Wildfire Season Starting a Little Early
IDL Fire has been busy in the month of May and into June. Year to date there have been 63 fires, 14 of those within the last week, and 363 acres burned.
Wildfire Alerts were sent out for the Manley Creek Road Fire that started May 27 near Laclede in Bonner County. While this fire ended up being just 7 acres, it was extremely challenging. IDL was dispatched to wildfire that had spread from a structure fire. The structure had more than 90 propane tanks that exploded, 500 gallon fuel tanks, many creosote covered railroad ties and more, which posed a huge threat to firefighters. A number of homes were place on "Ready" status but no evacuations were necessary. While the wildfire was contained and controlled within a couple of days, the structure fire will be smoking for several weeks.
Wildfire Alerts also went out for the Hatwai Fire northeast of Lewiston started May 31. Gusty winds of 15-20 miles per hour, steep terrain and dark conditions created very difficult conditions for firefighters. Evacuation were necessary as a precaution, but the only structure that burned was an outbuilding the size of a small shed. IDL contained and controlled the fire at about 250 acres, with crews patrolling the area since June 2.
Wildfire Alerts can be found here
Signup for Wildfire Alerts can be found here
photos by Brian Hicks
 Manley Creek Road Fire
 Manley Creek Road Fire with hoselay
IDL Firefighters to Canada
A number of IDL firefighters are in Canada. Under the Northwest Wildland Firefighting Compact, IDL firefighters were mobilized to the Canadian Province of Alberta to support their wildfire response efforts.
IDL's Teakean Handcrew is currently assigned to the Swan Hill Complex in Alberta. Other IDL staff are working another nearby fire in Alberta.
Wildfire knows no borders, and neither does our commitment to helping others. Lending support now means when we need help in the future, they’ll be there for us too, which is the power of partnership. We’re proud to be part of this team effort to protect lives, land, and communities.
The Northwest Fire Fighting Compact includes Idaho, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Hawaii, as well as the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
IDL has also sent firefighters to assist California, Texas, North Dakota, North and South Carolina, Nebraska, and Missouri.
photos by Brendan Horan
 Teakean Hand Crew
 Teakean Hand Crew headed to Alberta
National Association of State Forester Meeting in DC
Julia Lauch, Idaho State Forester, participated in the National Association of State Forester’s (NASF) Fly-In to Washington, D.C. This was a landmark week for state foresters and NASF’s advocacy in DC. Together, previous records were shattered, with a combined 104 meetings between the Hill and the Administration. Close to third of NASF membership converged and burned shoe leather across town in some pretty swampy weather.
Julia had individual meetings with each of the four Idaho congressional delegation offices, with Chief Schultz, and one additional meeting with a neighboring State Senator’s staffer. She also participated in three larger meetings with different USDA and USFS groups, as well as two additional meetings with senate committee staff.
Each of these visits had multiple intents. NASF wanted a strong showing and repetitive voice, regarding NASF positions on recent and relevant topics, to show the desire to be involved and participate during these changing times. The current FY25 budget reconciliation was on everyone’s minds in DC as well as the subsequent FY26 budget. This timing provided opportunity to advocate for the USFS State, Private, Tribal Forestry (SPTF) funding. Additionally, discussions included the senate version of Fix Our Forests Act; USFS reform; the draft wildland fire executive order that made it’s way public a couple of weeks ago; staffing concerns for this fire season; specific SPTF program funding in the future; the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program; and who NASF is and that state foresters would like to continue to engage in all things forestry and wildland fire.
Beyond the specific topics of the day this was also a great opportunity for Julia to continue building relationships with the Idaho delegation offices, and sharing about the great work that IDL staff is doing on the ground, and in leveraging funds for the better of forest health and risk mitigation across the landscape in Idaho. The week brought long hours, a lot of conversation with fellow state foresters, incredibly valuable conversations in-person, and proved to be time well-spent.
State Forester Julia Lauch meeting with Congressman Russ Fulcher
State Forester Julia Lauch meeting with Chief of Forest Service Tom Schultz
Endowment Land Cleanup
IDL has issues with and target shooters leaving behind lots of trash, and other items being dumped on endowment land in Ohio Gulch in Blaine County.
Just before Memorial Day weekend, Senior Resource Specialist Meribeth Lomkin from the Jerome office went to work. The majority of the 3 loads of trash was from target shooting and included: 6 - 35 gallon plastic trash barrels worth of shot up aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and glass wine bottle pieces, cardboard boxes,particle board, and toilet shot into hundred of pieces. She also picked up old mattresses and wood pallets that had been dumped.
Resource Supervisor Randal Brunmeier completed a similar clean up last fall before the snow fell.
Each year a sign asking people not to dump and to remove their trash is shot up and sometimes removed. New signs will be posted soon.
photos by Meribeth Lomkin
 Ohio Gulch trash load #1
 Ohio Gulch trash load #2
 Section of Ohio Gulch after cleanup
Capital for a Day - Shelly, Idaho
Governor Brad Little hosted Capital for a day in Shelly on May 28 at the Heart 2 Hand Bingham Food Pantry.
