For the latest Boise National Forest updates visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/
For all Boise NF closure information visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/
Boise National Forest interactive closure story map: https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/
National Forests in Idaho closure story map: https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/
About 15 miles north of Emmett is 25,806 acres of rolling hills, prominent buttes and ridgelines that make up the Bureau of Land Management’s Four-Mile Wild Horse Management Area (HMA). Elevations vary from 2,500 to about 5,400 feet.
The Four-Mile population census taken in February 2018 was 128 horses according to Boise District BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Raul Trevino.
History of Gem’s wild horses
The Four-Mile horses originated from domestic stock owned by those living in the Big Willow Creek and Four-Mile Creek areas. Pinto horses were raised by Jack Macomb in the 1930s in the Four Mile Canyon. Others raised horses in the area including Nelson McCullough on Willow Creek, Tom Wilburn on South Crane Creek and Walter Knox on the Indian Jake Ranch. These horses were not considered wild according to the BLM until people came and tried to catch them or chase them. Being difficult to corral, they were considered wild. Sixty-five privately owned horses were rounded up and removed in 1965.
At the passage of the Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act in 1971, two HMAs were identified and BLM was given authority to manage wild horses and burros on public lands. There were 75 horses in the 4-Mile HMA and West Crane HMA. Decisions removed the horses permanently from West Crane and reduced the Four-Mile to the appropriate management level of 20 head for rangeland health.
An aerial survey in 1972 counted a total of 13 adult and two foals. Of those, one was a mule, one wore a halter and another horse wore hobbles.
During a 1986 wildfire in the Four-Mile HMA, 14,000 acres burned. The horses were removed January 1987 due to a lack of forage on their home range and to allow vegetation recovery. The area was aerially seeded with grasses and forbs. Then in the fall of 1991, nine horses from the Owyhee Resource Area were introduced back into the Four-Mile HMA. Three years later there were 12 head on 18,018 acres.
Currently there are 128 horses in the HMA. The Low Allowable Management level is 37 head for the area, so the BLM is in the process of gathering and removing horses to meet the allowable number. BLM manages a total of six wild horse herd management areas in Idaho on approximately 418,000 acres of private, public and state lands.
As of March 1, 2018, the wild horse and burro population on public lands was estimated at 82,000 animals, which is more than triple the number of animals the land can support in conjunction with other legally mandated land uses. Four-Mile HMA is also overpopulated.
On April 16, 2020 Phil Ryan and Rob Adams rode the south west corner of the HMA. We saw more then 75 wild horses at least 12 of them were this year’s foals. There were also a number that look to be yearlings. WATCH VIDEO
Hike the Hill
This week was the annual gathering of the national scenic and historic trail community in DC to educate Congress, meet with agencies, and build support for trails. NWSA was there along with Back Country Horsemen and other Wilderness groups to lend our voice and to expand opportunities for wilderness stewardship.
We are happy to report that the Forest Service Chief took this opportunity to express her full support for Shared Stewardship and to renew the NFS Trail Stewardship Partner funding for $200,000 in 2020. Find more details here.
This is in addition to the $200,000 already secured for Wilderness Stewardship Performance activities.
Applications for both programs are due by March 30th.
Webinars
Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00 PM Mountain
Leave No Trace — Refresher, Updates, Resources
Erin Collier, Brice Esplin, and Faith Overall
What’s new with Leave No Trace, and how can you incorporate the principles into your daily work? Erin Collier & Brice Esplin, Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, will provide a general Leave No Trace refresher with an emphasis on updates, research, and resources, geared toward wilderness stewardship groups and agency partners. Faith Overall, Leave No Trace’s Education and Outreach coordinator and volunteer for the Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance will also join to provide a volunteer perspective and answer questions on getting more involved.
Wilderness Workshop Presentations and Videos
Many presentations at the Workshop are posted on the WORKSHOP PAGE . You can also find the Program and Abstracts. Several of the main sessions were video taped and as soon as they are available will be placed on this page as well. The Final Plenary session and Derick Lugo’s Closing Presentation are now available online.
The 2020 Funding Program Application Periods are Open
As noted above NWSA has two funding programs for wilderness stewards.
The Wilderness Stewardship Performance Partner Funding and
The National Forest System Trail Stewardship Partner Funding.
Both application periods will end March 30, 2020.
Now is the time to renew your memberships for 2020. WSP Funding requires a NWSA membership in order to apply.
