Who: Doug Burgum
Nominated for: Secretary of the Interior
You might know him from: The 2024 Republican presidential primary. The former governor of North Dakota ran on his experience as a successful businessman before dropping out of the primary and becoming a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, then the front-runner, landing on the VP shortlist.
More about Burgum:
- He sold his software company to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion.
- He is a big booster of oil and gas drilling.
- He pledged for North Dakota to be carbon neutral by 2030, largely through carbon capture and storage.
- Position: The Department of the Interior oversees public and federal lands and their natural resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
If confirmed as secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum would become a key player in implementing one of the Trump administration’s overarching goals: “Drill, baby, drill.”
The Department of the Interior manages roughly one-fifth of the lands and waters of the United States, giving Burgum — the former governor of an oil-rich state — significant leverage to increase domestic oil and gas production, which is already at an all-time high. But the massive department also oversees national parks and monuments, endangered species protections and relations with federally recognized Native American tribes.
During the first Trump administration, the Department of the Interior cut regulations to make it easier to drill on federal land, significantly weakened the power and scope of the Endangered Species Act and shrunk two national monuments. Deb Haaland, secretary of the Interior during the Biden administration, reversed many of these actions and focused on boosting conservation and renewable energy.
Burgum is expected to reverse course again. Burgum’s pro-drilling stance is fairly well established, and as Trump’s proposed head of the newly proposed National Energy Council — a body that will oversee regulatory processes across government agencies — he’d have considerable power to push fossil fuel extraction.
- READ MORE
Ryan Ghelfi
Executive Director
Wilderness exists as a line on a map. It’s a line that also exists in reality, though it’s not always apparent when you cross it. Once you traverse the line, rules and feelings change. Change from a chainsaw to a crosscut, from a vehicle to foot, from loud to quiet. Another thing that generally changes when traveling from the front-country to the backcountry is cell phone reception. Of course, cell phones (particularly smartphones enabled with the internet) are a new thing in the last generation, but they are ubiquitous. In many Wilderness areas, a lack of cell service causes phones to become a lot less useful and distracting– until recently.
You can now use a cell phone to send SOS emergency text messages via satellite (which a Garmin In-Reach also does). You can also carry a Starlink in your backpack and take the internet anywhere, even in the deepest canyons and highest peaks of the Selway and the Frank. Traditional cell coverage continues to expand quickly. These changes are happening in real time. This is a big deal, and it will change the way we interact with wilderness.
Soon, it will require a conscious choice to leave the connected world behind, even 20 miles from the nearest road. Many of us now bring our cell phones into the Wilderness to take pictures, use offline maps, and listen to downloaded podcasts. These changes have already been monumental and have, in many ways, eroded the Wilderness experience. I am personally guilty of each of these things. But now, the decision about how to use technology in wilderness will be even more consequential over the coming years. Once there is widespread cheap satellite connectivity to the internet, we will have to actively choose to unplug. Otherwise, emails and texts will never stop pinging at us, even when we are 6,000ft deep in the Middle Fork of the Salmon. READ MORE
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Utah’s lawsuit aimed at wresting control of more than 18 million acres of public land in the state from the federal government.
In its lawsuit, filed in August, the state of Utah argued it was unconstitutional for the federal government to retain ownership of “unappropriated” lands, meaning those not set aside as a national park or for some other specific purpose. And it asked the court to effectively hand over 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands to the state.
The conservative-led high court rejected the case outright, with no explanation. It’s a stunning defeat for Republican officials in Utah, who said they brought the case after “decades of legal analysis” and spent millions of taxpayer dollars promoting the legal effort.
“We’re grateful the Supreme Court swiftly rejected the State of Utah’s misguided land grab lawsuit,” Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement. “For more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has affirmed the power of the federal government to hold and manage public lands on behalf of all Americans.” READ STORY / Salt Lake Tribune
A Utah conservation group has sued the governor and attorney general over the state’s U.S. Supreme Court public lands lawsuit.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in a lawsuit filed in 3rd District Court Wednesday, argues that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes violated Utah’s state constitution by taking their challenge of federal lands to the nation’s high court.
The group wants to stop the state from “dismantling a core part of Utah’s identity: public lands,” said Steve Bloch, SUWA’s legal director, in a statement.
“Utahns love their public lands,” Bloch said in a news conference Wednesday morning. “They’re not about to simply see them sold off or given up without a fight.”
