As Congress and the Administration wrestle with the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, the Forest Service has the following to say:
The Southwest Idaho RAC recommended some Title II funds be used to improve trails in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. This recommendation came in the spring of 2011 and the money reached the ground this summer with a trail crew using skill and brawn to improve many trails.
This project funds 159 miles of patrols and deferred trail maintenance/heavy maintenance on trails within Elmore and Boise Counties. The project is needed to address a critical backlog of trail maintenance due to years of fires, wind events, beetle-kill trees and neglect. Forest Service crews, youth crews and volunteer groups have been used to work on the trails but these efforts have barely been able to scratch the surface. In 2010 a large Federal earmark was given to the Sawtooth NRA to address declining trail conditions. Much headway was made; however, many of the trails were in such poor condition (in some burned locations there were up to 400 trees/mile) that progress was slow and many miles of trail are still in need of attention.
September 30, 2011 is the deadline for Resource Advisory Committees to complete their recommendations on proposed projects that would use Title II funds to improve National Forest resources.
The Secure Rural Schools law included this deadline as part of the reauthorization in the fall of 2008. RACs will continue to have the authority to meet to monitor the implementation of the projects that use Title II funds.
September 30, 2011 is also the deadline for counties and states to submit their allocations between Titles II and III for the upcoming payment.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (September 7, 2011) – The Idaho Panhandle Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet September 16, 2011 at 9:00 a.m in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to review and recommend funding for proposed forest projects. The meeting will be held at the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Supervisor’s Office located at 3815 Schreiber Way. The RAC will finalize distribution of approximately $690,000 in funding for natural resource projects to be completed in 2012. Read more…
The South Central Idaho RAC meets on Wednesday, August 31 at the regional Idaho Fish and Game office in Jerome. The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. and is expected to run until about 1:30 p.m. The agenda follows:
The Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet August 30 at 10:30 a.m., in Challis, Idaho at the Salmon-Challis National Forest South Zone office on Highway 93, to finalize project recommendations for 2012. This may be the final business meeting of the RAC because members’ authority to recommend projects to the Forest Service will expire September 30, 2011. Read more…
Lowman, ID – A portion of the popular Landmark – Stanley Road (Forest Road 579) will be temporarily closed from July 25 through approximately August 9 at Tennessee Creek in the Bear Valley area to remove and replace two culverts. This project received a $43,000 grant from the Southwest Idaho RAC and will improve fish habitat and fish passage, and should also help avoid a likely blowout of the road in the future.
The House subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a hearing on the topic of reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act on Thursday, July 14. Information on the witness list is available here.
UPDATE: Hearing information, testimony, and an archived webcast of the hearing is available here – http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=249959 and click on the link Watch the Archived Hearing Webcast and it launches a Windows Media Player for the three hour hearing.
The Southwest Idaho RAC plans a field trip on Thursday, August 11th. Check back soon as etails will be forthcoming.
Plans are coming together for North Central Idaho RAC and Clearwater Basin Collaborative participants to attend a field trip to the Indian Hill RAC project and others.
CBC and RAC chairs Alex Irby and Kent Henderson have suggested August 30 and 31. If folks want to spend the night at Three Rivers again like last year, it’s best to call and reserve a room now.
Please respond Laura Smith at (208) 983-5142 by the end of this week if you are interested in attending.