Exploring the wilderness can be a rewarding and enriching experience, but it also comes with inherent risks. Accidents can happen at any time, and being in a remote location often means that medical help is not immediately available. Knowing basic first aid procedures is essential for preventing minor injuries from becoming serious and for responding effectively to emergencies. Whether you need to treat cuts and burns, stabilize fractures, or manage environmental hazards like dehydration or hypothermia, preparedness can make all the difference. By understanding fundamental first aid techniques and taking proactive safety measures, outdoor enthusiasts can minimize risks and ensure a safer, more enjoyable adventure.
Wilderness Survival Basics
Surviving in the wilderness requires preparation, awareness, and adaptability. Injuries, harsh weather, and a lack of resources can quickly turn a simple outing into a dangerous situation. Knowing how to respond to medical emergencies, build shelter, find water, and start a fire can mean the difference between life and death. First aid skills can help manage injuries like cuts, burns, and fractures until professional medical help is available. Understanding basic survival techniques and carrying essential supplies can prevent minor setbacks from escalating into life-threatening situations.
How to Find and Purify Water
Water is the most critical resource for survival, but drinking untreated water from natural sources can lead to severe illness from bacteria, parasites, or chemicals. Dehydration can quickly cause fatigue, confusion, and even organ failure. To ensure safe hydration, collect water from clear, flowing sources and purify it by boiling it, filtering it, or using purification tablets. If no natural water sources are available, use techniques such as collecting rainwater or making solar stills. Staying hydrated and consuming clean water is essential for maintaining strength and preventing medical complications in the wild.
- How to Purify Water in the Wild
- Two Ways to Purify Water
- How to Find Clean Water in an Emergency
- Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
- Purifying Your Drinking Water
The Importance of Building a Shelter
Exposure to extreme temperatures, rain, or wind can cause hypothermia or heatstroke, making shelter a top survival priority. A well-constructed shelter provides protection from the elements, conserves body heat, and reduces the risk of weather-related illnesses. If you’re stranded, look for natural formations like caves or dense tree cover for quick shelter. Use materials like branches, leaves, or tarps to build a sturdy structure. Insulation is key, and adding layers of foliage or dry material can help regulate your body temperature once you’re inside. Knowing how to construct an emergency shelter can keep you safe until rescue or better conditions arise.
- Building a Survival Shelter
- Learn How to Build a Wilderness Survival Shelter
- Surviving the Elements: Building Your First Shelter Like a Pro
- Emergency Survival Shelter
Building a Fire
Fire is essential for warmth, cooking, purifying water, and signaling for help, but improper fire management can lead to serious burns or uncontrolled wildfires. In survival situations, having the ability to start a fire without matches or lighters is crucial. Use dry tinder, kindling, and larger logs to build a sustainable fire, and always keep it contained in a fire pit or surrounded by rocks to prevent it from spreading. If someone suffers a burn, cool the area with clean water (if available) and keep it covered to prevent infection.
- How to Build Your Campfire
- Guide to Building a Campfire
- Key Steps for Building a Successful Campfire
- Rediscovering the Lost Art of Building a Fire
- How to Start a Campfire Even When it’s Wet
How to Make a Stretcher
A well-constructed stretcher can be a lifesaver when seeking medical assistance in the wild. Transporting an injured person in the wilderness can be challenging, but knowing how to make a makeshift stretcher can prevent further injury and help move them to safety. Using sturdy materials such as branches, rope, or a tarp, a stretcher can provide stability for someone with a broken bone, sprain, or serious wound. If materials aren’t available, a fireman’s carry or two-person assist can help move the injured individual. When handling a person with a potential spinal injury, keep them as still as possible and avoid sudden movements.
- How to Make an Improvised Stretcher
- Emergency Duct Tape Field Stretcher
- Making an Improvised Stretcher in a Real Emergency
- Evacuating an Injured Person
Fractures
A broken bone in the wilderness can be debilitating and, if not stabilized, can worsen with movement. Fractures require immediate attention to prevent further damage, internal bleeding, or infection. Immobilize the injured limb using a splint made from sticks, cloth, or a backpack frame, and avoid putting weight on the injury. If a bone is protruding through the skin, cover it with a clean dressing to reduce the infection risk.
- Fractures
- Dealing With Bone Fractures
- Types of Fractures
- Everything You Need to Know About Fractures
- Causes and Treatments for Bone Fractures
Bug and Animal Bites
Bug and animal bites can range from irritating to life-threatening, depending on the species and severity of the bite. Insect bites may cause allergic reactions or transmit diseases like Lyme disease or malaria, while animal bites can lead to infections or rabies exposure. If bitten, clean the wound immediately with water and soap, apply an antiseptic, and bandage it to prevent infection. If the bite is from a venomous snake or spider, keep the affected limb immobilized, stay calm, and seek emergency medical care. Avoid provoking wildlife, and use insect repellent, long clothing, and proper food storage to reduce the risk of bites.
- Useful Tips to Deal With Domestic and Wild Animal Bites
- Signs and Symptoms of Animal Bites
- Summer Safety Series: Bites
- Bites and Stings
How to Build a Kit for Emergencies
A well-prepared first aid kit is a survival essential for any outdoor adventure. If someone is hurt, having the right supplies can help you manage wounds, stabilize injuries, and prevent infections until help arrives. Essential items include bandages, antiseptic wipes, pain relievers, medical tape, tweezers, a tourniquet, water purification tablets, and a whistle for signaling for help. Personalize your kit based on the environment, length of trip, and medical conditions of the group. Regularly check and replace expired items to ensure preparedness.