In other Member News: Memberships will now track calendar years. Memberships renewals for 2020 began October 1st and are good for the entire calendar year 2020. Participate in Funding programs, get discounts to the National Wilderness Workshop and keep informed about national issues affecting wilderness stewardship.
Forest Service WSP Webinars now Posted
The latest WSP webinars are posted on Wilderness Connect. The webinars include the Plants element and Recreation Sites element.
These webinars can be found at the link below, along with the nine other WSP elements already posted and of course the other outstanding past and planned webinars by the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, and other great partners.
https://wilderness.net/practitioners/training/free-webinars/default.php
Idaho Trails Supporter Fact Sheet
Hey Folks – I have attached the fact sheet for our voluntary sticker program. The short – The voluntary sticker (or pass) is a $10 minimum donation available to the public on June 6th, National trails day. They will be primarily available online.
Thanks!
Tom Helmer
Non-Motorized Trails Program Manager
5657 Warm Springs Ave|Boise, ID 83716
tel (208) 514-2419 | mobile (208) 914-4821
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February 07, 2020
BOISE, Idaho
The director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation said Friday that his agency is starting a voluntary trail pass program as part of a long-range goal to raise awareness and eventually money for non-motorized trail maintenance.
David Langhorst told the Legislature’s budget-setting committee that interest in the 900-mile (1,450-kilometer) Idaho Centennial Trail has been growing.
He said motorized trail groups have been effective in persuading lawmakers to tax or place fees on those user groups for trail maintenance.
But he said non-motorized trail users have been somewhat resistant to those kinds of user fees. He said the voluntary trail pass could help change minds.
This past summer… a group of high school students traveled from the Bronx, NY (a borough of New York City) to the back country of Idaho.
Can you imagine?
They were enrolled in a program called Catrock Ventures… and worked with the SBFC to clear 5 miles of trail, experience life in the wilderness, and learn Wilderness skills.
Click here to view a short video of their amazing journey!!
Catrock Venture’s mission is to reach, inspire, and empower low-income youth to become socially responsible change-makers.
Many of these kids have never been away from their neighborhoods in the Bronx… much less the state of New York.
The opportunity to experience some of the most wild places in America is truly a life-changing experience for them.
And we support their efforts…
We need our youth… all of them… to become stewards of our wild places. And help preserve wilderness areas for everyone to enjoy today… and far into the future.
I hope you enjoy the video.
All the best, Sally Selwaybitterroot.org
Information provided in this toolbox is intended to support the use of Traditional Tools and Skills for administrative activities in wilderness. A process for determining the minimum requirement and minimum tool is described and information and training resources are provided. The toolbox features sections on common traditional tools (i.e. saws, axes, rigging, grip hoists, rock tools, etc.), travel methods (i.e. livestock, watercraft, sled dogs, etc.), and project examples (i.e. trails, weeds, etc.). To suggest new materials for inclusion, email Lisa Ronald at lisa@wilderness.net. Date of last update: 11/26/2018.
The use of traditional tools and skills (TTS) for necessary administrative activities in wilderness is a basic principle of wilderness stewardship. The basis for this principle is found in the Wilderness Act itself and implemented through agency regulations and policy. The use of TTS or non-motorized tools and methods is directly related to both the purpose and the definition of wilderness as described in the Wilderness Act and agency policy.
Information provided in this toolbox is intended to support the use of TTS for administrative activities in wilderness. The use of TTS is mandated by both the Wilderness Act and agency policy and exceptions are made only when the use of motorized equipment or other prohibited uses are screened through narrow criteria. Comfort, convenience, economic efficiency, and commercial value are not standards of management in wilderness or criteria that are used to screen proposals to use something other than TTS. Assumptions about the use of TTS are often not true and can be overcome. Additional information and a process for making decisions related to use of TTS skills is contained in the Minimum Requirements Decision Guide.
You can help fight back against invasive species in America’s wild places by downloading the FREE Wild Spotter Mobile App on your smartphone or other mobile device. You’ll learn how to identify, map, and prevent the spread of these invaders in order to protect our rivers, mountains, forests, and all wild places for future generations. Learn more by watching the Wild Spotter Introduction Video.
