FINAL_McCall Rooted In Resilience CAP__10.27

Rooted In Resilience

ROOTED IN RESILIENCE

A Climate Action Plan

2025


TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Sky to Stream: Plan at a Glance 1

02 Rooted in McCall: Foundations & History 6

03 Huckleberry Harvest: Goals & Framework10

04 Seeing the Forest: Laying the Groundwork12

05 Aspen Grove: Community Voices & Vision22

06 Tall Pines: Strategies & Themes40

07 Seeds & Soil: Funding Solutions70

08 Evergreen Watch: Monitoring & Accountability75

09 Payette River: Putting the Plan into Motion79

Appendix A: 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory 90

Appendix B: ezEV Suitability Assessment125

Appendix C: Drought Resiliency Draft Framework148


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to everyone who participated in the engagement process for McCall’s Rooted in Resilience Plan. Your

feedback and contributions in meetings, surveys, and events will help us move toward a more sustainable McCall.

McCall City Council

Bob Giles, Mayor

Colby Nielsen, Council President

Julie Thrower, Council Member

Lyle Nelson, Council Member

Mike Maciaszek, Council Member

City Staff

Meredith Todd, City and Sustainability Planner

Delta James, Economic Development Planner

Erin Greaves, Community Engagement & Public Affairs

Director

CAP Steering Committee

Fred Coriell

Jenny Ruemmele

Laura McGeorge

Ryan Kinzer

Samantha Sais

Stefanie Krantz

A special thank you to the Nez Perce Tribe for the

thoughtful leadership and vision contributed to this

plan.

Prepared by Lotus Engineering and Sustainability, LLC

Molly McCullough, Communication Coordinator

Rooted In Resilience | Plan at a Glance | 1

01 SKY TO STREAM

Plan at a Glance

Photo by Samantha Sais

Did you know?

In 1948, Idaho Fish and Game devised a plan to parachute beavers from

McCall into the Chamberlain Basin to prevent property damage. They

resolved to airdrop the beavers using surplus parachutes from World War

II. The first beaver dropped, Geronimo, successfully started a new colony

in the backcountry. Sky to Stream is a nod to the view Geronimo had as he

descended from the clouds.


Executive Summary

Snowcapped mountains, diverse wildlife, a glimmering

lake, a world-class river, a vibrant community with a

famous mountain spirit -- these are just a handful of

features that make McCall a wonderful place. Yet, McCall

is changing. There are new faces and new houses,

more hikers on the trails and more boats on the lake.

McCall has also felt the impacts of more wildfire, longer

droughts, and less snow.

This Plan was created out of the McCall community’s call

to protect the sparkling beauty of its people and places

for generations to come. Residents of McCall made it

loud and clear that they wanted a way to address the

City’s popularity as a destination, increasing costs of

living, and environmental changes. The resulting Rooted

in Resilience Plan is the City’s first-ever climate action

plan. This Plan aims to reduce the community’s impact

on the environment, build McCall’s ability to bounce back

from disasters, and adapt to shifts in long-term weather

patterns.

The Rooted in Resilience Framework

Honoring the community’s role in sparking this effort,

the City crafted the Plan based on extensive community

engagement and background research.

From the data and community feedback collected, three

themes, or focus areas, emerged: transportation, health

and resilience, and destination management. Within

the focus areas, there are community-vetted strategies

to address McCall’s top priorities and reduce the major

sources of emissions.



Transportation

Transportation encompasses

all of the ways that residents of

McCall travel around the City.

Key strategies

• Make EV charging more

available and usable to

neighborhoods with the

least access to charging

infrastructure.

• Make public transit a

more accessible option by

improving connections to and

from primary transit hubs

and expanding the reach

and frequency of the transit

network.

• Strive for 50 percent of the

town workforce to live within

5 miles of the city.

Health and Resilience

Health and resilience refers

to the opportunities to both

reduce emissions and improve

community health.

Key strategies

• Promote energy efficiency

and a shift towards cleaner

energy sources in buildings

to improve public health,

reduce noise pollution, offset

energy use, and preserve

the unique mountain town

feel of McCall.

• Create a Drought Resilience

Plan that considers water

use reduction standards for

low water years within the

Payette Watershed.

• Build energy resilience

through the expanded use

of wind power, hydropower,

and the sun’s heat as energy

and heat source.

Destination Management

Destination management

tackles emissions related to

McCall’s visitor economy.

Key strategies

• Promote and implement

land management practices

that increase the ability

of the land to store more

carbon dioxide through

plant and tree growth, a

concept known as carbon

sequestration.

• Collaborate with the

recreational sector and

environmental educators

to share with visitors the

impacts of climate change

in the recreational industry

and promote the Rooted in

Resilience Plan.


The Planning Process

From the beginning, McCall wanted to build on existing city

plans, initiatives, and community values. That started with

a thorough review of relevant government documents to

identify opportunities to strengthen the community’s ability to

respond to disaster and thrive through changes.

Another component of this baseline research was the

greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Greenhouse gas

emissions are gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Humans release these gases throughout their daily lives

like driving cars, heating and cooling homes, and burning

fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. McCall took stock of its

greenhouse gas using an international standard analysis, a

process called a greenhouse gas inventory.

This analysis calculated McCall’s sources of greenhouse

gases over the course of one calendar year. After completing

the analysis, McCall found its top emissions source was

driving gas-powered cars (52 percent). The second and third

largest sectors were the energy used to power homes and

businesses, respectively. The full greenhouse gas emissions

inventory can be found in Appendix A.

This analysis was shared with the larger McCall community.

Over many months and through multiple venues, the City

asked what should be done about their emissions sources.

Community members shared their priorities and values, which

ultimately shaped the strategies included in this document.

2,000+

5

4

3

2

Survey respondents

Informational interviews

with City Council

Focus groups

Events with

community members

Community workshops

with youth and adults


Putting the Plan into Action

Urgency underpins McCall’s approach to climate change

and resilience. Residents of McCall expressed concern

over their community being “loved to death” while

noting the year-by-year reality of more wildfire and less

snowpack.

concrete steps to implement the Plan. Ultimately, Rooted

in Resilience stands as an important call to action.

Armed with this roadmap, the McCall community boldly

steps into a new chapter of innovative leadership and of

building resilience.

To start meeting these concerns, McCall identified funding

opportunities to help pay for the initiatives outlined in

the Plan. The City also pledged a transparent process

for updating the community on the Plan’s progress and

Rooted In Resilience | Foundations & History | 6

02 ROOTED IN MCCALL

Foundations & History

Photo credit: McCall Public

Library Collection

Did you know?

Payette Lake has approximately 32 miles of shoreline, contains about

157 billion gallons of water, and is the source of McCall’s drinking

water. It is also central to the city’s multi-faceted culture. The McCall

community called for a plan that was reflective of this culture,

entrenched in the history and context of the area, and organically grown

from community aspirations and critical partners such as the Nez Perce

tribe. In short, the plan need to be ‘rooted’ in McCall.


Introduction to the Rooted in

Resilience Plan

The City of McCall is cherished for its stunning

outdoors and high-quality recreational opportunities.

However, shifts in the environment are threatening

McCall’s beautiful landscape. More wildfires,

reduced snowpack over winter months, and warmer

temperatures 1 that cause algae blooms are affecting

the activities that bring the McCall community

together. It is critically important that these

activities and landscapes remain available for future

generations.

Founded prior to the County, the City of McCall is

Valley County’s largest municipality 2 . Residents

of McCall embrace the culture of stewardship,

community, and leadership, and a vision of being

small, affordable, and sustainable. In 2024, McCall

began drafting a plan to address concerns around

overcrowding, environmental impacts, and changing

weather patterns. The resulting Rooted in Resilience

Plan blazes a new trail, while centering the initiative

in McCall’s heritage and community fabric.

1 Idaho Climate-Economy Impacts Assessment, Water

Report (2021)

2 Historic Information, Visit McCall


Recognizing the changing conditions around McCall, the

community wanted to proactively prepare for a future of

growth and change. Rooted in Resilience also connects

strategies in other City and County plans. Through

this process, McCall is creating a more coordinated

response to environmental changes. Rooted in Resilience

focuses on the area in McCall city limits but builds on

partnerships around the region.

Tied closely with McCall’s Comprehensive Plan titled

McCall in Motion, the Rooted in Resilience Plan provides

an environmental impact lens to City decision-making.

McCall shaped this lens through a data-backed,

community-driven process (see Figure 1). The process

began with a thorough review of City and County plans

and data on current environmental, infrastructural,

and economic conditions and risks related to climate

change. This included the City’s two existing greenhouse

gas inventories. With this background information, the

City engaged the larger community on McCall’s values,

priorities, and needs.

The community’s voices were combined with the data to

create strategies to put McCall on the path to achieving

its goals. The Plan includes a greenhouse gas modeling

component using the best available science and data

analysis techniques to estimate the Plan’s potential to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Rounding out the

Plan is a review of the policy and funding opportunities.

The project team assessed the City’s legal authority and

available resources to put strategies into action. All major

actions will be reported on through the monitoring plan.

Figure 1. Timeline of the planning process for the Rooted in

Resilience Plan.