As the Department of the Interior develops a plan to “restore American prosperity” by exploiting Western natural resources, a Wyoming attorney who has steeled rural communities against federal policies is atop the hierarchy that will marshal the effort.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum last month appointed Karen Budd-Falen as temporary deputy secretary and his senior advisor. As the department fleshes out a four-year strategic plan to use natural resources across 19.9 million acres of national parks and Bureau of Land Management property in Wyoming, Budd-Falen will be in the Interior’s second-highest position.
A draft of the four-year Interior plan leaked to Public Domain outlines department objectives for prosperity, security and recreation. Conservationists have decried elements they say would dismantle environmental safeguards, turn over federal property, promote energy development and favor rural communities over nationwide interests.
The Interior Department last week blasted the leak and called its publication “irresponsible.”
“It is beyond unacceptable that an internal document in the draft/deliberative process is being shared with the media before a decision point has been made,” Interior’s press office wrote WyoFile on Thursday. “Not only is this unacceptable behavior, it is irresponsible for a media outlet to publish a draft document.
“We will take this leak of an internal, pre-decisional document very seriously and find out who is responsible,” the statement reads.
The draft plan, which the agency said is “not final nor ready for release,” sets four goals and several objectives to accomplish them. Interior’s drafted goals are to restore American prosperity, ensure national security through infrastructure and innovation, and allow sustainable enjoyment of natural resources. It would do all that through the fourth goal — collaboration with states, tribes and local governments.
The draft plan to restore American prosperity would use American energy to “lower… costs and increases affordability.” But it includes elements that worry conservationists who fear damage to Interior agencies including the National Park Service, BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The plan would “deregulate” to increase “clean coal” production and oil and gas drilling. It would streamline the National Environmental Policy Act, a law designed to safeguard the environment. And it would reduce the cost of grazing, which critics say is already too low.
The draft would “release federal holdings” — divest Americans of their public property — to allow states and communities to reduce housing costs. Interior would support agriculture and increase revenues from logging, non-energy mining, and grazing. The draft treats natural resources as assets, viewing federal holdings for the economic value that can be derived from them.
The leaked document “reads like an industry wish list,” the Center for Western Priorities said in a statement. It includes “a thinly veiled reference to the seizure and sale of public lands,” according to the conservation group.
The draft treats the West’s natural resources “as nothing more than numbers on a balance sheet,” Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. In the plan, those resources are “products to be sold off and exploited to help pay for tax cuts for Elon Musk and Trump’s fellow billionaires,” she said.
“It resembles a business plan from a desperate CEO, not a framework to steward public lands for the benefit of all Americans,” Rokala’s statement reads.
To her post, Budd-Falen brings years of experience fighting for ranchers and other public land users and developers. The federal government has been a frequent adversary, but so has Western Watersheds Project, another conservation group that focuses on public land grazing.
She represented a group of ranchers who sued Western Watersheds for trespassing when a field worker collected water to test for pollution caused by grazing. She advised rural counties to adopt land use plans they could leverage when contesting federal programs on public land in their areas. She also represented stock growers who sided against four Missouri hunters who corner crossed to hunt public land on Elk Mountain in Carbon County. She represented the Cliven Bundy family and others as they fought grazing reductions imposed after Las Vegas developers were permitted to occupy desert tortoise habitat. That family later became infamous for armed standoffs with federal officials over use of public land.
I invite you to watch my second video (or read the transcript below), where I talk about our agency priorities and my focus areas as Chief. I continue to believe that safety must be our highest priority, no matter where you work. We must be safe in the course of our duties, and we must look out for one another.
I also share a bit more about what I mean when I say we need to get back to basics. Everyone, including the public, knows that we fight fires, but we do so much more, from forest management to outdoor recreation to mineral and energy management. By focusing on the fundamentals of our work, we can do more to support the health and vitality of our forests and grasslands and neighboring communities.
Overall, our work is built upon relationships and communication, from those with one another to our partners, and I look forward to communicating with all of you through these videos and as we meet in person.
TRANSCRIPT
When I came in, people were asking, “What are the priorities? What are we focused on?” I looked at a couple different things. One, first and foremost, was safety.
And as we prepare for fire season or when, regardless of whether you’re a firefighter, but just doing your job day to day can be hard. And so to me, first and foremost, as we do our jobs, it’s got to be safe, how we perform them and looking out for each other. Another big focus for me is trying to get back to basics. To me, like, really focusing on what our primary responsibilities and duties are that we do.
We’re fighting fire. We have a forest management program. We have a recreation, outdoor recreation program, the minerals program, oil and gas.
But the recreation program, for me, is an area that I’ve learned a lot about that. We have over two hundred million users on an annual basis that recreate on national forest lands.
I mean, so that the interest in the use and how we’re viewed is so positive, I think when I’ve looked at some of the customer survey results, we have like seventy percent positivity in terms of like how people view us and how we interact with the public. So it’s significant, the work that we do, it’s critical, and how we deliver that to the public.
And, you know, one thing that I didn’t mention was the role of relationships, right, and partnerships. But whether it’s in fire, whether it’s in archaeology, whether it’s recreation, we have so many partners. I really think we are in the relationship business, and you all see that in how you do your jobs. Maintaining those relationships and spending the time to to get to know people, in and out of work, is critical, for us to do our jobs effectively.