Volunteers are a vital part of the Wild Spotter campaign! To become a volunteer, register either online or download the FREE Wild Spotter Mobile App on your smartphone or other mobile device. Once registered, reach out to your nearest National Forest or Grassland to discover how you can volunteer to help support and protect these beautiful places from invasive species. Then, just get outside and enjoy America’s wild places while keeping an eye out for those harmful invaders! https://wildspotter.org/
The 428,169-acre Bridger Wilderness is located along the Continental Divide on the west slope of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. It was designated a Primitive Area under Department of Agriculture Regulations in 1931, and later made part of the National Wilderness Preservation System with passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. In 1984, its original 392,169 acres were increased by 36,000 acres when the Wyoming Wilderness Act was signed into law. The Bridger Wilderness is administered by the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Topography
The intricately faulted Wind River Range is dominated by an igneous and metamorphic core. Enormous compressional forces in the earth thrust the block of granite into the air. The glaciation and erosion that followed carved the range, leaving 13,804 foot Gannet Peak the highest mountain in the Wilderness and in Wyoming.
Glacial action left cirques, kettles, U-shaped valleys, hanging troughs, 1,300 lakes, and left “erratics”, boulders strewn about the lowlands. The sedimentary rocks that once overlay the granitic core of the range have been stripped from the mountains by erosion. Remnants of the sedimentary rocks remain near Green River Lakes.
The Wind River Mountain Range has seven of the ten largest glaciers remaining in the contiguous United States. The Green River originates in the Bridger Wilderness. The Green River joins the Colorado after 1,500 miles and empties into the Gulf of California. The Green River drains most of the west side of the Wind River Range. The Sweetwater River drains the southern end of the range and flows into the Platte River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.
Access
US Highway 191, the major highway between Rock Springs and Jackson, Wyoming, lies west of the Wind River Range. Trailheads are reached via roads which are clearly signed at intersections with Highway 191. Both Jackson and Rock Springs have commercial air and bus lines. Pinedale has a paved, non-commercial public airstrip located about 6 miles south of town. Shuttle services between Jackson and Rock Springs, and trailheads, are available from local private businesses.
Trails
There are over 600 miles of trails in the Bridger Wilderness. Most well-used trails are cleared early in the season, but fallen trees may be encountered on secondary trails. Winter snows generally do not leave the high passes and highest trails until mid-July. Stream flows are high and swift during snowmelt runoff in June and July, and some stream crossings can be hazardous. Check at the Pinedale Ranger Station Office, or call them at 307-367-4326, before beginning your Wilderness trip. Books with detailed trail descriptions are available at local sporting good stores and bookstores.
MAP
bridger_wilderness_recreational_livestock_application
Happy New Year! Wanted to make sure you were aware the Forest Service’s National Crosscut and Chainsaw Program webpage is live. It should hopefully provide a site for you to get all the FS saw information consolidated such as FS Saw Policy, PPE requirements, complexity charts, and the 5 step cutting process. The new curriculum will be posted here once it becomes finalized. I look forward to a great 2020 season and hope to see you all at some point this year. Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions. Brian Burbridge, Region 4 Saw Program Manager brian.burbridge@usda.gov
Please share widely. If you have comments on the page, please send them to National Saw Program Manager Pete Duncan at pete.duncan@usda.gov
https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/trails/trail-management-tools/national-saw-program
The SPTAG is made up of national and regional saw program managers as well as other subject matter experts who provide guidance for consistent implementation of the National Saw Program.
National and regional saw program managers contact information…
New crosscut and chainsaw training modules will be available soon. The module-based training focuses on “Developing a Thinking Sawyer” and emphasizes risk management, human factors, and sawyer safety. Forest Service sawyers can still attend approved training courses until the new program is finalized.
Contact your local unit saw program for training opportunities. National and regional training workshop announcements will be added to this page. Check back for updates!
Wearing the proper PPE is critical when operating a chainsaw or crosscut saw. Follow these guidelines for required PPE when using a saw…
Forest Service employees, volunteers, partners, and cooperators can obtain 4 levels of certification for chainsaw and crosscut saw operation under the new saw policy:
Contact the Forest Service Saw Program at sm.fs.fssawprogram@usda.gov.
January 6, 2020
By Kent May – Trails Supervisor Sawtooth National Recreation Area
For 2021 RTP we are replacing two log boardwalks/puncheon, and removing two others on the Livingston Mill trail (pics attached). The two that are removed, will have the stream crossing hardened with rock to prevent erosion. On top of the infrastructure work, we will be doing 90 miles of heavy maintenance to trails in and accessing the White Clouds Wilderness.