Plan Framework

Rooted in Resilience outlines activities McCall

will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, McCall

can directly address the cause of some of the

changes seen around the community.

Rooted in Resilience is oriented around three focus

areas, based on community priorities and the City’s

most impactful opportunities to reduce emissions:

Focus Areas

Transportation

The ways that residents move to,

from, and around McCall.


The ways that emissions reduction

strategies can improve residents’

health and ability to respond to

climate-related disasters.


The ways the City can reduce the

impact of the visitor economy on

the community and the surrounding

environment.

New Paths, Legacy Values

The Rooted in Resilience roadmap intertwines the shared

values of the City’s indigenous and Old West heritages.

From the indigenous peoples who call this region home,

McCall brings values of stewardship and a deep connection

to nature; from its rugged mountain spirit, the City shines

in its resilience and self-reliance.

In drawing on this heritage, McCall acknowledges its

location on the traditional lands of the Shoshone Bannock,

Shoshone-Pauite and Nez Perce Tribes. The lands in the

Payette Basin watershed hold great cultural significance for

these tribes: the region is their traditional summer hunting

and fishing grounds and where they formerly prepared for

winter migration to warmer climates.

While the forcible removal of the tribes cannot be ignored,

it is notable that the treaties of the 1800s preserved the

Nez Perce tribe’s right to continue fishing in these waters

and continue the tribe’s traditional ways on federal lands.

Grounded in this context, the City of McCall remains

forever connected to efforts to protect the fish that spawn

in the Payette Basin watershed, as well as watershed

and water quality; the City hopes to become a stronger

steward through planning and implementation efforts like

this document.

The modern history of McCall is bound tightly with tourism

and recreation: saloons and hotels popped up before

churches to serve nearby mining and logging operations.

These industries form the bedrock of the City’s culture

of protecting the great outdoors and abundant natural

resources. McCall’s rich history highlights the opportunity

for collaborative resource management and preservation of

cultural heritage.

Rooted In Resilience | Goals & Framework | 10

03 HUCKLEBERRY HARVEST

Goals & Framework

Did you know?

Adventurous Gem State foragers risk bears and climb thousands of feet

to seek out the flavorful, jewel-like, versatile huckleberry that features

perfectly in pancakes and cocktails. Similarly, the Rooted in Resilience

Plan adventures deep into research and engagement to find the

meaningful, succinct goals and focus areas that are the versatile gems

of this plan.

Rooted In Resilience | Goals & Framework | 11

Goals and Focus

Areas

To quote McCall in

Motion, “McCall’s success

today isn’t a fluke. It

stems from decades

of community work,

foresight, and planning.”

The Rooted in Resilience

Plan continues this strong

tradition of proactivity.

Its goals and focus areas

are based in information

gathered from community

engagement and background

research. This way, the

Rooted in Resilience Plan

builds on McCall’s current

efforts and sets the City on

the right path for the future.

Below is a summary of the

goals in each focus area,

Transportation, Health and

Resilience, and Destination

Management, which are

described in greater detail in

the Tall Pines chapter.

Focus Area

Transportation

Health &

Resilience

Destination

Management

Goals

Transportation Goal 1: Reduce McCall’s transportation

emissions through multi-modal solutions and focusing on

producing, buying, and reusing materials locally.

Transportation Goal 2: Partner regionally to reduce

transportation-related emissions.

Health and Resilience Goal 1: Protect McCall’s mountain

air and tranquility by responsibly managing energy

resources (renewable energy, energy efficiency).

Health and Resilience Goal 2: Establish McCall as a

regional leader in climate resilience by prioritizing wildfire

mitigation strategies and water quality and conservation

strategies.

Health and Resilience Goal 3: Positively affect affordability

by continuing to promote community connectedness

through intelligent policy and community development.

Health and Resilience Goal 4: Address McCall’s waste

diversion challenges and promote self-reliance and

circularity.

Destination Management Goal 1: Create a thriving

and sustainable McCall through managed growth and

community engagement.

Destination Management Goal 2: Protect McCall’s natural

environment for generations to come, especially Payette

Lake, McCall’s sole source of drinking water.

Rooted In Resilience | Laying the Groundwork | 12

04 SEEING THE FOREST

Laying the Groundwork


Did you know?

The common phrase is actually “seeing the forest for the trees” and

not “... through the trees.” We triple, double checked. As part of this

planning process, it was important to see the bigger picture, seeing the

forest for the trees. Climate Action can’t happen in a silo and this plan

interplays with local, regional, and international landscapes.


The Planning Process

In 2024, with the help of a consulting firm, Lotus

Engineering and Sustainability, LLC (Lotus), the City of

McCall created an innovative plan to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions. McCall balanced ambition with practicality

in creating a set of strategies both specific to the City

and conscientious of the bigger picture of regional,

state-wide, national, and even global action. Above all,

the plan prioritizes the community’s desire to protect

McCall’s natural beauty, maintain clean air and water for

generations to come, be resilient in the face of drought

and wildfire, and ensure McCall remains a vibrant,

respected, popular destination.

The sections below outline how the City crafted a plan

that:

1. Built upon the strength of existing efforts (existing

conditions analysis).

2. Leveraged high quality, defensible data to make

decisions (greenhouse gas inventory).

3. Prioritized strategies to make the greatest impact

(prioritization methodology).

4. Rooted itself in the McCall community’s values and

priorities (community engagement).

This research is the foundation of the plan’s focus areas

and strategies, summarized in the Huckleberry Harvest

chapter.



Existing Conditions Analysis

The project team reviewed existing plans, including the

greenhouse gas inventory and McCall’s Framework for

Climate Action. Starting with this research ensured McCall’s

core values and existing efforts and resources were the

foundation for future work. It also uncovered opportunities

for the Rooted in Resilience Plan to guide the City through

future trends. This analysis reasserted the City’s position as

an innovator and regional and state leader.

The McCall Framework for Climate Action concluded that

“anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change is now an

accepted reality by a majority of scientists and the American

public.” Moreover, the framework established that McCall

is “positioned to take meaningful, long-term action in the

realm of sustainability and resilience.” In response to these

findings, the framework identified goals, many of which have

been accomplished or in progress, as seen below.

McCall Framework for

Climate Action

Goals

Assign a Sustainability

Coordinator.

Establish an advisory

committee comprised of

community partners and City

staff. The committee will cocreate

the scope of the climate

action plan.

Answer the questions: who

will do the work, who will be

responsible, and how will this

work be funded?

Complete a draft climate

action plan outlining

recommended actions for City

Council approval.

McCall Framework for

Climate Action

Progress

Complete: A City &

Sustainability Manager was

hired.

Complete: The Steering

Committee was created

& engaged throughout

the development of this

Plan, helping create Plan

prioritization methods.

Complete: See the Payette

River chapter.

Complete: The Rooted in

Resilience Plan completes this

milestone.

Set reasonable GHG reduction

goals that target specific

sectors such as energy or

transportation.

In Progress: See the Lead By

Example sections in the Tall

Pines chapter.

Continue to work with ICLEI.

In Progress: See the section

on the GHG Inventory on page

17.

Use feedback from City staff &

the community to continually

adapt actions. Review the

implementation timeline

to measure progress &

accomplish goals on time.

In Progress: See the

Evergreen Watch chapter.


In addition to the McCall Framework for Climate Action, the project team built strong connections between the Rooted

in Resilience Plan and other relevant, established documents.

• McCall Comprehensive Plan (2018)

• DRAFT Emissions Inventory (MOSS, 2018)

• DRAFT McCall Drought Resiliency Plan (2024)

• Framework for Climate Action Planning (2019)

• McCall In Delicious Motion (2019)

• PROS Plan (Parks, Rec, Open Space, 2023)

• Local Government Operations & Community Emissions

Inventory (2021)

• Gem State Air Quality Initiative Priority Plan (CPRG,

2024)

• Local Housing Action Plan (2022)

• Airport Master Plan Updated (2022)

• Electric Vehicle recommendations

• Complete Streets Policy (2011)

• University of Idaho Climate Research Findings

• Valley County Waterways Management Plan (2022)

• Valley County Pathways Master Plan (2023)

• Transportation Master Plan (2019)

• Valley County All Hazards Mitigation Plan (2020)

• McCall City Code (2024)

• McCall Area Pathways Plan (2012)


This plan review led to a contextual analysis which shaped the

goals and focus areas of the plans. The contextual analysis

included an overview of the demographic makeup of McCall

and an exploration of values identified in previous community

engagements. Also discussed was significant historical context

dating back to before the City’s history of settlement, when

the Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes resided on their traditional

lands. Finally, the contextual analysis examined data from

reputable national databases to describe hazards and

vulnerabilities that affect the McCall community.

The analysis highlighted patterns in attitudes held by

community members. As McCall has boomed in popularity as

a mountain destination, housing is becoming more expensive

and scarcer for year-round residents. While this increase in

visitation has benefited the economy, year-round residents

were increasingly frustrated with worsening traffic and parking

availability.

As developers race to keep up with growth, McCall is

facing the impacts of development pressures and changing

environmental conditions like increasing severity and

frequency of wildfires and drought. Emergency management

and disaster response in turn are increasingly strained.

Ultimately, communicating with temporary residents about

living by McCall’s community and environmental stewardship

values have become both more necessary and more difficult.

