Current News Coverage
Gov. Little announces $1 million in bonuses for Idaho wildland firefighters
KIVI, 8-1-25
IDAHO — More than 300 Idaho wildland firefighters and support staff will soon receive bonuses of up to $5,000, Idaho Governor Brad Little announced Friday.
"Our firefighters have done an incredible job so far this season of keeping fires small," Little said in a press release. "As we enter the busiest and most dangerous part of our wildfire season here in Idaho, it is important we signal our strong support for the brave men and women who put their own safety on the line every time they head out for a fire so the rest of us can stay safe."
The one-time $1 million in bonuses were approved by the Legislature during the last session as part of Little's Keeping Promises plan. The funding aims to help recruit and retain wildland fire staff and support broader investments in fire preparedness through the Idaho Department of Lands.
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Wildland Firefighters To Receive Bonuses Today
Big Country News, 8-1-25
BOISE - Governor Brad Little announced the State of Idaho’s hardworking wildland firefighters and other critical support staff will receive one-time bonuses of up to $5,000 today.
“Our firefighters have done an incredible job so far this season of keeping fires small. As we enter the busiest and most dangerous part of our wildfire season here in Idaho, and it is important we signal our strong support for the brave men and women who put their own safety on the line every time they head out for a fire so the rest of us can stay safe,” Governor Little said. “These bonuses are a meaningful way to say thank you to our brave Idaho firefighters and the staff who back them up.”
The $1 million in bonuses were approved by the Legislature as part of Governor Little’s KEEPING PROMISES plan last legislative session. The bonuses ensure we can retain and recruit fire staff. They were part of a broader plan to invest in improved preparedness at the Idaho Department of Lands, the state’s wildland firefighting agency.
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Human-caused fires prompt Stage 1 restrictions
Idaho Mountain Express, 8-1-25
Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect across much of Blaine County and throughout the Sawtooth National Forest late Thursday evening.
The Sawtooth National Forest, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Idaho Department of Lands announced the restrictions in a joint news release Thursday morning in response to what they described as “an usually high number of human-caused wildland fire starts so far this season.”
Stage 1 fire restrictions prohibit “building or maintaining a wood-, charcoal-, or briquette-fueled fire outside of a permanent metal or concrete fire pit or grate that the Forest Service or BLM has installed and maintained at its developed recreation sites,” the agencies stated Thursday.
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Stage 1 fire restrictions announced across Sawtooth National Forest, surrounding areas
Post Register 7-31-25
The South Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center announced Stage 1 fire restrictions in a coordinated effort with the Idaho Department of Lands, the Sawtooth National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Twin Falls District, Shoshone Field Office.
Restrictions will apply to all lands north of U.S. Route 20 from Hill City east to the Craters of the Moon National Monument Park Visitor Center and the northern most Sawtooth National Forest boundary, according to a Thursday press release. South of U.S. Route 20, restrictions will only apply to National Forest System lands in the boundaries of the Minidoka Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest.
Area Fire Restrictions Coordinator Rob Haddock explained in the release that the purpose of the restrictions is to reduce the potential for human-caused ignitions.
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Idaho landowners may face increased fire prevention fees
KHQ, 7-30-25
The Idaho Department of Lands is considering a proposal that could lead to increased fire prevention fees for landowners.
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – The Idaho Department of Lands is considering a proposal that could lead to increased fire prevention fees for landowners.
The proposal, recently approved by the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners, suggests an increase in acreage payments
According to the proposal, the change could generate an additional $4 million a year in fire prevention revenue.
Fire Chief Josh Harvey from the Idaho Department of Lands discussed the growing costs of firefighting.
"We look at it two different ways," Harvey said. "We have preparedness, which is the personnel, the engines, the equipment to respond to a fire. And then on the other hand, we have the actual expense of fighting the fire itself."
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Orofino hosts Governor Little, state leaders for 'Capitol for a Day'
Clearwater Tribune, 7-30-25
Orofino hosted Idaho Governor Brad Little and state leaders in a ‘Capitol for a Day’ Thursday, July 24.