Replace these
Remove these and harden trail
For 2021 ORMV we are building 25’ of puncheon over a perennial stream on Grand Prize motorized single track trail (pic attached). For this grant there will also be a maintenance component of 100 miles of heavy maintenance to motorized trails, paying special attention to the Grand Prize trail to prevent any motorized encroachment into the Boulder Wilderness.
We are looking for support letters for our 2021 IDPR Grants
One of the most important (and likely most forgotten) parts of being a responsible outdoor adventurer is cleaning your gear before and after each adventure.
While exploring our nation’s wild lands helps us gain appreciation for them it can also put them in added danger. Invasive weeds, insects, and diseases can be introduced to new areas via shoes, clothing, camping gear, boats, vehicles, firewood, etc.
“So you’re paying an organization to go do manual labor for a week? Shouldn’t they be paying you?”
The words of my grandpa, who had been fairly confused about my summer internship with Wilderness Volunteers, echoed in my head. I sat on a rock beside the trail we were working on in the Sawtooth Wilderness; we were three miles from our destination of the wilderness boundary, and 5 miles from our camp at McGown Lakes. I looked out at the mountainside across from me, littered with dead trees — some strewn across the ground, some still upright — from a ten-year-old burn. My tool of choice for the day, a grubhoe, lay at my feet.
It was the fourth day of our project, and I had already hiked nearly forty miles. In all honesty, I was exhausted. Consequently, I was frustrated with myself. This was supposed to be what I loved, what I cared about — work I considered to be of the utmost importance. Still, for a second, my grandpa’s words resonated with me. I felt the slightest sense of injustice, then shame for allowing the emotion to even enter my head.
Click on each section to read the complete story 
Boise National Forest; 1249 S. Vinnell Way, Suite 200; Boise, Idaho 83709
(208) 373-4100 https://www.fs.usda.gov/boise
Contact: Linda Steinhaus Phone: (208) 373-4106
Boise and Payette National Forests begin Christmas tree permit sales Nov. 23
Boise, Idaho November 1, 2019 –The Boise and Payette National Forest (NF) vendors will begin selling Christmas tree permits Saturday, Nov. 23. On Monday, Nov. 25, permits will be available at Boise and Payette NF District Offices and the Interagency Visitor’s Information Center located at 1387 South Vinnell Way in Boise, 83709. All tree permits are valid to Dec. 25.
Each permit allows one tree to be cut, with a limit of three permits per family. For both Forests, the cost of a permit for one tree is $10. The maximum height of a permitted tree is 12 feet. Permits are valid on both the Payette and Boise NFs. Forest offices will provide information about where a Christmas tree may be harvested, restrictions and helpful tips. A Christmas tree permit is for personal use only and the use of permits for commercial use is prohibited. Permits are not refundable for any reason. Purchaser must be at least 18 years in age.
In coordination with the “Every Kid Outdoors” program, fourth-graders who are participating in the program can receive a free Christmas tree Permit. The U.S. Forest Service is among several federal agencies that support the Every Kid Outdoors initiative which is a nationwide call to action to build the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. The initiative provides a free pass to all fourth-grade students by going to: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/
To receive a free Christmas tree permit, the fourth-grader and a parent must go to a Forest Service office in person with the “voucher” they received from the online website at: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/
Commercial vendors will not be issuing a free Christmas tree permit to participants of the Every Kid Outdoors program, and free Christmas tree permits cannot be sent through the mail or electronically.
Participation in the Every Kid Outdoors program also offers benefits at National Parks and on other public lands and facilities across the United States.
“Harvesting a Christmas tree is a fun adventure and often a traditional family event,” said Ruth Rieper, Boise NF Tree Coordinator. “Please review the Christmas tree brochure and map for optimal areas.”
If an unusually heavy snowfall occurs in southwest Idaho, and forest roads become a safety concern for the public, some areas may be closed early to Christmas tree gathering. Forest roads are not plowed. Call ahead and check websites for road conditions before heading out. Please do not block private or county roadways at any time. For further information call the Boise NF at: 208-373-4007 and check out our website for updates and closures at:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/
To provide for family safety, officials advise a few simple guidelines:
The Idaho City Ranger District 208-392-6681
3833 Highway 21; Idaho City, ID Hours: M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30p.m
Idaho City may or may not be open on weekends. Please call ahead.