Description:
A sawyer suffered burns when the chainsaw he was operating ignited. He had just refueled. It appears the quarter-turn “toolless” fuel cap was not fully aligned, seated, and sealed when he flipped the saw to carry it over his shoulder. Fuel poured out of the tank and was ignited by open flame. Snag Fire Sawyer Burn Injuries RLS.pdf (532.5 KB)
2025 Legislation by Bill Number
The status of each bill, resolution, proclamation, and memorials listed on this page are updated when the offices of the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House publish the un-official daily journals and should not be deemed official. The official bill actions are located in the final journal, which are maintained by the offices of the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House. The daily journals are published at the end of each legislative day.
House Bills
Senate Bills
| (*) indicates previous days action (+) indicates ADOPTED or LAW |
Montana state officials have already made a New Year’s resolution: Sue the federal government. In a lawsuit filed on Dec. 31, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte accused the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) of violating established agreements for managing bison.
Federal wildlife officials have ignored Montana’s concerns about increased numbers of bison, the lawsuit said, and also avoided vaccinating the animals against brucellosis, a disease that worries the state’s cattle-ranching industry.
It’s the latest escalation in a decades-long conflict between state and federal officials over management of bison herds in Yellowstone National Park. The core issue is about how to manage the animals when they leave park borders and roam into Montana. According to the lawsuit, the NPS changed the rules regarding bison numbers and vaccination in a 2024 environmental impact statement without consulting state officials.
The lawsuit was filed in district court by Gianforte’s office, the Montana Department of Livestock, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The NPS didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
“The new Bison Management Plan is another example of Yellowstone National Park’s tendency to do what it wants, leaving Montana to collect the pieces,” the lawsuit said.
READ FULL STORY
Uncle Sam has a belated Christmas gift for anyone who loves visiting national parks.
After years of political wrangling between state and federal officials, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday the purchase of 640 acres of additional land within Grand Teton National Park. Known as the Kelly Parcel, the “picturesque landscape” has mountain views and “world-class wildlife habitat,” federal officials said in a news release.
The parcel was the largest remaining piece of unprotected land within the national park’s boundaries. By adding the area to the park, wildlife managers can maintain “essential connectivity for wildlife in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” officials said. They called the zone one of the last remaining temperate ecosystems on the planet that’s mostly intact.
The $100 million sale to preserve the parcel was made possible through a partnership between the Interior Department and the National Park Service. They pooled money from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation ($37.6 million), the Land and Water Conservation Fund ($62.4 million), and the National Park Foundation. But private donations were a big part of the conservation victory as well. Nearly 400 donors from 46 states made gifts ranging from $10 million to $15 million.
“We are in awe of the incredible generosity of hundreds of people who stepped forward to protect this essential parcel,” Grand Teton National Park Foundation President Leslie Mattson said.
Utah is no longer asking the U.S. Supreme Court to order the United States to “dispose” of 18.5 million acres of public land in the Beehive State, its latest court pleading shows.
In an 18-page Dec. 4 filing, Utah says its original complaint does not seek a sell-off or ownership transfer of the federal property. That complaint to the Supreme Court in August asked justices to “[o]rder the United States to begin the process of disposing of its unappropriated federal lands within Utah” — 18.5 million acres of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.
Utah filed more papers Dec. 4 that appear to back off from that demand for divesture.
“Utah is not ‘ask[ing] this Court to exercise … the power to dispose of public lands,’” Utah’s latest filing states. “Nor does Utah seek an order ‘direct[ing] Congress to enact new statutes,’” requiring the United States to shed its holdings, Utah’s latest document reads.
Instead, Utah’s lawyers contend, the state only wants the justices to declare unconstitutional the United States’ ownership of the property managed by the BLM. What the federal government should do after that, Utah’s latest filing doesn’t say.
The difference between the two filings marks a “seismic change” in Utah’s position, said Ryan Semerad, a Casper attorney practiced in public land issues. He has analyzed the Utah complaint in a 40-page paper submitted for publication to the Wyoming Law Review. He also successfully represented four hunters in an ongoing public access corner-crossing case in Carbon County.
