Latest news with #MichaelBoren
Forbes
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Supporters Of Appointment To Lead The US Forest Service Say He's The Right Man To Reshape The Agency
Idaho's Michael Boren faces questions during his hearing to become Undersecretary of Agriculture ... More overseeing the U.S. Forest Service. Little confirms that you're the right choice for the Trump Administration quite like an attack piece by the New York Times. For Idahoan Michael Boren, an appointment to serve as Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, a job that would put him atop the US Forest Service, has come with scrutiny over previous dust-ups with the agency that he may soon oversee. While some view his previous encounters with the agency as disqualifying, others see them as proof that he's exactly the right man for the job to course-correct an agency that has been widely criticized in recent years for mission drift from its traditional role of active forest management to one of forest preservation. Boren at home on the range in Idaho clearing forest trails. The policy shift has been blamed for myriad problems for the agency that oversees more than 200 million acres of federal land, not the least of which is a decline in biodiversity and a rise in catastrophic wildfires across the West. 'Active management of our forests is essential for wildlife, healthy habitat, and wildfire mitigation' says Kyle Weaver, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. 'Eventually you come to the conclusion that we're not managing our forests and that has to change—for the sake of people and wildlife.' For Boren, one of the founders of Clearwater Analytics, a Boise-based investment and accounting software company, also owning ranch properties in the West has brought him firsthand experience dealing with what some see as cumbersome and sometimes oppressive federal agencies like the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). 'Reflecting President Trump's outsider-driven, disruptive leadership style,' says Chris Cox of Cap6 Advisors, a Washington D.C. based conservative strategy and public policy firm, 'changing agency culture isn't likely to come from within, but from outsiders who've experienced these agencies as the citizens they're meant to serve.' Boren with his wife Joan. The couple have owned multiple ranches in Idaho for many years. With a headline, 'He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He's in Line to Lead the Forest Service,' the Gray Lady didn't waste time questioning Boren's appointment. Never mind, however, that the grass airstrip was on Boren's own ranch property which he made available for Forest Service use as an emergency landing site for aircraft in distress and for search and rescue efforts. 'Mike's strip was not illegal,' says long-time friend and lawyer Jon Christianson. 'There is nothing in the law nor in the easement covering his property that prevented him from using it both as a pasture and a grass airstrip. In fact, he did not need to get approval from the county under the zoning ordinance. Ultimately, the county planning and zoning commission and the county commissioners both approved the use of the pasture as an airstrip. And for the record, I have seen far more herds of elk and antelope on that 'airstrip' than I have airplanes.' The Times even sent a photographer to capture an aerial view of the airstrip which looks remarkably like the pasture surrounding it. Had they wanted to photograph mule deer or elk grazing on the strip, there's little doubt they could have. 'I've known Mike Boren for 10 years,' says Charles Potter, President and CEO of the Chicago-based Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. 'He's been a strong advocate for improving public access and has granted it to the BLM on his Idaho ranch properties. As a pilot, he's also flown countless missions at his own expense to aid in firefighting and backcountry search and rescue missions.' The Trump Administration wants the Forest Service to return to active forest management as part of ... More an effort to reduce the impact of forest fires. Boren is being tapped for the post largely because of the Administration's belief that the Forest Service needs reforming to better manage our forests, minimize catastrophic wildfires, drive forest products investments to improve rural economies and provide better fish and wildlife habitat along with recreational opportunities that all stem from active forest management—not forest preservation that has become the agency's direction in recent years. 'The notion that cutting trees is bad for the environment is simply false,' says Potter. 'The reality is that without active forest management we will continue to see many species of wildlife decline—especially many woodland bird species including ruffed grouse and woodcock, very popular game birds for hunters in the eastern US. Timber harvest creates jobs, revitalizes ecosystems, and improves air and water quality. It's truly a win-win-win.' As for the Times' report regarding Boren's brushes with the Forest Service, Potter says it misses the fact that Boren has consistently worked with the agency. Keystone, South Dakota, USA - April 2, 2013: The emblem of the US Forest Service, part of the ... More Department of Agriculture outside of Keystone, South Dakota. 