Hi SNRA Trails Partners and Volunteers,
My final day with the Sawtooth NRA will be Monday April 21st. I want to thank all of you for your dedication as partners and volunteers during my time as the Trails Supervisor here, and for many of you, well before I started here. It has been a delight to maintain and enhance the trail system on the Sawtooth NRA and an absolute pleasure to do so alongside such a robust and active partnership program. Thousands of trees have been cut and hundreds of miles of trails have been maintained thanks to all the important work your organizations do.
Bryce Parker, SNRA Wilderness and Trails Coordinator, will take over as the contact for all things trails on the SNRA. His work cell is 970.409.8110. bryce.parker@usda.gov
Please let me know if I can do anything for you before I go.
Hope to see you all down the trail, Caitlin
We recommend these Trauma Kit to sawyers taking the “Developing the Thinking Sawyer” certification classes. They are to be worn on the sawyers body and not stashed in their truck, because if you need them it seconds that make the difference. They are also great for horsemen attached to their saddles.
Amazon have Trauma kits available, a couple of the ones we recommend are:
Few things titillate the internet quite like a robot — as Kawasaki has proven once again with an ambitious new design concept.
The Japanese company arrived at the Expo 2025 Osaka this weekend with several creative ideas for the future of mobility, including a robot horse. Kawasaki’s “Mobile Instincts” pavilion at the international design event highlighted CORLEO, an electric horse powered by a hydrogen engine.
There’s no real footage of this very early prototype, which won’t actually become available until, in theory, 2050 — at the earliest. But, Kawasaki did release a concept video using CGI rendering. It depicts a dreamlike landscape reminiscent of fantastical Japanese video games, and filled with robot horse riders gingerly riding through an Alps-like mountain range.
It should come to no one’s surprise that this immediately captured the internet’s imagination. I mean, it’s a robot that leverages Kawasaki’s motorcycle expertise and advanced robotics to create a techno-steed capable of traversing rugged terrain. What’s not to love?
And hey, if they make less noise and cause less environmental destruction than side-by-sides — I say bring on the robot horsies.
Hello,
I am a recreation specialist with the Boise National Forest (BNF) based on the Cascade Ranger District. The BNF is hosting a virtual meeting April 30th from 4:00-5:30 PM to coordinate with partners on trail work planning for 2025. U.S. Forest Service staff will share what we are planning and what other planned projects trail partners have planned. You should be able to click on the highlighted text above and RSVP. I will also add your contact info to a teams meeting and you should receive a separate email with an invite.
There is an included survey here for any partners planning or wanting to do trail projects on the BNF, if each group could fill one out, I will compile all the projects with a brief description into a schedule that can be shared before the meeting. If you have multiple projects you can add forms or would rather email me a description, feel free to do so. https://forms.office.com/g/vMhW5RXsD4
If you have any questions before the meeting, please feel free to reach out to me at Jonathan.floyd@usda.gov for general meeting information, or specific trails information regarding the North Zone (Cascade, Emmett and Lowman Ranger Districts). For South Zone (Mountain Home and Idaho City Ranger Districts) please reach out to JW Cleveland, South Zone recreation specialist at joseph.cleveland@usda.gov.
Meeting Agenda
- Quick Introduction (Adam Floyd)
- Boise NF trail project plans
- How to best find a project to join (Adam Floyd)
- North Zone (Adam Floyd)
- South Zone (JW Cleveland)
- Round table with partners who would like to present their projects
- Questions or additional discussion (Adam Floyd)
- We look forward to seeing you there,
Zoom Meeting
Topic: Non-Motorized Trails Legislation Update
Time: Apr 24, 2025 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89109943525?pwd=bzKeHF50wbJvdUDvbER0pra3SeUkRi.1
Meeting ID: 891 0994 3525
Passcode: 512561
Full Text of Bill PDF – IHB – 0487 
(Washington, D.C., April 4, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a Secretarial Memo (PDF, 2.9 MB) to establish an “Emergency Situation Determination” on 112,646,000 acres of National Forestry System (NFS) land (PDF, 19.8 MB). This Memo comes on the heels of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order to expand American timber production by 25%, and it will empower the U.S. Forest Service to expedite work on the ground and carry out authorized emergency actions to reduce wildfire risk and save American lives and communities.
“Healthy forests require work, and right now, we’re facing a national forest emergency. We have an abundance of timber at high risk of wildfires in our National Forests,” said Secretary Rollins. “I am proud to follow the bold leadership of President Trump by empowering forest managers to reduce constraints and minimize the risks of fire, insects, and disease so that we can strengthen American timber industry and further enrich our forests with the resources they need to thrive.”
The Memo issued by Secretary Rollins is part of a larger effort to ensure American resources are properly managed for generations to come. This work will support rural economies, reduce wildfire risk, and build capacity through workforce alignment and expanded partnerships.
This Memo will also spur immediate action (PDF, 285 KB) from the U.S. Forest Service directing field leadership to increase timber outputs, simplify permitting, remove National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes, reduce implementation and contracting burdens, and to work directly with states, local government, and forest product producers to ensure that the Forest Service delivers a reliable and consistent supply of timber.
This action builds on Secretary Rollins’ announcement last month to unleash American energy by directing the USDA Forest Service to take action to remove burdensome Biden-era regulations that have stifled energy and mineral development on Forest Service land. As part of these decisive actions, the agency also canceled two mineral leasing withdrawals on Forest Service land that will help boost production of critical minerals.
USDA Secretarial Memo April 3, 2025 (PDF)
Drew Dodson writes: Work to repair damage from a landslide on U.S. 95 between New Meadows and Council will begin on Monday, and with it a complete closure of the roadway, the Idaho Transportation Department announced today.
