Current News Coverage
Annual road closure begins Nov. 5
Clearwater Tribune, 10-28-26
Roads accessing the South Grangemont block of state endowment trust land will close to vehicle traffic beginning Thursday, Nov. 5, but will remain open to ATV’s (under 50 inches) and motorcycles.
The area involved is south of the Grangemont Road between Rudo Road and Cow Creek Road. The closure will remain in effect until May 27, the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.
This annual closure by Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is designed to reduce erosion, sedimentation, and minimize road maintenance expenses.
For questions or concerns, please contact the IDL office in Orofino at (208) 476-4587.
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County GOP supports 25% increase in timber harvest
Idaho County Free Press, 10-28-26
GRANGEVILLE — Getting behind federal directives to increase national timber harvests, the Idaho County Republican Central Committee (ICRCC) at its Oct. 20 meeting voted to support Executive Order 14225, designed to expand American timber production.
According to the committee release, this order, signed by President Trump (March 1, 2025, and called the “Freeing Our Forests” act), would require the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Manage (BLM) to increase timber harvest by 25% within the next five years. Following this order, the Secretary of Agriculture sent out Memorandum 1078-006 giving specific directions of implementation. Both the USFS and BLM are under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Idaho followed the federal lead a month after issuance, with Governor Brad Little issuing an executive order April 22, 2025, called the Make Forests Healthy Again Act. This law directs the Idaho Department of Lands to partner more closely with the Forest Service to increase management activities and reduce fire risk on federal lands.
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Land exchange in Grangeville approved; $10K annually from Boise land
Idaho County Free Press, 10-28-26
GRANGEVILLE — In a decision that will impact Idaho County, the Idaho Land Board unanimously approved a proposal to exchange a state-owned parking lot at Fourth and Bannock streets in Boise for about 16 acres of privately owned commercial property with improvements near the county airport that is currently leased by the Forest Service.
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Deputy Director Bill Haagenson presented the facts of the exchange to board members at a meeting in Boise on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Governor Brad Little, Secretary of State Phil McGrane, State Controller Brandon Woolf and Secretary of Education Debbie Critchfield were present, with Attorney General Raul Labrador joining by Zoom. Haagenson told them the 16-acre Grangeville property, owned by Orion Industries and leased to the USFS, was appraised at $4.51 million, compared with $3.781 million for the Boise endowment parcel, owned by state Normal Schools and State Hospital South. The department will use $729,000 in land bank funds to make up the difference, dividing the funds between the endowments according to their ownership shares.
Haagenson said the exchange is expected to improve long-term returns to the Boise endowments through increased lease income, while the City of Grangeville property will become the hub for IDL wildfire management and provide better fire protection for nearby north central Idaho timberland. The site, he said, could also help the state avoid building new fire facilities in the region.
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Idaho Supreme Court Reverses Land Title Ruling in Sempel Case
US Laws, 10-27-26
The Idaho Supreme Court has reversed a lower court's ruling regarding the ownership of a disputed tract of land in Benewah County, Idaho. This decision affects Gregory and Leah Sempel, who have lived on the adjacent property since 1979 and operated Pokey Creek Farm. The court's ruling is significant as it addresses issues of land ownership and the legal principles of adverse possession and boundary by agreement.
The case began when the State of Idaho, through the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners and the Idaho Department of Lands, filed a lawsuit against the Sempels in 2022. The State claimed ownership of a 5.95-acre tract of land that the Sempels had been using for farming and other purposes. The State sought to quiet title to the disputed tract and also pursued additional claims against the Sempels for trespass and damages. The Sempels counterclaimed, asserting their ownership of the disputed land based on adverse possession and boundary by agreement.
The Sempels' claims were based on their long-standing use of the disputed tract, which they argued was established through an agreement with previous landowners and through their continuous use of the land. The lower court initially ruled in favor of the State, granting partial summary judgment and quieting title to the disputed property in the State's favor. The Sempels appealed this decision, leading to the Idaho Supreme Court's review.
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State land board approves land exchange on property in Grangeville; city council raises concerns with potential $22,861 annual tax loss
Lewiston Tribune, 10-25-26
Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
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BOISE — The Idaho State Land Board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a land exchange that would bring a 16-acre property near the Grangeville airport into state ownership for potential expansion of wildfire operations.
The decision comes despite concerns raised by the Grangeville City Council at its meeting Monday night due to the loss of nearly $23,000 in annual property tax revenue. City officials have emphasized the potential benefits of expanded firefighting operations while asking the state to consider the financial impact on local taxpayers.
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In Idaho, nearly every wildfire on state land was human-caused, and the bill hit $47 million
The Cool Down, 10-25-26
Idaho state lands saw 227 wildfires in 2026, and the response cost more than $47 million.
Officials said people caused nearly all of those fires, according to Boise State Public Radio.
Here's what to know
Idaho's 2026 wildfire suppression total has risen above $47 million.
The amount covers 227 fires on state lands and, unless additional blazes add to it, could be the year's final tally.
Federal and other agencies are expected to reimburse roughly $20 million of that amount.
Even with that help, Idaho is still projected to be responsible for about $27.5 million after a season in which officials said almost every fire was started by people. About 10,400 acres of state endowment land burned in 2026.
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Property swap: Land Board OKs deal that would exchange property in Grangeville for Downtown Boise parking lot
BoiseDev, 10-23-26
A gravel parking lot in Downtown Boise, long owned by the State of Idaho, could soon have new owners if a complicated deal closes in the coming weeks.
The State Board of Land Commissioners approved a land swap this week that would exchange property in Grangeville for a portion of a block in Downtown Boise along Bannock St. between 4th St. and 5th St.
The Boise property is a .56-acre gravel parking lot controlled by the Idaho Land Endowment. It sits next to a single-story office building that houses architecture firm Erstad Architects.
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