The Courier
NEWS
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
October 19, 2022
Vol 46 Num 42
Wendell Soccer Takes District Championship Waterfowl Season Opens October 19th
On Wednesday, October 12th, the Trojan's Boys Soccer team took a 3-2 win over Kimberly to win the 3A District Championship. The first half of the game ended with Wendell in the hole 0-2, but in the final minutes of the second half, they took the lead with a goal by Eduardo Nieves. While they took the state title in 2024, this is the first district championship since 2010. This year's State 3A Tournament will be held at the Sunway Complex in Twin Falls starting this Thursday. The Trojans will face off against Kimberly (again) at 3:15 p.m. The championship game will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. -- -- -- -- -Volleyball district tournaments are taking place all this week. This Thursday, #1 Richfield will play #3 Hagerman at Gooding High School at 7:00 p.m. The winner will face off against #2 Dietrich on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. to decide who goes to the State Tournament.
Fewer Acres Burn Under IDL Protection
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) went to the Idaho Legislature last session with big needs: increased pay for firefighters, hazard pay, and more firefighters. The legislature responded, funding those needs on behalf of the people of Idaho, and the Governor signed the changes into law. While IDL isn't quite ready to call the fire season over, the return on this investment has been encouraging. The boost in resources meant crews were able to attack fires on the 6.3 million acres of state, private and federal land IDL protects much faster this year. Preliminary statistics show a drastic decrease in the number of acres burned. As of October 1, IDL had fought 280 wildland fires on lands under its protection, holding the fires to just 4,614 acres burned. That is 97% of the 20-year average for the number of fires. While the number of fires is right on average, the number of acres burned is only 19% of the 20-year average. For comparison, as of October 1, 2021, IDL had fought 391 wildfires that burned nearly 141,981 acres. Given the severity of the 2021 fire season, there weren't enough firefighters to stop the fires early. "Last winter's strategic investments in Idaho's wildland firefighting capabilities paid off," said Governor Brad Little. "We helped protect our forests, watersheds, communities, and economy from the devastating effects of wildfire." "The additional resources reduced our response time and brought us closer to catching every
by Brian Pearson, Regional Communications Manager
Duck hunters in Southwest Idaho are reminded that the 2022-2023 waterfowl season opens Wednesday, October 19th, excluding Valley County, where the season has been open since October 1st. While some hunters may still be accustomed to the waterfowl season opener falling on a weekend, this is the second consecutive year in which the season has opened on Oct. 19. Season dates were shifted later starting in the 2021-2022 waterfowl season, so that the 107-day season ends as late as allowed within the federal framework, on Jan. 31. A shorter scaup season opens on Nov. 7 in Area 1. The decision to shift season dates later was made after a survey of waterfowl hunters showed that a majority in Southwest Idaho prefer to hunt as late as possible. For some parts of the state, including most of the Southwest Region, seasons for white-fronted geese and light geese (including Blue, Ross's and Snow Geese) start later than duck and Canada goose seasons, allowing for late season hunting opportunities. Hunters can find more information and area maps in the Idaho Migratory Game Bird 2022-23 Seasons & Rules booklet. Waterfowl hunters – particularly dog owners and falconers – are also reminded to be aware of the potential risks associated with another suspected surge of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in waterfowl populations, which you can read more about here. All hunters must have a valid hunting license or hunting passport, a Migratory Bird (HIP) permit, and hunters 16 years old or older must have a federal migratory bird stamp. Nontoxic shot is required to hunt waterfowl.