2022 Accomplishments

High Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)

Area, Inc.

“from dreams to reality; improving quality of life one project at a time”

______________________________________________________________________________
In 2022, High Country activities brought at least
$1,818,094
in grants and investments to Southeast Idaho; addressing key issues
such as water, conservation, community development, education, and
public safety.
 High Country FY 2022 at a glance:
,
 Employed 13 people for a total of $58,958 in wages.

 Brought $1,583,837 into SE Idaho via grants written & awarded to

support community projects and improve public safety.

 Injected over $271,258 into the SE Idaho economy via payments to

local contractors.

 Raised $123,095 for the Upper Snake River Cloud Seeding Efforts that
resulted in 7.7 % more snow deposited in the mountains of SE Idaho than
mother nature would have dropped on her own.

 Enabled organizations in seven counties work across jurisdictions to share

expertise and resources treating noxious and invasive weeds on about
5,657 acres. These acres would not otherwise have been treated.

 Engaged over 179 landowners in Wildfire Awareness & Defensible

Space Programs (Bannock -150, Menan– 9, Teton – 5, Bonneville – 15)

 Assisted six community groups/organizations find the resources they

needed to move their projects forward.
 Our Mission
___________________________________________________________________

We:
Help people and communities find the expertise and resources
they need to plan and implement projects that improve the
quality of life

AND

Assist communities and organizations to work across

jurisdictional boundaries to address regional issues and take
advantage of regional opportunities.

Our Board 2022

__________________________________________________________

BONNEVILLE Roger Christensen County Commissioner

BUTTE Brian Harrell County Commissioner
CLARK Nick Hillman County Commissioner
CUSTER Randy Corgatelli County Commissioner
FREMONT Jordan Stoddard County Commissioner
JEFFERSON Roger Clark County Commissioner
LEMHI Brett Barsalou County Commissioner
MADISON Brent Mendenhall County Commissioner
TETON Cindy Riegel County Commissioner
TETON, WY Steve McDonald Teton Conservation District
CITY REP Rod Nichols St. Anthony City Council
 2022 Officers
______________________________________________________________________________
President – Cindy Riegel
Vice President – Roger Clark
Secretary/Treasurer – Steve McDonald

Who We Are
__________________________________________________________
High Country RC&D is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization incorporated in the State of
Idaho. We serve the people and communities of: Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont,
Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, and Teton Counties in Idaho, and the Alta Area of Teton County
Wyoming. We provide technical assistance and “know-how” to organizations; helping
them to implement projects that improve the quality of life in Southeast Idaho. (Upon
request and subsequent approval of the board, we also serve communities and
organizations in Bingham and Bannock Counties; and the Alpine area in Wyoming).

Many Thanks to our 2022 Sponsors

BONNEVILLE COUNTY CUSTER COUNTY
 Bonneville County Commission  Custer County Commission
 East Side SWCD  Custer SWCD
 West Side SWCD
FREMONT COUNTY
BUTTE COUNTY  Fremont County Commission
 Butte County Commission  Yellowstone SWCD
 Butte SWCD  City of St. Anthony
 Moore Community Association  City of Ashton

CLARK COUNTY JEFFERSON COUNTY

 Clark County Commission  Jefferson County Commission
 Clark SCD  Jefferson SWCD
 City of Rigby
LEMHI COUNTY TETON COUNTY, ID
 Lemhi County Commission  Teton County Commission
 Lemhi SWCD  City of Driggs
 Teton SCD
MADISON COUNTY
 Madison County Commission TETON COUNTY, WY
 Madison SWCD  Teton Conservation District
 City of Rexburg
 City of Sugar City OTHERS:
 Bank of Idaho

2022 Project Review

Cloud Seeding Program: (On-going):

We continue to coordinate the cloud seeding efforts of eight counties and over 30 organizations
who support 25 manually operated ground generators in the Upper Snake River Valley. Our project
partners with Idaho Power provide meteorologists and 25 additional remotely-operated ground
generators and aircraft. For the 2021- 2022 season, the cooperative effort resulted in a 7.7%
increase in snow pack in the Upper Snake River Valley.

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Community Assistance: (On-going)