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Concerns about access to PotlatchDeltic lands lead off the Question and Answer session. The resident said PotlatchDeltic restricted their properties to public access in areas where families have recreated for years. The resident felt that tax exemptions should be cut off and Forest Practices Act more strictly enforced. Little said that state law would have to be changed to require landowners such as PotlatchDeltic to pay taxes similar to small tract owners.
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Director Dustin Miller also responded that some large tract landowners are restricting public access due to the damage, vandalism and timber theft which increases their insurance rates. The company is also paid for letting the public access land in some areas under the Large Tracts Program. Fish and Game also works with PotlatchDeltic for public access. If there are particular areas he would like to see opened up, he was invited to contact IDL and discuss them.
Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association Chief Fire Warden Kane Steinbruecker explained that they protect about a million acres and they assist landowners in mitigating fire risk after logging operation, particularly when the four tons per acre is not viable.
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Other audience members expressed concerns about how wildfires are managed, particularly citing the Gwen Fire last year. Little said it used to be that when loggers or ranchers saw a fire they just went and put it out. Then, with safety concerns, the federal government said ‘no’ you cannot do that.
However, Butch Otter started a program when he was governor to get loggers and ranchers through the safety training so they could fight fire. Now there are about 500 across the state that can go in on initial attack. He said they want to get better on how they prepare, suppress and recover in relation to wildfires.
Miller said that things have changed with the US Forest Service this year with the new leader’s intent letter to firefighters. IDL’s philosophy is to be aggressive on initial attack and keep fires small.
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Storms Spark Multiple Small Fires Across North-Central Idaho Forests
DailyFly, 7-30-25
KAMIAH, ID — A series of recent storms sweeping across the region have ignited multiple small wildfires on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, prompting a swift response from local, tribal, state, and federal firefighting crews.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, 23 new fire starts have been confirmed in the past week within the Grangeville Interagency Dispatch Zone, burning a combined total of 14.5 acres. Most of the fires were sparked by lightning, with a few attributed to accidental human activity.
“So far, so good,” said Josh Bransford, Fire Staff Officer for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. “At this point our resources have been able to keep up with the operational needs of these new starts both on our forest and our partner’s lands, but that can change quickly if there is a higher priority start with structures, or other critical values at risk.”
Bransford emphasized the importance of coordination with partner agencies including the Idaho Department of Lands, Nez Perce Tribe, Bureau of Land Management, and Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protection Association. “We are working very closely with our interagency partners to ensure the resources that we do have available are being utilized as efficiently as possible and engaging the highest priority fires first,” he said.
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Teton County, Idaho, commissioners have 45 days to comment on Tetonia land sale
Jackson Hole News & Guide, 7-30-25
Sole Democrat has drafted letter opposing the sale
The Teton County, Idaho, Commission has another 45 days to submit comments to the Idaho Department of Lands in response to the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners’ decision to sell a 160-acre parcel of state trust land east of Tetonia.
The three-member commission plans to discuss the sale at its Aug. 11 meeting.
The parcel, known as Driggs 160, has been leased by the Beards, a fifth-generation ranching family, for grazing cattle for the last 33 years. The sale would cut short the family’s second 20-year lease, obtained in 2012.
The department proposed the land sale after a “local landowner” — thought to be the parcel’s billionaire neighbor, Thomas Tull, who owns about 8,000 acres of adjacent land — expressed interest in purchasing the property.
The County Commission does not have veto power over the sale, but it is in the best interest of the state agency to work closely with the county, said Dustin Miller, the department’s director.
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Hats off to Hayden Days
Coeur d'Alene Press, 7-27-25
HAYDEN — While Connie and Glen Lussier enjoyed the procession that cruised down Government Way on Saturday morning, their true joy came from watching their two granddaughters take it all in.
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 Smokey Bear was a crowd favorite for children and adults alike as he rode with the Idaho Department of Lands on Saturday.
Fire Restrictions
Posted August 1, 2025
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 It’s #FirePreventionFriday and #FirePreventionJen is here with a hot tip: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect in parts of Idaho!
 What does that mean for you?
Under Stage 1 Restrictions, the following are NOT allowed:
 Campfires outside of designated recreation sites with agency-provided metal fire rings
Smoking outside of a vehicle or building (unless you're in a cleared area at least 3 feet wide)
 These restrictions are put in place to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during high fire danger conditions.
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