Lowman Ranger District 208-259-3361
7359 Highway 21; Lowman, ID 83637
Hours: M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Emmett Ranger District 208-365-7000
1857 Highway 16, Suite A; Emmett, ID 83617
Hours: M-F 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Cascade Ranger District 208-382-7400
540 North Main Street; Cascade, ID 83611
Hours: M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mountain Home Ranger District 208-587-7961
3080 Industrial Way; Mountain Home, ID 83647
Hours: M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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Key points about electric motorized bikes
America’s backcountry should not be motorized.
E-bikes do have a place on public lands – they should be allowed in places designated for motorized vehicles.
The bicycle industry should not be dictating policy about how our public lands are managed. There is a public procedure for travel management policy on these lands.
As outdoor recreation in general becomes increasingly motorized, trails reserved for non-motorized use become even more vital to the millions who prefer travel by foot, cross country skis, horseback or traditional mountain bikes on our shared public lands.
Motorized bikes will disturb wildlife deeper into their backcountry habitat.
“Non-motorized” means no motors. So allowing any motorized vehicles onto non-motorized trails violates that principle, and it would signal the beginning of the end for non-motorized trails on our wild lands.
Any kind of electric bikes on non-motorized trails would undermine nearly a half century of policy and practices. It would be unmanageable and send federal land agencies down a slippery slope toward further motorization of our trails and backcountry.
The agencies that manage our national lands do not have the resources to monitor or police e-bikes on trails.
Like many other groups that care about trails on our public lands, we strongly oppose any effort to change existing trail management rules or policies and encourage all federal land management agencies to reject any effort to open non-motorized trails to e-bikes or other motorized vehicles.
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Subject: California Groups Sue to Keep Motorized Electric Bikes Off Non-motorized Trails in Tahoe National Forest
We’re a plaintiff here. Our statement is below, which highlights the California partners in the suit. Press statement below, talking points attached as a heads up. Thanks Alison Flint, Michael Carroll et al for the heavy lifting.
Michael Reinemer
Deputy Director, Communications Strategy
1615 M Street N.W. Washington DC 20036
202-429-3949 | cell 703-966-9574
The Wilderness Society | The Wilderness Society Action Fund
California Groups Sue to Keep Motorized Electric Bikes Off Non-motorized Trails in Tahoe National Forest
Dramatic change in trail policy was made without public input
SACRAMENTO, October 23, 2019 – Backcountry trail and forest groups in California joined together in a suit filed today that challenges the U.S. Forest Service decision to allow motorized bikes to operate on non-motorized trails in the Tahoe National Forest.
Plaintiffs in the suit include the Gold Country Trails Council, Backcountry Horsemen of California, Back Country Horsemen of America, the Forest Issues Group and The Wilderness Society. The groups are represented by the Western Environmental Law Center.
Helen Harvey, President, Gold Country Trails Council, Nevada County
“Allowing motorized bicycles on non-motorized trails meant for hikers, backpackers and equestrians poses risks and conflicts for the many visitors who enjoy that type of quiet recreation. It also undermines the trail building and maintenance time and money our volunteers have contributed in the Tahoe National Forest for decades.”
The groups cite several violations of law and policy, including the Travel Management Rule, which confines motorized transportation to certain trails to prevent harm to nature and conflicts with other trail users. Also, the Forest Service did not assess the environmental impacts of its decision, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, one of the nation’s bedrock conservation laws.
Background
The Tahoe National Forest recently permitted “Class 1” electric mountain bikes on more than 130 miles of trails that had been developed and managed for hiking and other non-motorized uses. The Tahoe already has about 2,500 miles of trails and roads available for motorized uses.
The Tahoe’s decision undermines long-standing travel management laws and policies that help ensure higher quality recreation experiences for both motorized and non-motorized users, prevent avoidable damage to water, wildlife, and other resources, and alleviate public safety concerns and conflicts between users.
Prior to opening non-motorized trails to motorized bicycle use, the Tahoe National Forest should have followed the required travel management planning procedure, which is a public process that includes analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Sometimes called the Magna Carta of conservation law, NEPA requires environmental analysis and public participation in federal decisions that affect public lands.
