Idaho to share in projects designed to reduce wildfire risk

Thirteen states, including Idaho, will share in $10 million worth of land restoration projects designed to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today. Eight of the states are in the West; others include Georgia, Florida, Virginia and the Carolinas. The projects are part of the Interior Department’s Wildland Fire Resilient Landscapes Program intended to unite federal agencies, tribes, states and other groups to create fire-resilient landscapes, the AP reports.

In Idaho, $166,000 will go to the Bruneau-Owyhee Sage-Grouse Habitat Collaborative area for work designed to stop the encroachment of juniper that’s crowding out the native shrubs and other vegetation that provide prime habitat to sage grouse. The area has a mix of BLM, private and Idaho state lands; among those involved are the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Owyhee Local Working Group, Pheasants Forever, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, University of Idaho, and Owyhee County commissioners.

The project is part of Jewell’s strategy for restoring landscapes to mitigate the impacts of fire and climate change. AP reporter Keith Ridler has a full report here , and there’s more info here .