'He has a long track record of working with the Forest Service on his ranches. You cannot ranch in the West without working with agencies like BLM or the Forest Service. His properties are considered models for sustainable ag practices,' says Potter. 'He maintains lower livestock levels to provide for abundant wildlife—particularly elk and deer—which also improves water quality in mountain trout streams.' 'Unfortunately, those who oppose him are doing so mostly down political lines because they see a successful businessman and Trump supporter rather than a problem solver with vast experience managing and improving land in the West,' says Potter. 'He's just what the Forest Service needs at exactly the right time.' 'The Forest Service is broken and needs an outside businessperson to execute a turnaround,' says Christianson. 'There are few successful business professionals that know both forests and the Forest Service as well as Mike does. The nation is lucky that someone as capable as he is would be willing to take on this difficult but important task.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tech billionaire tapped for head of Forest Service cleared national land to make room for private airstrip: 'Illegally operating an airport'
The man in line to lead the U.S. Forest Service has "clashed" with the agency for years over private use of public lands, the New York Times reported. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a confirmation hearing to discuss the appointment of Michael Boren, per ABC News. Boren is an Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company — and he's had more than one run-in with the Forest Service in recent years as well as confrontations with residents who have objected to his activities. In 2015, Boren purchased his Hell Roaring Ranch, located in the Forest Service-managed Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Boren's run-ins with the Forest Service and locals typically revolved around claims of his "diverting a stream, disputes over how Boren manages land within and around the national forest, and disagreements about the precise locations of mining claims made by Boren's corporation," ABC explained. However, the Times focused on a controversy involving Boren's installation of a "private air strip" in what the outlet described as "a national recreation area." Boren allegedly operated a helicopter "dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail" in 2020 — earning him a caution from the agency and leading officials to obtain a restraining order. Dave Coyner was one of the workers on the crew during the helicopter incident. "We saw this helicopter less than 100 feet off the ground, and it started coming toward us. They were definitely trying to intimidate us," he recalled. "To hear that he's being nominated to be undersecretary of the Forest Service, that just blows me away," Coyner said. The Times linked to a 2021 editorial in the Post Register written by a retired search and rescue operative Gary Gadwa. "Michael Boren, a multimillionaire from Boise, is illegally operating an airport in the Sawtooth Valley without permits," Gadwa wrote. He called on Idaho residents to "halt this dangerous precedent, which threatens one of the most beloved wilderness areas in our state." Boren sued Boise-based Jon Conti for discussing the controversy on YouTube, and Conti was largely reluctant to comment on the broader controversy. "The Sawtooths are the last wild frontier, really untouched, and I think that most Idahoans would like to see it stay that way," Conti remarked, per the Times. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Now, TCP approves conversion of 1L sqm land under Sec 39A
The airstrip and hangar at Michael Boren's Hell Roaring Ranch in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho, May 30, 2025. Boren, nominated by President Trump to lead the Forest Service, is accused of threatening trail workers with a helicopter, building an airstrip without a permit and putting a cabin on federal property. (Aaron Agosto/The New York Times) Panaji: The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department has approved the conversion of just over 1 lakh sqm of land that was earlier classified as orchard and natural cover. The TCP board cleared the five applications for land conversion under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act after 'due consideration of the suggestions' received during a 30-day window, said Vertika Dagur, TCP's chief town planner (planning). Dagur said the alteration and conversion of the five plots in the Regional Plan, 2021, will be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions pending before the high court. The PIL, filed by Goa Foundation, challenges the provisions of Section 39A, alleging that they allow arbitrary and ad hoc conversions of privately owned plots within the Regional Plan and notified outline development plans, which could lead to unplanned and undesirable development in Goa. Of the 1 lakh sqm that was put up for conversion, nearly 69,129sqm falls in Pernem's Parcem village. The entire tranche of land was converted for residential housing. The TCP department said that it examined the five proposals along with scrutiny reports before placing the applications before the TCP board for its decision. Dagur said govt has also approved the change of zone for the five plots. 