Compared to Utah’s initial complaint, the latest filing is “a much softer request … a much weaker ask than the headlines have made out,” Semerad wrote in an email. “In the end, Utah just wants the Court to tell Congress that it must give the Secretary of the Interior more leeway to sell off or transfer lands, eventually.” READ MORE
BOISE, Idaho—With support from local partners and organizations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has acquired the 320-acre South Fork Willow Creek area to connect, consolidate, and protect public lands in the Boise Foothills and Smoky-Boise Complex big game priority area with winter range for elk, mule deer, sage-grouse, and black bear.
The acquired lands add several miles of existing non-motorized trails accessible from the Avimor residential development for hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding, as well as public access to Idaho’s most popular big game hunting area, Game Management Unit 39. This area also provides close and convenient access to open spaces for the public to encounter both wildlife and dynamic city views framed by the Owyhee Mountain Range.
“We are excited that the public will now have access to these additional acres,” said BLM Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston. “Our partnership with the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley to acquire this parcel provides recreational opportunities and the outdoor lifestyle that people desire to have in a popular area like the Boise Foothills.”
The area is approximately 12 miles north of downtown Boise and provides continued public access near ongoing residential developments. The BLM purchased the land from the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, a non-profit organization, using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
by ERIC WELCH
Staff Writer | December 13, 2024 1:00 AM
In partnership with Stimson Lumber Company and the Idaho Department of Lands, nonprofit Trust for Public Land announced an easement agreement Wednesday that will protect 10,846 acres of working forests in Bonner and Boundary counties.
Under the agreement, IDL holds the development rights to land owned and logged by Stimson Lumber Company, ensuring the easement areas will not be subdivided and will continue to contribute to the local timber industry.
“By protecting over 10,000 acres of working forestland in northern Idaho, Trust for Public Land has ensured that these vital landscapes will be preserved for future generations,” said Trust for Public Land Northern Rockies Director Dick Dolan.
In a press release, IDL Director Dustin Miller and Stimson Lumber Company President Andrew Miller expressed their commitment to preserving working forests in the area and protecting the longevity of Idaho’s timber industry.
According to Sam McSherry, Trust for Public Land project manager, the value of the easement will become more and more apparent as time goes on.
“This is very much just establishing what’s already in place for down the road,” McSherry said.
To enable the agreement, Trust for Public Land worked to secure $7.7 million in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program.
A portion of those funds were used to purchase the easement with Stimson Lumber Company, whose property value under an easement agreement shrinks due to the elimination of development opportunities for the landowner.
McSherry noted that dedicating timber land to be worked in perpetuity supports sustainable harvesting practices and jobs in logging and forest products production.
“The overall benefit that these projects can bring is economic support to these communities,” he said.
McSherry also emphasized the importance of safeguarding undeveloped land to protect the wilderness character of the area for use by residents.
“Another huge benefit of these easements in northern Idaho is preserving the public’s access to the backyards,” he said. “These are the areas that the community members rely on, and being able to protect those for the future is pivotal.”
In 2023, the Outreach & Partnership Engagement (OPE) branch (formally known as the Access Branch) developed a collaborative tool to support USDA Forest Service programs in publicizing large scale programmatic activities and projects. Outreach of Interest (OOI) aims to engage the public, by soliciting project ideas and gauging interest through a structured submission process using the Narrative Statement Form, SF424, and the “Attachments” Form. OOIs serve as a mechanism to cultivate relationships, expand potential partners, and identify mutual beneficial project opportunities. Submissions are used to identify new partnership opportunities, enhance relationships, facilitate discussions, and refine project ideas between potential partners and the Forest Service.
Key Features of the Outreach of Interest:
- A non-competitive, non-funded announcement designed to solicit public feedback and project ideas. OOIs are posted on grants.gov (posted under “other”) for maximum visibility.
- Creates a new partnership model using agreements to mirror the federal grant award process.
- Maximizes the flexibility of Forest Services non-competitive legislative authority, while increasing the pool of partners.
- Designed to support large-scale programmatic efforts through collaboration and feedback from the public to meet increased project scope and funding demands.
- Serves as a market research tool helping programs understand current market trends and the landscape of their program areas.
- Through pilot testing, the OOI model can be refined for broad implementation as a standardized outreach practice.
- Submissions will be compiled into a searchable database for FS employees to identify potential partners by region, forest, state, and program area. This database is currently being constructed and is expected to be completed in time for this first round of OOIs.
Last year, the OPE collaborated with program managers across several program areas to develop OOIs addressing common on the-ground needs. These initial OOIs are a foundation and OPE will continue collaborating with program managers to create new OOIs that align with Forest Service priorities.
