGOs and the Idaho Power Company. Programs like the Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship in Idaho have served as catalysts for the larger Wildfire Crisis Strategy and have been examples on what we can get done on the landscape through the power of partnership and leveraging resources to make a meaningful impact. IDL is proud to be a partner in such an important initiative.
IDL Employee Recognition Before Land Board
Director Miller gave special recognition to IDL's outstanding employees to the Land Board during the May 21 Land Board meeting. The criteria for consideration for the award recipients includes service and job performance exceeding normal expectations. Their performance must also align with IDL values of stewardship, service, accountability, cohesiveness and quality contributions. An overall employee of the year was also announced.
The director noted that the executive team faced difficulty in making these decisions as there were many deserving candidates. He also expressed appreciation for all IDL employees.
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Laurie Stone
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Robert Funk
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Marte is the recipient of the Accountability Award. He is the Returns & Refurbish Leader/Storekeeper for the IDL Coeur d'Alene Fire Cache. He demonstrates unwavering dedication, professionalism and passion for customer service. His leadership extends beyond daily responsibilities, offering guidance and support to teammates. Marte leads by example in patient communication and accountability.
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Alice is the recipient of the Quality Contributions Award. She is the Administrative Assistant for the Pend Oreille Supervisory Office and Kootenai Valley. She demonstrates a willingness to take on any task with positivity and adaptability and sees challenges as opportunities for solutions. Alice has a positive impact on the entire department and acknowledges the hard work of others, promoting a one-team ethos.
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Tyre Holfeltz
Tyre is the recipient of the Cohesiveness Award. He is the Program Manager for Fire Prevention and Risk Mitigation in the Coeur d’Alene staff office. He demonstrates a passion for the program and for protecting Idaho's natural resources. His devotion is evident in his decision-making and actions. Tyre proactively seeks ways to maximize resources and secure funding and he promotes collaboration with new partners and opportunities.
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Ed Wingert
Ed is IDL's Employee of the Year. He is the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) Program Manager out of the Coeur d'Alene staff office. His leadership has increased the pace and scale of forest restoration on federal lands in Idaho. He achieved outstanding results in 2023, nearly doubling previous year's output. Ed is a positive reflection on the department and his positivity is recognized by customers, partners and staff. He demonstrates service, passion, dedication and the embodiment of organizational values.
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Congratulations to all the recipients, you make us all very proud.
 photo by Robbie Johnson
Tree Planting on Packer John
A half dozen IDL employees plus a contract crew of 11 people spent the week of May 27 planting seedlings to reforest hundreds of acres in the Packer John State Forest. The endowment land was previously harvested because of a Douglas-fir Tussock Moth infestation. The 160,000 seedlings include larch, Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. This combination and variety of species should ensure less devastation in the future should another infestation happen.
In 2019, IDL sold nearly 2,000 acres of dead and dying timber as part of two salvage sales in Packer John State Forest on endowment land. The trees had been infested with Douglas-fir Tussock Moths which was prevalent throughout the region on endowment, private and federal lands. The moths caused a decline in timber health and required harvest in a timely manner to save the value of the timber for the endowments.
Photos courtesy of Ruth Luke.
   
IDL Boise Staff Office Employee Appreciation BBQ
May was filled with Spring Fire, Leadership meetings and more, so we are taking the opportunity to celebrate employee appreciation day next week. The executive team is hosting a potluck BBQ on Wednesday, June 5 in the Capitol mall across the street from the office.
It will also be a good opportunity to get together as a team, say farewell to the IT staff leaving us for ITS, and to welcome new staff members to IDL.
Land Board and staff are invited to stop by and share their appreciation for IDL staff.
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
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:
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