'Therefore, in view of the recommendation of the Goa TCP board being approved by govt and in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 39A of the Goa TCP Act, the Regional Plan and the outline development plan is hereby altered and modified as specified,' Dagur said. Section 39 of the TCP Act garnered attention after the HC read down Section 17(2) of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, which the department was using to facilitate land conversion in the Regional Plan and outline development plans. The high court had observed that 'plot-by-plot conversion' under Section 17(2) 'virtually has the effect of mutilating the Regional Plan' and thus the scope of the law had to be narrowed.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump's Pick to Run the Forest Service Has a History With the Agency
The Forest Service is an agency with a big purview: It manages almost 200 million acres of public lands across the United States, including maintaining trails, coordinating wildfire response and overseeing the sale of timber and other resources. For an article published Tuesday, I looked into the background of Michael Boren, President Trump's nominee to head the service, who is the founder of a billion-dollar tech company. He is an unusual choice. He was accused of flying a helicopter dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail, prompting officials to seek a restraining order. He got a caution from the Forest Service, and criticism from his neighbors, when he built a private airstrip on his Hell Roaring Ranch in a national recreation area in Idaho. And in the fall, the Forest Service sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing a company that Boren controlled of building an unauthorized cabin on National Forest land. Now, Boren is in line to oversee the very agency he has tussled with repeatedly, and at a tumultuous time. In April, Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, issued an order removing environmental protections from almost 60 percent of national forests, or more than 112 million acres, mostly in the West. That came after Trump issued an executive order to increase logging on those lands by 25 percent. The Forest Service has also fired thousands of workers as part of Trump's drive to shrink the federal government. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He's in Line to Lead the Forest Service.
Michael Boren, founder of a billion-dollar tech company, Idaho ranch owner and Trump donor, has clashed with the U.S. Forest Service for years. He was accused of flying a helicopter dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail, prompting officials to seek a restraining order. He got a caution from the Forest Service, and criticism from his neighbors, when he built a private airstrip on his Hell Roaring Ranch in a national recreation area. And in the fall, the Forest Service sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing a company that Mr. Boren controlled of building an unauthorized cabin on National Forest land. Now, Mr. Boren is Mr. Trump's nominee to oversee the very agency he has tussled with repeatedly. On Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Mr. Boren's nomination to be the under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment, a role that would put him in charge of the Forest Service. If confirmed, he would manage an agency that oversees almost 200 million acres of public lands across the United States, including maintaining trails, coordinating wildfire response and overseeing the sale of timber and other resources. He would also oversee the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which helps farmers and ranchers conserve natural resources on their own land. Mr. Boren would be leading the Forest Service at a tumultuous time. In April, the secretary of agriculture, Brooke Rollins, issued an order removing environmental protections from almost 60 percent of national forests, or more than 112 million acres, mostly in the West. That came after Mr. Trump issued an executive order to increase logging on those lands by 25 percent. The Forest Service has also fired thousands of workers as part of Mr. Trump's drive to shrink the federal government. Hangar Land before Boren purchase. Grass airstrip starts to take shape Fenced-in airstrip Hell Roaring Ranch 2014 2016 2024 IDAHO 1,000 feet Hangar Land before Boren purchase Grass airstrip starts to take shape Fenced-in airstrip 2014 2016 2024 1,000 feet Hangar Land before Boren purchase Grass airstrip starts to take shape Fenced-in airstrip 2014 2016 2024 1,000 feet Hangar Land before Boren purchase Grass airstrip starts to take shape Fenced-in airstrip 2014 2016 2024 1,000 feet Hangar Land before Boren purchase Grass airstrip starts to take shape Fenced-in airstrip 2014 2016 2024 1,000 ft. Source: Airbus DS via Google By Mira Rojanasakul/The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
