Current News Coverage
Local lawmaker wants to change how recreation on state-owned endowment lands is managed
East Idaho News, 2-5-26
IDAHO FALLS — Rep. Jerald Raymond wants to help Idaho better manage its recreational opportunities on state land.
The Republican lawmaker representing District 31 — which encompasses Jefferson, Fremont, Clark and Lemhi counties — is introducing a bill this session that would change how recreational use of state-owned endowment lands is managed. His proposal is to transfer control of recreation on state lands from the Idaho Department of Lands to the Idaho Department of Recreation.
“The Idaho Department of Lands does so many things well … but they only have one person statewide to manage recreational opportunities on state lands,” Raymond tells EastIdahoNews.com. “IDPR can manage the recreation on IDL lands.”
The role of the Idaho Department of Lands, according to its website, is to “manage Idaho’s endowment assets to maximize long-term financial returns to the public schools and other trust beneficiaries” as outlined in Idaho’s Constitution. About 3.6 million acres of state land are reserved as endowment trust lands.
Its other role is to “provide professional assistance to the citizens of Idaho to use, protect and sustain their natural resources.”
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Commissioners approve handful of agreements
Bonner County Daily Bee, 2-5-26
SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners approved wildfire mitigation funding and a new employee health data agreement during Tuesday’s business meeting, which will assist projects in both emergency management and human resources.
Bonner County Emergency Management was approved for four memorandums of understanding between Bonner County and the Idaho Department of Lands for several awarded grants. The grants will be used for hazardous fuel treatment associated with the county’s Bonfire Program.
The program aims to reduce the risk of wildfires through the removal of hazardous fuels from private properties, enhancing defensibility against wildfires.
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Proposed amendment to Idaho Constitution would change management of state endowment lands
Idaho Capital Sun, 2-4-26
A new proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution would remove the requirement that state-owned endowment lands be managed for the maximum financial return for beneficiaries.
Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg, who is sponsoring the proposed constitutional amendment, House Joint Resolution 8, said the proposal would change how Idaho approaches managing state endowment lands and state-owned public lands.
Raybould said the requirement to manage state lands for the maximum financial benefit of beneficiaries places pressure on the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners to sell such lands. In place of that requirement, the proposed amendment would prioritize ongoing revenue generation through things like timber harvest, mining or grazing leases, followed by preserving public access for recreation, hunting, trapping and fishing.
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Raybould’s proposal would remove the requirement to manage state endowment lands for the maximum financial return and replace it with new language, which reads, in part: “Priority of use shall be given first to revenue-generating activities on or from such lands, followed by preserving and promoting the public’s access to recreate, hunt, fish, and trap on such lands.
Public access shall not be denied as long as such recreation, hunting, fishing, and trapping activities do not impede contracted revenue-generating activities.”
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Public lands proposal seeks to shift stewardship away from long-term return
Idaho Press, 2-4-26
BOISE — A constitutional amendment introduced before the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday seeks to adjust the management of state endowment and public lands in Idaho.
The amendment resolution presented by Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg, seeks to shift away from existing language in the Idaho State Constitution that specifies state-owned endowment lands and public lands be managed to “secure the maximum long-term financial return” of its public beneficiaries, which include public institutions such as the Idaho State Department of Education and the University of Idaho.
“Under current land management practices, the landlord has a fiduciary responsibility to approach its land management with the intent of generating this maximum financial return,” Raybould said. “What I propose in this amendment is a change in direction for the future benefit of the state.”
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Idaho senator proposes constitutional amendment to protect public lands
Argonaut, 1-29-26
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, proposed an amendment to the Idaho state constitution to prevent new public lands acquisition by the state from being sold.
The amendment, which would apply to any new land received by the state from the federal government would ensure the security of those lands from permanent impairment.
Adams, having been involved with the legislature since 2020, said to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday that public opinion helped to shape his proposal, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
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Idaho lawmaker pushes 2026 amendment to protect state lands
Seattle Red 770AM, 1-27-26
State Senator Ben Adams (R-Nampa) is trying to do something a bit different to make sure Idaho’s great outdoors stay open to everyone.
Usually, lawmakers wait until they are in Boise to reveal new laws, but Adams went public months ago with a plan to change the state’s constitution. His proposal would make it illegal for the state to sell off any future lands it acquires from the federal government. The idea started after a proposal in Washington, D.C., suggested selling off millions of acres of public land across the West.
That plan was eventually put on hold, but it sparked a massive outcry in Idaho. Lawmakers reported their inboxes were “exploding” with messages from residents who were worried about losing access to their favorite hiking, hunting, and fishing spots.
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