Our Mission
Working Lands, Trusted Stewards
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is a diverse agency, and we have a unique and important mission.
Our mission is to:
- Professionally and prudently manage Idaho’s endowment assets to maximize long-term financial returns to the public schools and other trust beneficiaries; and
- Provide professional assistance to the citizens of Idaho to use, protect, and sustain their natural resources.
Managing Endowment Lands
The first part of our mission is to actively manage Idaho endowment lands.
- Idaho endowment land is different from public lands. Endowment lands were given to the state by Congress in 1890 when Idaho became a state. The money earned from these lands is for K-12 public schools and other public institutions outlined in Idaho’s Constitution.
- Idaho’s original land grant was 3,650,763 acres. Since then, some land has been exchanged, and some land has been sold with the income reinvested. This land is the core of a perpetual trust, with the land generating revenue for the endowment beneficiaries forever.
- Today, we manage more than 2.5 million surface acres of endowment lands and 3.4 million mineral or subsurface acres. Our mission is to gain “the maximum long-term financial return” from these lands.
- About 1 million acres are forested. This land is sustainably managed for timber harvest.
- Leasing also brings revenue. Endowment lands are leased for:
- Grazing
- Agriculture
- Communication sites
- Mineral and oil and gas extraction
- Recreation
- And many other uses.
- Our work helps Idaho taxpayers. The income from our timber sales and leasing helps fund Idaho public schools and other beneficiaries.
Protecting Natural Resources
The second part of our mission is to help protect and sustain Idaho’s natural resources. This includes many responsibilities:
- We provide fire protection on more than 9 million acres of land in Idaho. We also support 10 Rangeland Fire Protection Associations that provide initial response to fires on rangeland.
- Our Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program helps federal agencies manage federal lands. GNA projects help reduce fuel buildup, improve forest and watershed health, and reduce the threats to adjacent state and private lands.
- Shared Stewardship takes the partnership between IDL and the Forest Service to a new level by focusing on landscapes and working with private landowners. These projects reduce threats of wildfire and improve the health of forests and watersheds.
- We administer the Forest Practices Act and offer technical assistance to private landowners in managing their forest lands.
- We administer the Lake Protection Act and protect the public’s use of navigable lakes and rivers.
- We provide statewide regulatory oversight of minerals extraction operations, and we administer the Mined Land Reclamation Act, Dredge and Placer Mining Act, and Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act.
- We regulate the exploration, drilling, and production of oil and gas. This ensures conservation of the resource and protection of surface water and groundwater.
At IDL, we are committed to meeting our mission with expertise and a love of Idaho’s natural resources.