The final aspect of the existing conditions analysis was

peer community research. In this phase, the project team

examined the climate action and resilience plans of similar

communities. Communities were chosen based on their size,

location, geography, industry, and other factors. From this

research, the project team identified example strategies and

programs to share with McCall community members.


Greenhouse Gas Inventory

To make data-backed recommendations, the project team

reviewed McCall’s previous greenhouse gas emissions

(GHG) inventory and updated the Business as Usual

(BAU) projection. A GHG inventory counts all the sources

and activities that create or remove greenhouse gas

emissions over the course of one calendar year; a BAU

forecasts how many emissions will be created in the

future. This process helps local governments understand

how activities in the community produce GHGs. By

knowing what creates GHGs, the inventory and BAU can

help local government prioritize actions to reduce planetwarming

emissions from human-caused activities.

The City used an international standard for inventorying

their emissions. Not only does this lend credibility to the

inventory, but it allows the City to measure and report on

future progress.

History of McCall’s Emissions Inventories Work

The original City of McCall GHG inventory was created

in 2019 using data from the 2018 calendar year. Prior

to this inventory, the mayor had participated in a Blue

Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health leadership program.

His participation unlocked grant funding to study local

climate action with McCall Outdoor Science School

(MOSS). MOSS connected the City with an intern who

produced McCall’s first Framework for Climate Action

Planning and Draft 2018 GHG Emission Inventories.

City staff then conducted a follow-up inventory in

2023 with the help of the International Council for

Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a non-profit

organization that assists local governments with

measuring environmental impacts. Through ICLEI, staff

learned best practices for analyzing emissions. The

inventory used 2021 data and added missing parts from

the original 2018 inventory. City staff, with ICLEI’s help,

was able to produce a more complete analysis of its

emissions sources.


2024 Inventory Analysis and Results

In 2024, Lotus reviewed and updated those inventories, further deepening the analyses. This latest inventory revealed

three major opportunities to reduce GHG emissions. The City’s major sectors of GHGs are Transportation (52 percent),

Residential Energy (26 percent), and Commercial Energy (17 percent). The amount of GHG emissions from using

energy in homes and businesses depends on the energy source: some energy sources like solar and wind produce

fewer emissions, while some like gas and propane produce more.

Figure X. The City of McCall’s 2024 GHG emissions separated by sector.

The additional analyses included a BAU emissions forecast, an electric vehicle analysis, and high-level calculation of

how many emissions could be reduced by certain climate action strategies.

After reviewing the 2021 inventory, Lotus projected McCall’s future emissions out to the year 2050. This BAU

projection used a widely used GHG modeling software called ClearPath. Then, the project team estimated the potential

of three climate action strategies to reduce emissions compared to the BAU over time.


Strategy Development

The focus on a community-driven process resulted in a

set of strategies rooted in McCall’s values and priorities.

The project team started with strategies from existing City

plans. The City then drafted more strategies from other

similar cities and aligned those with community values.

Next, the City tested the draft strategies with the

community. Community engagement kicked off in fall of

2024, midway through the existing conditions analysis. This

timing helped the City dive deeper into the analysis and ask

for values and priorities. In early 2025, the City transitioned

into asking for input on draft strategies. The City sought

feedback through early summer of 2025.

Further detail on the engagement process and results can

be found in the Aspen Grove chapter; however, broad

themes include:

Active transportation:

McCall residents love

their trails and see biking,

walking, and other modes

of transportation as ways to

reduce traffic.

Wildfire impacts:

McCall residents were aware

of the negative impacts

of wildfire and expressed

interest in ways to reduce

their risk.

Attainable housing:

McCall residents recognized

the pressure on their local

housing stock, resulting in

increased housing costs.

Increased visitation:

McCall residents have

experienced the many

impacts of increasing

numbers of visitors.


Prioritization Methodology

To guide the planning process, the Climate Action Steering

Committee was convened before the start of the Rooted in

Resilience Plan. Their purpose was also to champion the plan’s

implementation. Steering committee members were selected

intentionally to be a mix of representatives from Tribal nations,

the non-profit sector, communications, natural resources, and

law. One of the committee’s most important contributions was

the development of a prioritization methodology.

A prioritization methodology is used to evaluate and rank

strategies based on their ability to meet certain criteria. The

Steering Committee’s role was to customize the methodology

to McCall and select the evaluation criteria. To do so,

the Steering Committee carefully reviewed the existing

conditions analysis and community engagement results.

This informed their decisions on values matter most to the

broader community, which were turned into the criteria. The

prioritization process clarified which actions to focus on first

and how to direct resources to achieve community priorities.

McCall’s Prioritization Scoring Criteria

The criteria selected by the Steering Committee were

Environmental Impact, Pollution Reduction, Feasibility, and Cobenefits

(non-emissions benefits). All strategies presented in

this document scored highly against these criteria.

Strategy Scoring

After the Steering Committee developed the prioritization

methodology, the project team scored each strategy.

Top strategies were then shared with leadership from

responsible or relevant departments, who provided

feedback on how feasible the strategies were.

Prioritization Scoring Criteria

Environmental Impact

• Impact on Water (Quality and Conservation)

• Resilience to Wildfire

• Preservation of Natural Amenities

Pollution Reduction

• Cleaner Air

• Reduction of Reliance on Grid Power

• Reduction of GHG Emissions from the

Transportation Sector

Feasibility

• Direct Cost to McCall

• Infrastructure Capacity

• Critical Partnerships and Community Support

Co-benefits (non-emissions benefits)

• Economic Vitality

• Housing Accessibility

• Community Resilience

• Resource Conservation

• Cleaner Air

• Healthier Communities

• Wildfire Defense

• Placemaking


Rooted In Resilience | Community Voices & Vision | 22

05 ASPEN GROVE

Community Voices & Vision

Did you know?

A stand, or group, of aspen trees is actually a single organism with its main

life force located underground in extensive root systems. With this unique

structure, aspens are able to survive hard times by working together and

sharing resources. An aspen grove is a beautiful metaphor for the people

who make McCall a community. Throughout the City’s history, the McCall

community has demonstrated care for each other and for their environment.


Community Engagement Findings

While the beautiful amenities get much of the credit for

what makes McCall popular, the people are its beating

heart. The close-knit, connected culture keeps McCall

resilient, much in the way a grove of aspen trees stands

the test of time.

The hallmark of McCall city plans is undeniably the

strength of community participation. Honoring this legacy,

the project team designed a community and valuesdriven

planning process and vision for a more resilient

McCall. The project provided multiple opportunities for

community members to share their values, priorities, and

needs. Ultimately, the project team engaged a diversity of

voices, from small business owners to community-based

nonprofits.

Snapshot of Engagement

• Tribal focus group with the Nez Perce Tribe.

• Five informational interviews with City Council.

• One informational interview with the Airport

Manager.

• Three focus groups on the topics of Destination

Management, Transportation, and Health and

Resilience.

• Six community-wide rapid surveys relating to

the different Plan focus areas. City staff and the

community at large were provided with the same

surveys, but results were evaluated separately.

• Three community-wide Meetings-in-a-Box activities.

• One workshop with McCall-Donnelly High School

students and one workshop with adult community

members, co-hosted by the McCall Outdoor Science

School Graduate Program.

- Graduate students in the program connected

with local subject matter experts to learn about

climate impacts in McCall. They used their

learnings to develop climate education workshops

around the topics in the Rooted in Resilience Plan.

• Three McCall events: EV Demo Day, Arbor Day, and

Fall Festival.


Inspiration from the Nez Perce Tribe

The Nez Perce Tribe served as key advisors to this plan by

serving on the Steering Committee and during a meeting

with tribal leaders. To honor McCall’s connection with its

indigenous heritage and to strengthen relationships of

mutual respect between governments, the City listened to

tribal members and government staff, learning about the

tribe’s core values and ways to reflect the tribe’s cultural

heritage. To identify ways to collaborate on the Rooted in

Resilience Plan, the City discussed shared values, priorities,

and climate goals with members of the Nez Perce tribe and

their governmental staff. The City intentionally approached

the conversation from a place of learning, acknowledging

the tribe’s advanced progress on their own climate action

work.

Ongoing engagement with the larger McCall community

revealed many shared values, including clean water,

stewardship, sustainability, and resilience. The City looks

forward to building these relationships and to support the

tribe’s work on key strategies.

Capáaya Qéelewit Event (2019), Photo by Debra Martens

Capáaya Qéelewit Event (2019), Photo by Debra Martens


Focused Conversations

After identifying Transportation, Health and Resilience, and Destination Management as the plan’s focus areas, the

project team met with critical partners related to each sector. Partners included City Council, representatives from the

tourist industry, utilities, local architects, non-profits, community organizations, St. Lukes’ and more. Top priorities

from each sector are outlined below.

Transportation Health and Resilience Destination Management

• Improve transit frequency and

coverage.

• Attract bus drivers to work in

McCall.

• Secure funding to support transit

expansion.

• Improve pedestrian and bicycle

infrastructure, especially during

winter.

• Reduce fuel loads in and around

McCall.

• Provide for the health of the

McCall population.

• Bridge the education and

behavior gap.

• Enhance visitor experience.