Earlier this year hundreds of trail advocates and conservation groups sent a joint letter to federal land management officials opposing any effort to allow e-bikes on non-motorized trails. The letter noted that non-motorized trails were created to ensure that the public could find recreational trail opportunities free from the ever-growing motorization and mechanization of our public lands. Millions of public land users including hikers, backpackers, hunters, horse packers, climbers and mountain bikers value non-motorized trails for recreation.
Additional comments from plaintiffs
Randy Hackbarth, President, Back Country Horsemen of California, Mother Lode Unit
“We are disappointed that the rules for using trails in this wonderful natural area were changed behind closed doors without public participation. This is particularly disappointing for our members who are proud of the stewardship and care they bring to the non-motorized trails on public lands. “
Lloyd Erlandson, President, Backcountry Horsemen of California
“This move by the Forest Service would benefit the e-bike industry at the expense of the users that non-motorized trails are supposed to serve. The appeal of quiet recreation and the quality of wildlife habitat in California will suffer unless this decision is reversed.”
Darrell Wallace, Chairman, Back Country Horsemen of America
“This decision sets the stage for motorizing America’s backcountry, which violates the principles and partnerships that we have worked so hard to secure over many years. We believe there is a place for motorized bikes, but non-motorized trails – by definition — are not the right place.”
Susan Jane M. Brown, Staff Attorney, Western Environmental Law Center
“The Forest Service cannot simply disregard its own rules when it comes to allowing electric bikes on non-motorized trails on the Tahoe National Forest. With this lawsuit, we seek to compel the agency to follow those rules.”
Alison Flint, Director, Litigation & Agency Policy, The Wilderness Society
“The Tahoe’s decision violates decades of established laws and policies designed to ensure that decisions about where motorized recreation occurs on our shared public lands are subject to public input and environmental analysis. Motorized bicycles are not exempt from those requirements.”
Contacts:
Randy Rasmussen, Back Country Horsemen of America, WildernessAdvisor@bcha.org, 541-602-0713
Michael Reinemer, Wilderness Society, michael_reinemer@tws.org, 202-429-3949
Alison Flint, Director, Litigation & Agency Policy, The Wilderness Society, Alison_flint@tws.org, 303-802-1404
Sangye Ince-Johannsen, Western Environmental Law Center, sangyeij@westernlaw.org, 541-778-6626
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal employees overseeing U.S. public lands were assaulted or threatened at least 360 times over a five-year period marked by heightened tensions with anti-government groups, according a Congressional watchdog agency.
The Government Accountability Office in a new report highlights anti-government tensions that at times have boiled over. That includes the six-week armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016, and other standoffs with armed protesters in Montana and Nevada.
The Associated Press obtained GAO’s report ahead of its scheduled release.
It cataloged incidents ranging from threatening phone calls to the stabbing of a Bureau of Land Management worker outside a federal building. Some of the assaults triggered FBI domestic terrorism investigations, although the precise number was not disclosed because it is considered sensitive information.
The report did not say whether rates of assaults and threats were increasing. But it noted a dwindling number of federal officers patrolling the nation’s vast forests, parks, wildlife refuges and other open spaces, which cover more than 670 million acres (1.1 million square miles) primarily in 12 western states. Read More
Wilderness Ranger Inter Blog Posts
Briana Bienusa- Wilderness Ranger Intern – Montana State University
Marble Creek Drainage/Salmon-Challis National Forest
Kris Mueller, Iowa State University
Wind Lakes / Grave Peak, Nez Perce / Clearwater National Forest
Connor White – Wilderness Ranger Intern – Appalachian State University
Big Creek Bridge / Bitterroot National Forest
Camping location at the Tin Cup trail head
Trail to Alice Lake
July 13 & 14 Alice Lake Pack-In
July 20th MORE PICTURES & PACK-OUT
This process is a key opportunity to help protect habitat of the imperiled sage grouse, determine where Off-Road Vehicles can and cannot travel, and protect wild desert places to camp, hike and bird. You can help shape how these lands will be managed for decades to come. Three main issues will be addressed in this planning process: Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, Off-Road Vehicle and Travel Management and Livestock Grazing. Take a deeper dive on these issues with these useful resources from Owyhee Coalition partner, Oregon Natural Desert Association:
The comment period is open until August 28, 2019. Right now is a critical window of time to make your voice heard and ensure the BLM knows there is widespread support for strong, conservation-focused management in this landscape.
