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.”
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
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)
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
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.
The new easement area includes property south of Sagle adjacent to Lake Pend Oreille and near Farragut State Park as well as forest land southwest of Bonners Ferry. Sections of the easement property border state land as well as Stimson Lumber Company property already protected by existing agreements.
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.”
READ MEETING MINUTES
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.
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.
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
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
Women in the Saw Program Story Map
Overview:
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.
Criteria:
– Must be a sawyer – can be in training or certified at any level, crosscut and/or chainsaw
– Forest Service employee or from any Forest Service partner agency. If non-agency, the individual must have some connection to the Forest Service Saw Program. This may include but not limited to: directly receiving training from the Saw Program, recertification or mentorship through the Forest Service employees, engagement in Developing Thinking Sawyer Curriculum, your organization works indirectly with the Forest Service Saw Program in other ways, etc.
– Must give consent to use some of the information you provide on this form to put on a public-facing site (non-Forest Service, please fill out separate form attached), such as photo, description, and general location of duty station.
– LGBTQIA+ Welcome
This StoryMap will be released during Women’s History Month, March of 2025, along with a written feature story and social media content. I will be taking submissions for the StoryMap up to February 14th, 2025, however, please do not hesitate to send me your submission so I can get them loaded into the Story Map prior to.
I encourage you to send this link far and wide to your female-identifying communities – the goal is to fill the map with as many points as possible to represent all the women sawyers in the region, I will rely on you all to help spread the message!
For questions or comments, please contact Forest Service Partnership Coordinator Sabrina Kohrt – sabrina.kohrt@usda.gov. 720-990-8505.
LAVA FIRE UPDATE – September 15, 2024 (PDF) LavaFireDailyUpdate_September 15 2024_final
Anna Daly writes: The Frangelica, Wapiti, Lava, Goose Chase, Cotton, and Willow Fires are just a handful of the dozens of fires burning over 400,000 acres in Idaho.
When looking at the Idaho fire map, it’s hard not to notice the variety of names for fires. However, the system for naming them is pretty straightforward and based on the fires’ locations.
“We usually name fires based on the closest drainage, landmark, or road,” the Bureau of Land Management Boise District Office’s Chad Cline said. “Either the dispatch that’s plotting the fire or the incident commander that gets to the fire first chooses the name.”
While naming fires is based on the closest landmark, it can get complicated if multiple agencies are responding to the fire. For example, the fire that burned in Boise during the first week of September had two names at one point: the Plex Fire and the Eyele Fire.
“When the fire started, the city was first on scene and named it. However, once BLM arrived and it was confirmed the fire was on BLM land, we took command and renamed the fire,” Cline said. “If it starts on BLM land then we name it but I did notice that it caused a lot of confusion.”
Also after a busy fire season, officials can sometimes come to roadblocks when coming up with a good name. For example, the 57th fire in North Idaho in 2015 was named the ‘Not Creative Fire.’
“The person in charge of naming the fire was not feeling really creative at 3 in the morning,” Idaho Department of Lands Public Information Officer Sharla Arledge said in an article from the Couer d’Alene Press. “Sometimes you have to find some humor in all of this.”
(The Wapiti Fire. Photo: Courtesy Custer County Sheriff)
Forest Service News Release
Boise National Forest
Contact: Mike Williamson, Public Affairs Officer, 208-373-4105, michael.williamson@usda.gov
Forest Service’s Sage Hen Road Temporarily Closed for Repairs
BOISE, Idaho, May 30, 2024 – The Boise National Forest will temporarily close Road 626, also known as Sage Hen Road, beginning June 3 at 7 a.m. through June 7 at 6 p.m. to allow for construction crews to replace culverts and install road stabilization structures. The closure will begin at the intersection with Forest Road 644, located about 1.5 miles west of Smiths Ferry and extend 16 miles to the intersection with Forest Road 653 about nine miles north of Ola.
This closure is part of a larger road improvement effort that will extend into the fall and to other nearby National Forest System roads in 2025. While no other closures are expected this year, the public may experience temporary delays throughout the summer as crews complete road resurfacing and other improvements.