• Address issues relating to a

seasonal tourist economy.

• Collaboration and resource

sharing across the private and

public sectors.

• Encourage proper waste

diversion among residents and

visitors.


Fall Festival

At the Fall Fest, the project team collected feedback on potential planning strategies through an interactive bean

voting activity (see Figure 2). Attendees were invited to cast their votes for the options they were most interested in

seeing implemented.

Complete pathways

and sidewalks (45%)

Increase bus frequency

and stops (25%)

Incentivize non-vehicle

use (20%)

Incentivize EV use (5%)

Install more EV charging

parking (5%)

Figure 2. Voting results on potential plan strategies.


Rapid Surveys

The project team shared six short surveys with the community and one survey for City of McCall staff. The surveys

asked participants what aspects of the Rooted in Resilience Plan interested them most and accrued more than 2,000

responses. A summary of survey results are below:


Meetings-in-a-Box

To engage different groups of the McCall population, the project team created multiple Meetings-in-a-Box (MIABs).

The MIABs were designed as activities with all the necessary information and materials for individuals or groups to

complete without a representative from the City.

Photographic Storytelling

The Photographic Storytelling activity is a special project where we asked community members to use pictures to tell

stories about aspects of life in McCall relating to our themes of transportation, health and resilience, and destination

management. Based on the submittals, community members are interested in protecting the mountains, lake, forest,

and trails. Below are a few of the photos and responses we received as part of this storytelling initiative.



Big Moves

The Big Moves activity sent participants on an exploratory journey to pick three strategies for preserving a vibrant,

thriving McCall. The meeting box included case studies from communities facing similar challenges. Each case study

shared details about a “Big Move,” or impactful strategy idea for reducing emissions. Responses were received from

the Idaho Conservation League, Payette Land Trust, St. Luke’s Health System Sustainability staff, and staff at the

University of Idaho’s McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS). Below are the most popular “Big Moves” and a selection

of comments received about them.

Consider modes of

communication for

people who are new to

recreation opportunities

available in McCall -

provide information on

etiquette and risks to

the local environment.

This conversation is

critical; it is important

to discuss the challenges

between economic benefits

and risks to McCall’s

natural resources. What is

the balance?


Nez Perce and Coeur

d’Alene communities

have community wide

solar implementation

- would be interesting

to talk to them about

logistics and feasibility.

Boston Medical has solar

on their hospital. The

distribute energy credits

to low-income patients

to help reduce energy

bills. St. Luke’s is aware

of this program.


As summers get hotter

and many homes in the

area do not have air

conditioning, this seems

like an effective and

feasible solution.

In terms of air quality,

this would allow people

to close their windows

when the AQI gets

bad during fire season;

great for respiratory

protection.


Comic Books

Children are the future! Families who took the Comic Book activity created comic books to help school-aged children

envision their future and themselves as active agents in making that future happen. The main themes that emerged

from them are:

Reducing wildfires.

Improving water

availability.

Reducing lake

pollution.

Reducing littering.

Preserving plant life.

A McCall family

stops Mr.Stinky

from trashing

the town!



Two McCall kids

save the city

by moving it

underground


McCall Open House

Towards the end of community engagement, the project team set out to test

support for the prioritized strategies. McCall hosted an EV Demo Day to offer

test drives of hybrid and electric vehicles and conversation with EV experts.

At the Locals Night Chamber of Commerce event, representatives of the City

manned a booth asking for input on the strategies. Finally, the City collected

input from community members at the Annual Arbor Day event at Franz

Witte Nursery.

Each event provided a distinct opportunity for the City to share the final list

of prioritized strategies. These engagements were the last test to ensure

the strategy list truly aligned with community values.

Pathway for pedestrians and bikes

that are not part of streets.

EV Demo Day

At the EV Demo Day, the project team gathered feedback on the plan’s transportation strategies. The booth included

several activities, including a participatory budgeting activity using beans as dollars to identify how attendees think

the city should invest in transportation and a mapping activity to show where a new bus stop should be added (Figure

3). The results of those activities are shown here.

Transportation Funding Allocation

30% should go

toward building

streets with

walking and biking

pathways.

20% should go

toward an e-bike

(or scooter)

share program.

15% should go

toward expanding

bus routes and

frequency.

15% should go

toward managing

public parking to

encourage walking

and biking.

15% should go

toward creating

signage and apps

for the bus, biking,

or walking.

5% should

go toward

incentivizing city

employees to not

drive alone.

Figure 3. Community-indicated bus stops at the

EV Demo Day.



Arbor Day

At Arbor Day, the project team asked for feedback through an activity called, “Take a Stand” (Figure X). During the

activity, participants shared how they supported or opposed climate action strategies on a spectrum using dot stickers.

Energy Resilience

1. Assist McCall’s low-income community in locating free or

affordable energy-efficient home programs.

2. Develop a plan for buildings in McCall that reduces

reliance on grid power by harnessing solar, wind, hydro,

and/or thermal energy.

3. Help families and businesses transition away from

propane and natural gas for cleaner, quieter buildings.

Fire Mitigation

1. Guide homeowners in wildfire-prone areas to create fireresistant

landscapes and use fire-resistant materials.

2. Protect environmentally sensitive areas that naturally

absorb more rain and snow to create landscapes

resistant to wildfire.

3. Recycle trees from wildfire mitigation to create

structures to mimic beaver dams, helping to pool water,

enhance fire-resistant landscapes, and support wildfire

recovery.

Water

1. Develop a Drought Resilience Plan that collaborates with

community members to minimize water usage during

extreme droughts.

2. Water lawns with raw water. Right now, many areas in

McCall use drinkable water, which costs us energy and

water loss to treat.

3. Create and distribute a Lake Protection Guide that offers

advice on preventing pollutants in McCall’s drinking

water through improved landscape care and modified

boating, fishing, and swimming practices.

Average dot sticker distribution for each topic area.


Rooted In Resilience | Strategies & Themes | 40

06 TALL PINES

Strategies & Themes

Did you know?

Ponderosa pines, a key, orangey feature in the McCall landscape, can

grow up to 200 feet. Ponderosa pines can also survive low intensity

wildfires. Some people think ponderosas smell like butterscotch and other

think they smell like vanilla. What do you think they smell like? Fragrance

aside, ponderosas are nature’s reminder to McCall to stand tall and stay

resilient.


A Solid Plan: Goals, Strategy, Timeframe and Rationale

This chapter sews together the defensible data, community engagement, focus

areas, and plan goals with their corresponding strategies.

Each section is organized to answer four questions:

1

2

3

Prioritized Strategies

What are the goals and top strategies in each of the three focus areas?

Key Data Considerations

How did the data lead us to this set of strategies?

Leading by Example

What are data-driven strategies the City can employ to make a positive change?

4

Community Vision

What did the community think about these strategies?



Emphasis on Co-Benefits

Co-benefits refer to positive outcomes outside of emissions reduction alone.

Each strategy in this plan also has associated co-benefits. While the focus is on reducing greenhouse gas emissions,

sources of GHGs are also often sources of air pollution. For example, tailpipe emissions from vehicles and smokestack

emissions from fossil fuel power plants and manufacturing facilities also come with a variety of pollutants. These

pollutants include GHGs, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and more, and

can pose risks to human and environmental health. Reducing emissions from these sources will also directly reduce air

pollution. Other co-benefits include:

Co-benefit Icon Co-benefit

Co-benefit Icon Co-benefit

Cleaner Air

Reduced air pollution from sources such

as vehicle traffic or building energy use.

Placemaking

Increased access to public and

community spaces, contributing to a

sense of community and belonging.

Healthier Communities

Increased opportunities for healthy

lifestyle activities and access to

necessary services.

Attainable Housing

Improved access to safe, quality housing

at reasonable prices.

Community Resilience

Strengthened ability of the community

to quickly bounce back from disaster or

hardship.

Wildfire Defense

Improved fire mitigation practices and

infrastructure to prevent and recover

from wildfires.

Resource Conservation

Reduced and/or more efficient

consumption of natural resources like

energy, water, timber, and more.

Economic Vitality

Increased economic activity and

diversification, including the creation of

new jobs and local businesses.


Prioritized

Strategies for

Transportation

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Placemaking

Resource

Conservation

Attainable

Housing


Transportation Goal 1: Reduce McCall’s transportation emissions through multi-modal solutions and

focusing on producing, buying, and reusing materials locally.

Transportation Goal 2: Partner regionally to reduce transportation-related emissions.

1

2 3

Transportation Goal 1

Strategy: Support the City’s

Transportation Plan with Complete

Street strategies and policies

for new development and public

projects.

• Create a decision-making framework to determine

where and when to prioritize bike lanes, pathways &

sidewalks.

• Consider environmental management, when possible,

to ensure snow removal and complete streets do not

conflict.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Implement parking

management for public parking

facilities to incentivize nonvehicular

modes of transportation.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Include sustainabilityrelated

projects as an eligible

expense or allocation criteria for

Local Option Tax funds.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Cleaner Air

Healthier Placemaking

Communities

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Resource

Conservation

Economic

Vitality

Healthier

Communities

Resource

Conservation

Time Frame: Short term Medium term Long Term

Cost: $50,000 or less = $ $50,000 to $100,000 = $$ $100,000 or more = $$$





4

5 6


Strategy: Pilot a bike or e-bike

share program.