We were involved with these on-going projects that help reduce risks from wildfire including:
 Bannock WUI – High Country RC&D staff worked with 50 landowners via
meetings and individual contacts in 2022 in the Johnny Creek and Mink Creek areas of Bannock
County. Of those contacts, 4 landowners participated in chipping projects to remove hazardous
fuels covering 16.5 acres; ten homeowners participated in the cost share program treating 25 acres;
and others interested in future. Total acres of hazardous fuels were removed from properties total
of 41.5 acres during the 2022 field season. This program was made possible through a Community
Assistance grant with the Bureau of Land Management to remove fuel hazards.
 Jack Branch/Booth Canyon Community Protection Project – located in Palisades Area of Bonneville
County. We have partnered with Bonneville County to manage and implement an Idaho
Department of Lands (IDL) grant. In 2022, High Country assisted fifteen landowners in the Jack
Branch/Booth Canyon area to complete hazardous fuels removal on 12.44 acres of home ignition
zone - defensible space projects and road right of way treatments.
 Menan Buttes WUI – As part of the Community Assistance grant with the BLM, High Country RC&D
began work in March 2022 to implement a 40’ fuel break on private property adjacent to BLM
ownership on the North Menan Butte in Madison County. In March, eleven properties were
treated to remove hazardous fuels with a 40’ fuelbreak on 11.46 acres.
 Menan Buttes WUI - The Madison SWCD and ranchers in the Plano area asked High Country RC&D
to address hazardous fuels in an area with historic wildfires along Hwy 33 west of Rexburg Idaho. In
November – December 2022, a significant fuel break (between 80-180’) was created along Hwy 33
on 67 acres. The areas treated include south side of Hwy 33 from Beaver Dick Park to the North
Menan Butte Road; and about 1.5 miles of Hwy 33 frontage near the Unified Sportsman’s Club.
 Teton County WUI – We have partnered with Teton Fire and Rescue to manage and implement
three Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) grants. These grants assist landowner properties which abut
National Forest lands in southern Teton County to complete defensible space and hazardous fuels
removal on their property. In 2022, High Country worked with three landowners covering about 30
acres of hazardous fuels removal, prepared an RFS for contractors and awarded the contract for
implementation in 2023. Additional work with the Grove Creek subdivision was conducted.
 Sand Creek Collaborative Project – This project and collaborative group grew out of a catastrophic
wildfire in 2018 which burned 106,000 acres of highly productive rangeland and critical sage grouse
habitat in the Clark and Fremont counties in eastern Idaho. The multiple partners include fifteen
private landowners, two counties, three state agencies, three federal agencies, three
environmental groups and two agricultural associations. The group is discussing longer-term
vegetation management to maintain the ecological function and productivity of this sagebrush
steppe landscape in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. High Country RC&D has coordinated the
many partners and funding sources as they developed plans for a network of fuel breaks to reduce
the risk of another large wildland fire. Nearly 3,500 acres of fuel breaks were identified. Over the
past four years, aerial application of herbicide reduced woody vegetation and mowing were
complete on 1760 acres (over 900 acres treated in 2022) to address those fuel break areas. In
2022, High Country RC&D provided coordination support to treat the area.
 Rangeland Fire Resiliency – High Country RC&D entered into an agreement to reseed and treat
private rangelands to reduce risk of fire in areas that had become infested with invasive species. In
2022, air application of an herbicide was completed to control a leafy spurge infestation on 125
acres of private rangeland near Dubois in Clark County.
 City of Pocatello – City Creek Project to implement an IDL grant to remove Russian Olive, Black
Willow, and other invasive woody species on 44 acres in the City Creek Drainage from January –
April 2022. High Country provided on-site contract compliance and administration. High Country
staff also worked with local artisans to create handmade benches from some of the Russian Olive
trees that were removed to create benches along the popular walking path in the City Creek area.
Additional wood from the project was donated to the public.
  City of Pocatello – East Bench Project to implement an IDL grant to reduce fuels by thinning the
juniper on about 71 acres owned by the city on the east bench. This project area is surrounded by
private landowners. High Country participated in a public awareness campaign to over 100
individual landowners (open house / door hangers) to notify when work begins in January 2023.

Upper Snake River Cooperative Weed Management Area (USRCWMA): a collaboration of

individuals, organizations, county governments and agencies (state grant) in Bonneville,
Jefferson, and Bingham Counties. High Country provided coordination, grant writing, and grant
administration for this three-county collaboration. This group provided herbicide treatment to a
total of 1,112 total acres of noxious and invasive weeds, which would not have otherwise been
treated.

Henry’s Fork Cooperative Weed Management Area (HFCWMA): a collaboration of

organizations, individuals, organizations, local governments and agencies (state and federal
grants) in Fremont, Madison, and Teton Counties. High Country provided coordination, grant
writing, and grant administration for this three-county collaboration. This group provided herbicide
treatment to control noxious and invasive weeds. In 2022, a total of 4,545 acres were treated,
which would not have been treated by the counties on their own.

Custer County Soil and Water Conservation District: Assisted the SWCD apply for a Bonneville
Power Anadromous Fish grant. High Country reviewed the grant write-up and helped to ensure all
points of the proposal were met. In May 2022, notification of grant award of $285,000 each of the
next 5 years was received.

Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership: High Country RC&D in collaboration with the
USDA Forest Service; wrote a grant to address wildfire risk through fuels reduction treatments.
Other partners in the project are USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service and Teton County
Fire and Rescue. This project focuses on the south end of Teton County Idaho. Funding notification
will be in 2023.

**Here’s how we figured the $ in grants and investments on the front page.
AWARDED GRANTS – written / partnered with High Country
 $240,000 - IDL Hazardous Fuels Removal Grant for Bonneville County
 $50,000 – BLM for implementing WUI hazardous fuels reduction projects in the area.
 $95,187 – ISDA State & Federal Noxious Weed Grants – Henrys Fork CWMA
 $ 58,660 - ISDA State Noxious Weed Grant – Upper Snake CWMA
 $1,140,000 – Custer SWCD - Bonneville Power Anadromous Fish grant

COMMUNITY INVESMENTS – related to High Country assisted projects

 $ 123,095 – Support from eight counties and over 30 organizations for the Upper Snake Cloud Seeding Project
 $ 50,000 – Idaho Power partnership in Upper Snake Cloud Seeding Project
 $ 44,770 – Landowner cost-share – Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects
 $ 5,202 - Private Rangeland - Fire Resiliency
 $ 8,250 – Sponsors (Participating Counties, Cities, Non-Profits, and Soil & Water Conservation Districts)
 $ 3,000 - Value of artisan handmade benches in City Creek area and wood donated to community