30. August 2022 · Comments Off on LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES FOR PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS AND BEYOND · Categories: Education


Many outdoor enthusiasts are increasingly aware of the impact that their actions have on the environment. In order to minimize their negative footprint, they know they should take certain basic steps whenever they camp, hike, or otherwise engage in outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the steps that people often take aren’t enough. When it comes to human interaction with the environment, even seemingly harmless actions may cause significant damage. Before embarking on an outdoor excursion, it’s important to understand what one should and should not do.

 

What Is “Leave No Trace”?

Leave no trace is a set of seven principles that minimize one’s negative impact on the environment when engaging in outdoor activities. The seven leave no trace principles are:

  • Plan and prepare.
  • Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
  • Dispose of waste properly.
  • Leave what you find.
  • Minimize the impact of campfires.
  • Respect wildlife.
  • Be considerate of others.

People should follow these guidelines whenever they are enjoying the outdoors, regardless of whether they are engaging in activities that are reachable by car or backcountry activities that are only reachable by hiking, climbing, or boating.

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30. August 2022 · Comments Off on Here’s what the Great American Outdoors Act will bring Idaho · Categories: Around The Campfire, Current Events

BY: CLARK CORBIN – AUGUST 29, 2022

Idaho public lands and forests are in line to receive $28 million for the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to put toward improvements and upgrades through the first two years of funding from the Great American Outdoors Act.

Enacted in August 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act is a five-year initiative that provides about $1.9 billion per year in federal funding from 2021 to 2025. Funding is split between the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education for projects across the country.

Public lands managers in Idaho say money allocated through the Great American Outdoors Act couldn’t be coming at a better time.

“The biggest impact from the Great American Outdoors Act, for us, is really the ability to improve recreation sites,” Bureau of Land Management Idaho State Director Karen Kelleher told the Idaho Capital Sun in a telephone interview.

“Idaho’s population is growing, and that was supercharged with COVID when a lot more people moved to Idaho and a lot more people discovered the outdoors,” Kelleher said. “The timing of the Great American Outdoors Act has been really fortuitous. We definitely had a significant backlog of work that needed to be done on recreation sites.”

For the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years, the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho has received a total of $11.4 million from the act, said Serena Baker, the BLM’s deputy state director for communications in Idaho. That money should allow the bureau to tackle 75% of its backlog of deferred maintenance at recreation sites, roads and facilities across Idaho.

“We couldn’t normally fund these projects, but it’s allowing us to do bigger projects,” Rod Collins, a deputy state director for the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho said in a phone interview.

Work in the Treasure Valley and beyond

One of the projects allows the BLM to improve the water, sewer and electrical systems at C.J. Strike Reservoir, a popular fishing destination located in Elmore and Owyhee counties that has produced three state record-breaking fish in recent weeks, Idaho News 6 reported.

The bureau will use about $1.6 million from the Great American Outdoors Act to complete repairs at the boat ramp and boat dock and improve parking at Beehive Bend, a popular recreation spot along the Payette River near the town of Horseshoe Bend. Design of the project is scheduled to begin this fall, with repairs to follow.

Great American Outdoors Act funding will also go to road maintenance, campsite improvements and brush clearing at the Wolf Flats Recreation Area east of Idaho Falls. Wolf Flats is a popular, no-fee spot along the Snake River for fishing and camping.

Bureau of Land Management officials said that having five years of funding in the law allows them to focus on the design and engineering of projects in the first couple of years and move into construction and repairs in the remaining years. Projects were chosen from a database of work orders and condition assessment of sites that were prioritized and submitted to Bureau of Land Management headquarters. The amount of funding available allows officials to focus on replacing pieces of Idaho’s outdoors infrastructure that may have come to the end of their lifespan, like water systems, boat ramps or bridges.

“The public will really enjoy the sites more and be able to enjoy them, and we will be in a position where we can maintain them,” Kelleher said.

The Sun has previously reported on some of the Great American Outdoors Act projects, including improvements and upgrades at the National Interagency Fire Center facility adjacent to the Boise Airport.

Meanwhile, officials with the U.S. Forest Service identified $7.7 million worth of approved projects from 2021 and $9.8 million in requested funding and projects for 2022, according to a U.S. Forest Service overview of Idaho project and Intermountain Region press officer Marshall Thompson.

The largest of the Forest Service’s requested 2022 projects proposes spending almost $3.5 million to reconstruct Forest Service Road 214 on the way to Redfish Lake. Another proposed 2022 project aims to spend $2.2 million to improve six campgrounds in the Sage Hen Recreation Area in the Boise National Forest, Emmett Ranger District.

Timelines for completing construction vary from project to project, and some projects will take multiple years to complete.