• Create E-Bike Policies & Safety Materials to manage

their use within the community.

• Continue to monitor and evaluate e-devices (e-bikes,

e-scooters, one wheels, etc.) usage and impact,

provide education to the community to inform

policies.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Prioritize Roadway

projects that have sustainability

related co-benefits.

• Co-benefits may include, but are not limited to the

following:

• Projects that add multimodal transportation

options for biking, walking, and easy bus

ridership.

• Projects that add flood mitigating features to

roadways and/or implement green infrastructure

best practices to protect water quality (using

porous surfaces to prevent pollution run-off from

going into the lake).

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Make EV charging

more accessible to neighborhoods

with the least access to charging

infrastructure.

• Create EV Parking design standards for public

facilities and share designs with the private sector

upon request.

• Make EV charging available in multi-family

development and more accessible to neighborhoods

with the least access to charging infrastructure.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Cleaner Air

Economic

Vitality








Strategy: Strive for 50% of the

town workforce to live within 5

miles of the city.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

7

Local Housing Plan

Recognizing the pressing need

for attainable housing for locals,

the City of McCall worked with

partners to craft the 2022

McCall Area Local Housing Action

Plan. This plan will work with

the Rooted in Resilience Plan

to protect

locals’ ability

to live and

work in town,

shortening

commutes

and

transportation

emissions.


Strategy: Make public transit

a more accessible option by

improving connections to and

from primary transit hubs

and expanding the reach and

frequency of the transit network.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

8

Cleaner Air

Healthier Placemaking Resource

Communities

Conservation

Attainable

Housing

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Economic

Vitality

Resource

Conservation







9

10 11


Strategy: Implement a fleet

management program with

vehicle efficiency standards for

City vehicles.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Develop clean and

clear messaging and signage

for visitors that cues folks to

use public transit, pathways or

sidewalks (Example: ability to flag

down the blue line).

• Collaborate with partners (resorts, hotels,

restaurants, airport) to spread the word about public

transit, wayfinding, and connectivity.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Implement a voluntary

commute trip reduction incentive

program, leading at the municipal

level and encouraging McCall

employers to participate.

For example: carpooling, hybrid work arrangements,

alternative working hours, transit encouragement, active

commuting encouragement, software solutions, employersponsored

vanpool, etc.)

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Cleaner Air

Economic

Vitality

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Economic

Vitality

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Economic

Vitality





At 52 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, the

transportation sector is the City’s largest source. This

sector counts up all the emissions from the tailpipes of

all types of vehicles, from buses to trucks to personal

cars. All gas-powered transportation activities create

emissions, including idling and sitting in traffic. Emissions

from transportation are estimated based on the miles

driven in and through the City and even includes the fuel

burned by flights in and out of the McCall airport. As a

result, the work of reducing transportation emissions

is not easy: it means taking a look at how folks move

around the City, how goods and services flow through

McCall, and how visitors get to the City.

Moving from internal combustion engine (ICE) cars

to electric vehicles (EVs) is the most impactful way to

reduce the City’s tailpipe emissions. More often than not,

upgrading to electric vehicles makes sense financially. EV

owners typically expect to save money over the life of the

vehicle due to lower maintenance costs. The project team

analyzed the City’s own fleet to put a number on the

potential emissions and financial savings.

analyze their driving patterns. Sawatch Labs discovered

that City vehicles idled quite a bit, leading to a fuel

consumption analysis and an opportunity to further

assess the financial and emissions reductions of EVs.

The Sawatch Labs EV Analysis (see Appendix B) was

incorporated into the data component of this plan.

The analysis for this plan found that swapping out certain

fleet vehicles for EVs would save McCall money and

reduce emissions. As demonstrated in the Figure 4, the

cost to operate an ICE vehicle can be far more year over

year than that of an EV. EVs are more energy efficient

than ICE vehicles and therefore produce fewer emissions.

As a power source, electricity production is trending

toward renewable sources, meaning every kilowatt-hour

of energy used produces fewer emissions than before.

Leading by Example: The financial savings and

emissions reduction potential of EVs

The City of McCall understands the importance of leading

by example when asking for behavior change from the

community. As such, the City embarked on a fact-finding

mission to understand the true financial savings and

emissions reduction potential of EVs. McCall worked with

Sawatch Labs who installed vehicle tracking devices on

City vehicles to count how many miles they drove and


Figure 4. Comparison of energy loss of gasoline powered vehicles and electric vehicles.

In conversations with City staff, the project team identified

a few use cases for further study, particularly around

performance at high altitude cold climates. For example,

public safety vehicles often need specific modifications to

regular cars and as a result, fewer mountain communities

have switched their public safety fleets to EVs. However,

many are switching over their general fleet to either EVs

or plug-in hybrids, and a growing number of public safety

departments are following suit. Cold climate communities

such as Salt Lake City, Denver, Boston, and New York City

have all started to incorporate more EVs into their public

safety fleet.

Case Study: Salt Lake City, Utah

In 2018, Salt Lake City published an Electrified

Transportation Roadmap. This step-by-step

guide helps cities across Utah switch their fleets

to electric vehicles. As of 2022, the City’s fleet

includes 61 electric vehicles, which saved the City

8,812 gallons of gasoline and 499.7 tons of GHG

emissions.


Leading by Example: Considering City employee

commute impacts

Based on a 2021 survey of City employees, the project

team estimated the City’s 64 employees commuted

over 343,722 miles in one year, or slightly more than 23

miles per employee. The resulting annual emissions from

employee commuting was 169.8 metric tons of carbon

dioxide equivalent (mt CO2e). Mt CO2e is the standard

unit to measure the impact of all greenhouse gases on

planetary warming and climate change. These estimates

are based on assumptions of fuel efficiency, type of fuel

used, and the split of passenger vehicles, light duty

trucks, and heavy-duty trucks.

Achieving the City’s commute reduction goal would

make a significant dent in transportation emissions. If

40 percent of the City’s workforce was to live within city

limits, the City could reduce its annual emissions by 26

percent, or 44.41 mt CO2e. This estimate is based on the

assumption vetted by McCall City staff that the commuting

patterns of City employees are likely similar to the yearround

workforce of the community.


Transportation Community Vision

Beyond emissions reductions, McCall residents felt strongly about transportation opportunities and challenges. An

active community, McCall residents have repeatedly asked for more opportunities to walk, run, and bike safely to

their next stop. McCall residents also consistently voiced concerns over traffic and congestion throughout town,

even beyond just peak times (summer and winter). Exploring car-free and transit options can address both of these

concerns and protect McCall’s clean, mountain air. The City 1 and County 2 both already have plans for their “pathways,”

or biking and walking infrastructure. To be both responsive to community needs and build upon existing plans, Rooted

in Resilience will focus on transportation as an area for maximum impact.

1 McCall Area Pathways Master Plan (2012)

2 Valley County Pathways Master Plan (2017)

Make McCall more walk and bike friendly with sidewalks and bike lanes.

Add more bicycle racks around town.

Photo by Chad Case

Visuals / Visit McCall

-Transportation Survey Respondent


Prioritized

Strategies for

Health and

Resilience

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Placemaking

Resource

Conservation

Attainable

Housing

Community

Resilience

Economic

Vitality

Wildfire

Defense


Health and Resilience Goal 1: Protect McCall’s mountain air and tranquility by responsibly managing

energy resources.

Health and Resilience Goal 2: Establish McCall as a regional leader in climate resilience by prioritizing

wildfire mitigation strategies and water quality and conservation strategies.

1

2 3

Health and Resilience Goal 1

Strategy: Promote energy

efficiency and a shift towards

cleaner energy sources in

buildings. For example:

• Encourage switching from propane or natural gas to

electricity

• Incentivize energy-efficient buildings and

developments that make as much clean energy as

they use (net-zero). Track these projects to build a

library of local examples for future use.


Strategy: Incentivize the

creation and maintenance of

healthy and energy-resilient

homes, particularly for vulnerable

populations, while also addressing

housing stability.


Strategy: Create Zoning

Overlays for Fire Risk Zones with

specific design and maintenance

standards. Ensure that the zoning

and policy review process support

fire-mitigating landscaping.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Community

Resilience

Placemaking

Community

Resilience

Attainable

Housing

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Community

Resilience

Healthier

Communities

Wildfire

Defense






Health and Resilience Goal 3: Positively affect affordability by continuing to promote community

connectedness through intelligent policy and community development.


Strategy: Implement the Local

Housing Action Plan effectively

and create more local, affordable

and accessible housing options.

• Include energy efficiency and sustainability criteria

into projects when possible.

• Encourage local housing units be created within

McCall to ultimately reduce GHGs and other

transportation costs (see Transportation Strategy

above).

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

Placemaking

Community

Resilience

4

Attainable

Housing

Resource

Conservation


Strategy: Create a Drought

Resilience Plan that considers

water use reduction standards for

low water years within the Payette

Watershed.

