Current News Coverage
This land is whose land? Boise says state put island ownership duel to rest
Idaho Statesman, 1-23-26
Christopher Burdge, 72, has dubbed a stretch of Boise property adjacent to Warm Springs Golf Course “the land that time forgot.”
And despite its location along the popular Greenbelt, he seems to be correct.
A 2.78-acre piece of land near Warm Springs Golf Course received a tax parcel number for the first time in 2025, with its ownership initially listed as “unknown,” Ada County Assessor Don Watts told the Idaho Statesman.
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On Oct. 30, Gov. Brad Little, as president of the State Board of Land Commissioners, signed a disclaimer of interest granting the disputed land to the city of Boise.
The state had the power to make such a move after state surveyors determined it to be accreted land, according to Sharla Arledge, Idaho Department of Lands spokesperson.
Arledge said the island, along with a good portion of Warm Spring Golf Course, was once submerged as part of the Boise River. That area was underwater when Boise’s original 1868 land survey was conducted, according to Arledge. Over time, through a natural process known as accretion, the river slowly deposited the material that now forms Sawmill Island.
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Amendment would bar sale of public lands
Coeur d'Alene Press, 1-22-26
BOISE — The Senate State Affairs Committee voted to introduce a proposed amendment to the Idaho State Constitution that would bar the state from selling future public land acquisitions from the federal government.
Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, presented his proposal Wednesday following a public outreach campaign to gauge Idahoans' concerns about public lands and to receive feedback on the language in his amendment. With adjustments now implemented, Adams said the original intent remains: ensuring public lands continue to belong to Idahoans.
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Adams' proposed amendment would not change the 2.5 million acres of state endowment lands, which are saleable. The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners manages the lands, with revenue going to several public beneficiaries in the state, most of which are public education institutions, including the Idaho State Department of Education, the University of Idaho and Idaho State University.
The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners will also manage the lands affected by Adams' amendment and hold them in this new trust. The amendment stipulates the board's approach to managing these lands must conserve "existing and future uses of the land.”
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Senate looks at barring sale of lands
Lewiston Tribune, 1-22-36
BOISE — The Senate State Affairs Committee voted to introduce a proposed amendment to the Idaho State Constitution that would bar the state from selling future public land acquisitions from the federal government.
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Adams’ proposed amendment would not make changes to the 2.5 million acres of state endowment lands, which can still be sold. These lands are currently managed by the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners with revenue going to several public beneficiaries in the state, most of which are public education institutions including the Idaho State Department of Education, the University of Idaho and Idaho State University.
The lands impacted by Adams’ amendment would be managed by the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, which will hold the lands in this new trust. The amendment stipulates the board’s approach to managing these lands must conserve “existing and future uses of the land.”
The proposed amendment also states the land board shall coordinate with state agencies for the promotion of “public recreation, scenic values, watershed quality, and wildlife habitat.”
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Fuels Reduction Project Begins on Craig Mountain to Cut Wildfire Risk
DailyFly, 1-22-26
LEWISTON, ID – Crews have begun work on a multi-year fuels reduction project on Craig Mountain aimed at reducing the risk and spread of wildfires in the area, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The project, which started in January and will continue through April, is a partnership between Idaho Fish and Game and the Nez Perce Tribe Forestry and Fire Management program. Crews will focus on removing hazardous fuels by mechanically thinning and grinding brush and small trees in targeted areas.
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The fuels reduction project is scheduled to take place over three years and will cover approximately 780 acres. The work will occur on lands managed by multiple entities, including Idaho Fish and Game, the Idaho Department of Lands, Nez Perce County, and the Nez Perce Tribe.
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Idaho constitutional amendment proposed by state senator to protect public lands
Idaho Capital Sun, 1-21-26
An Idaho state senator on Wednesday introduced a proposal to amend the state constitution to protect public lands acquired by the state from the federal government.
Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, first announced his proposal in August, well ahead of the 2026 legislative session that began this month, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. He unveiled the draft text of the amendment later that month.