We currently have 11 OOIs published and available for submission, closing on February 7th (please see enclosed for details). Two additional OOIs will be released soon:
- one focused on workforce development across all programs
- another for region 5 that addresses visitor center support and recreation stewardship coordination
An email announcement will be sent publicizing these OOIs.
The Outreach & Partnership Engagement branch will be addressing submission related questions grants and agreement inquiries, and other general OOI concerns. For program specific questions, OPE staff will consult with subject matter experts.
If you have any questions or are interested in collaborating on developing an Outreach of Interest, please let us know.
Please share this information as you see appropriate with your staff areas.
Enclosed is the external announcement that we will be sharing in an email with current and potential partners. Feel free to share this external correspondence through your engagements.
READ MEETING MINUTES
In 1998 I adopted two BLM mustangs, Kestrel and Mestena. They were yearlings and had not been touched except for shots and freeze branding. The were small but I assumed that was due to their age, it turned out it was their genetics. Being wild horses in this dry mountainous area of Nevada, smaller horses had an advantage over larger so over time the herd standard size was around 12 hands, and hardy. I soon realized that the mare was going to be a great kids horse not adult and for me my first pack horse. Over the years she carried loads on multiple wildernesses pack trips and on trail maintenance project in the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth National forests. She was Moosely’s mom and they were siamese twins rarely being over fifty feet apart, always eating from the same feeder and if she went anywhere he had to go or would throw a total hissyfit.
She knew her job so well that leading her was optional, she knew her place was behind her lead horse. This was very handy as I only had to lead one horse and could take the group to water or anywhere else I wanted to go. When I took my granddaughter riding, even though she had no experience, I knew Mestena would just follow me and would take care of her load, be it pack bags or a kid. Age and laminitis lead to her retirement in 2024 and the fall grasses to founder in both front feet and time to say goodby.
1860 – 1869
Prior to the gold rush of the 1860’s, Native Americans camped in Round Valley to hunt and to dig and dry camas roots. Packer John Welch, who had contracted to freight supplies from Umatilla Landing on the Columbia River to miners of Idaho City, established a camp on Gold Fork Creek and a brush cabin on Clear Creek in the 1860’s. He also established a station near what later became the town of Cascade.
1870 – 1879
During the 1870’s, prospectors and miners followed in Packer John’s footsteps to scour the valley and surrounding mountains for gold. The Clara Foltz mines opened on Paddy Flat, and other diggings commenced on Boulder and Gold Fork Creeks. Also during the 1870’s, two salmon fisheries operated seasonally on Payette Lake.
In the late 1870’s, the last of the Sheepeater Tribe was removed from Long Valley and Round Valley to a reservation. As the gold sources dwindled, a few of the miners took up squatter’s rights. James Horner built a cabin on Clear Creek in 1881. Other miners settled on the Payette River. In 1883, S.M. Sisk, a young miner from New York, settled near the old town site of Crawford. Later the same year, L.S. Kimble came from Illinois and began to cut trees at Tamarack Falls. A year later he moved to the site of VanWyck and opened the region’s first blacksmith shop. After Kimble came W.D. Patterson, T.L. Worthington, L.M. Gorton, John DeHaas, E.A. Smith and many others who contributed to the development around VanWyck, Crawford and Alpha.
1880 – 1889
In the 1880’s, a man named Maxey came to Round Valley to fatten hogs on the camas roots. Caroline Jarvis bought his homestead in 1888. Then in 1892, W.A. “Billy” Bacon, who came to Boise in 1863, married Sarah Jarvis and built a log cabin to begin his homestead in Round Valley.
In 1886, Jack Jasper established a homestead near what is now Roseberry. He estimated then that there were about thirty families in the valley. The Mark Cole and Blankenship families arrived in 1888 and, with Jack Jasper and the Pottengers, founded Roseberry. Also in 1888, the first post offices in Valley County were opened at VanWyck, on March 14, with L. Kimble as postmaster; and, at Alpha, on July 12, with James Horner as postmaster.
In 1889, Louis McCall took squatter’s rights on Payette Lake. Other settlers in the area were the Yorkes, Albert Gaekel, Louis Heacock and Arthur Rowland. Their homesteads were the nucleus of what would later become the town of McCall.