• Help community members connect water

conservation with reducing energy consumption

at home and at the community level through a

“Waterwise Campaign”.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$$

Co-Benefits:

Resource

Conservation

5

Healthier

Communities

Community

Resilience

Draft Drought Resilience Plan

In 2024, the City of McCall

developed a Drought Resilience

Assessment. A drought resilience

plan mitigates drought impacts,

improves water management,

and enhances community

preparedness. The assessment

stated that, “Long term drought

is a serious threat that tends

to creep up on communities.”

In addition to a drought

resilience plan, this assessment

recommended fire mitigation

efforts, an increase in water

storage capacity, and the practice

of responsible water conservation

strategies. The full draft report

can be found in Appendix C.




Health and Resilience Goal 1: Protect McCall’s mountain air and tranquility by responsibly managing

energy resources.

Health and Resilience Goal 4: Address McCall’s waste diversion challenges and promote self-reliance

and circularity.


Strategy: Build energy resilience

through the expanded use of wind

power, hydropower, and the sun’s

heat as energy and heat source.

• Work with tribes to learn about microgrids.

• Create an energy resilience plan.

• Utilize renewables available with Idaho Power.

Timeframe: Ongoing

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:

6

Energy Resilience Plan

Power is needed for many lifesaving

services, like hospitals,

water treatment and supply, and

emergency response. An energy

resilience plan outlines how a

community will work to prevent

grid outages from disrupting such

critical functions. A collaborative,

whole of government strategy

could secure energy resilience,

save the City money on energy

bills, and reduce planet-warming

emissions.

For more information, see the

section on Leading by Example

below.


Strategy: Work with partners

to re-launch a Green Business

Program which:

• Develops energy efficiency-focused contractor

trainings;

• Creates assistance programs for buildings to

become more energy efficient; and

• Promotes green business practices in the

community.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:

7

Cleaner Air Healthier Community Resource

Communities Resilience Conservation

Economic

Vitality

Resource

Conservation

Healthier

Communities

Economic

Vitality






Health and Resilience Goal 4: Address McCall’s waste diversion challenges and promote self-reliance

and circularity.

8

9 10


Strategy: Improve municipal

systems and update city code so

that untreated or reclaimed water

is used to irrigate public spaces or

private lawns.


Strategy: Update Drainage

Management Guidelines to

integrate and promote wetland

restoration to promote carbon

sequestration.


Strategy: Expand adaptive re-use

of local materials. For example:

• Using cleared trees from wildfire mitigation projects;

• Utilizing wood biomass for energy or redeployed in

watershed or stream restoration activities; and

• Incorporating retired materials into new park &

facilities features.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$$

Co-Benefits:

Timeframe:

Cost: $$$

Co-Benefits:

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:

Resource

Conservation

Community

Resilience

Cleaner Air Placemaking Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Economic

Vitality





Residents live in McCall for the healthy lifestyle and to

be close to the great outdoors. However, climate change

and pressure on the environment are putting the McCall

way of life at risk. Poor air quality days, heat stress days,

drought, and water quality issues all impact public health.

Changes to the climate are also impacting the state’s

energy resources and pose major threats to critical

infrastructure. 1

Furthermore, McCall’s resources are declining just

as their population is expanding. Like many small,

mountain-west towns, this squeeze is evident in the lack

of attainable housing: local employees and year-round

residents occupy 27 percent of McCall’s housing stock.

The rest are second or vacation homes. 2

Given this, the City’s economy depends significantly on

its high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities. This

makes disaster recovery and response critical to the local

economy and community vibrancy. Hazards like floods,

climate-related stresses like drought, and human-caused

environmental pollution like poor water quality are all

familiar threats. Resilience, or the ability to bounce back,

is a theme throughout McCall and Valley County’s plans.

Examples include the City’s draft Drought Resiliency Plan

(Appendix C) and the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan

Table 1. Climate risks and their associated health and wellness impacts.

Climate Risks

Heat Stress Days

Drought

Poor Air Quality Days

Flooding

Water Quality Declines

Health & Wellness Impacts

Heat stroke, dehydration

Limited access to healthy nutritional

food and decreased access to waterbased

recreation

Aggravated respiratory illness

Exposure to injury and life-threatening

situations

Waterborne illness

1 Energy Snapshot, James A. & Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research,

University of Idaho (2021)

2 McCall Area Local Housing Action Plan (2022)


According to the University of Idaho’s Climate Impacts Analysis 1 , the State is already facing many different

impacts of climate change on health:

• Poor air quality from wildfire smoke and high temperatures.

• Threats to wellbeing, productivity, life expectancy, and economic health.

• Vector-borne disease, decreased water quality and quantity, harmful algal blooms,

food safety and food insecurity, mental health, etc.

• Greater impact on older adults, young children, pregnant women, those

with chronic diseases and disabilities, and people who do not have

adequate access to healthcare.

• Greater exposure to heat and smoke for those who work

outside.

1 Climate Snapshot, James A. & Louise McClure

Center for Public Policy Research,

University of Idaho (2021)

Smoke limits air quality limits our

outdoor activities and school events

especially sports events. Schools don’t

want to schedule events here because

they could be canceled from wildfires.

Smoke means more people buy air

conditioning units and air filters, which

uses more energy, which exacerbates

the problem. Air quality is also gravely

affected by the asphalt plant emissions

and McCall’s heavy traffic and idling

vehicles.

-Health and Resilience Survey

Respondent


Buildings are the second largest contributors to poor air

quality and heat-trapping gases. Air quality pollutants in

buildings include chemicals, particulate matter, carbon

dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Energy consumption

from residential buildings is 26 percent of McCall’s

greenhouse gas emissions, while commercial energy use

makes up 17 percent.

The main opportunity to reduce emissions from buildings

is to change their power source from fossil fuels to

renewables such as solar, wind, or geothermal. Doing

so also builds energy independence. To estimate how

many emissions could be reduced, the project team

analyzed the City’s buildings. The analysis looked at

potential energy savings from swapping out gas-powered

systems for electric versions in City-owned buildings,

then the potential emissions reduction from converting to

renewable energy.

The health of McCall community members is tied to the

health of the surrounding nature and the health of the

built environment. This focus area works to protect the

aspects of McCall that keep residents healthy.

Photo by Build Idaho


Leading by Example: The Beginning of An Energy Resilience Plan

McCall’s community-wide 2021 greenhouse gas inventory found the residential building sector consumed roughly

55,577 megawatt-hours of electricity, creating 26 percent of the community’s emissions. The commercial building

sector consumed 38,152 megawatt-hours of electricity, resulting in 17 percent of the community’s emissions. Within

the City’s government operations GHG emissions inventory, total electricity emissions were almost 1,000 mt CO2e.

Thus, another of the City’s most impactful opportunities to reduce emissions is to use renewable energy to power its

buildings.

Table 2. Electricity and emissions produced by McCall community and government operations sources.

Emissions Sources Electricity Used (MWh) Emissions (mt CO2)

Community Residential Electricity 55,577 21,195

Community Commercial Electricity 38,152 14,550

Government Buildings 707 266

Government Operated Street/Traffic Lights 12 11

Government Operated Waste Water Treatment Plant 1,078 409

Based on McCall’s available natural resources and

environment, the City’s most feasible renewable

energy options include microhydropower and solar

photovoltaics. These technologies are shared below.

Microhydropower Systems

According to the US Department of Energy,

microhydropower can be one of the simplest and most

consistent forms of renewable energy. McCall’s location

near a lake and a river may make for an ideal option.

While major dam projects like the Hoover and Grand

Coulee Dams are often the most recognizable forms of

hydropower, the technology ranges from small to large

systems. Example cases of smaller systems can be

found throughout the Mountain West, including Pitkin

County, Colorado; Libby, Montana; and Brigham City,

Utah.

Case Study: Libby, Montana

Over the last few decades, the Town of Libby,

Montana has been on the hunt for ways to diversify

its local economy. Like McCall, the town has

increasingly turned to tourism as natural resources

industries decline.

In 2017 and after four years of study and design,

the town successfully installed an 18-kilowatt

microhydropower turbine in the town waterworks.

The turbine will both reduce water pressure and

generate power, offering a way to make money,

reduce emissions, and increase resilience.


Solar Energy

McCall owns a few properties that, in partnership with Idaho Power, could be

retrofitted with solar energy. Given the combined square footage of these

properties, the City could potentially generate enough solar energy to power its

own buildings. For example, the 1st Street Parking lot could be used as both a

parking lot and solar array with the potential to produce up to 475 megawatthours

of electricity per year. A project of this size could provide over half of the

electricity used in municipal buildings with zero emission energy. While only

a concept, Figure 5 below illustrates how solar arrays can be integrated into

existing city owned properties such as parking lots, municipal buildings, and

other appropriate property.

Case Study: Hood River

County Energy Plan

The second smallest county

in Oregon, Hood River

County is a community of

about 24,000 people wedged

between Mount Hood and the

Columbia River. In 2017, the

County developed an energy

plan to bolster community

resilience, increase energy

independence, and boost the

economy. The community

wanted to reduce energy

costs, hedge against any

future energy cost increases,

and address impacts related

to warming temperatures

and both natural and humancaused

disasters. Through

a participatory process, the

County crafted a roadmap to

generate more power locally,

diversify their energy sources

and storage, keep prices

stable, and provide emergency

services.

Figure 5. Hypothetical design of a covered parking lot with solar panels.