The closure is set to begin on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and will not be lifted until repairs are completed in late April or early May, according to ITD.
There are no local detours around the closure zone due to heavy snowpack remaining in the mountains.
“ITD is working with emergency responders to ensure uninterrupted service for all areas,” the agency said in a news release. “ITD is also working with local jurisdictions to identify potential alternatives for local workers to get past the US-95 closure.”
Repairs will begin by digging about 10 feet down along a 200-foot-long section of the roadway that was damaged by the landslide on March 16 just north of the northern outlet of the Fruitvale Glendale Road.
Crews will then drive steel piles into stable rock to support a retaining wall that will be built to support the roadway.
The roadway was damaged on March 16 when steady rains and warm temperatures led to a steep bank along the Weiser River sliding away from beneath the roadway, causing asphalt to crumble away with it.
Days later, ITD re-opened one lane of the roadway to passenger cars between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Those hours will continue through Sunday night. Commercial traffic, including semi-trucks, will continue being detoured onto Idaho 55 for the duration of the closure, ITD said.
Idaho 55 is normally closed to most semi-trucks due to “narrow and winding” conditions, including at the Rainbow Bridge south of Cascade, where truck drivers have been instructed to slow down or stop to yield to oncoming traffic on the bridge.
(Part of U.S. 95 between Council and New Meadows crumbled away following a March 16 landslide. Photos: Courtesy Idaho Transportation Department)
MISSOULA, Mont. — Kristin Bail is being named acting regional forester for the Northern Region on March 31.
Bail will temporarily succeed Regional Forester Leanne Marten who has planned to retire after 34 years of service.
In her role, Bail will oversee management of nine national forests and one national grassland within Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
The USDA Forest Service sent out the following:
USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz today announced Kristin Bail will serve as acting regional forester for the Northern Region, effective March 31, 2025.Bail will temporarily succeed Regional Forester Leanne Marten as she reaches her long-planned retirement date after 34 years of service.
“I would like to thank Leanne for her dedication and exemplary leadership. She leaves a legacy of successful partnerships and collaboration,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz.
As acting regional forester, Bail will oversee management of nine national forests and one national grassland within Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota.
“Kristin’s understanding of the importance of field work and collaboration with state and local decision-makers perfectly positions her to serve in this leadership role for the Northern Region. As the agency focuses on safety, active forest management, fire management and recreation, Bail will work with our partners to advance the agency’s mission critical work,” said Chief Schultz.
Bail’s land management career spans more than 40 years where she served in a variety of field positions and leadership roles at the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Most recently, Bail served as the deputy regional forester for the Southwestern Region and previously as forest supervisor for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington State.She also served at the executive level as assistant director for the Bureau of Land Management’s Resources and Planning Directorate.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Northern Regionas we steward the health and productivity of our nation’s forests and grasslands,” said Bail. “I look forward to building relationships across the region as we focus on delivering on the agency’s priorities.”
For more information about the Forest Service visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/.
The Whitebark Pine survives harsh weather conditions and can live over 1,000 years and grow over 90 feet tall. The oldest is over 1,200 years old and is living in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest.
“The Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a marvelous tree – what ecologists call a keystone, or foundation, species,” the Bureau of Land Management notes on its website. “Its roots stabilize rocky soils at the snowy, windswept 6,000- to 12,000-foot elevations where it grows, and its large, high-protein seeds feed several bird and mammal species – nuthatches, squirrels, black bears, grizzly bears, and red foxes.”
In addition to feeding several birds and mammals, the tree provides shelter and nest sites for many animals including deer and elk. It is also key to helping with Idaho’s water supply.
“Tolerant of the harshest conditions, whitebark pine grows at the highest treeline elevations; its canopies shade snowpack and protract snowmelt, thus regulating downstream flows; its roots stabilize soil, which reduces erosion, particularly on steep, rocky slopes,” the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation notes. “Thus, whitebark pine protects watersheds, which is important for both agricultural and drinking water.”
Another interesting fact about the Whitebark Pine is that it relies solely on the bird – the Clark’s nutcracker – to reproduce.
“Carrying the seeds in a pouch under its tongue, the bird buries them in shallow soil caches, sometimes up to 10 km away,” the National Park Service notes on its website. “Nutcrackers are known to cache up to 90,000+ seeds in a good seed crop year!”
These trees are very slow-growing. For example, once the seeds start to sprout, it can take the whitebark pine 25 to 30 years to begin producing cones. At 60 to 80 years, the tree’s peak cone production begins.
While the Whitebark Pine is crucial to Idaho’s ecosystem, its survival has been threatened by several different factors.
“Today, their survival as a species is jeopardized by mountain pine beetle outbreaks, altered fire regimes, climate change, and a fungal infection called white pine blister rust,” BLM notes.
In 2022, the Whitebark Pine was officially listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. To learn more about the efforts to save the Whitebark Pine, head to BLM’s website here.
A company owned by Texas billionaires Dan and Faris Wilks is selling 73 ranch sites carved from about 2,000 acres south of Cascade.
Plans for Legacy Creek Ranch, as dubbed by DF Development, look like subdivisions across Valley County, but are not subject to the same rules and review process because the ranch sites were created by a series of lot line adjustments and original parcel splits.
That, Valley County Planning and Zoning Administrator Cynda Herrick said, is the difference between selling raw land and being required to follow the county’s subdivision laws.
“I’ve been talking with (DF) and they understand that this isn’t the preferred method,” Herrick told Valley Lookout. “But it’s what they’re entitled to by law.”
