Our Monthly Newsletter Is Moving!

Volume 4 Issue 8 August 2020

Hi there!

Thank you for staying subscribed to the Regional Intermountain newsletter! Below you will find information about what we have been up to, as well as some cool events that are coming up and information about how to stay involved with your public lands.

Past issues are available here and feel free to click on the suggestions link located at the bottom of the email to let us know of anything that can help improve the publication.

Thank you for your interest and support by sharing information about your public lands!

In this issue:

• Regional News • Applying knowledge globally • USDA News Release • Forest News • Boots in the Forest • Youth Engagement • Volunteer With Us!

Our monthly newsletter is moving!

The Intermountain Region Newsletter will no longer be distributed to your email via GovDelivery. Stay up-to-date with the Intermountain Region Newsletter, now located at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r4.

Let’s Stay Connected!

About the Region: Meet the forest, grassland and research station that make up the Intermountain Region. Get access to local contact information for all 12 forests located in Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah.

Intermountain Strategic Framework 2017-2020 USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan 2015-2020

Media Hub: Contains news, stories, photos, videos, story maps, contact information and social media outlets from the Region. Don’t miss the latest submissions and check us out!

Links:

• Intermountain Region Website: www.fs.usda.gov/r4

• Media Hub: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r4/news-events/mediatools

• Forest Videos: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r4/news-events/audiovisual

Regional News

NEW FRANK CHURCH-RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDERNESS TRAIL MAP RELEASED

Building on the success of the Payette National Forest Trail Maintenance Status Map, and in partnership with the Salmon-Challis, Bitterroot and Nez-Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the Payette National Forest announces the release of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Trail Maintenance Status Map.

“This map is easy to use,” said Joshua Simpson, Krassel District Wilderness Manager and Recreation Specialist, “Just simply navigate to the area of interest, zoom in to the desired scale and click on your trail of interest.”

For the full story, visit https://go.usa.gov/xwSrn.

Citizen-scientist volunteers participate in the largest geographic survey of Short- eared Owls in the world

A Short-eared Owl surveys the land for prey in Nevada. Courtesy photo by Bob Tregilus

Since 2016, the Western Asio Flammeus Landscape Study (WAfLS), in partnership with the US Forest Service and other agency partners, has utilized citizen science to conduct “the largest geographic survey of Short-eared Owls in the world” to assess the status and movement of Short-eared Owls across the West.

The Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is an open-country species of owl that inhabits native shrublands and agricultural lands across the northern United States and Canada. They provide free pest management for farms and can consume 10 to 20 percent of their body mass per day, primarily by eating voles, mice, and other small mammals.

Even though these owls can raise up to 13 young per brood and can have multiple broods per year, their population size has declined. The cause of this decline, until recently, was not well known. Since 2016, Project WAfLS has investigated the Short-eared Owl’s population status, trends, and threats.

For the full story, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xf8sm.

Forest Service battles decline of whitebark pine

The Payette National Forest has involved the public to help in the effort by having them contribute to the data by information of distribution and conditions of the whitebark pines located on the forest with a Survey 123 app.

The strategy to restore whitebark pine communities is multi-faceted, emphasizing genetic resistance to white pine blister rust, improved drought tolerance and cold hardiness, protection from mountain pine beetle with verbenone pouches, and reducing competition from other shade-tolerant species, in combination with an active tree planting program.

For the full story, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xf8HR.

Applying knowledge globally

Forest Service Black and White and Shed All Over: How eDNA Analysis Can Help to Answer Your Species Questions

Environmental DNA sampling has been a major scientific breakthrough for species monitoring

Managers with the USDA Forest Service and other organizations are using environmental DNA to answer important questions in collaboration with scientists, at the Forest Service National Genomics Center for Fish and Wildlife Conservation, which is housed within the Rocky Mountain Research Station.

According to Mike Schwartz, the RMRS Wildlife Science Program Manager and Director of National Genomics Center, “Analysis of eDNA is only one of three major focus areas at the Genomics Center, but its use has been booming over the past few years. It’s one of the most cost-effective and defensible sampling approaches for detecting endangered species and invasive aquatic species, and more and more people are approaching us who are interested in using the technique.”

Keeping tabs on the whereabouts of invasive or endangered species in the landscape is an important job for managers. Traditionally, species monitoring has often relied on physical observations of organisms in the field. Often, this requires expertise in species identification. Also, surveys can be labor-intensive, particularly when surveying in remote areas or for organisms that are rare or difficult to find. But today there is a powerful new approach that gets around some of these problems: environmental DNA.

Read the Rocky Mountain Research Station's Science You Can Use Bulletin for more information.

Environmental DNA sampling has been a major scientific breakthrough for species monitoring. The National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation is a leader in developing eDNA sampling tools and works closely with land managers to apply these tools effectively on the ground. Forest Service Photo by K. Zarn.

USDA News Release

USDA Highlights Accomplishments in Rural High-Speed Broadband Deployment Under American Broadband Initiative

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2020 - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture joined its government partners to release a Progress Report (PDF, 337 KB) detailing the accomplishments of the American Broadband Initiative (ABI) one year after the release of the initial ABI Milestones Report. The Progress Report released today shows significant achievements across government in removing regulatory barriers to broadband deployment, leveraging public resources for broadband expansion, and maximizing the impact of federal broadband funding.

For the full news release, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xfgTs.

Trees and Shrubs Protect Crops and Generate Income for Farmers

Across the United States, farmers are taking innovative approaches to foster environmental stewardship and economic viability through a common conservation practice called the riparian forest buffer.