It may seem, to anyone who has driven long stretches of highway across the West, that there is plenty — maybe even more than enough — sagebrush. Sagebrush once covered 250 million acres of western North America, but today that ecosystem is half the size it once was and it’s burning more frequently.
Jon Griggs has been running the Maggie Creek Ranch southwest of Elko, Nev., for almost 30 years.
In 2007, wildfire tore through thousands of acres and destroyed several ranch buildings. The wind howled. The sky was orange, and Griggs couldn’t see more than a dozen yards in front of him with all the smoke.
He kicks the dirt with his black cowboy boot. “We thought that’s not gonna happen to us. And it got us. And…” his voice catches in his throat. “I don’t like to think about that day.”
Griggs and other locals will tell you there has always been fire here, but now the fires are bigger and more frequent than anyone can remember.
In just the past two years, more than 800,000 acres of sagebrush have burned in northern Nevada. For many, the word “wildfire” brings to mind images of flaming treetops and blackened stumps. But we should actually be picturing sagebrush on fire. In the past two decades, nearly 75 percent of all acres burned in the west were rangelands — not forest. Hundreds of thousands of acres — home to rural ranching communities and endangered sage grouse — are going up in flames each year. READ MORE
The Four Rivers Field Office Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement is now available for public comment
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Boise District, Four Rivers Field Office (FRFO) has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/EIS) for public lands within its Planning Area. The Draft RMP/EIS describes and analyzes management alternatives for the public lands and resources managed by the FRFO and provides BLM with a comprehensive framework for administering public lands. This document also analyzes the future use and management direction of the many natural and cultural resources found in the Planning Area over the next 20 years and beyond. The Draft RMP/EIS informs the public about potential management options.
The FRFO encompasses an area located in southwestern Idaho extending north of the Snake River from approximately Glenns Ferry in the southeast, west to Weiser, and north to McCall. The planning area includes all of the FRFO located outside the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) which is governed by a separate RMP. The planning area encompasses approximately 783,000 surface acres and 1,173,150 acres of mineral estate in Ada, Adams, Boise, Camas, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley and Washington counties administered by the BLM.
When approved, this RMP will guide the management of public lands administered by the FRFO into the future and will replace the 1988 Cascade RMP, the 1983 Kuna Management Framework Plan (MFP) and the portion of the 1987 Jarbidge RMP covering lands within the FRFO. The BLM encourages the public to provide information and comments pertaining to the analysis presented in the Draft RMP/EIS. We are particularly interested in feedback concerning the adequacy and accuracy of the proposed alternatives, the analysis of their respective management decisions, and any new information that would help the BLM as it develops the plan. In developing the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, which is the next phase of the planning process, the decision maker may select various management decisions from each of the alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS for the purpose of creating a management strategy that best meets the needs of the resources and values in this area under the BLM multiple use and sustained yield mandate.
For the latest information on the planning schedule, please see the timeline page. LINK TO DRAFT PLAN
SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.
2017 marked the Student Conservation Association’s 60th Anniversary. As we look back and remember, what becomes abundantly clear is that while times change, SCA remains a stalwart presence for conservation and our country. The young people with whom we work gain an adeptness, an ability to press beyond whatever challenge comes next.
Tom Helmer <Tom.Helmer@idpr.idaho.gov>
Hello,
My name is Tom Helmer and I am the new Non-Motorized Trails Program Manager for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR). My professional background stretches back to 1998, when I began my career on a trail crew in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York. Since then I have managed or worked on and coordinated trail crews from Maine to Washington, and have had stints at Pinnacles National Park, Arizona Conservation Corps, and the Northwest Youth Corps. Most recently, I was the State Director of the Idaho Conservation Corps.
The primary goal of myself/IDPR will be to work with user groups and federal, state, and local non-motorized trail mangers to improve non-motorized trail opportunities across the state. As part of that effort I have been tasked with working towards development of a dedicated and sustainable non-motorized trail funding mechanism in the near future.
Over the next few months I will be traveling statewide to meet with as many stakeholders as possible. I hope to develop a better understanding of non-motorized trail issues at the local, regional, and state level. Most importantly, I would like to ensure we move forward with a shared vision of a robust statewide trail funding source to address the ever-increasing backlog of non-motorized trail funding needs.
I am extraordinarily excited at this opportunity and to work with any and all interested parties. Please feel free to share my contact information with anyone you feel might be interested.
Finally, don’t hesitate to let me know how I can help you or your organization going forward.
