Idaho Falls – Wildfire Workshop

February 14, 2019 by Sarah

IS YOUR COMMUNITY PREPARED?

Join this FREE four-hour workshop to learn about what communities
can do to be prepared for wildfire.

WHO should attend?

Whether you’re a homeowner, city planner, business owner, rancher, county commissioner, public works engineer, city police or fire, this workshop is for you.

Wildfire has no boundaries, the season is longer and fires are bigger. With these changes the importance for interdisciplinary planning for wildfire at the edges of development is growing. It will take all of us to make sure our communities are truly prepared to respond to a wildfire for best possible outcomes.

FEB 22 10AM – 2PM

Idaho Falls Fire Station

343 “E” Street Idaho Falls, ID 83402

LUNCH PROVIDED – RSVP by Wednesday, Feb 20 so we have enough food.

Program:

You’ll hear from experts in this field who will share their experience and talk about the various roles we each have to play to help you understand what YOU can do to make your community more resilient to wildfires. You will also receive some resources to take away.

Presenters:

Tyre Holfeltz – ID Dept of Lands
Fire Prevention and Risk Mitigation Program Manager
Jaap Vos – University of Idaho
Bioregional Planning and Community Design Program Head

Panelists:

Liz Davy, USFS Caribou Targhee- South Zone District Ranger
Kevin Conran, BLM – Idaho Falls District- Fire Management Specialist
Hannah Sanger, City of Pocatello- Science and Environment Administrator

Additional Upcoming Workshops:

March 15 in Lewiston
April (date TBD) in Coeur d’Alene

Youth Lobby Day

February 12, 2019 by Sarah

Idaho Smart Growth joined American Heart Association, Idaho Walk Bike Alliance and Treasure Valley YMCA Safe Routes to School at the Statehouse on Jan 31 with youth from around the valley for Youth Lobby Day.

On January 31, twenty local high school students met at the Idaho State Capitol for Youth Lobby Day. Coordinated by the American Heart Association, Youth Lobby Day is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Idaho State Legislature, meet with representatives, engage in issue advocacy, and see firsthand how our political system operates.

This year, students met with legislators to ask for continued funding for Safe Routes to School. They shared personal stories, and encouraged legislators to continue funding the program. Currently the Children Pedestrian Safety Program, which provides funding for projects that serve Safe Routes to School, is in the Surplus Eliminator bill which is set to sunset in May 2019, after which dollars would no longer be available.

With the state’s revenues currently below original projections, students were told that the fate of the Surplus Eliminator extension is uncertain. However, the students were well received by the legislators and showed great poise and leadership.

A group of students met with Representative Wood, the House Health & Welfare Chairman.

As for February 8th, Senator Den Hartog introduced legislation(S. 1063) that would extend the sunset on the Strategic Initiatives Program, where Safe Routes gets its current state funding. We’ll see where it goes from here! If you are interested in updates on this possible change in state funding, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.

March Citizens Planning Academy

February 7, 2019 by Sarah

Is congestion really the problem? Talking transportation with Don Kostelec.

Wednesday, March 6 at 6 PM. Free and open to the public.

Attend Online:

Join remotely from any internet-connected device by clicking this link: https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/236930382

Attend in-person:

U of I Legacy Pointe Conference Room, Idaho Water Center, 322 E. Front Street, Boise. Free off-street parking is available in the Idaho Water Center and Ada County Courthouse garages. More information and links maps can be found here.

Don Kostelec, AICP, is a 17-year professional in transportation planning, health analysis and comprehensive planning. He is applying and researching Health Impact Assessments and integrated health/planning efforts through various projects throughout the United States. Don’s work extends from Alaska to Florida and California to New York.

His specialty areas include: The Americans with Disabilities Act, Transportation Policy & Finance, Health Impact Assessment, Active Transportation Design, Complete Streets, and Governance. Don is a member of the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance Board of Directors and a past member of the Board of Directors of Bike Walk NC. He has also served on the TRB Committee on Transportation Demand Management and the Eat Smart/ Move More Leadership Team in North Carolina.

Don is known as a provocative speaker who helps communities better engage the design profession for more equitable and safer street design that prioritizes the safety of people over the movement of cars. He is a frequent contributor to national podcasts and stories on safe street design and walkability. Don has a Master of Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Journalism from Western Carolina University.

The C.P.A. is a collaboration of Idaho Smart Growth and the University of Idaho’s College of Law in Boise and Bioregional Planning Program. Monthly sessions are designed to help citizens become effective advocates on a wide range of planning topics.

RSVP office@idahosmartgrowth.org. Learn more about the series here or view past session videos on our YouTube channel.

Wildfire Planning Workshop

January 28, 2019 by Sarah

Remember the Soda fire, 2015 or the Tablerock fire, 2016?

IS YOUR COMMUNITY PREPARED?

Join this FREE four-hour workshop to learn about what communities can do to be prepared for wildfire.

WHO should attend?

Whether you’re a homeowner, city planner, business owner, rancher, county commissioner, public works engineer, city police or fire, this workshop is for you.

FEB 4^th 10AM – 2PM

Canyon County Administration Building

111 N 11th Ave Ste. 130, Caldwell, ID 83605

LUNCH PROVIDED – RSVP by Friday, Feb 1 so we have enough food.

Program: You’ll hear from experts in this field who will share their experience and talk about the various roles we each have to play to help you understand what YOU can do to make your community more resilient to wildfires. You will also receive some resources to take away.