A post office opened at Lardo in 1889 with John Lane as postmaster. Also, W.H. Boydstun established a freight stop at Lardo to service the increased mining activity at Warren Meadows. READ MORE
The federal government’s response to Utah’s lawsuit seeking to take over millions of acres of public land says the state’s legal challenge is “without merit.”
In a brief filed last Thursday, attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny Utah’s motion, writing that the state’s argument doesn’t hold water. Plus, the state fails to meet the criteria that would allow a petition directly to the nation’s high court rather than going through lower courts first, the filing claims.
Filed in August, Utah’s lawsuit questions whether the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, can indefinitely hold onto land without giving it a designation. The BLM controls about 18.5 million acres of what the state calls “unappropriated land” in Utah — the land is still leased for grazing, recreation and mineral extraction, but lacks a formal designation.
National parks, national monuments, national forests, Indian reservations or wilderness areas have a designation, and therefore are not considered “unappropriated.” But about 34% of the entire state meets the state’s definition of “unappropriated,” much of it found in remote western Utah.
The lawsuit claims the federal government lacks the constitutional power to hold that land “in perpetuity … over the State’s objection.” The Supreme Court should declare the practice of holding unappropriated land unconstitutional, Utah argues, and issue an injunction that would start the process of a massive, 18.5 million acre land transfer.
But the federal government says that argument lacks merit and “faces significant jurisdictional and procedural barriers.” Utah argues the federal government can only hold onto land if it has a designated purpose; the federal government asks “why a formal reservation would make a legal difference” under the constitution. Utah argues the federal government can’t retain land over its “express objection”; the federal government says that runs afoul of the constitution’s supremacy clause, which states federal law takes precedence over state law.
Utah argues Congress has a “duty to dispose of unappropriated public lands”; the federal government says that while Congress has the power to dispose of land, it does not have a duty to do so. And, Utah raises several policy objections, including its inability to collect revenue on federal land; the federal government says that argument is better suited for Congress, not the country’s high court.
The brief also takes issue with Utah invoking original jurisdiction, which allows states to petition directly to the Supreme Court rather than starting in a lower court and then going through the appeals process. To invoke original jurisdiction, the issue needs to be between a state and the federal government.
That’s because the case does not involve a dispute over state boundaries, the brief reads, or Utah’s ability to enforce criminal and civil laws on the land in question.
Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com.
Hello,
First, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I have been contemplating how I can be of assistance to all of you, since all of you are well seasoned, experienced backcountry horsemen. So, I thought one of the main challenges we all have in BCH nationwide is low membership. Do you think this could be one of our “missions” as education chairmen is finding an avenue to share the extensive knowledge BCH chapters have with the public, showing them what we do and who we are? Possibly, this opportunity may encourage them to join our organization or at least educate them with how to use the backcountry responsibly.
I am sure many of you have conducted public events, I would love to hear about your programs and how was the response. Do you feel this would be a good avenue to pursue or possibly you may have other suggestions?
Also included in this email the new Light on the Land BCHA education publication from the BCHA website and thought it may be of interest to you.
Appreciate you taking the time to reply to my questions and offer any suggestions.
Sincerely,
Karen Bailey Education Chair education@bchi.org
Happy Thanksgiving! This season, we’re grateful for wild places and the people who care for them— people like you.
If you or someone you know is looking for an unforgettable summer adventure in the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church Wilderness areas, we’re hiring for four seasonal roles:
- Wilderness Trail Crew Leaders
- Wilderness Assistant Crew Leaders
- Youth Wilderness Expedition Leader
- Wilderness Volunteer Project Leader
Applications are open now and close January 12—but we review on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged! Learn more and apply today!
Wilderness Ranger Fellowship positions will be announced later in December.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday weekend!
Read the text of the bill HERE.
The National Park Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, Friends of Acadia, Boone and Crockett, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation are among many groups supporting the legislation. Click HERE for a full list of statements of support.
America-the-Beautiful-Act (PDF)
Bad ideas die hard: The effort to hand over America’s public lands to individual states
We in the West know what state or private ownership means for forests. Stumps, and lots of them, writes guest columnist Craig Gehrke.
Deep in Idaho’s Clearwater Mountains, along the beautiful Lochsa River, is a stand of ancient cedar trees. These trees stand hundreds of feet tall and are hundreds of years old. They have seen a lot of American and Idaho history.
