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The James Ranch airstrip on the main Salmon River was treated for noxious weeds.

Airstrip and Private Land Buffer

In 2009, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness CWMA initiated a weed treatment program on the private and Forest Service airstrips along the main stem Salmon River.  Agreements were established with seven private airstrip owners.  The agreements provided for contracts to complete the initial weed treatments with the land owners taking responsibility afterwards.  These contract efforts were completed in 2009 and 2010.  In 2011, emphasis was shifted to the Selway River drainage where four airstrips need assistance.  Agreements are currently being developed for the Running Creek and North Star private air strips which have been getting some treatment by the involved owners.  Inventory data for the Selway Lodge air strip shows it being clean and having no need for assistance!  The Montana Conservation Core assisted with treating the Moose Creek and Shearer Forest Service airstrips in 2011.  The Moose Creek air strip had also been treated in 2010 with other funds.  Plans include treating all four air strips in 2012 with the remaining funds.   Afterwards, they should all be in an maintenance mode.

Back Country New Invaders

The Red River District Recreation crews did not utilize any of the available funds in 2011.  Inventory efforts were instead completed in 2011 to help delineate those trails and camp sites most deserving in an attempt to keep the relatively clean weed free areas clean of noxious weeds.  Plans to treat those weeds and use the remaining balance on other trails will be emphasized in 2012.

Rachel Winston at the Forest Service Slate Creek yellowstar thistle bio control monitoring transect.

Bio-Control

In 2009, Idaho County Weed Control, in conjunction with the RAC, US Forest Service, USDI BLM, and MIA Consulting, initiated a biocontrol monitoring program to determine the effectiveness of numerous releases that have occurred throughout north central Idaho since 1979. Four weed systems were monitored utilizing the Standardized Impact Monitoring Protocol. These efforts were repeated and expanded in 2010 and 2011. A total of 57 permanent monitoring sites spanning seven weed species were visited throughout the 2011 growing season. For Dalmatian toadflax, insects appear to be contributing alone or in combination with favorable spring weather to the weed’s control at 11 sites, have no impact at two others, and more time is needed to draw conclusions at one final site. In the spotted knapweed system, insects have likely been a major contributor in the weed’s control at one site, they may be slightly effective at another site, and appear to be ineffective at all others, though more time is needed for sites where agents were released as recently as 2009.

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Two inmates were out splitting and stacking firewood next to the Grangeville Senior Center on Monday, Aug. 29, under supervision of (not pictured) ICSO Deputy Jailer and work program coordinator Rob Agee.

David Rauzi, Editor, Idaho County Free Press – August 31, 2011

GRANGEVILLE — Idaho County Jail inmates are helping with home heating costs for the elderly this winter.
Thanks to $5,827.50 in grant funds through the North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC), the jail, in conjunction with Community Action Partnership (CAP) purchased three logging truckloads of ponderosa pine logs, which are in the process of being cut and split, according to ICSO Chief Jailer Rick Shira.
Two inmates as part of the Idaho County Inmate Worker/Community Service Program started the project at the beginning of the month, according to Shira, “and it will be at least two to three more weeks before they get it all split.”
Credit for the idea goes to Harpster resident Don Morrow (now deceased) who first brought the project concept to the Forest Service, which in turn went to the RAC, according to Nez Perce National Forest public information officer Laura Smith.

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The February 23-24 North Central Idaho RAC meetings were cancelled yesterday due to winter weather and hazardous driving conditions. The RAC will reschedule meetings in March and April to select FY 2011 and 2012 project proposals for funding.

Grangeville, ID— A series of meetings and proposal deadlines have been established by the North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) over the next several months to select projects for funding. The funds are available through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, which was reauthorized for four years in 2008.

““The authority of the RAC to recommend projects expires on September 30, 2011, so they need to complete recommendations for two year’s worth of projects in the next nine months,” said Clearwater/Nez Perce National Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell. The RAC will have about $960,000 to award for 2011 and close to $750,000 to spend on projects for 2012.”

RAC-funded projects must be located on National Forest System Lands in Idaho, Clearwater and Latah counties or on nearby lands if the project will benefit resources on the National Forests. Projects can be completed by Forest Service personnel, through partnership agreements or by open-bid contracting with individuals and corporations. The RAC works closely with the Forest Service to recommend projects that will benefit forest health, fish, wildlife, soils, watersheds and other resources; maintains roads, trails and other infrastructure; or controls noxious weeds.

The North Central Idaho RAC covers the Bitterroot, Clearwater, Nez Perce, Payette, Salmon, St. Joe and Wallowa National Forests or adjacent lands.

