This cartoon is obviously a joke, but as a long-time equine vet, scenarios like this are too familiar to me. Misinformation (often found on the Internet – a/k/a “Dr. Google”) leads caretakers to make guesses about their horse’s condition rather than contacting a vet. check out our local vet page on the Squaw Butte Web Site
Thank you for your interest in Horse Side Vet Guide, a mobile application for horse owners and equine professionals for the iPhone and Android. You have received this email because you signed up for more information at www.HorseSideVetGuide.com or from the app itself. Thanks!
New Mexico land transfer experiment ended badly for state control advocates
BY TOM RIBE
It is no secret that some state legislators in the West want to boot federal land management agencies from their states. They argue that the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service cost too much and are too detached from local values, and that states could make money by running our vast open spaces like a privately owned business.
The Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based libertarian think tank, is of that opinion and has developed models to replace federal agencies with private interests. What many people don’t know is that Congress implemented one of the Cato Institute’s ideas in 2000, on the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico. For some critics of the federal government, this was the experiment in land management that would signal the end of the BLM and Forest Service in the West.
Give states chance to manage small portion of U.S. forests
BY JIM GERBER
At a Feb. 24 House Appropriations Committee meeting on the Forest Service budget, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., suggested there might be some merit to selling off federal public lands. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, pointed out that the people of Idaho love their public lands because they use them for a wide variety of uses. They would not like to see them auctioned off.
There is a better solution than to sell off federal lands. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, has a bill that would create experimental areas of 200,000 or more acres in several states to see whether state management of federal lands is feasible.
Idaho’s misguided attempt to legalize a Bundyesque occupation
BY KAHLE BECKER
Senate Bill 1338, brought to us by Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll R-Cottonwood, purports to allow counties to declare Federal land a “Catastrophic Public Nuisance.” The proposed legislation which then claims to allow a county or its sheriff to take steps to abate the nuisance. Presumably this means the county can order trees be logged, roads be constructed, or prescriptive fires be lit on Federal land.
BY BRIAN BROOKS
For most Idahoans, our expansive landscapes are seen as a great heritage to be explored and cherished. These lands provide quality habitat that sustains rich fish and wildlife populations that naturally draws or creates lifelong sportsmen and women. Our Idahoan character and western culture have been shaped in part by our uninhibited exploration of wild places.
BY ZANE JOSEPH BEAL
A handful of bills recently introduced in the Idaho State Legislature strike a worrisome note. These bills — SB 1338, HR 582 and HR 586 — would have the effect of introducing a measure of chaos into extant methods of public land management, and ultimately erode our capacity to preserve the natural bounty of Idaho. SB 1338 would give sheriffs and county officials the ability to unilaterally impede federal management initiatives, while HR 582 and 586 represent efforts to transfer public lands from federal to state control.
BY ED NORTHEN
Recently the Idaho Senate passed SB 1338, a bill that, if enacted, will bring disarray to land management across our state. An earlier version, drafted by out-of-state lobbyists and special interests, had to be withdrawn due to gross inaccuracies. While this version has corrected spelling errors and reduced inaccuracies about our state, it is still wrong for Idaho
Idaho Trail Enthusiasts,
The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) appreciates your participation in the recent Non-Motorized Trail Recreation Summit held February 10, 2016 in Boise. We were inspired by the number of folks who care about Idaho’s trails, and the energy and dedication you brought to the meeting. As promised, we are attaching a summary of the Boise event, meeting notes and a list of attendees.
We will continue and expand this conversation with meetings in eastern and northern Idaho in the coming weeks. Before the summer recreation season, we will convene a smaller, more strategic group of recreation volunteers and leaders to consider:
– Is there an idea for increasing funding for maintenance of non-motorized trails that would work in Idaho?
– Is there sufficient public interest – and leadership within recreation user groups – to mount a successful campaign for that idea?
– Next steps?
Several of you have already volunteered to get more involved. If you would like to lend your time and effort, as an individual or on behalf of an organization, pleased be sure to reply to Betty Mills at betty.mills@idpr.idaho.gov and we will keep you informed on further developments
In the meantime, please feel free to contact members of IDPR staff with any questions you might have. We appreciate your participation and support.
IPR-meeting summary_Boise_ final
By: Lacey Darrow
Posted: Mar 13, 2016
“Unlike any trail in the country, this is the biggest stretch of wilderness that you can hike,” explained Clay Jacobson, an avid thru-hiker.
Jacobson has spent months if not years of his life hiking trails across the country.
From the more than 2000 mile Appalachian Trail to the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, step by step, he’s done it. Just this past summer, he took on the Idaho Centennial Trail, a nearly 1000 mile long trail stretching from Nevada to Canada.
“To go out and have that kind of experience, that life changing type of experience in Idaho just creates a bond with the place,” said Jacobson. Jacobson says unlike the AT of the PCT, hiking the Idaho Centennial trail is literally taking the path less traveled.
Each year thousands set out to thru-hike the AT and PCT but Idaho’s thru-hike only sees a handful of folks each hiking season.
“You know the Pacific Crest Trail is a beautiful maintained trail that goes for 2700 miles. The Idaho Centennial Trail is a line on a map that you can follow on the ground sometimes, other times it disappears,” said Jacobson.
A big reason why is not only because it’s not well known, but because it passes through arguably the most remote area in the lower 48, where man is merely a visitor in the land of wolves and bears and does not remain.
“The Idaho Centennial Trail is intangible in the sense that it is more of an idea than a real trail,” explained Jacobson.
It’s the idea of a real trail that have Jacobson canvassing the state to raise awareness of the Idaho Centennial Trail and the pristine areas it passes through.
“We have a unique opportunity here in Idaho to explore these places and to protect these places. They have been protected by generations that came before us, so areas like the Frank Church and the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness, they only exist here,” said Jacobson.
Maintaining the trail comes with a price-tag. Forest service and BLM trail crews are stretched thin already.
“Maintaining and keeping the trail in hike-able conditions is a huge project. One, it’s going to take a lot of money, and two, it’s going to take a lot of people working together,” said Jacobson.
With the Centennial Trail weaving through millions of acres of wilderness, mother nature can make long stretches of the path virtually invisible in a short amount of time. Fallen trees litter the trail creating a natural obstacle course that can be difficult for even the most experienced hikers.
“The maps are not very reliable. The routes haven’t been updated, along with every year there is fire damage and trails change,” said Jacobson.
Despite these challenges, Jacobson says making the trail synonymous with long distance hiking not only for Idahoans, but for adventure seekers across the nation is as simple as more folks lacing up their boots, and going for a hike.
“You have to have people out there hiking it,” said Jacobson. “It will change the character of the trail a little bit but overall it makes it more assessable to more people.”
Connect to ICT Website
Lisa & Tom Griffith (lyle_41@msn.com) are forming a team for this years Diabetes Ride which is on Sunday May 16, 2016. This is a fun day for an excellent cause. Contact Lisa for more information and check out the ride website
2016 Ride Brochure ride flyer 2016 Rosie Flyer
Our Mission
The Idaho Trails Association promotes the continued enjoyment of Idaho’s hiking trails.
Our Purpose
To facilitate the active enjoyment of Idaho’s public lands and hiking trails, the Idaho Trails Association brings together citizens and develops partnerships to foster:
- Care-taking of Idaho’s hiking trails through stewardship projects, including trail construction and maintenance.
- Development of traditional trails maintenance skills.
- Understanding and appreciation, through education, of Idaho’s unique trail resources.
- Preservation, protection and access to Idaho’s hiking trails through outreach and advocacy.
More Information
Annual Reports
2014 Annual Report
2013 Annual Report