The method used by DF enables Legacy Creek Ranch to avoid the county’s subdivision requirements, which include plans for drainage, irrigation, drinking water, septic systems, utilities, and streets. It also means that the company is not required to create a fire protection plan covering things like water supply, emergency access, and vegetation management.
The plan also avoids review by the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as several state agencies, including the Idaho Transportation Department, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
How were the ranch sites created?
Most of the ranch sites have been created by lot line adjustments, which require administrative approval. County law allows landowners to adjust the boundaries of existing parcels into different shapes and sizes if no new parcels are created.
For Legacy Creek Ranch, that has enabled DF to reconfigure existing parcels to include road access along Clear Creek Road, also known as Forest Service Road 409.
The company was also able to create 18 new parcels by splitting parcels that have not been subdivided since Valley County’s subdivision regulations were adopted in 1970. Those parcels, known as “original parcels,” may be split one time without triggering a review.
“We allow original parcels to be split one time without going through a platting process,” Herrick said. “So they took their parcels and did their free splits.”
The result of the splits and reconfiguring is 73 parcels, which Herrick emphasized do not qualify as “lots” because they were not created through the subdivision process.
Marketing
Advertisements for Legacy Creek Ranch have shown up on billboards on State Street in Boise, in The Star-News, and on social media.
In The Star-News, McCall’s weekly newspaper, the ranch sites are advertised as “lots,” despite not coming with any of the certainties or amenities associated with true subdivision lots.
“This is not a subdivision, these are not lots,” Herrick said. “This is a marketing tactic.”
Unlike typical subdivision lots, the parcels DF advertised by DF do not include any utilities and are not guaranteed to be able to meet standards for septic systems and water wells.
Any buyer of the lots would be required to seek a building permit from the county and receive approval for construction plans. It is unclear if any of the lots have been sold so far.
Advertising paints Legacy Creek Ranch as “the perfect place to connect with the wilderness and start building your legacy.”
“Our early Phase-1 release at Legacy Creek Ranch ensures plenty of open space,” according to DF’s website. “Our lifestyle plan for the community is simple: build green, clean, and sustainable spaces filled with the natural wonders of mountain wildlife.”
DF Development representatives did not respond to requests for comment by Valley Lookout.
Other DF Developments Horsethief Ridge Red Ridge Village
BOISE, Idaho — Hundreds of concerned citizens gathered at the Idaho Capitol on Saturday to celebrate and defend public lands amid growing concerns over potential privatization efforts.
“We’re here today to celebrate and defend our National Public Lands,” said Alexis Pickering, Executive Director for Conservation Voters for Idaho. “We know that there’s been talks at the federal government, and special interests are eyeing our public lands as a cash cow and to sell them off.”
Attendees came from across the state, including distant communities like Driggs and Moscow, demonstrating the widespread concern about public land access.
Pickering expressed alarm about recent developments.
She cited the Wilks brothers as an example of privatization concerns.
“Privatization, we’ve already seen the impacts of what privatization has done. Most folks know about the Texas billionaire brothers, the Wilks brothers. They purchased a ton of land in Valley County in that neck of the woods, and they essentially shut off, you know, decades, centuries of access to pristine hunting grounds and recreational access,” Pickering said.
Conservationists argue that a combination of environmental challenges, resource constraints, and political agendas creates a perfect storm that puts the future of public lands at greater risk than ever before.
According to Pickering, the consequences could be far-reaching for average citizens,
“That’s what we can expect with privatization,” she said. “Is folks no longer allowing regular Idahoans like you or me to recreate, to pick huckleberries, to hunt or fish. That would no longer be an option for a majority of the state.”
Organizers are urging citizens to contact their federal representatives to support Montana Representative Ryan Zinke’s “Public Lands in Public Hands Act,” which would protect federal lands from being transferred to state ownership.
“I think we’ll just have to get bigger and louder and stronger,” Pickering said. “We’ll have to – this is not the first time they’ve come for our public lands, and we’ve beat it back before.”
The rally included multiple conservation organizations working together, reflecting what Pickering described as “a huge intrinsic value and a uniting force amongst Idahoans of all types.”
Thank you to the Boise National Forest for providing this information to Back Country Horsemen of Idaho
2024Fires_Trails_StatsTableAFedit 
FIRE MAP PDFs
Thanks to Dan Waugh and the Treasure Valley Chapter for hosting some excellent speakers who gave insight into the Idaho House and the current situation at different state and federal land management agencies.
The country’s national parks have never been more popular. Though visitation to the U.S. National Park System has been steadily increasing for many years, 2024 set a new record for annual visitors. A whopping 331.9 million visits were recorded in 2024 — the most people since record-keeping began in 1904, the National Park Service reported.
That marks a 2% increase over 2023, which saw 6.36 million fewer visits, and beats the previous record set in 2016. The National Park Service (NPS) celebrated its centennial that year, racking up 330 million visits.
In past years, the news would likely be greeted with celebration. This year, however, the visitation statistics arrive at a critical moment for the nation’s public lands. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fired thousands of parks workers at both the NPS and the U.S. Forest Service. They’ve also delayed seasonal hires and instituted a spending freeze for both the NPS and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Those actions have led to widespread protests, and former parks officials have warned of serious consequences for an understaffed park system about to enter the busy summer.
“The National Park Service just reported the highest visitation in its history, as the administration conducts massive firings and threatens to close visitor centers and public safety facilities,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. “It’s a slap in the face to the hundreds of millions of people who explored our parks last year and want to keep going back.”
