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Is Your Membership Current FY2021?
Thank you to all of you who have already renewed your FY2021 Membership with IOGA, and to all of you who recently joined.
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INDUSTRY NEWS & UPDATES
SEPTEMBER 2020
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NAVIGATING THE NEW LANDSCAPE
The IOGA Executive Director and Board of Directors have been in discussions over the past four months about the feasibility of an in-person conference this December.
Ultimately, based on conversations among the directors, input from State officials, and especially the results of the Survey sent out regarding the Annual Meeting, we have decided that an in-person meeting is not feasible this Winter.
In sum, our decision was based on the following:
- (a) Financial Feasibility: based on the proportion of members who indicated they would not or would not likely attend an in-person meeting, it would likely be a money losing proposition
- (b) Public Health Restrictions: there are some real concerns that gatherings in such numbers would very possibly not be allowed by State order come December
- (c) Public Health Concerns: large in-person gatherings otherwise pose some real risks and challenges.
We are continuing to research and create an alternative to our traditional, in-person annual meeting:
- virtual sessions and agency meetings;
- smaller, regional gatherings paired with virtual programming;
- ways to meaningfully showcase and connect our members with vendors/exhibitors, etc.
We will update the membership with details as they are solidified.
THAW Fundraiser
We have similarly decided to shift the in-person THAW Dinner and Fundraiser to a virtual event/platform.
The THAW is an important source of IOGA annual operating revenue, and we are optimistic that with the donations and support from you, our members, we can make this virtual auction successful.
If you are an outfitter member, please consider supporting the association (while reducing your dues) by donating a trip/trips or services. If you are one of our many associate members, consider donating merchandise, equipment, services—or general sponsorship.
We understand that in the current circumstances an appeal for donations is not the thing you like finding in your inbox. We get that.
Those of you who are ready and able to support IOGA, thank you. We've been working hard for our industry in Idaho, and succeeding despite the challenges.
This is one of the parts where we need you, to support IOGA's capacity to continue defending and advocating for your businesses and the vitality of the industry going forward
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"
Idaho will stay in Stage 4 of its reopening for another two weeks, Gov. Brad Little announced Friday...Stage 4, the final stage in the Idaho Rebounds plan, started June 13 and allows businesses to be physically open while following certain protocols. The state recommends, but does not require, masks; some local agencies do.
Friday marked the seventh time the governor has extended Stage 4. The evaluation to continue or not is made every two weeks.
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Pushing Priorities for The Great American Outdoors Act
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With the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), federal land managers & authorities are in the process of identifying, reviewing and prioritizing projects for GAOA funding (in particular, deferred maintenance and other infrastructure projects on national forests and grasslands).
GAOA provides $9.5 billion over 5 years to address the deferred maintenance backlog on federal public lands and waters with roughly $3 billion set aside to restore the infrastructure on lands and waters that are most important to sportsmen and women.
The USFS recently solicited public feedback/input on projects, specifically those under consideration. (The BLM, by contrast, has not issued any similar such request for public engagement and feedback.)
From the Forest Service:
"The Forest Service is inviting the public to provide feedback on the deferred maintenance projects under consideration to be prioritized for funding in Fiscal Year 2021. This opportunity is intended to serve only as a virtual sensing opportunity via solicitation of public feedback. A response to the feedback submitted during this opportunity will not be provided. Projects selected for funding will be compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Public notification and engagement on the selected projects will occur as required by regulation."
[Note: this is not a formal administrative comment/engagement process, but an informal request. The USFS requested feedback by 9/13, but insofar as there is no formal process or timeline, our industry and others can continue to weigh in and advocate for projects at will.]
From the BLM:
"The BLM will use the GAOA funds for the next five years to repair identified deferred maintenance projects totaling $1 billion. Across the BLM there are over 100 projects already identified to fund in the first year of the Act that will be used to repair road access for recreation, range, wild horse and burro, resource extraction, and fire suppression program activities. Funding will be used to target long overdue repair needs at administration sites, including fire facilities, visitor centers, recreation sites, dams, bridges, and warehouse buildings."
What does this boil down to?
- The passage of GAOA and associated funding represents an uncommon opportunity for maintenance and improvement where outfitters and guides operate.
- Funding priorities and decisions will ultimately be based, in large part, on on the degree to which projects are 'shovel-ready' and 'Agency Capable/Supported'.