They were standing long before Europeans arrived in these mountains, back when the Nez Perce traveled through the Clearwater Mountains along what they called the Road to the Buffalo, the route they used to travel from their Idaho home to the buffalo hunting grounds in Montana. They were standing when explorers Lewis and Clark passed by less than mile away on their 1805-06 historic trek across North America to the Pacific Ocean. These trees were standing in 1877 when Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce were fleeing the U.S. Cavalry in their heartbreaking effort to reach the safety of Canada. Conservation historian Bernard DeVoto camped under these trees in the late 1940s while working on his editing of the Lewis and Clark journals. After DeVoto’s death, this grove of cedar trees was named the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove, and his ashes were spread on this site.
It’s no accident that these old cedar trees are still standing. They remain standing because they are on public lands. Public lands, in which every American has a stake. Surrounding forests, not on public lands, tell a far different story.
A few miles to east of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are lands that once belonged to a railroad company. In the 1860s, railroad companies were given vast tracks of lands in the West to facilitate settlement efforts and ease the way for possible cross country railroad routes. Only a few such routes panned out, so the railroads eventually sold much of their timber lands to private timber companies. These companies, out to maximize profits for shareholders, ravaged these forests, brutally logging these landscapes and leaving behind eroded hillsides, polluted streams, and miles and miles of stumps. Even today these denuded lands continue to dump sediment into the headwaters of the Lochsa River.
A few miles to the west of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are forest lands that ended up owned by another entity, this time the state of Idaho. Forests owned by the state are mandated to be managed to produce the maximum revenue for the school system. This means logging. Lots of logging. The state lands west of the DeVoto Cedar Grove are a jumbled maze of logging roads and clearcuts. Any old trees once there are long gone.
Besides his work on the Lewis and Clark journals, Bernard DeVoto is best known for his conservation advocacy in Harpers Magazine in the 1940s. It was here that DeVoto blew the whistle on the efforts by the national livestock associations to turn all of America’s public lands over to individual states and eventually private ownership. DeVoto’s writing galvanized opposition that helped defeat that effort at that time.
But bad ideas die hard. There’s always remained smoldering efforts by private entities and the politicians in their pocket to somehow get their hands on public lands. The effort is back again. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador a filed a friend of the court brief supporting Utah’s effort to dispose of public land to state ownership. While purportedly focused on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which provide unmatched wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities to all Americans, Utah’s lawsuit raises the question of whether the federal government can hold lands in perpetuity at all. If this effort were to succeed, you can bet the national forests would be next on the politician’s wish list.
Idaho sold off about one third of the land it received from the federal government upon statehood. Had Idaho gotten more land, it would have simply sold more of it. It has generally been a short step from state ownership to private ownership. And private ownership has meant, for stands of old forests like the DeVoto Grove on the Lochsa, a quick trip to the nearest sawmill and money in the owner’s pocket. Millions of acres of old growth forest, and the wildlife, clean water, and recreation opportunities supported by these forests, are gone forever by this route.
We in the West know what state or private ownership means for forests. Stumps, and lots of them. Both entities manage forests to maximize dollars generated. In contrast, public lands mean trees hundreds of years old, superb wildlife habitat, clear, clean water, and unmatched recreation opportunities. And our heritage. You would be hard pressed to find many areas owned by states or private corporations where short term monetary gains are sidelined for the sake of protecting a place of history like the DeVoto Cedar Grove.
Pictures taken near Stanley Lake, SRA
by Melanie Vining, Executive Director
Ok, so this could be the title of an article at the end of pretty much any summer lately. Snowpacks melting earlier, heat waves lasting longer and fall rains coming later are the new normal in the West, but with the west central Idaho Lava Fire almost out my backdoor and a recent trip to Salmon, which took me through the Wapiti Fire burned area, thoughts about a big fire season are on my mind. Thankfully, rain drips from the roof as I write this, but that brings its own challenges. More to come on that.
In the face of climate change and its effects- like longer fire seasons and more intense precipitation events- it’s hard not to feel helpless. With access to real time data through apps like Watch Duty, we can see maps of fire perimeters and almost watch them grow on our phone screens. Smoke fills the air, and we picture our favorite trail, lake, or campground blackened.
This overwhelmed feeling got me thinking: what can I- we- do? Not about climate change- that’s a longer blog and well outside my wheelhouse. No, I’m thinking about what we can do, and maybe as importantly, about how we can think about wildfire when it comes to recreating on public lands. Maybe some of you have already achieved enlightenment, but I struggle with this; maybe others out there do too. READ MORE
Wyoming is backing an effort by Utah to wrest ownership of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land from the federal government, arguing that states could “develop the land to attract prospective citizens.”
