Idaho department of transportation completes spraying of noxious weeds and reseeding areas on BLM-managed and adjacent private lands within district 3 (ADA, adams, boise, canyon, elmore, GEM,…

The Idaho Department of Transportation received a $300,000 Cooperative Agreement from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program, effective September 16, 2025 through September 15, 2030. Under this agreement, the Idaho DOT completes noxious weed spraying and reseeding, as well as hazardous tree removal from rights-of-way across BLM-managed and adjacent private lands in ten Idaho counties (Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Washington, and Valley). The project treats approximately 500 acres annually along Interstate 84 (mile posts 121 to 57) and surrounding areas using manual and chemical treatment methods.

These restoration and fuels reduction activities directly benefit Idaho communities and stakeholders by reducing wildfire risk along transportation corridors, improving driver safety through wildlife strike reduction, and enhancing ecological function across public and private lands. The project's outcomes include decreased fire risk, reduced road closures, improved air quality, restored grazing land and wildlife habitat, and increased public access for recreation and hunting. The agreement leverages the Good Neighbor Authority framework, which enables the BLM to partner with states and counties on cross-boundary restoration projects that address capacity limitations in implementing forest, rangeland, and watershed health improvements.

Idaho department of transportation completes spraying of noxious weeds and reseeding areas on BLM-managed and adjacent private lands within district 3 (ADA, adams, boise, canyon, elmore, GEM, owyhee, payette, washington, and valley counties) through manual and chemical treatments and removing hazardous trees from the right of way to reduce fires and accidents. Specific areas covered under this agreement include i-84 from mile posts 121 to 57, and 500 acres per year of right-of-way are treated. These projects will benefit all of idahos citizens through the reduction of fuels on highways and near BLM-managed lands, especially for the communities of boise, tippanuk, mountain home, bruneau, glenns ferry, and mayfield. This has been a proven method to reduce fires, reduce road closures, increase driver safety (since the inception of the project to remove all brush within right-of-ways, wildlife strikes have been reduced to nearly zero.), reduce loss of grazing land and habitat, and make our air quality better for all of idaho. This results in more land becoming usable for the public for recreation, hunting or grazing, decreased fire risk, and increased ecological function. This benefits agricultural producers, livestock, private landowners adjacent to public lands, recreators, and wildlife.