IDL tracks and monitors news coverage of our activities and significant events that may impact our operations, recapping the coverage in this newsletter.
This publication also details IDL's social media posts for the week, keeping stakeholders and our front-line customer service staff apprised of our public-facing communications.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little says human safety is his top priority as large wildfires continue to spread
Idaho Capital Sun, 8-30-24
Idaho Gov. Brad Little said his No. 1 focus is on the safety of civilians and firefighters in the face of what he described as the highest priority wildfire in the country.
The Wapiti Fire burning near Stanley and Grandjean in the Boise and Sawtooth National Forest surpassed 89,000 acres burned on Thursday, with containment still estimated at 0%, fire officials said.
In Idaho, the location of a fire plays a role in who responds to fight the fire. Across Idaho, local rural fire protection agencies, local fire departments, the Idaho Department of Lands and the federal government all play roles in fighting fires.
An interagency agreement called the Idaho Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Agreement between the Idaho Department of Lands, the Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest Service allows those agencies to work together, said Idaho Department of Lands Fire Bureau Chief Josh Harvey.
“Really what it does is authorizes federal agencies and states to work together and exchange funds,” Harvey said in a phone interview Thursday. “And so by allowing us to exchange funds that really allows us to share resources to help each other out with wildfires, regardless of whose jurisdiction that is.”
KINGSTON — A fire near a Kingston residence was quickly doused Thursday afternoon.
The call came in just after 3 p.m. that a fire had broken out in a scrapyard at the end of Cattail Lane and had spread to the hillside below Riverview Drive. Crews from Shoshone County Fire Districts 1 and 2 responded along with a team from the Idaho Department of Lands.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but the point of ignition appeared to be within a pile of old vehicles and scrap metal on the premises. There were no injuries.
More than $30 million in restoration projects taking place in North-Central Idaho
Northwest Public Broadcasting, 8-29-24
More than $30 million is being invested into projects benefiting restoration of North-Central Idaho landscapes.
Nicknamed the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA), the agreements are between multiple agencies: the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho County.
“In these agreements, we’re able to capture our common interests with our partner groups and facilitate more restoration work getting done across public lands,” said Sarah Alberts, partnership coordinator for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
Planned projects include reducing wildfire fuels, wildlife habitat improvement and fisheries restoration, Alberts said.
Idaho Department of Lands Auctions Five Payette Lake Lots for $6,013,000
KOZE, 8-26-24
Five of six cottage sites at Payette Lake were sold at auction for deeded ownership today by the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), one property did not receive a bid.
The public auction generated $6,013,000 which is $1,362,000 over the appraised value. Of the properties sold, three had competitive bidding and two had only one bid. The competitive bidding resulted in a 29% overall increase above the appraised value.
All leased properties auctioned today had homes on them. The land is held in trust by IDL for State Hospital South and Normal Schools beneficiaries, but the cabins and other improvements on the land are owned by the leaseholders as personal property.
Three lessees successfully purchased their split estates. Two properties were purchased by non-lessees who will pay the amount bid for the land to IDL and the appraised value of the personal property to the lessee.
The burn ban for North Central Idaho has been lifted.
Officials with several agencies including the Idaho Department of Lands have lifted the ban on the Grangeville Fire Restrictions area which includes Latah County locally. Officials say the recent cooler weather led to the burn ban being lifted. The ban was initiated in late July.
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Expands Good Neighbor Partnership with Tribal, State, and Local Governments
DailyFly, 8-24-24
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Expands Good Neighbor Partnership with Tribal, State, and Local Governments
The primary goal of Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) is to increase the pace and scale of restoration at a watershed scale and to strengthen partnerships between state, tribal, county and federal agencies to get more done across boundaries. The first partnership on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest was with Idaho Department of Lands in 2016 and IDL continues to be a leader in partnerships with the Forests.
New cameras, AI, and technology are the wave of the future for fighting wildfires
KIVI, 8-23-24
ALERTWest is a new company formed in 2023 to provided firefighters with an advantage to detect wildfires, provide real-time data to help them allocate the proper resources through the use of cameras.
It's a model based on a successful public-private partnership used in California. Scott Schifando of ALERTWest is helping pioneer this effort after having to endure the Campfire near Chino. His team has developed artificial intelligence to detect smoke.
"The camera spins 360 degrees about every two minutes on an AI model that we have created," said Schifando. "Anything the system thinks could potentially be fire, the system flags those images."
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This year the Idaho Department of Lands installed five cameras in the central part of the state that send off data to ALERTWest to provide situational awareness and a live feed that is easy to use online.
Idaho Gov. Little unveils new wildfire plan that includes less liability for companies
Idaho Statesman, 8-23-24
A new plan Idaho Gov. Brad Little unveiled Friday to mitigate wildfire risk had more than just policies aimed to protect areas from widespread blazes.A list of top priorities had a broad scope of goals from the executive office, including limitations on liability for electrical utilities that cause fires.
Officials said they’re looking to follow neighboring states, which have implemented laws restricting the amount residents can sue for if they lose property to a utility-caused fire and allowing utilities to raise consumer rates to create a “fire fund.”
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REPORT EMPHASIZES COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION
Dustin Miller, director of the Department of Lands, which manages fires on state-owned land, said during the news conference that population growth in Idaho is putting more people and homes at risk as communities extend farther into the wildland-urban interface, where development meets undeveloped land.
As a result, he said, it’s more important than ever for agencies and residents to collaborate on fire prevention.
Miller’s department will work with companies that own timberland to provide communication and personal protective equipment for crews to respond when wildfires start on private land. The Department of Lands will also work with other departments to set up a wildland fire detection camera network to help catch blazes early.