- As such, while there are any number of projects that we might want funded, our best bet for actually getting funding to the areas where we operate through GAOA is to support those projects that our local land managers have submitted and/or endorsed.
- Therefore, if you are an outfitter or guide operating on federally managed lands/waters, you should reach out to your respective, local management agencies/contacts, ask them what projects they are submitting/considering, provide feedback on them, and ask them how you can best support any that stand to benefit your area/business/industry.
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Late last month, IOGA received confirmation from the Governor's Office of the confirmation of two new members for terms on the Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board: Brad Compton (retired IDFG SW Regional Supervisor and longtime IDFG Liaison to the industry) and Tammy Overacker (General Manager/DA Flying Resort Ranches).
Both Brad and Tammy represent strong additions to the Board on behalf of the Industry, bringing both experience, insight, and passion earned over decades. Please consider taking the time to reach out to them with congratulations and encouragement, and going forward with any concerns you might have relative to the Licensing Board.
Finally, we extend our thanks to outgoing Board Members Bob Barowsky and George McQuiston for all of their time in service of the Board and Industry.
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Comment on the SCNF's "Plan for the Plan"
(Revise, Amend, or Leave Alone)
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Click on the Image above to open a PDF of this message with clickable links.
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Fish News, Updates, Opinion
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It is critical that outfitters, guides and members of rural communities make our voices heard on this issue, in this forum.
Ours is an industry that has long been negatively impacted by the decline in sportfishing opportunities for salmon and steelhead, in their businesses as well as their communities—economically, culturally and socially. The federal agencies have failed for decades to restore endangered wild salmon and steelhead, costing these fishing businesses thousands of jobs and many millions of dollars in lost revenue and income. In small towns across our region that depend on these jobs, the effects are felt in all aspects of community life.
If you are able, please take 3 minutes to address the workgroup as a whole. Our industry and our rural communities do not have the luxury of remaining silent on this issue.
Public Comment will be taken on the evening of the 29th, from 5-6pm MT.
Teleconference line: (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 951 7327 9146
Videoconference line: https://uidaho.zoom.us/s/95173279146
The Full Meeting of the Workgroup will be held all day on the 30th.
- September 30: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM MDT
- Salmon Workgroup Location: Video meeting
*The Governor’s Salmon Workgroup also accepts written comments and all written comments will be distributed to the full Workgroup. If you would like to provide comment but cannot join the virtual meeting via Zoom, you can provide written comment by email, submitted to species@osc.idaho.gov, using this form.
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Hunt News, Updates, Opinion
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Production Started on HuntIdaho Promo Video
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If you are a Hunt outfitter and would like to help Devin (Sigma Wolf Media) get footage for the Hunt Idaho Promo video, please let us know.
We will begin revamping the Hunt Idaho website (Huntingidaho.org) this Fall, and pushing traffic to it, in part, using the Video(s) Devin puts together for us.
If you haven't already, check out the RaftIdaho and FishIdaho Promo videos produced for us by Sigma Wolf Media (with support from the Idaho Travel Council):
Raft Idaho Short Promo
Fish Idaho Short Promo
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Idaho Fish & Game Digital Scouting Series: Tutorial 2
(…not that this is geared at us, but it's neat.)
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Porphyry Fire - Recon Flight footage
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MORE HUNT NEWS & INFORMATION
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From & About the Membership
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Written by Doug Tims, IOGA Member and Past President
Harold’s time as President of IOGA benefitted the organization greatly. He brought a sound business sense and a very structured demeanor to our meetings.
He recognized early on that outfitters, with all the challenges of caring for their businesses, needed to have full time professional staff to look out for their interests while they were out in the woods and on the rivers. So he devised a plan that resulted in hiring Grant Simonds. Many wanted a cowboy hat in the role, but Harold saw in Grant, with his organization skills honed in planning teacher meetings, the talent the organization needed. IOGA didn’t have the money, but Harold wisely chose someone with the ability to build the membership and revenue base so we could afford an executive director and more.
Harold brought much needed discipline to our meetings as well. Prior to Harold it was not unusual for the board meetings to go into the night. There is never a shortage of comments and stories in a gathering of outfitters. But with Harold, the agenda meant something. If we were going to discuss the latest issue with the FS from 3:45 to 4:15, that was it. I remember coming three minutes late to a meeting that started at 8:00AM. The look Harold gave me as I sat down told me never to be late again, and I wasn’t. Later, when IOGA was looking for a permanent home, Harold loaned the organization the money with favorable terms.