The schedule for 2011 RAC meetings are as follows: January 26 (Oral presentations on projects to select/approve projects for funding for FY 2011), February 23 & 24 (Finish up FY 2011; start presentations on FY 2012 projects), and March 24 (Oral presentations on projects to select/approve projects for funding FY 2012; approve FY 2012 projects). Meetings start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and are held at the Nez Perce National Forest Supervisor’s Office, at 104 Airport Road, Grangeville, Idaho. Meetings are always open to the public.

For more information, please contact Laura Smith, Designated Federal Official (DFO), at (208)-983-5143, or email: lasmith@fs.fed.us.
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Grangeville, ID.–The North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting is scheduled for November 4, 2010 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Potlatch Library in Potlatch, Idaho.

The 15-member RAC will have an estimated $960,000 to spend on projects for 2011, made available by Idaho, Clearwater, and Latah Counties through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2008. The RAC works closely with the Forest Service to recommend projects that will benefit Forest health, fish, wildlife, soils and watersheds; maintain roads, trails and infrastructure; or control noxious weeds on the Bitterroot, Clearwater, Nez Perce, Payette, Salmon, St. Joe and Wallowa National Forests or adjacent lands.

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This article by David Rauzi was published on August 18, 2010 in the Idaho County Free Press, Grangevile, Idaho.

With $1 million in federal funding now appropriated, planning work can begin on ecosystem restoration efforts as part of the Selway-Middle Fork Clearwater Project.

Some projects, such as road rehabilitation, have already been under way, according to Joe Hudson, ranger for the Moose Creek Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest. With funding confirmed, strictly for monitoring and implementation efforts, the 180-day planning phase can begin by the forests “to put down the details to complete the projects we’ve suggested.”

A joint effort between the Clearwater Basin Collaborative and the Nez Perce and Clearwater national forests, the project entails restoration and maintenance of land and water ecological conditions across 1.4 million acres in the Selway and Middle Fork regions of the Clearwater.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of restoration projects in nine states last Friday, Aug. 13, that promote healthier, safer and more productive public lands.

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The Moose Creek Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest was the site for a group of 20+ North Central Idaho RAC members, Forest Service staff, and CBC members to join together on August 3 and 4 for a fieldtrip.

The first day we toured several RAC funded project sites such as the Coolwater and Indian Hill Roads. The group was treated to a couple nice photo opportunities of a buck and doe frolicking in the Selway River and a mother moose with youngster along the Selway Road.

Several folks spent the night at Three Rivers Resort at Lowell and shared a scrumptious dinner followed by a fireside chat.

On August 4, after a hearty breakfast, the group toured the Clear Creek portion of the proposed Selway-Middle Fork Clearwater Federal Land Restoration Act (FLRA) project area.

The weather was hot and the roads dusty, but the conversations were flowing, and the scenery was outstanding! Participants all agreed it was a very worthwhile trip!

For a followup on the status of the FLRA project, please see the Idaho County Free Press article by David Rauzi at a separate posting.

Field Trip Participants Enjoy a Beautiful August Day atop Lookout Butte

The North Central Idaho RAC and Clearwater Basin Collaborative Group are planning a field trip on August 3-4, 2010 to tour the Clear Creek project on the Moose Creek Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest. This project is part of the Selway-Middle Fork Clearwater Project proposal, which was recently selected for recommendation for funding under the Forest Landscape Restoration Program.

The group will also tour several projects that are currently funded by the North Central Idaho RAC and discuss project proposals for future RAC funding.

For more information, contact RAC DFO Laura Smith at (208)983-5143.

Clean Slate Fencing Project leader Steve Hiebert, Salmon River Acting District Ranger Gary Torres and Laura Smith, Public Affairs Specialist, took a drive up to the project area last Friday to check out the awesome volunteer work being done by the National Smokejumper’s Association (NSA). The project was proposed to the North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee in 2010 and approved for Secure Rural Schools funding.

The National Smokejumper’s Association was founded by Art Jukkela in the late 90s. Jukkela noticed that many national forest trails weren’t being cleared – his vision was to round up some retired smokejumpers and volunteer to get the work done. In 1999, there were 18 NSA volunteers in Montana. Today, there are more than 500 members in the NSA and approximately 250 of those are actively volunteering their time in Montana and Idaho. They’ve cleared over 1000 miles of trail!

The 7 members of the NSA who volunteered on this project are: Dave Poncin – Grangeville, Idaho; Chuck Fricke – Florence, Montana; Rawhide Papritz – Auburn, Washington; Jerry Zumalt – Grangeville, Idaho; Dave Blakely – Missoula, Montana; Don Smith – Tacoma, Washington; and Bob Miller – Williamsport, Maryland. Lee Stone (employed with Heckman Ranches in White Bird, Idaho) worked three days on the project.

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