Across the United States, farmers are taking innovative approaches to foster environmental stewardship and economic viability through a common conservation practice called the riparian forest buffer. Supporting production while enhancing conservation is an important goal of both US Department of Agriculture Secretary Perdue’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda and of the USDA Forest Service. Agroforestry, the intentional integration of trees and crops and/or livestock to meet economic, conservation, and social goals, is one strategy that offers many innovative “productive conservation” options, including riparian buffers.

For the full story, visit https://go.usa.gov/xwSY5.

Forest News

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

The Historic Aspens of Peavine Mountain

In the above video, Basque historian Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe takes viewers on a tour of a grove of carved aspen trees on Peavine Mountain, Nevada. Some of the trees are over 100 years old. Interwoven into the tour is background information on the history of Basque Sheepherding in the western states.

For the full video, please visit https://youtu.be/19pgcPq-hMM.

Payette National Forest

The Payette National Forest range program has also been spraying noxious weeds in the Adams County and Upper Payette Cooperative Weed Management Area.

Throughout this spring and summer, critical work such as range management has continued on the Payette National Forest.

Current projects the New Meadows Ranger District Range Crew is working on include fence reconstruction and livestock turn-outs. According to Brian McMorris, the range program has also been spraying noxious weeds in partnership with the Adams County Cooperative Weed Management Area in the Big Bar area along the Snake River, and assisted the Boise National Forest with noxious weed spraying in the Upper Payette County Cooperative Weed Management Area around Lowman. Rangeland Management Specialist Andy Bumgarner said despite an initial pause in work, he and his crew were in the field as soon as the snow melted to complete work critical on the Payette National Forest. The range crew has completed a bull trout re-consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which provides insight into how the Forest manages livestock grazing regarding bull trout spawning habitat. They also have continued issuing annual operating instructions for grazing rotations, managing grazing rotations, spraying noxious weeds and maintaining over ten miles of fence.

“The one thing I have learned is that good people rise to the occasion when faced with challenges,” Bumgarner said. “I have been very impressed with my crew and my fellow co-workers. I feel like we have all gained far more trust for each other, and I cannot say how proud I am of my crew. They have really risen to the challenge and performed at a very high level.”

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest

Citizen scientists, we need your help!

Do you like toads? Join us as a citizen scientist to track a special toad and where it lives. The boreal toad is a sensitive species for both the Forest Service and State of Utah. The boreal toad is generally found at over 6,000’ in elevation, has a white dorsal stripe and has a “worty” appearance. Boreal toad tadpoles are jet black in color and generally gather in large numbers in shallow areas of ponds and lakes.

Forest Service biologists are involved in programs to locate boreal toads and identify new locations for the species. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest continues to utilize the citizen science program to involve the public through participation in organized surveys or casual observations while visiting. If you discover a boreal toad or tadpoles, take a photo, record the location (pond name and/or GPS location) and contact Forest Service biologist Paul Chase at [email protected] or 435-755-3629.

The Upper Provo prescribed fire in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Fall 2019) is part of a Utah Shared Stewardship project, which is a strategy to work together to respond to growing challenges such as catastrophic fire. The 6,007 acre project area is located approximately 10 miles east of Kamas, Utah on the northeast side of the Mirror Lake Highway.

Heber-Kamas Ranger District's Upper Provo prescribed fire featured in new video

Back in the fall of 2019, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest fire management personnel implemented the Upper Provo prescribed fire project. The 6,007 acre project area was located approximately 10 miles east of Kamas,Utah on the northeast side of the Mirror Lake Highway, between Norway Flats road on the east and the Upper Setting road on the west. The primary objectives for the burn were to reduce hazardous fuels, regenerate aspen, and improve wildlife habitat.

For more information, check out the video at https://youtu.be/0l-S-2EaFBM.

Boots in the Forest

Forest Geologist Heidie Torrealday

Heidie Torrealday is the Forest Geologist and Minerals Administrator for the Sawtooth National Forest.

Hi, I’m Heidie Torrealday, I’m the Forest Geologist and Minerals Administrator for the Sawtooth National Forest.

Explain to me about your work and why it is important?

I manage our Forest’s Minerals and Geology program. The bulk of my time is spent in inspection and administration of the various mining operations on National Forest. Along with this I help to inform and guide the public and mining claimants in the process of permitting a mining operation (small or large) on National Forest. My job is important because I am required to understand and articulate policy and federal authorities as they pertain to mining and the development of mineral resources on federal lands; not only to the public but to the Forest Service staff I work with. It can be complicated and, at times, fractious. With competing interests in land use and management, mineral development can often be viewed as irrelevant or an archaic, frivolous pursuit.

For the full story, visit https://go.usa.gov/xwSCK.

Youth Engagement

Visit our kids page and explore videos, celebrate wildflowers, learn about trees and become a member of Team Smokey! There are many opportunities to learn not only for kids but for parents and educators as well. You can connect with several Forest Service programs or enter the Smokey Bear/ Woodsy Owl coloring contest. We have ideas for educators and also continuous learning opportunities for all. Dig deeper and enjoy these opportunities.

Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/learn/kids for more details.

Volunteer With Us!

Click image for PDF version of the USDA Forest Service Volunteer Guide

The online guide for volunteerism and service opportunities with the USDA Forest Service is up, live, and available! Check it out here.

How did you spend your winter on Public Lands? #ItsAllYours