ENDOWMENT TRUST LAND MANAGEMENT
In 1890 Idaho became the forty-third state of the Union. At that time, Congress granted millions of acres of land to the new State of Idaho for the sole purpose of funding specified beneficiaries, primarily the state's public schools. The mandate was included in the Idaho Constitution, which states that the lands will be managed "in such a manner as will secure the maximum long-term financial return" to the beneficiary institutions. The members of the State Board of Land Commissioners (Land Board) are the stewards of state endowment trust lands in Idaho and the tens of millions of dollars in revenue that are generated for the trust beneficiaries from the use of the lands. Money is generated from the sale of timber grown on endowment trust land; leases for grazing, farming, conservation, commercial buildings, recreational homesites, and mining; and earnings from invested funds. The Idaho Department of Lands carries out the executive directives of the Land Board to meet its constitutional trust mandate and other duties. PUBLIC TRUST LAND MANAGEMENT AND OTHER DUTIES
Under the direction of the Land Board, the Idaho Department of Lands also manages Idaho's public trust lands - the lands beneath the beds of Idaho's navigable lakes and rivers - for the benefit of all Idahoans, and provides service and assistance to Idahoans through forestry and fire management programs. The Land Board also oversees the Idaho Board of Scaling Practices, the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, and the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. Additionally, the Department serves as the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