“We understand this closure will be an inconvenience to those visiting the Sage Hen Reservoir area,” says Boise National Forest Engineering Staff Officer Brett Barry. “By closing the road for five days and allowing the contractor to complete the needed work, we avoid having staged closures stretched out over several weeks.”
During this road closure the Sage Hen Reservoir area can be accessed via Forest Road 653 beginning 13 miles north of Ola at the Third Fork Guard Station, easterly to Forest Road 609, then southward to the reservoir.
For more information contact the Emmett Ranger District at 208-365-7000
By Mindy Gould on Tuesday, May 28th, 2024
HARNEY COUNTY (Released by the Burns Interagency Fire Zone)-‘Tis the season! Effective last Friday, May 24, 2024, on all BLM-administered public lands in Oregon and Washington, the following are PROHIBITED:
Discharging or using fireworks or pyrotechnic devices. Discharging or using combustible or explosive composition or chemical devices, including but not limited to exploding targets. Discharging or using tracer, explosive, or incendiary ammunition. Discharging steel component (core or jacket) ammunition, except a person with a valid state hunting license actively engaged in the legal take/pursuit of Game/Non-Game species in accordance with the current hunting seasons. Releasing or causing to be released any sky lanterns, airborne paper lanterns, aerial luminaries and/or fire balloons. Shooting at any metallic object, including but not limited to using metal targets for target shooting.
Nearly 90% of wildfires are human-caused. Follow these restrictions and help keep our public lands and surrounding communities safe!
Those who violate the restrictions can be fined up to $1,000 and/or receive a prison term of up to one year. In addition, those found responsible for starting wildland fires on federal lands can be billed for the cost of fire suppression.
Local questions, contact your local dispatch center for more information.
The Latest News on Idaho’s Public Lands
Our work reviewing project proposals and permits—both exhaustive and sometimes exhausting—pays off in big ways.
The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality recently issued a decision invalidating Perpetua Resources’ air pollution permit for the proposed Stibnite Gold Mine. The Board found that Perpetua Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) failed to follow regulations designed to protect people from arsenic-laden dust. The decision remands Perpetua’s air pollution permit, sending it back to the administrative hearing officer to reconsider ways to better control arsenic emissions and reduce cancer risks from the proposed mine.
In response to another protest by ICL and our partners, a Hearing Officer with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) also established minimum stream flows to Perpetua’s water withdrawals that are more protective of fisheries.
Finally, if you care about the four million-acre Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in north central Idaho, then you’ll be interested to learn about the status of the Forest Service’s efforts to revise the Land Management Plan.
ICL participated in a three-day administrative hearing to voice objections to the agency’s near-final new plan, arguing that it would harm wildlife, wildlands, and wild rivers by increasing off-road vehicle and snow machine access while shrinking the boundaries of the proposed Great Burn Wilderness Area. The Forest Service has also preliminarily stated that the North and South Fork Clearwater Rivers are not “suitable” for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It is unclear how the Forest Service will respond to the objections of ICL and other conservation groups, but a written response is due to be published sometime in June. Until then, stay tuned!
Comment period is open until June 5 for the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) affecting the future of Travel Management in the East Fork South Fork (EFSF) Salmon River portion of the Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest.
Proposals in the Draft range from no-change in motorized access, to adding up to about 26 miles of public road and trail access beyond the current inventory.
The Forest will issue a final Decision Notice and implement the plan estimated October 2024. The Decision will guide how motorized access is managed to this portion of the Forest going forward. No losses are expected, but gains are possible depending on the Forest’s final Decision.
Learn more about the Draft plan here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/payette/?project=60889
Comment submission form here: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=60889
(Attaching a DOC or PDF of your comments is recommended; else, type or paste text into the form fields provided.)
The Forest presently manages motorized access in the EFSF area under the 2007 Payette Travel Management FEIS, the 2008 McCall/Krassel and 2010 Big Creek Yellow Pine TMP Records of Decision, and the 2024 Motor Vehicle Use Map. A 2017 settlement to a lawsuit which challenged the 2007/2008/2010 TMPs requires this Plan to be completed. (Two of three Plans total required by the settlement were previously Decided and are in the process of being implemented: Big Creek and South Fork RAMPs.)
