The Payette Post

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold. -Aristotle

Congratulations to the Payette National Forest Fuels Team who received a Regional Forester Award for a tremendous effort reducing hazardous fuels within the Southwest Idaho Landscape Project. Forest Supervisor Linda Jackson presented the award to the team, in recognition of their accomplishment of 34,480 total acres of fuels treatments including 16,1640 acres of prescribed fire and 17,840 acres of mechanical treatments in fiscal year 2023. Along with these accomplishments the team also prepared for fiscal year 2024 by completing layout, preparation, and surveys on an additional 35,000 acres and established new partnerships to help with this work in the future. Patrick Schon, Payette Fuels Program Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the team who includes Elizabeth Barnes, Ronda Bishop, Brian Bush, Chris Clark, Mike Elles, Ryan Foster, Phil Graeve, Jeremy Greenwood, Dana Harris, Megan Heider, Patrick Howard, Laurel Ingram, Jeff Joes, Will Perry, Christian Ramirez, Mandy Villwock, Dave Vining, and Will Woods.

"When the Southwest Idaho Landscape was created, it was obvious that a once in a lifetime opportunity was presented to us; an opportunity to make a real difference on our Forest, and create new partnerships that would help ensure continued success.  Opportunities are just that though, and frankly no amount of money and public interest would make a bit of difference if the Payette Fuels Team was unwilling to rise to the challenge.  But rise to the challenge you most certainly did!"

Two other Payette employees were recognized for their contributions to the Southwest Idaho Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape Team (Boise and Payette National Forests). Congratulations to Megan Heider and Tim Leishman who are a part of the team that was given an award in recognition of both forests efforts to leverage innovative tools and find creative solutions to complex challenges in supporting the Southwest Idaho Landscape.

The Regional Forester Awards were held virtually on February 5, 2024 and were led by Regional Forester Mary Farnsworth, with special guest Chief of the Forest Service Randy Moore. 21 awards were given within the Intermountain Region.

The Payette National Forest recently completed the comment period for the Granite Goose Landscape Restoration Project.  While the forest has been actively reducing fuels under a number of other landscape scale projects, this project is the first conducted from the initial concept through the full NEPA process for the Southwest Idaho Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape on the Payette. 

The project is designed to support the development of fire-adapted rural communities and includes 5,371 acres of Idaho state lands and 1,195 acres of private lands immediately adjacent to Warren Wagon Road in McCall.  Through Wyden Amendment agreements between the Forest, the Idaho Department of Lands, and willing private landowners, proposed treatment activities can occur on State and private lands within the project area boundary. 

This project is a landscape-scale effort with over 33,346 acres of National Forest System lands, focusing on improving conditions across multiple resource areas including vegetation, watersheds, roads, and recreation. The project proposes to implement vegetation treatments including thinning, harvest, and prescribed fire to address hazardous fuels and reduce fuel loading to counter potential wildfire impacts to the communities of McCall and New Meadows.

Other proposed actions include stream and wetland restoration, recreation management, and travel management to enhance recreational opportunities, improve hydrological conditions, and to reduce negative watershed impacts of unneeded roads and routes.

 Learn more about the project by visiting the   Granite Goose Landscape Restoration Story Map  .

In mid-February, the Payette National Forest released the signed Decision Notice approving the Railroad Saddle Forest Restoration Project.  Payette National Forest Supervisor Linda Jackson's decision approves forest restoration activities on approximately 25,000 acres in the New Meadows Ranger District of the Payette National Forest, west and northwest of the town of New Meadows, Idaho in Adams County. Implementation is planned to begin in the winter of 2024.

Located within the Southwest Idaho Landscape (one of 10 high-priority landscapes selected for initial investment to address wildfire impacts), the project supports the Wildfire Crisis Strategy, a robust, national effort to increase the pace and scale of forest health treatments over the next decade.

The project aims to move forest stands toward vegetative desired conditions including decreasing fuel loading to result in less intense fire behavior and facilitate effective wildland fire response; move subwatersheds toward desired conditions for soil, water, riparian, and aquatic resources; and provide forest products to contribute to the economic sustainability of local communities. Vegetation management, including commercial timber harvest, non-commercial thinning, and prescribed fire, and road management, including culvert improvements and removal, are proposed to meet project objectives.

For more information visit the project’s webpage at  https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/payette/?project=61229 

It's been a peculiar winter so far in central Idaho and many of us are wondering if our typical snowfall will ever show up! At the beginning of the new year on the McCall Ranger District, the Bear Basin SNOTEL site reported a new all-time minimum for this time of year for snow water equivalent. Snow water equivalent (SWE) determines the amount of water available within the snow. This is important in Idaho because our high mountain snowpack holds a significant amount of water that is used during the rest of the year and the data helps people make sound water management decisions. The Snow Telemetry Network or SNOTEL is composed of over 900 automated data collections sites located in remote, high elevation watersheds in the western U.S. There are 11 SNOTEL sites located on or near the Payette National Forest in Adams, Valley, and Washington counties.

“Currently, our SNOTEL sites are recording between 60 and 75% of median SWE, and many sites are below the 20th percentile for period of record SWE values. Regionally, we are experiencing a "strong" El Niño pattern that is predicted to keep our weather warmer and drier than average throughout the winter,” said Clay Roehner, Payette Hydrologist.  “A few good storms or warm dry spells could change everything,” said Caleb Zurstadt, Payette Fisheries Biologist, “some years, like 2012, we get a slow start then we catch back up to normal later in the winter and spring.  Other years, like 2015, we start out pretty strong then its stops snowing and melts off early.  In 2001, it stayed cold and relatively dry all winter - we just don’t know what could happen.”