In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska and the Arizona Legislature expressed support for Utah’s quest to take its case straight to the U.S. Supreme Court. Utah wants to own BLM land that’s currently the property of all Americans, saying among other things that the federal holdings deprive the Beehive State of an equal footing with other states.
Gov. Mark Gordon announced the Wyoming plea this week. Wyoming’s U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman lent her name to a separate amicus brief supporting Utah, teaming with U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney, Mike Lee and other Western members of Congress.
Twenty-six Wyoming legislators also asked Tuesday to join the action if the Supreme Court agrees to take up the issue. Those 10 state senators and 16 representatives (see list below) say they might not stop after gaining state ownership of BLM’s property which is largely sagebrush and desert prairie steppe.
Wyoming legislators’ could extend their claims to “all former federal territorial lands … now held by the United States … [including] parks, monuments, wilderness, etc.,” their brief states.
The federal government has until Nov. 21 to respond to what conservationists call a “land grab.”
“This lawsuit is as frivolous as they come and a blatant power-grab by a handful of Utah politicians whose escalating aggression has become an attack on all public lands as we know them,” Jocelyn Torres, an officer with the Conservation Lands Foundation, a Colorado nonprofit, said in a statement.
Unappropriated
Utah and its allies argue that BLM lands are “unappropriated” and should be the property of Western States. Because of the federal government’s “indefinite retention” of 18.5 million BLM acres, “Utah is deprived of basic and fundamental sovereign powers as to more than a third of its territory,” its bill of complaint states.
Sagebrush rebellion efforts like Utah’s legal gambit have popped up — and fallen short — repeatedly since the movement arose in the 1970s. They’ve been countered in part by western states ceding — in their constitutions at statehood — ownership of federal property to the government and all Americans.
“The people inhabiting this state do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof,” the Wyoming Constitution states. Further, Western states received federal property at statehood — two square miles in many surveyed 36-square-mile townships in Wyoming — to support schools and other institutions.
“Only Congress can transfer or dispose of federal lands,” the Lands Foundation said.
Gov. Gordon sees it differently.
“Wyoming believes it is essential for the states to be recognized as the primary authority when it comes to unappropriated lands within our borders,” he said in a statement Thursday.
The BLM manages 28% of the land in Wyoming, the brief states, most of it “unappropriated.”
Leaving vexing legal complexities to Utah, Wyoming’s brief focuses on “harms that federal ownership of unappropriated lands uniquely imposes on western States on a daily basis,” the amicus filing states. “In short, western States’ sovereign authority to address issues of local concern is curtailed, and billions of dollars are diverted away from western States.”
A ruling in favor of Utah would “begin to level the playing field … and restore the proper balance of federalism between western States and the federal government,” the brief states.
The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus delivers “almost flawless communication from the field via voice, text, and images,” she wrote in her review.
Key Takeaways:
-
Garmin brings its inReach connectivity to “a whole new level” with the capacity to send voice messages, images, and a huge leap in text length.
- Though the price is a bit steeper than its predecessors, it’s worth every penny to those who appreciate the new perks, Schrute.
Read the full story here.
Patti has been working with ITA since the very first project in 2010, first as a Forest Service trail leader and then as a volunteer crew leader. She has also helped as a crew leader teacher at our CLEM (Crew Leader Education and Mentoring) Training. Her long history working on trails and with crews (30 years!) in the Forest Service is a huge asset to ITA and we so appreciate her commitment to sharing her skills and experience by training leaders and volunteers! Thank you for all you do for Idaho’s trails, Patti! READ FULL STORY
2024 Raffle winners:
$500 winners:
1. Karen French, Salmon, ID 83467
2. Barb Recla, Meridian, ID 83642
3. Elizabeth Walker, Athol, ID 83801
4. Panhandle BCH, Hayden ID 83835
5. Cini Baumhoff, Boise, ID 83713
6. Ron Beitelspacher, Grangeville, ID 83530
7. Donald B Kleint, Donnelly, ID 83615
8. Kathy Fritschle, Donnelly, ID 83615
9. Portneuf River BCH, Pocatello, ID 83204
10. Kimberly Bartholomew, Kamiah, ID 83536
11. Cindy Worth, Grangeville, ID 83530
$3,000 winner:
12. Mary Ann Shaff, Heyburn, ID 83336
Treasure Valley BCH Hosting 2025 State Convention
March 14-15, 2025
BOD Meeting Friday March 14 @
Best Western Plus Inn & Suites 908 Specht Ave Caldwell Idaho 83605 Phone: 208-454-7225 their email: bwpcaldwell@gmail.com
Group Rate “BCHI” @ $125/night -must reserve by February 19, 2025.