Projects in the Boise National Forest

 

  • $75,000 for toilet replacements at the Buck Mountain, Troutdale and Penny Springs Campgrounds in the Boise National Forest, Cascade Ranger District.
  • $160,000 for improvements at the Edna Creek Campground in the Boise National Forest, Idaho City Ranger District.
  • $275,000 for replacing a timber bridge with a new prefabricated steel bridge at the East Fork Burnt Log Creek in the Cascade Ranger District on a popular road that leads to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
  • $258,000 for reconstructing the water system at the Idaho City Ranger District’s housing compound used by fire and timber crews and permanent employees.
  • $189,600 to reconstruct the water system at a Boise National Forest, Emmett Ranger District administrative site that also includes a cabin that is available for the public to rent.
  • $275,000 for replacing the bridge Scriver Creek in the Emmett Ranger District with a nail-laminated deck that U.S. Forest Service officials said will improve safety and access.
  • $53,000 for trail maintenance and signs on the Yellow Jacket, 10 Mile and Silver Creek Summit trails in the Boise National Forest.

Total: $1.3 million in approved projects.

  • $58,500 for replacing the water system at the Huckleberry Campground in the Payette National Forest, Council Ranger District.
  • $83,876 for trail maintenance along the South Fork Salmon River Trail  in the Payette National Forest, Krassel Ranger District.
  • $70,945 for rerouting sections of the French Creek and Bear Pete Ridge trails in the Payette National Forest, McCall Ranger District.
  • $167,298 for replacing fire pits, picnic tables, grills, bathrooms and signs at seven developed campgrounds and several primitive campsites in the Krassel Ranger District.
  • $51,800 for replacing picnic tables, fire rings, signs and kiosks at the Last Chance Campground and Hazel Lake Campground in the Payette National Forest, New Meadows Ranger District.
  • $134,650 for rerouting 1.5 miles of the Little Weiser Trail in the Council Ranger District.
  • $269,000 for deferred maintenance and building repairs at the Burgdorf Guard Station in the McCall Ranger District.
  • $400,000 to replace the failed Jenkins Crossing trail bridge in the McCall Ranger District to restore public access to once-popular trails.
  • $95,095 to repair bridges in the Council Ranger District and Weiser Ranger District.

Total: $1.3 million in approved projects.

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29. August 2022 · Comments Off on September State Board Meeting Info · Categories: BCHI /BCHA

Sept 2022 Mtg Flyer, Map & Directions

28. August 2022 · Comments Off on Teens on the Trails – Programs Available · Categories: Around The Campfire


Our ITA Youth Trail Crew Program provides opportunities for youth ages 14-18 to learn about the outdoors while building and maintaining hiking trails in a safe, teamwork-oriented environment.

Students will have the opportunity to live and work together in some of Idaho’s most wild places for a few days to up to a week at a time. Through this experience, they will build skills in teamwork and communication, as well as develop confidence in using traditional tools to perform trail maintenance. Our hope is this experience will inspire teens to become lifelong stewards and voices for their public lands and trails.

Our trips are led by experienced crew leaders who are passionate about the outdoors. These projects allow teens to meet new friends, try new things and explore Idaho’s best outdoor places.

ITA will provide all the meals and supervision for the week. Tents, sleeping bags, and pads are available. Crew leaders will have cell phones/radios in case of emergency.

Contact trails@idahotrailsassociation.org if you have any questions about our youth projects.

 

The Pulaski Users Group (PUG) organizes volunteer trips focused on trail maintenance, trail reclamation, and invasive species monitoring. Volunteers receive related training which equips them with the skills and knowledge to complete a variety of trail restoration projects. We aim to inspire community members to be stewards and advocates for our public lands.

We want to acknowledge that we work and live on the traditional lands of the Shoshone-Bannock People. We acknowledge that they have stewarded this land and these waters since time immemorial. We encourage you to check out this map to learn more about whose lands you are on.

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19. August 2022 · Comments Off on Four Corners Fires – West Mountain – Aug 22, 2022 (Update) · Categories: Around The Campfire

4-Corners Fire – Aug 18, 2022

Aug 22 Update -1054963

16. August 2022 · Comments Off on ITA – Old Saw – Aug 2022 · Categories: Public Lands

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Squaw Butte did pack support for Anna’s project

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15. August 2022 · Comments Off on Alert – Chainsaws & Swampers · Categories: BCHI /BCHA

BCHI-Response Form

Alert-Chain Saw strikes to Swampers

13. August 2022 · Comments Off on BCHA Public Lands – Labor Day weekend horse camp inventory · Categories: BCHI /BCHA

PDF:  Horse Camp Incident Form 030322