For backcountry skiers and snowmobilers, a drier year means persistent fragile layers in the snow pack stick around for longer than normal. "This low snow year definitely weakened the snowpack early in the season as shallow snow packs are known for growing weak snow, or faceted grains during cold and clear periods," said George Halcom, Payette Avalanche Center forecaster. "Access to the upper elevations has been extra challenging due to the lowest snow that we have experienced in a while below 7,000 feet where rain, sun, and near-record temps have melted a lot of snow. The difference above 7,000 feet is remarkable."

A lack of snow also has many people wondering what our fire season could look like. The Great Basin Coordination Center published a seasonal fire outlook at the end of January, summarizing current conditions and predictions for later this spring. Generally, temperatures across the Great Basin region were warmer than average during the month of January and in central Idaho, precipitation was below normal in high mountain areas.  “We will monitor the drought outlook in our region and see what develops in the next few months. If we continue to have drier weather in February, March, and April, that could mean a higher likelihood of an active fire season,” said Dave Vining, Forest Fire Management Officer.

Visit this site to learn more about SNOTEL sites and view the data:  NWCC iMap (usda.gov) 

Watch the seasonal fire outlook here:  Great Basin Coordination Center (nifc.gov) 

The Payette National Forest recently acquired a 92.44 acre property on Grouse Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Salmon River, approximately one mile west of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness boundary and on the McCall Ranger District. The property was offered to the Payette National Forest by the private owner in 2022 and Land and Water Conservation Funds were used to acquire the land by the end of 2023. There are no structures or improvements on the Grouse Creek property, nor any designated National Forest System motorized or non-motorized routes on or through it. Still, securing the property allows public access to fragmented National Forest System lands and benefits the natural environment. “Acquiring this property is important for the Payette National Forest because of it’s proximity to Grouse Creek, which is designated critical habitat for Chinook salmon and bull trout and important spawning and rearing habitat for Westslope cutthroat trout,” said Payette Fish Biologist, Clayton Nalder. Surprise Load, a 40 acre property along the Main Salmon River, was also acquired by the Payette National Forest in 2023.

Two hard-working Payette National Forest mules have found greener pastures to live out their retirement years. Bruce and Bonnie retired from duty after many years of packing out of Big Creek Ranger Station. Bruce, who is 20 years old and spent 12 years working on the Payette, was retired due to a chronic leg problem. Bonnie reached retirement age at 30 years old, after spending 25 years working on the Payette.

 Patrick Brown, Payette Wilderness Recreation Specialist, found homes for both mules in Montana. “It can take years to find a home for a retired working animal, but I partnered with an equine adoption organization that was able to help find homes for Bruce and Bonnie,” said Brown. There was a lot of coordination and pre-work to get the mules to their respective homes in Montana. Brown drove 1,100 miles over five days to Bruce’s new home in Hamilton and Bonnie’s new home in Livingston.

 Bruce’s new family was looking for a companion animal for their donkey, Kirby, and two days were spent slowly introducing the animals. “I can’t just drop a mule off, say good luck, and leave…we have to make sure it’s a good fit for everyone. Thankfully, Kirby and Bruce quickly became buddies,” said Brown. 

 Bonnie’s new family was also looking for a companion animal for their 30-year-old horse, coincidentally named Clyde! Brown described the new home, on a 100+ acre ranch, as “mule paradise” and Bonnie seemed right at home. “Bonnie and Clyde are like outlaws out on the range now- running from the law!” joked Brown. The rest of the Big Creek working stock spend the winter in Council, Idaho and return to the remote ranger station in June.  Happy Retirement Bruce and Bonnie!

Payette National Forest employees rallied together to build a snow sculpture for the 2024 McCall Winter Carnival, despite lack of snow and mild temperatures. For 58 years, the McCall Winter Carnival has drawn huge crowds to the area to celebrate winter. Local businesses carve elaborate snow sculptures to be viewed by tens of thousands of visitors and the Payette NF has been involved in this tradition for over 30 years. This year, led by Vickie Hogen, many employees and their families came together to build a sculpture in front of the Supervisor's Office.

Thank you to all who made the snow sculpture come to life- we couldn't have done it without you! Forrest Behm, Vickie and Dave Hogen, Megan Riches and family, Jared Bybee and family, Tom Schultz, Jeff Zickler, Tyler Hlawatschek, Robert Bailey, Reed Steele, Kristin Williams and family, Emily Simpson and family, Brendan Leland and Brooke, Clayton Jensen, Jessie Noah, Ronda Bishop, Rebecca Fiske, Vic Oberc, Jacob Irwin, and Jill Marolf.

The Payette NF also had a presence in downtown McCall during the sunny Winter Carnival weekend. Smokey Bear made an appearance in the parade and the Forest Service booth at Legacy Park was as popular as ever! Many thanks to Jacob Irwin, Emily Kurcharski, Savannah Steele, Vic Oberc, Eric Hagen, Rose Peralta, Jake Ossowoski, Kevin Wallner, Jess Kearney-Reeves, and Emily Simpson who participated in the parade and to Becky Gillette, Sloan Dickson, Jill Marolf, Suzette Denny, Danica Born-Ropp, Holly Becker, Jacob Irwin, Emily Kurcharski, and Dana Harris who staffed the Forest Service booth. Your effort made it all happen!

Robert Bailey, Assistant Fire Management Officer on the Krassel Ranger District is moving on after 15 years on the Payette. Thank you for all you've done for the forest!

Emily Lugthart, Silviculture Technician in New Meadows is moving on to be a Natural Resource Planner for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Vermont

Whether you have a suggestion to make this newsletter better, or you'd like to see something featured in a later edition, we welcome your input.