Harold loved outfitting and he loved the Idaho backcountry. And he played a role in seeing it preserved. While working on the passage of what became the 1980 Central Idaho Wilderness Act he flew John Saylor, powerful Republican chairman of the House Interior Committee to his wilderness homestead, Allison Ranch on the Salmon River. Norm Guth joined them for the evening and helped bring Saylor on board to support the larger 2.4 million acre proposal for the wilderness. Most important, their approach led to a critical statement on the face of the final Act, “such protection can be provided without conflicting with established uses.” The protection mentioned was the preservation of the wild lands and rivers that are the outfitting industry’s lifeblood, and prominent among the established uses are outfitting activities.
Harold will be missed, but his legacy lives on in a professional organization continuing the work of preserving the outfitting profession.
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"I thrive on experiences that invoke slight suffering. When I am sleeping on the ground, a little cold, and my focus is on food, water, shelter, and paddling, it seems to me that I am a little more alive, a little clearer in my thinking, and more at peace. I have a passion for seeking the bare necessities of survival—and teaching. Combining those makes me whole."
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From BRAD CARLSON Capital Press
"Mathew and Rebekah Cain own Mystic Saddle Ranch near Stanley, Idaho…For the Idaho operation, she worked with a state Outfitters and Guides Association subcommittee, state and local governments and health professionals on plans to open after COVID-19 restrictions were eased...'In mid-May the phone started ringing, around the time the nation started opening up,' Cain said."
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ID-55 Construction Update (September '20)
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- The signal timing was not initially set to accommodate the heavier southbound traffic and corrections are being made to avoid issues in the future.
- Blasting in the canyon starts Monday, September 21. At that time, the road will be closed Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This closure schedule will be in place until mid-November when construction shuts down for the winter.
- Throughout this project, drivers should anticipate delays in some way. This is why using US 95 as an alternate route is highly recommended to avoid any future delays. We understand the Smiths Ferry Drive / Round Valley Road route is commonly used by local drivers. However, at this time, Valley County has opted to close this road to local traffic only, which means the only vehicles that will be permitted to use this route will be:
Residents living on Smiths Ferry Drive / Round Valley Road
- Local USPS mail delivery vehicle
- EMS vehicles, as needed
- All other drivers will need to us US 95 as an alternate route; Smiths Ferry Drive / Round Valley Road will not be available for thru traffic during the project.
Below are some common questions IDT have been receiving from travelers.
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Just 'cause it's cool.
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OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE YOUR PHOTOS IN THE 2021 IDAHO TRAVEL GUIDE
Idaho Tourism has reached out to IOGA for help in assembling high quality photos for the 2021 Travel Guide to accompany the Idaho Whitewater piece to be featured in the publication.
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This is a great opportunity to help showcase and market the incredible areas where you operate, drive interest through Idaho Tourism's substantial reach, and receive photo credit and recognition in the image.
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Here’s the rundown on the info:
- Tourism is looking for rafting/kayaking photos from the following rivers mentioned in the article:
- Lochsa
- Selway
- Middle Fork of the Clearwater
- Lower Salmon River
- Riggins Section of the Salmon
- Middle Fork of the Salmon River
- Main Salmon
- Upper Main Salmon
- Main Payette River
- South fork of the Payette
- Upper North Fork of the Payette
- Jarbidge and Bruneau Rivers
- Upper Sections of the Owyhee
- Snake River, Hells Canyon
- Murtaugh section of the Snake River
- Hagerman Section of the Snake
- It doesn’t matter if the photo is horizontal or vertical, they'll take them all.
- The photo file must be 300 dpi for print quality.
- The file name of the photo needs to include: the name of the river, the name of the guide/outfitter and the photo credit information.
- To make it easy, and to avoid emails all over the place, they've set up a link where interested outfitters can submit photos for consideration:
- If for some reason someone has some technical issues, this link can be used as a backup: http://dropbox.hightail.com/MaddenMedia
- If someone is using this link, they’ll need to follow these additional steps:
- Please copy and paste the following information into the “Enter Message” field:
- Attention: Robert Gibson
- Program: Idaho Adventure Guide 2021
Tourism would like to close the submission window by September 25, 2020 as they're moving full steam ahead in production. That's a tight timeframe, but a great opportunity.
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