Closures, Reduced Services
Usage of the parks in 2024 trended upward by several different metrics. Overnight stays, both in NPS facilities and privately owned lodging, increased compared to 2023. Also, 28 individual parks set new records for visitation, and another 38 experienced visitation above the 10-year average in every month of the year.
And while national parks may receive the lion’s share of attention, they only represent 28% of park visits in 2024. The rest are spread among national recreation areas (16%), national memorials (12%), and other categories like national monuments and national seashores.
All of those are managed by the NPS, and every category has been impacted by Trump laying off 9% of the total workforce, according to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Several parks have already announced closed facilities, as well as reduced hours and services.
As the summer approaches — when visitation to the country’s parks is at its highest — former parks officials like Don Neubacher worry how parks will fare when a skeleton crew of workers must manage millions of visitors.
“Overall, between the funding and staff cuts and this freeze it makes it almost catastrophic for parks,” Neubacher, a former superintendent at Yosemite National Park, told Gear Junkie last week. “A lot of these people want to do good for the American public, and it’s almost impossible for that to be accomplished in this context.”
‘Dismantling of the NPS’
The moves by the Trump administration have affected the entire federal government, but the moves against the agencies in charge of public lands represent the “dismantling of the National Park Service as we know it,” said the NPCA’s Brengel.
After the firings, spending freezes, and hiring delays, the NPS got even more bad news last week from the Trump administration, according to the NPCA. The White House is now calling for the cancellation of 34 building leases that house visitor centers, law enforcement offices, museums, and hubs for critical programs.
The 34 locations were part of a larger list of hundreds of federal properties the Trump administration is looking to give up or sell, The Washington Post reported.
That includes nine visitor centers and visitor contact stations. Examples include the Klondike Gold Rush Historical Site in downtown Seattle and the San Antonio Missions law enforcement facility.
“They’re attacking from every side,” Chandra Rosenthal, the director of the Rocky Mountain division of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told GearJunkie. “It’s just a crisis moment right now.”
From: John Bengtson <john@cvidaho.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:08:14 AM
To: Daniel Waugh <Dan.p.waugh@gmail.com>
Subject: Public Lands Day of Action
Good to chat with you, as always. Here’s the quick version of the Public Lands Day of Action:
- Goal is to get motorized, non-motorized, hunt/fish, and conservation groups together as one.
- Policy priorities include keeping public lands in public hands (including Zinke/Vasquez “Public Lands in Public Hands” act) and encouraging investment in public lands
- Event will be March 22 on the Capitol Steps, featuring speakers from a broad range of perspectives and political persuasions. We’re going to be very clear that this is not an “anti-DOGE” rally, for what it’s worth.
So far, we have commitments from ITA, Selway Bitterroot Foundation, IBO, ICL, and others, and we’re in conversations with several MTB groups, environmental education organizations, and more.
TU, IWF, TRCP, IOGA, the Wilderness Society, BHA, and others are a part of the larger coalition, though there is some hesitation about the timeline for this event. Candidly, I think that if we can get a commitment from IRC, that will go a long way toward convincing them to jump in fully.
John Bengtson
| Civic Engagement Coordinator |
| Conservation Voters for Idaho & Conservation Voters for Idaho Education Fund |
| Cell: 208.342.1264 ext.707 |
| Mail: PO Box 2802, Boise, ID 83701 |
| Website: cvidaho.org Email: john@cvidaho.org |
FROM DAN:
Forwarding this along. The list of groups forming a coalition to preserve public lands. This is tying into our push for NM trial funding. I was asked to see about Representation from Horseman as well as groups looking to keep public lands open.
There is a rally at the Capital on March 22nd. I have been chatting with the groups involved with this and it isnt anti DOGE or one side of the aisle or the other. This group is being formed to be a bipartisan public land group dedicated to keeping our lands preserved and open for future generations.
I will likely be here. They are looking for support with name recognition as well. If your groups want to support this publicly they would like to know asap as this is happening quick and they want to promote this.
Dan
https://wildernessskillsinstitute.org/nrwsi/sessions/
The 2025 Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute will be held from May 19 – 23, 2025. Sessions will start at 11 AM PT on Monday and conclude at 12 PM PT on Friday. To allow for flexibility in sessions this year you are allowed to register for one session on Monday and Tuesday, and one session on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. You must register for two sessions and stay for the entire week. The exception to this is the Crosscut Saw C- Recertification and Host A/B Course and Advanced Trail Maintenance courses which are week-long.
COST: There is no cost to attend.
FOOD: On your own – no food provided. Participants will handle their own meals. Cooking facilities may be provided – more information will be provided ahead of the event.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY- Registration will close April 1st.
ATTENDANCE PREREQUISITE:
- Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training class “Wilderness Act of 1964” online class – The Wilderness Act of 1964 – Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center (iu.edu)
This online course is recommended to be taken before attending the Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute but is optional. This is a free class, which includes reading short narratives, listening to audio, interactive graphics, and quizzes. The purpose of The Wilderness Act of 1964 course is to acquaint you with the contents of this law and equip you to consider its impact in managing a wilderness area; this is foundational material relevant to everyone working in wilderness stewardship. We have designed the sessions at the Wilderness Skills Institute assuming you have already taken this class and have learned this foundational material. Feedback from past students has shown that most people prefer to take this class on their own before the full session, so that they can go at their own pace and have time to reflect on what they learned. The average time it takes students is 2.5 hours. You can stop and start the class anytime you want – you don’t have to take it all at once. Once at the Wilderness Skills Institute, please be prepared to discuss what you learned from the class, what surprised you, and what was the most important thing you got from the curriculum. 