Sincerely,
BY NICOLE BLANCHARD
Morels are prized by professional chefs and amateur foodies alike for their nutty, earthy flavor. The truffle-like fungi can fetch prices upward of $20 per pound due to their scarcity and short growing season.
So there’s an obvious element to the vagueness with which morel hunters share their finds — no one wants to find their favorite spot picked clean or otherwise disturbed. But the morels themselves are, by nature, a little perplexing, and that adds to the secretive culture around finding them.
Morels are notoriously difficult to cultivate, and the vast majority of each yearly crop is collected in the wild. But where exactly those wild mushrooms will pop up is largely a guessing game.
“That’s sort of the fun (of morel hunting), it’s an enigma,” said Jonathan Oppenheimer, an avid morel hunter who works as the government relations director for the Idaho Conservation League.
“It’s different than huckleberries, where you have your spot and you know they’ll be there year after year after year,” Oppenheimer said.
Instead, morels tend to follow wildfires, cropping up in larger numbers in areas that burned the previous summer. But no one really knows why.
“The ‘big game’ in Idaho and the West is in burned areas,” Oppenheimer said.
Coloradans Trent and Kristen Blizzard comb through wildfire data to offer a “burn morel map” of the West each year through their website, Modern Forager. A PDF of burned areas across 10 states where you’re likely to find morels (including “the top 11 burns” in Idaho) will run you $40.
“Because they only grow in recent forest fires, they are not such a secret location and we are able to share new maps every year,” the Blizzards said in an email to the Statesman. “The real secret is to know what burn is the right one to go to — which we suss out in our book and maps for people. Finding the correct trees, elevations, aspects, etc. is the secret there … but, frankly, it is not rocket science!” READ MORE
Last month, after both House and Senate approval, the president signed into law the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. This sweeping act, cosponsored by senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), packaged together a raft of over 130 conservation bills addressing important issues such as the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a national volcano-monitoring system, and protections against mineral extraction that could harm national parks.
The Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, known in political circles as S.47, has been widely lauded for its expansive scope. A press release issued by Senator Cantwell called it “a key tool to continue to solve our problems of access to public lands, particularly in parts of the country where the access to those public lands is being eroded by development.”
It’s also a relief for stewards of the North Country Scenic Trail (NCT), the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and the American Discovery Trail (ADT), three of our nation’s longest and most diverse trails, which will see significant development as a result of the act. READ MORE
We made it pretty far with the only piece of pro-access legislation of the 2019 session. In fact, it’s the only pro-sportsman related bill introduced this year, period. We provided the committee with high profile news reports of illegal access obstruction going unpunished, and the cultural and economic reasons to support public property rights. Ultimately non-issue concerns, obfuscating the true purpose of S1089, and the Wilks brothers’ testimony won the day.
IWF has made good headway for this idea of civil enforcement of access obstruction, and will carry that momentum today through the 2020 legislative session. But meanwhile, let’s dig into what we learned at the hearing:
The Wilks Bro’s personal lobbyist testified and worked to kill the bill. The lobbyist also happened to be the lawyer who wrote the Trespass Bill of last year. No surprise there, but upsetting that 6 of the 9 legislators sided with out-of-state billionaires over Idahoans, again. The lobbyist opined that S1089 would criminalize innocent behavior, but there are two things to point out about that claim. 1) The bill clearly addresses only “willful” acts, not accidental. 2) The Attorney General opinion for S1089 refutes that claim.
March 17, 2019 turned out to be a great day to ride in the Owyhee Front, high 40’s temperatures, light breezes and a group of members and guest that were really glad to be out on their horses. 
BLM’s Wilson Creek Trail head is the perfect location for a day like this. Lots of great trail, good parking and pretty easy to get to.
Our group broke up in to three separate teams. One team went hiking, the second team wanted to make the 10 miles Hard Trigger Canyon Loop, and the third team wanted to ride up the Wilson Creek trail making a shorter loop.
After everyone returned from their respective rides and hikes we shared various treats and talked about the adventures we had!
ttacks to Idaho’s public lands in the Idaho legislature have been on the rise. This year, IWF has worked hard to shed light on legislation moving through the State House that negatively impact Idaho’s public lands and your public land rights. HJM5, HJM8 and HB162 all have negative consequences for Idaho’s lands and wildlife and all four passed through the House, now bound for the Senate. You can find out more about each bill on our website.