‘No agency can do this alone’: Idaho officials address goals to mitigate wildfires
Idaho Capital Sun, 8-23-24
Idaho Gov. Brad Little offers recommendations state agencies and other federal and local stakeholders must take to mitigate wildfires at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise on Aug. 23, 2024. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)
State officials on Friday unveiled a new report, including new ideas for possible legislation, outlining 10 recommendations on how to reduce the impact of wildfires.
In front of a crowd of firefighters at the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, Idaho Gov. Brad Little began the press conference discussing recommendations to state officials on what steps to take to reduce the impact of wildfires.
Some recommendations include:
adopting legislation for wildfire liability standards for electric utilities
developing a statewide mobile notification and evacuation plan
coordinating wildfire detection cameras
expanding Idaho’s fire information website that interacts with those detection cameras
The full list of recommendations outlined in the report can be found online.
Gov. Brad Little announces new report to improve wildfire prevention
KMVT, 8-23-24
BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Gov. Brad Little and state leaders announced a report Friday that aims to reduce the impacts of wildfires across the state.
The plan outlined ten priorities, including managing fuel, learning from other states like California, and improving communication in emergency response, according to the Office of the Governor.
“We must maintain a coordinated, strategic approach to improving wildfire prevention and response in our great state if we are going to protect lives and property from the destruction of wildfire,” Gov. Little said. “The new wildfire report is a big part of that strategy, and I appreciate the strong support from many partners in helping us lay out priorities to guide our actions.”
The report arose from feedback from the four smaller workgroups set up by Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke in a roundtable meeting in 2023, the office said. Idaho plans to address the plan’s main points across the 2024 and 2025 wildfire season.
State leaders offer recommendations for wildfire direction
Idaho Reports, 8-23-24
Flanked by first responders and division heads, Gov. Brad Little introduced a new report on Friday with recommendations and directives on wildfire suppression, including better managing fire fuels, improving statewide emergency response communications, and proposing legislation on wildfire liability standards for utilities.
The Friday morning press conference happened as the city of Stanley was under a level one evacuation warning – meaning get ready to go — while residents west of town received an immediate level three evacuation order Friday morning.
Governor Brad Little rolls out new report to reduce impacts of wildfires
KIVI, 8-23-24
BOISE, Idaho — Governor Brad Little outlines 10 priorities to reduce impacts of wildfire. Flanked by dozens of firefighters at the Safe Wise Garden at the Idaho Botanical Garden, Governor Little discussed his plans to make Idaho a safer place from wildfires.
2023 Wildfire roundtable came up with solutions
The roundtable discussed liability reform for utilities, statewide communication, and insurers
The new report outlines 10 priorities to reduce impacts of wildfire
Firefighters joined Idaho Governor Brad Little at the Idaho Botanical Garden on August 23 to discuss the state's wildfire response and new improvements to that process.
Idaho Governor details 10 key steps to improve wildfire management
CBS2, 8-23-24
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Idaho continues to face difficult issues surrounding wildfires each year. Last year in response to these issues, Governor Little hosted a Wildfire Roundtable, which brought industry leaders together to address several key issues. That roundtable spawned four separate workgroups to tackle key issues.
Friday morning Governor Little and Lt. Governor Scott Bedke presented the report, which compiled all of the findings from each workgroup. The four workgroups were: Federal issues and rangeland fire protection associations, insurance, liability, and utilities, information sharing, and emergency response.
The report lists 10 key steps and recommendations from the workgroups on protecting Idaho lives and property from destructive wildfires. The first two steps involve state and national legislation reforms. A key issue is permitting and liability issues associated with fuel treatments, vegetation management and ignition prevention maintenance.
The Mowry Fire, burning south of Cave Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene, is at 65% containment this morning, according to the Idaho Department of Lands. The 'Get Ready' evacuation notice for residents near Worley issued by Kootenai County was lifted yesterday evening. Full containment is expected to be reached by the end of the day.
Firefighting resources are still on the scene today to strengthen containment lines and mop up. The fire burned reportedly burned 103 acres, and the cause is under investigation.
According to the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), the fire has burned roughly 103 acres and is 65% contained.
IDL says fire crews are on the scene and working to contain the fire.
IDL said on Wednesday night that aircraft created a wet line around 90% of the fire to prevent further spread. They say fire lines are being constructed and mop-up work has begun.
Evacuation orders lifted for Mowroy Fire after 103-acre blaze
KHQ, 8-28-24
Update on Aug. 28 at 9 p.m. - KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — According to the Kootenai County Emergency Management team, the fire evacuations for the Mowroy Fire have been lifted. The fire reportedly covered 103 acres of land.
Originally published Aug. 28 3:45 p.m. - The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reports that a fire is burning near the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, prompting level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation requests.
According to the sheriff’s office, evacuations have been requested for the Cave Bay area by the Idaho Department of Lands. Deputies are en route to assist Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police.
Wildfire Alert: Flat Fire – Current as of 9:30 AM MT on 8/25/2024
DailyFly, 8-25-24
Flat Fire Facts
Location: Approximately one mile northeast of Pioneerville in Boise County, Idaho
Reported: August 5, 2024; Cause: Lightning/Natural
Acres: 3,734; Containment: 61%
Fuels: Timber with grass and understory
Personnel: 347 (7 hand crews, 8 engines, 6 water tenders, 1 dozer, 3 masticators and 3 helicopters)
Highlights: Yesterday there was very little fire activity on the Flat Fire due to cooler weather, scattered showers and multiple successful suppression efforts. Fire crews completed mop-up, pulled excess fire equipment and continued suppression repair efforts including chipping up downed timber, and installing water bars to prevent erosion. Similar efforts will continue today.
Crews will continue to work on containing the fire over the remainder of the weekend, with heavy machinery workers also being used to create additional dozer lines.