NRWSI_25_Flyer (PDF)
Kathleen Sgamma is a longtime oil and gas industry advocate, often critical of the agency’s policies.
Longtime oil and gas industry advocate and vocal critic of federal oversight Kathleen Sgamma is President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency that oversees some 18.4 million surface acres and 42.9 million acres of mineral estate in Wyoming.
With management authorities that affect agriculture, wildlife habitat, recreation, oil and gas development, commercial-scale renewable energy and the world’s largest coal producing region in the Powder River Basin, the federal agency plays a pivotal role in Wyoming’s economy.
Sgamma is president of the Denver, Colorado-based Western Energy Alliance, a powerful oil and gas trade group that advocates for the industry’s access to public lands — like those managed by the agency she’s now slated to run. The group is often at odds with federal agencies, particularly the BLM, over federal rules and regulations. Sgamma and the Western Energy Alliance are well known throughout the West, and her nomination has garnered cheers from fossil fuel industry leaders and jeers from many in conservation.
Gov. Mark Gordon described Trump’s nomination of Sgamma as “an excellent choice…to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
“As someone who has worked with Ms. Sgamma,” Gordon continued in a prepared statement, “I know she is well-qualified and knowledgeable when it comes to Wyoming, the West, and multiple use of public lands.”
Public lands advocacy group Center for Western Priorities, however, regards the nomination as “inappropriate” and “a direct threat to Western communities and wildlife that depend on healthy landscapes, clean air, and clean water.”
Sgamma “has consistently misrepresented the industry’s impact on public lands, always putting oil and gas companies’ interests above those of all Americans,” Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a prepared statement. “This appointment will hand the keys to our public lands over to oil and gas companies.”
Read what the study says Reintroduced Wolves
New research has demonstrated the powerful impacts the reintroduction of predators can have on an ecosystem. The presence of wolves in Yellowstone National Park has driven a cascading effect that has literally changed the landscape. The new study used data from previous studies on 25 riparian (streamside) sites collected over a 20-year period – from 2001 to 2020. The results show a 1,500 percent increase in willow crown volume along these streams in northern Yellowstone National Park. The effects were produced by changing behavior among elk adapting to the presence of a large carnivore guild (wolves) reintroduced into the Park in 1995-96, and other factors.
Brooke Leslie Rollins (born April 10, 1972) is an American attorney and policy advisor who is the nominee for United States secretary of agriculture in President Donald Trump‘s second administration.
Rollins previously served as deputy general counsel, ethics advisor, and policy director to Texas governor Rick Perry. She is an advocate of criminal justice reform. Rollins was the president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based conservative think tank, from 2003 through 2018. During her tenure at TPPF, the think tank grew from having a staff of three to a staff of 100.
Rollins oversaw the White House Office of American Innovation under President Donald Trump from 2018 until 2020. She also served as the acting director of the United States Domestic Policy Council under President Trump. Since the end of the Trump administration, Rollins served as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.
On November 23, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intent to nominate Rollins to be secretary of agriculture. If confirmed, she will be the second woman to hold the position, after Ann Veneman.
First Trump administration
Office of American Innovation
In February 2018, Rollins replaced Reed Cordish as Trump’s assistant to the president for intergovernmental and technology initiatives and as a member of the Office of American Innovation.[9]
Rollins was influential in encouraging the passage of the First Step Act, legislation that reforms the nation’s prison system and seeks to reduce recidivism. The First Step Act was signed into law by President Trump in December 2018.[10]
Domestic Policy Counci
In May 2020, President Trump named Rollins acting director of the United States Domestic Policy Council.[11][12][13]
In her first public interview as acting director of the Domestic Policy Council, Rollins said she was focused on bringing “together all sides of the table to figure out how we can move forward together.”[14] She said the U.S. “is a nation in mourning for the senseless death of George Floyd and the senseless loss of livelihood all over this country.” Rollins struck an optimistic tone on the country’s future, saying “this is America and we have been through difficult times before. We are a nation of doers and believers and dreamers, and we are a nation where if anybody tells us to step back, we step three feet forward.”[14]
Amid nationwide protests and racial unrest, Rollins said “we need everyone to rise above the division and the divide and come together.” She said the White House was “working through a list of solutions and possibilities, bipartisan. How do we come together? How do we use this as a unifying force for this country?”[15]
At an event announcing the signing of the new order, President Trump said his goal was to maintain law and order as well as justice and safety. He said “Reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals. They are not mutually exclusive. They work together.” According to Politico, the order was crafted “in consultation with police officers, mayors, conservative African Americans, faith-based leaders and the families of victims.”[16]
Equine Guelph and the Equine Disease Communication Center Announce the New Biosecurity Risk Calculator 2.0
A new, innovative online healthcare tool to help horse owners better manage and understand biosecurity risks is now available through a partnership between Equine Guelph and the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
The Biosecurity Risk Calculator is designed to assess and manage infectious disease risks. The new partnership between Equine Guelph and the EDCC will enhance the tool’s educational resources and outreach.
The Biosecurity Risk Calculator is now available for free at TheHorsePortal.com/BiosecurityTool and on the EDCC biosecurity page. The enhanced tool provides users with easy access to vital information and personalized risk assessments. This tool empowers the equine community to take proactive steps in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. In just ten minutes, you can calculate, manage, and minimize biosecurity threats to keep your equine friends healthy by going through ten categories for your farm or facility’s score.
Key Features of the new Biosecurity Risk Calculator:
- Personalized Risk Assessment: Users can input specific information about their horses and facilities to receive tailored biosecurity recommendations.