Health and Resilience Community Vision

Residents of McCall understand that, without action, changes in the environment are threatening their small, mountain

community way of life. Wildfire, wildfire smoke, and air quality concerns rank among the top quality of life impacts for

community members. However, the care and attention residents feel towards Payette Lake is poignant.

Photo by McCall Area

Chamber of Commerce

Water quality goes down every time we light off fireworks and every

time there is more and more milfoil/algae, which limits drinking water

and recreation such as sailing, paddleboarding, dogs swimming in the

lake, people swimming in the lake, etc.

-Health and Resilience Survey Respondent


Prioritized

Strategies for

Destination

Management

Cleaner Air

Healthier

Communities

Placemaking

Resource

Conservation

Community

Resilience

Economic

Vitality

Wildfire

Defense


Destination Management Goal 1: Create a thriving and sustainable McCall through managed growth

and community engagement.

Destination Management Goal 2: Protect McCall’s natural environment for generations to come,

especially Payette Lake, McCall’s sole source of drinking water.

1

2 3

Destination Management Goal 2

Strategy: Create a Destination

Management Plan (DMP) to

establish a holistic approach to

the tourism economy including

actions that will:

• Specify the location and nature of tourism

development, activities, and operations, and;

• Regularly measure and monitor tourism’s economic

contribution and visitor volume.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Promote and

implement land management

practices that increase the ability

of the land to absorb and store

more carbon dioxide in soils

through plant and tree growth,

a concept known as carbon

sequestration.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Collaborate with

the recreational sector &

environmental educators to

educate visitors on the impacts

of climate change with long-term

trends in the recreational industry,

encourage eco-tourism, and

promote the Rooted in Resilience

Plan.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:

Placemaking

Economic

Vitality

Community

Resilience

Resource

Conservation

Cleaner Air

Community

Resilience

Placemaking




Destination Management Goal 1: Create a thriving and sustainable McCall through managed growth

and community engagement.

Destination Management Goal 2: Protect McCall’s natural environment for generations to come,

especially Payette Lake, McCall’s sole source of drinking water.

4

5 6


Strategy: Work to strategically

reduce pollutant runoff and

restrict development in high risk,

hazard, and environmentally

sensitive areas.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Continue efforts to

restore degraded environments

especially around high-use

recreation areas.

Timeframe:

Cost: $$

Co-Benefits:


Strategy: Support the deepening

of relationships between the

tourism industry in McCall and

members of tribal nations to

ensure stewardship and cultural

heritage are appropriately

communicated to visitors and

to build productive, mutually

beneficial partnerships.

Timeframe:

Cost: $

Co-Benefits:

Resource

Conservation

Wildfire

Defense

Healthier

Communities

Placemaking

Community

Resilience

Economic

Vitality

Resource

Conservation

Community

Resilience

Economic

Vitality





Tourism is a growing industry in Idaho. In 2024, the state

collected $21,778,508 in lodging taxes, a 2.4 percent increase

from 2023. The state projects this growth to continue 1 .

Without proactive planning, overtourism in McCall may lead

to more crowding, higher costs of living, and less consistent

transportation services. Residents of McCall are already

recognizing these pressures.

The larger Valley County region is especially sensitive to this

challenge. Seasonal tourism is a major part of the County’s

economy, benefiting the region greatly in recent years. In 2023,

direct travel spending from visitors of Valley County reached

$206.6 million, a 62 percent increase over 2019. The travel

industry alone added 1,740 new jobs, a 17 percent rise from

2019. State and local tax revenue generated from travel in the

region totaled $16.9 million, a 54 percent increase since 2019 2 .

Few cities are taking on the challenge of addressing greenhouse

gas emissions from visitors because of the complexity of this

issue. However, residents of McCall are undaunted. Throughout

the planning process, McCall community members recognized

the many ways tourism was impacting their way of life. They

saw clearly the opportunity to both reduce emissions and protect

what makes McCall so special.

A big part of McCall’s popularity with visitors and year-round

residents is the great outdoors. However, increasing usage of

trails, parks, and the lake is stressing these landscapes. Trees

and native landscapes are critical carbon sinks, or emissions

storage opportunities; losing them to development does not just

contribute to a decline in quality of life but also decreases one of

the City’s only opportunities to actually remove emissions.

1 Idaho Commerce, Tourism Economic Data and Research.

2 Visit Idaho, The Economic Impact of Travel (2024).


Leading by Example: The Carbon Capture

Potential of Trees

Understanding this opportunity, the project team

estimated the potential emissions storage and annual

carbon removal from planting and protecting trees.

Lotus analyzed data from national datasets on land

cover over two time periods to estimate the annual

emissions and removals of carbon. The analysis

compared the land cover including forests and trees

outside of forests .

In analyzing the forest cover from 2016-2019 and 2019-

2021, the project team found a short-term reduction in

the annual carbon removal of the City’s existing trees

and forested areas. From 2016 through 2019, trees

within McCall removed 2,244 mt CO2e, or 2.3 percent

of its total emissions annually. During the 2019-2021

period, that removal dropped to 1,154 mt CO2e, or 1.2

percent of total emissions, annually.

Case Study: King County, Washington

King County, Washington set a five-year goal to

conserve and plant a total of three million trees

by 2025 throughout the region. The County took

a three-pronged approach of 1) conserving 6,500

acres; 2) planting 500,000 trees, with a focus

on improving salmon habitat and in communities

with fewer trees; and 3) improving the health

and resilience of 1,000 acres of forest land.

Strengthened by a confluence of plans and public

and private partnerships, the three million tree

initiative links strategies from the County’s Climate

Action Plan, Forest Plan, and Land Conservation

Initiative.

This initial analysis suggests that McCall may have lost

some of its tree canopy. This loss resulted in less annual carbon removals and potentially added to emissions through

the loss of tree canopy. However, further analysis using remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR would specify

where that canopy was lost and help the City more consistently monitor the tree canopy and forested areas.

The potential loss in tree canopy presents the City an opportunity to start a tree monitoring and planting program.

Communities around McCall offer a range of tree canopy preservation and expansion programs, including several

in neighboring Washington and Oregon. For example, the City of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry

department plants free street trees in priority neighborhoods, those with the fewest trees. Additionally, the program

pays for contractors to maintain the trees for three seasons following the planting. The 2025-2026 season will see up

to 1,400 such free trees planted in the public right-of-way.


Table 3. Within the McCall boundary, forests and urban trees contribute to the net removal of carbon out of the atmosphere where it is

sequestered within the natural environment. From the period of 2016-2019 compared to 2019-2021, the additional loss of urban trees

contributed to a decrease in the net carbon removal.

Category

2016-2019

Area (ha)

2016-2019

Removals

(mt CO2e)

2016-2019

Emissions

(mt CO2e)

2019-2021

Area (ha)

2019-2021

Removals

(mt CO2e)

2019-2021

Emissions

(mt CO2e)

Undisturbed Forest 776 -3,641 0 793 -3,717 0

Disturbed Forest: Harvest/

Other

20 0 2,267 12 0 2,078

Other 14 -20 185 15 -24 202

Trees outside of forests: Tree

Canopy Loss

8 0 757 15 0 2,044

Trees outside of forests: Tree

Canopy Maintained or Gained

243 -1,792 0 235 -1,737 0

Totals (mt CO2e/yr) -5,453 3,209 -5,478 4,324

Net GHG Flux (mt CO2e/yr) -2,244 -1,154

Case Study: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island, a suburb of Seattle, has long prized its tree canopy. The

City has long had a robust community forestry program responsible for

maintaining the health of their tree canopy. Understanding the threat posed

by development to their tree canopy, the City developed a community forest

management plan in 2006 and has adopted many regulations around forest

stewardship.

Today, the City collaborates with local nonprofits and businesses to conduct

widespread community education and engagement, including publishing a set

of Best Management Practices for homeowners and City staff, offering a selfguided

Bainbridge Island Tree Tour, hosting a Celebrate Trees! Earth Month,

bestowing one free tree to each family with a newborn, and more.


Destination Management Community Vision

Residents of McCall again and again brought up the increase in visitation as a key issue. Survey findings revealed the

top three concerns for McCall residents:

• Increased difficulty in parking downtown.

• Increased crowding around Payette Lake.

• Increased difficulty in finding attainable housing.

However, the challenges do not end here. Community partners expressed concern over a decline in the overall quality

of experience for temporary and year-round residents of McCall alike. Traffic on the highway, crowded ski slopes,

busier trails and campgrounds, even ambient noise levels all contribute to today’s McCall experience.

There are many tricky balances to strike in managing this issue: the larger economy and the labor market; the

booming short term rental market and the dwindling local housing; and a beautiful landscape that perhaps is being

loved to death. McCall is already leading efforts to address some of these challenges, including in the McCall Local

Housing Action Plan.

Rooted In Resilience | Funding Solutions | 70

07 SEEDS & SOIL

Funding Solutions

Did you know?

If you like hunting for morel mushrooms in springtime, a mesh bag is your best

friend in ensuring there are more of this delicacy for the future! Once you have

found the elusive, conical, flavorful fungi, place them in a mesh bag as it allows

the mushroom spores to float back to the ground and generate more morels.