Saturday March 15 Convention Location is a mile from the Best Western at the Canyon County Fair Event Center 110 County Fair Ave Caldwell.
More info contact TVBCH bchiconvention@bchi.org
Kathy 208-830-9504
Sabrina Kohrt <sabrina.kohrt@usda.gov>
Good Afternoon,
The Intermountain Region Forest Service Saw Program is a robust program that works with over 40 partners across Utah, Nevada, and parts of Wyoming and Idaho. Many of these sawyers are women! As a Partnership Coordinator and Public Affairs Specialist, I am working on a large project to identify these women sawyers and highlight their story, both within the agency and with partners. This project will include a written feature story, social media content, and an ArcGIS Story Map that will be released during Women’s History Month, March of 2025.
For the Story Map, I have begun collecting data from all women in the field that have a connection to the Forest Service Saw Program. The Story Map will host a map of the Intermountain Region with geotagged points that will open an information box when the user clicks on it. Each box will tell a small story about each individual woman, along with a photo, video, or media of their choice. Specific details about the information requested and media submissions are in the Google Form below.
Please spread this link far and wide to any woman sawyer you know that works within the region – Forest Service and/or partner. I am relying on all of your networks to help spread awareness of this project. I would love to fill the StoryMap completely to demonstrate how many amazing women sawyers are out there!
Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.
Women in the Saw Program – Google Form: https://forms.gle/3yq7ZgxZcjzB97Lj7
Woman Sawyer in South Western Idaho who belong to a number of Trail Volunteer Groups & the USFS
The Forest Service Saw Program, made up of partners and agency staff, is engaged with many women across the Intermountain Region. The purpose of this project is to show how many women sawyers are working within the Saw Program/Intermountain Region and to highlight each women’s journey. These submissions will be collected and put on an ArcGIS StoryMap. Each point on the map will have the general duty station location, media of choice, along with one of the responses listed below.
What is the Recreation Fund Council?
The Idaho Outdoor Recreation Fund Advisory Council was created by Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature to recommend projects to expand outdoor recreation or access to it in Idaho. Examples could include expansion of recreational facilities (parks, trails, boating, etc.) or agreements to gain entry to new areas for public recreation.
The Legislature in early 2023 provided $5 million in initial funding for the council’s work. In the 2024 session, the Legislature provided a second, $5 million installment for distribution.
New Projects Needed
The Council recently solicited candidate projects for 2024, asking for applications for be submitted by September 30, 2024. Please send applications to Skylar Jeff, ORFAC coordinator, at skylarjett13@gmail.com.
Funding for this round of projects comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which carries firm timelines for any funds to be obligated and spent. The Council seeks projects that can be under contract by the end of 2024 and completed before the end of 2026.
Gov. Little’s executive order creating the council targets “opportunities for camping, fishing, hunting, accessing trails and other outdoor pursuits” for potential projects. IDPR, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Idaho Department of Lands are charged to work cooperatively to propose projects, manage under-utilized resources and monetize outdoor recreation for long-term sustainability.
About the Council
Council members are:
- Tom Schultz, Council Chair
- Susan Buxton, Director, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
- Jim Fredericks, Director, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Dustin Miller, Director, Idaho Department of Lands
- James Petzke, Representative, Idaho Legislature, District 21, Seat A
- Gretchen Hyde, Director, Rangeland Resources Commission
- Mark Pratt, Idaho Cattle Association
- Kari Kostka, The Nature Conservancy
- Benn Brocksome, Idaho Sportsmen
- Dave Lent, Senator, Idaho Legislature, District 33
- Laurel Sayer, President, Perpetua Resources
- Sandra Mitchell, Idaho State Snowmobile Association
- Seth Griggs, Idaho Association of Counties
For more information about the Council and its work, contact ORFAC Coordinator Skylar Jett at skylarjett13@gmail.com or at 208-599-3264.
VISIT WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFO AND DOCUMENTS