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The amendment would not apply to the state’s 2.5 million acres of endowment land, which can be sold.
Under the amendment, land acquired or purchased from the federal government would be held in a trust in perpetuity. Revenue derived from the lands would go into a fund, which would be used first to pay for operating and maintaining such lands, then to compensate counties for lands within their boundaries that are in the trust and not generating property tax revenue. The revenue would also then be used to improve public use and access, and to support public K-12 school facilities.
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With new bill, GOP lawmaker is emphatic: Idaho public lands are not for sale
Idaho Statesman, 1-21-26
State Sen. Ben Adams took an “unconventional” approach with his proposal to preserve public lands, he told fellow lawmakers.
In August, months before the 2026 legislative session, Adams publicly proposed to amend the state’s constitution to prevent Idaho from selling off lands it acquired from the federal government. The Nampa Republican proposed to create a public lands trust fund to distribute revenues from any such lands to outdoor facilities and public schools in rural communities.
“I wanted feedback,” he told members of the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. “I wanted a lot of feedback, because it dealt with and deals with a very personal matter for every Idahoan, and that is our public land here in Idaho.”
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IDL continues harvest, road work
Bonner County Daily Bee, 1-20-26
SAGLE — Idaho Department of Lands is continuing harvest operations and road reconstruction activities on state endowment lands outside the Round Lake State Park boundary.
These management activities will occur on endowment property only, not on state park lands, state officials said.
For the safety of the public, the interpretive trail segments that leave Round Lake State Park and enter adjoining endowment lands will be temporarily closed whenever operations are active. Closure signs will be posted at locations where the trail exits the park boundary and crosses onto endowment land.
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Interview: Sen. Ben Adams Has an Idea to Help Keep Public Lands
Idaho Reports, 1-14-26
Lawmakers are still trying to get their arms around the One Big Beautiful Bill. But one thing they don’t have to consider, yet, is an oft-proposed transfer of federal lands to state management. Logan Finney is joined this week by state Sen. Ben Adams to talk about a constitutional amendment he’s working on that would govern how Idaho would handle such a federal land transfer.
They also talk about the difficult work of managing budget presentations – and perceptions – on the chamber floors, as well as how recent military action in Venezuela has revitalized Adams’s advocacy for the states reclaiming their constitutional authority over the National Guard.
Read/watch Idaho Reports interview
AT&T moving forward with Redfish cell tower
Idaho Mountain Express, 1-14-26
Cell service provider AT&T is moving forward with plans to build a 195-foot cell tower that would rise over 100 feet above the tree line overlooking Redfish Lake Lodge.
“This cell site is part of our ongoing investment to improve service and coverage in the Redfish Lake area” for both commercial use and emergency services, an AT&T spokesperson said.
Proposed by AT&T in January 2020, the tower would be built on state endowment property managed by the Idaho Department of Lands, with a 75-by-50-foot perimeter on a ridge west of the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery, south of Stanley. The tower would feature a 4-foot lightning rod, bringing its total height to 199 feet. Plans show an access road and a 30-foot-wide utility easement starting from Decker Flat Road and meandering south to the tower, as well as an equipment shelter and generator.
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Hatfield sentenced probation, seven theft charges
Bonner County Daily Bee, 1-13-26
SANDPOINT — A man involved in a faulty logging contract with Idaho Department of Lands has been sentenced on multiple misdemeanor charges following a mediated resolution that reduced seven felony charges to misdemeanors after an Oct. 6, 2025, guilty plea.
Jakob Hatfield, 44, was sentenced to five days in jail and two years of supervised probation for seven misdemeanor counts of petit theft after violating a timber contract with the IDL by taking seven loads of timber without proper reporting or markings.
Hatfield will receive a withheld judgment, meaning that he can avoid formal conviction of the charges if he successfully completes probation. If probation is not completed, Hatfield could face the maximum penalties for the charges.
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