IDPR has submitted its commentary based on the themes summarized below. Additional requests are based on routes which stakeholders have for many years been asking the Forest to implement.
- IDPR Supports Alternative D, plus proposed modifications:
- Re-open Sugar Creek Road 51883 as a Trail for 70” and under OHVs (closed ~2016)
- Re-open Crater Lake Road as a Trail for 70” and under OHVs (closed ~2016)
- Re-open Parks Peak Trails 069 and 074 to 2-wheeled OHVs as-proposed in Alt D, and also re-open connecting Rainbow Ridge Trail 070 to create a loop (each closed ~2000)
- Give greater consideration for the economic survival of the Yellow Pine community, which recreation visitation will ensure
Please inform fellow recreationists of this public process.
Hi everyone,
A big thank you to those who were able to join us for Monday’s SCNF Pre-Season Partner meeting. I know it’s a busy time of year for this group. Attached are meeting notes, which have also been uploaded to the SCNF External Partner Folder in Box. A reminder, this folder also contains some general safety documents, Risk Assessments, our Grants Calendar, etc. If any of you have trouble with this link, let me know and I’ll make sure to get you access.
If you have any questions, go-backs, or other things you wanted to talk about that we didn’t get to, don’t hesitate to reach out. We hope each of your organizations has a safe and memorable season and look forward to connecting with some of you in the field this year! SCNF PreSeason Partner Meeting Notes 5.6.2024
As of April 28, the Grandview Travel Management Plan process has been STOPPED and will be reset, starting the process over sometime in the future!
All, Please see the final version of the Doyle Mountain Trail Proposal attached.
If you would like to support this proposal (or some version thereof) just mention your support for the “Doyle Mountain Trail System” from ICL and company in your own individual comments (due Monday).
Here is a link to the Grand View Travel Management Plan on the BLM ePlanning website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/73197
To make submitting comments easier, here is a link to ICL’s take action: https://takeaction.idahoconservation.org/fmCRkTb
Thanks, all, and have a great weekend.
John Robison / Public Lands Director / Idaho Conservation League
PO Box 844, Boise, ID 83701
Mobile phone 208-345-6933 x 213 • fax 208.344.0344
Did you feel yesterday morning’s earthquake?
According to the United States Geological Survey, there were several. The first one, and the strongest, hit at 10:25 a.m. and had a magnitude of 4.9. It registered about six miles North of Smiths Ferry with light shaking reported in the Treasure Valley.
USGS recorded an aftershock of 2.7 magnitude at 10:45 a.m. about five miles Northwest of Smiths Ferry. Another aftershock of 2.8 magnitude about three miles Northwest of Smiths Ferry was recorded at noon.
The Idaho Transportation Department said there was rockfall in the roadway near where the earthquakes occurred but there is no indication of damage. To be sure, ITD said its crews are assessing roads, culverts, and bridges, including Rainbow Bridge, in the area.
“In the event of any damage resulting from the earthquake, ITD will provide prompt notification to the public,” ITD said in a news release. “ITD wants to reassure the community that every measure is being taken to assess and address potential safety risks from this earthquake, demonstrating our unwavering dedication to maintaining a secure transportation network for all.”
Monday’s quakes occurred in the Western Idaho Seismic Zone, which lies between Boise and McCall. The zone includes active faults such as the Long Valley fault zone and the Squaw Creek fault.
Below that, will be a series of five bills we are asking you, hunters, anglers and public land advocates of Idaho, to help IWF defeat.
From potentially increasing poaching, reducing already deficient protections from chronic wasting disease, continued encroachment of the legislature on our wildlife management agency’s autonomy, trading once-inn-a-lifetime tags for wolves, we struggled to think of a sportsman in our state that wouldn’t be negatively impacted if these came to pass.
IWF respects that our subscribers have different interests, and work hard to serve you with the information most important to you.