IDL was represented by Michele Andersen – Deputy Director, Ryan Woodland – Area Manager of the Eastern Supervisory Area and Chad Taylor – Lands Resource Supervisor from the Idaho Falls office.
In Bingham County:
- Endowment Ownership = 127,737 surface acres
- Endowment Subsurface Only Mineral Estate = 111,100 acres
- FY24 endowment distributions for school districts total $2.3 million
- FY24 endowment income totals $886,657
“Capital for a Day is a great opportunity for myself and my administration to hear from Idahoans about the needs of their community,” Governor Little said. “I look forward to sharing this tradition with the good people of Bingham County and learn how we can better serve them.”
Photos by Joan Varsek
 Governor Brad Little
 Audience members asking questions
IDL Spring Leadership Meeting
IDL held its annual Spring Leadership Meeting in Coeur d'Alene May 21-23.
This is a yearly opportunity to bring IDL's leaders together to discuss important issues, keeping everyone informed of important initiatives and other information.
Some of the topics covered included the Continuity of Operations Plan, Critical Incident Response, survey results regarding the Strategic Plan, and early discussions with the Employee Engagement Committee, Logo Wear, and the Equity Plan.
IDL Employees of the Year were also announced. See information regarding Employees of the Year in this Special Director's Update.
photo by Jane Kreller
IDL Navigable Waterways Crew Takes Over McCall
The IDL Navigable Waterways team recently converged on McCall for a two-day program meeting on June 4-5. Program Manager Marde Mensinger kicked things off with a program update with lively discussions about inspection reports and communication strategies.
They then heard updates on major lake and river projects from our field experts: Randall Brunmeier from the Jerome Field Office, Gary Billman from the Eastern Supervisory Area, and Tyler Warner from Pend Oreille Lake Supervisory Area. Additionally, JJ Winters, Attorney, and Kayla Dawson, Legal Assistant, led a helpful question-and-answer session on behalf of IDL's legal team.
A key highlight of the meeting was a tour of Payette Lake's southern shoreline, led by Jasen King, Resource Specialist Sr. from the Payette Lakes Supervisory Area. During the tour, staff observed a variety of encroachments, including single-family docks, riprap, commercial marinas, community docks, buoys, and water lines, offering valuable real-world context for their work.
photos by Marde Mensinger
 Navigable Waters team on tour of Payette Lake - phtot by Andrew Smyth
 Navigable Waters team getting a Payette Mill History lesson - photo by Marde Mensinger
Land Board Memorializes Carl Crabtree with a Resolution
The Land Board paid tribute to Carl Crabtree during the May Land Board meeting, recognizing his extensive service to the people of Idaho and to the Land Board. The Governor described Carl as a model public servant, active in youth, agriculture and legislative work.
Superintendent Critchfield read a resolution that the Land Board members signed. A photo of them with the Resolution and the Resolution itself were sent to Carl's family.
Some of the highlights from the resolution included that Carl Crabtree:
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Born May 17, 1952; raised near Kooskia, ID.
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Earned a Plant Science degree from the University of Idaho.
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Had a long career in agriculture, education, and public service.
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Managed 4-H programs for 27 years; active in the cattle industry.
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Served as State Senator (2016–2022) for District 7.
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Advocated for early literacy, all-day kindergarten, and dyslexia policy.
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Honored by Idaho School Boards Association and Lewis-Clark State College.
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Worked with Idaho's five tribes on Indian education.
- Worked for the Idaho Department of Education as a senior advisor to the Superintendent.
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Known for his humor, warmth, and resilience in fighting cancer.
The Land Board posed for a photo with the signed Resolution.
photo by Jane Kreller
 Land Board with the signed Resolution
More than 200 students participate in the 42nd Idaho State Forestry Contest
IDL hosted another successful Idaho State Forestry Contest at Farragut State Park on May 8. The event marked the 42nd year of this unique, hands-on forestry and natural resource education experience for Idaho youth.
220 students from across the state competed in a variety of forestry-related stations that tested their skills in tree and plant identification, log scaling, compass and pacing, soil and water quality, tool identification, and more. These events simulate real-world forestry work and promote critical thinking and teamwork, helping students connect with Idaho’s rich natural resource heritage.
The contest is a community-driven event that relies on the commitment of over 250 volunteers, many of whom are IDL employees. Their efforts ensure students leave the event inspired and better informed about potential careers in forestry, conservation, and natural resources.
photos by Jennifer Russell
 Senior Team First Place - Whistlestop 4-H
 Forestry Competition - Tree ID Station
Athol Elementary School Holds Fire Prevention Event
Athol Elementary School participated in the annual Smokey Bear Coloring Contest. They were encouraged to keep up the great work and to remember—only YOU can prevent wildfires!
Smokey also wants to thank our Mica Area fire crew for the ride in their engine and helping educate our communities about how they can prevent wildfires!
 Athol Elementary Smokey Bear Coloring Contest Participants
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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