- Educational Resources: With EDCC as Equine Guelph’s a new partner, the tool now includes updated educational materials on disease prevention and management.
- New User-Friendly Interface: The tool is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for all horse owners and caretakers.
To read more about the upgraded biosecurity risk calculator, please visit https://thehorseportal.ca/2025/02/equine-guelph-launches-biosecurity-risk-calculator-2-0-with-new-partner-equine-disease-communication-center-edcc/
February Update
And now to update you all on the latest news on funding our trail work. At this time, all of our cost share agreements with the US Forest Service have been put on pause while the new federal administration evaluates the federal budget. We have been working using funding from several Challenge Cost Share Agreements that allow us to be paid by the US Forest Service to perform the trail work on their lands. We have one ongoing agreement to replace about 130 trail signs that were damaged in the wild fires of 2022, and close to signing 2 more agreements to continue our volunteer trail work and to hire a hosted crew of 3 to replace 2 trail bridges in the Eagle Cap Wilderness this year. All of that is on hold for now and we do not know if any of it will be approved. Meanwhile, our Plan B is to apply for grants from non-federal organizations to tide us over until we have a better idea about how much support we will get from our federal partners. Please cross your fingers for us that something in Washington, DC settles out soon!
Now about trainings!
- We will again offer both a Crosscut Saw (May 16-18th) and a Chainsaw Training (May 30-June 1). I will be sending out another email next week to our sawyers that need to recertify, but in the meantime if you know that you want to take one or both of these classes send me an email and I will get you on the list. If you cannot attend these classes, our sister organization (Idaho Trails Association) will be presenting their saw training on May 9-11th in McCall. Contact me if you want to attend that one.
- We will be offering the Basic First Aid/CPR training again locally in Enterprise with Joyce Himes, and I would like to sponsor a Backcountry First Aid class, as well. This is a class that is intermediate between Basic and Wilderness First Aid. There is an online component (2-6 hours) and an in person component (6 hours). It is supported by the Oregon Trails Coalition. Please let me know if you would like to attend either type of First Aid Training.
- I will be presenting our own training in Communication and Navigation, and also a training in Rope Rigging for Trail Work. Again let me know if either of these is of interest. Once I have a list of participants, I will find a date that works for the most people.
- Our stock handlers will be presenting a class in how to operate safely around pack animals and how to help the handlers prepare and load packs on the horses or mules. This training will be in early May, possibly the 10th. Stay tuned for a firm date, and let me know if you are interested in attending this training.
And lastly, our partners at the US Forest Service have asked us to help get the word out about their Volunteer Wilderness Ranger positions in the Lakes Basin of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. If you or someone you know is interested in being a Volunteer Wilderness Ranger this summer here is the link to the application:
Phew! Guess I wasn’t so brief after all, but I hope this was at least interesting if not actually useful! I look forward to seeing you all at the Annual Meeting and out on a trail this next summer!
Mike Hansen
Executive Director
Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trails Association
541-398-8225
Kay Ryan
- Treasurer of Back Country Horsemen for many years (2009 – 2024)
- Lead the effort to bring the organization into the black financially
- Managed the state calendar program & prizes.
- Developed guides and checklist for board meetings and conventions
- Work at the BCHI booth at the Idaho Sportsman Show & Idaho Horse Expo
- Keep the BCHI board meetings on track!
- Supported BCHI & our chapter with thousands of hours of work
Phil Ryan
-
- Chairman of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho (2009-2010)
- Vice Chairman of BCHI (2008)
- BCHI Public Lands Idaho Region 4 (at least 10 years)
- BCHI Board Member for many years
- Created the Chainsaw Trophy for best chapter display
- President of Squaw Butte Chapter multiple times
- Member of the Idaho Recreation Council
- Member of the Idaho Horse Council
- Go to person on Equine Issues of Public lands for Idaho Governor’s Office
- Member of the Frank Church Wilderness Coalition
- Member of the Owyhee Initiative Board
- Serviced on boards and committees for IDPR
- Tireless advocate for stock use on public lands
- Stock Packing Instructor
- Worked on numerous pack support projects for other volunteer groups
- Staunch advocate for Idaho’s Public Lands
February 5, 2025 – House Resource Committee Passed the Bill and recommends the Full House Pass it!
Parks and Trails Passport One-Pager – Oct 2024
Nick Fasciano is the executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, Idaho’s oldest and largest statewide conservation organization promoting the conservation of Idaho’s wildlife heritage and legacy of sporting opportunities. There has been much discussion about the mismanagement of Idaho’s public lands by the BLM, and some, including the Idaho GOP, feel we should limit and reduce the amount of land owned or administered by the federal government. Nick was able to shed light on the major problems with taking over management and ownership of our incredible public lands. If we want to preserve this incredible resource for future generations, these are key considerations. Enjoy!
Follow our horses and mules, Rory, Duke and Carla from the Shoshone Specialty Pack String as they complete work in wilderness areas throughout the Shoshone National Forest. U.S. Forest Service pack strings consist of horses and mules, lead packer and assistant packer and accomplish vital projects throughout the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond. They are critical for compliance with the Wilderness Act.
“On all these national forests that have wilderness areas, you can get some work done bringing material in on your back,” said Crosby Davidson, Natural Resource Specialist – Trails, “but there’s some management that would be very difficult for us to do unless we used helicopters or other things that are prohibited by the Wilderness Act. That is why a pack string is generally the best bet.”
(USDA Forest Service video by Travis Weger)