Similarly, we can create momentum and funding for the future by meshing

ideas with how other communities pay for climate action. This critical discussion

deserves cross-germination, room to breath, and transparency.


A frank discussion on how communities pay for Climate Action and Resilience

To put into action the Rooted in Resilience Plan, McCall will need to look to creative funding mechanisms. Similar

towns across the West are successfully funding their top priorities and can serve as examples for McCall. Some of the

strategies include leveraging existing funding sources, reallocating municipal fees, partnering with organizations whose

mission aligns with the plan, and other means of raising funds such as local or regional taxes. An overview of funding

options is summarized below. It is important to note these do not need to be used in a silo but could be used together

to create a larger impact.

Tax & Fee Options

Local Option Tax

McCall’s Lodging Tax (also known as the Local Option

Tax) funds can be used on a list of allowable uses. While

the strategies in Rooted in Resilience are not currently

listed as eligible uses, the regular renewal of the Local

Option Tax offers an opportunity to update the list with

the plan’s top priorities.

Regional Transportation Authorities (RTAs)

RTAs are created and funded by a local sales tax and

provide a dedicated funding source for transportation and

other community mobility projects. RTAs typically have

their own boards and staff to manage the funds. The

Rooted in Resilience Plan includes several initiatives that

could benefit from long-term sustainable transportation

funding.

Peer Mountain Communities: Teton County and Jackson

Hole, Wyoming

Peer Mountain Communities: Eagle County RTA (CORE

Transit), Pitkin and Garfield County RTA (Roaring Fork

Transportation Authority).

Tim Bradshaw / AllTrips.com

Caroline Llanes / Aspen Public Radio


Paid Parking Programs

Some communities experiencing congestion issues

have instituted paid parking programs. Some of the

revenue goes toward vehicle electrification, charging

infrastructure, or transportation demand strategies.

With McCall’s increased popularity, there is significant

potential for this funding strategy to raise revenue

for the plan’s strategies. Thoughtfully re-opening the

discussion over paid parking in downtown McCall could

improve understanding of its viability.

Municipal Operation Options

Water & Franchise Fees

In the City of Aspen, the city-owned water and

electric utility transfers some of their fee revenue

to the sustainability department. In exchange, the

sustainability department supports utility programming

(e.g., community-facing water conservation programs).

The amount transferred is based on a formula that

estimates total savings from sustainability programs

provided to utility customers. McCall’s water utility could

similarly allocate a portion of collected fees towards the

Rooted in Resilience Plan. McCall also collects a franchise

fee from the local electrical provider, which could also be

considered for plan implementation.

Peer Mountain Community: City of Aspen

The Aspen Times


Partnership Options

Non-profit Partnerships

Some mountain towns have partnered with local

community foundations to administer grants and fund

sustainability programs. Community foundations in Park

City and Eagle County, Colorado focus on funding climate

action programs. The Town of Eagle, Colorado created a

new non-profit, the Palmer Fund, solely to implement the

Town’s Net Zero Plan.

Idaho’s Community Foundation supports local

governments in implementing community-priority

projects. A partnership with this or other non-profit

organizations in Idaho could increase the funding

opportunities for this Plan. Alternatively, McCall could

look into standing up a new non-profit with the mission

of implementing the Plan.

Chamber of Commerce Partnership

The Park City Chamber of Commerce certified the City as

a “sustainable destination” under the Global Sustainable

Tourism Council. The Chamber, which collects taxes

to support its work, then used those tax funds to set

up a sustainable tourism grant program. The program

offers grants for local businesses to implement their

sustainability plans or programs. For example, a local

ski resort used its grant to develop zero waste event

plans. McCall’s Chamber of Commerce could be a unique

partner in supporting smart growth and small businessaligned

elements of the Rooted in Resilience Plan.

Peer Mountain Communities: Park City, Eagle County,

Town of Eagle

Peer Mountain Community: Park City

@palmerfund

Town Lift / Park City News


Leverage or “Stack” Existing Funding Sources

Eagle County’s ReEnergize Program

Eagle County developed a partnership between several

local and regional organizations to fund energy efficiency,

health and safety, and electrification upgrades to homes.

The flagship program stacks all available funding between

the organizations to best leverage each individual group’s

investments. Partners included the Northwest Colorado

Council of Governments, the local electric utility Holy

Cross Energy, a local non-profit providing energy rebates,

and the County.

Several similar funding programs serve McCall: the

local utilities and the State offer rebates and incentives

for energy efficient heating and cooling equipment,

weatherization, and other energy-saving actions.

Additional programs specifically serve income-qualified

individuals. McCall could stack funding opportunities

from: the State of Idaho Weatherization Program, Idaho

Power, Intermountain Natural Gas Company, State of

Idaho Alternative Energy Tax Deduction, and others.

Future Funding Opportunities

Solar for All

This program was authorized by the federal Inflation

Reduction Act. Bonneville Environmental Foundation will

be working with local partners and community members

over the next year to stand up a Solar for All program

that would improve access to solar energy for incomequalified

individuals and provide complimentary energy

efficiency upgrades to homes. McCall’s participation in

the stakeholder engagement process would help capture

in the program design and implementation the unique

needs of McCall as identified in the Rooted in Resilience

Plan.

Peer Mountain Community: Eagle County

Idaho Conservation

League

Rooted In Resilience | Monitoring & Accountability | 75

08 EVERGREEN WATCH

Monitoring & Accountability

Did you know?

The Great Gray Owl is a dapper Idaho native, that has long since been recorded

as a part of Payette Lake landscape. A devoted partner, the male Great

Gray Owl courts the female by bringing her food. It is almost always found in

evergreen trees such as lodgepole pine or sub-alpine fir. As such the bird is

dependent on uncut stands of evergreen forest. This chapter is named after the

trees this stately bird prefers, to reflect the progress and monitoring procedures

built into the plan to ensure McCall works towards its resilience goals for all the

people, flora, and fauna that depend on it.

Progress and Monitoring


Tracking progress is a critical part of an actionable plan. This typically involves monitoring and sharing key

performance indicators, or data used to represent progress towards a goal. This allows McCall to see how the plan

strategies are working, identify ways to improve, and stay accountable to the community.

McCall plans to measure progress through regular greenhouse gas emissions inventories, annual public sustainability

reports submitted to City Council, and other data collection efforts.

Science-based Emissions Reduction Target

As McCall embarks on this work, the City may wish to

consider a science-based emissions reduction target. A

science-based target is a goal to reduce emissions by the

community’s fair share of global emissions. The concept

aims to reduce emissions by enough to keep warming

under 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Adopting a science-based target would require a robust

monitoring and data collection system. As McCall

prepares to implement the plan, this is an opportunity

to build a regular process for updating the emissions

inventory. It is recommended that inventories be updated

every three to five years. Because many strategies

depend on behavioral and cultural shifts, the City may

not see significant emissions reductions year over year.

However, if too much time goes by between inventories,

McCall may lose chances to improve.

Regular Data Collection

Honoring its strong connection with residents, McCall

plans to track and collect data on the plan’s progress

regularly. Ideally, the City will select data points that are

meaningful to residents, are updated regularly and easy

to access, and say something about the plan’s progress.

Data collection also offers the City chances to strengthen

working partnerships. This is because regular data

collection requires open channels of communication with

key partners like utilities and public transit providers.


Dashboard

The City is open to public input into how best to display and share progress on the plan. One option is a publicly

available dashboard on the City’s website, as shown below. Dashboards show key metrics in easily digestible and

meaningful ways, as in the example below. To be useful, the dashboard must be kept up to date. As such, it is

typically recommended that at least one staff member is responsible for year-round data collection efforts.


Metrics for the City’s Consideration

Transportation

• Miles of complete streets

• Percentage of electric

vehicles in the City’s fleet

• Ridership on public transit

Example: St. Paul, Minnesota

tracks miles of bike lanes

and sidewalks, vehicle miles

traveled, and its EV charging

infrastructure network.


• Residential energy use and

costs

• Megawatts of renewable

energy generated

• Number of businesses

participating in the Green

Business program

Example: Larimer County,

Colorado tracks residential

energy use, the percentage

of renewable energies in its

utility mixes, and participation

in the sustainable business

program.


• Acres of reforested or

restored land

• Water quality and pollutant

load indicators

Example: Bloomington,

Indiana tracks tree canopy

coverage, water quality

test results, and water

conservation.

Rooted In Resilience | Putting the Plan into Motion | 79

09 PAYETTE RIVER

Putting the Plan into Motion


Did you know?

In 1968, Idaho Senator Frank Church helped sign into law the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act,

a move to ensure “that rivers with outstanding and remarkable natural, recreational,

and cultural features are preserved in their free-flowing condition for today and future

generations.” Although the stretch of the Payette North Fork that runs through McCall

attracts professional and international paddlers to the Class V section every year, this

stretch of river remains unprotected under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Still the Payette

River is sacred to the McCall community for its ability to allow life to take root and

thrive. The implementation plan was crafted to give the goals and strategies adaptive

and generative characteristics as well as forward momentum, much like the river has

done for McCall.

The Implementation Plan


The Payette River is an iconic part of McCall’s scenery, always in steady motion, ebbing and flowing its way through

the landscape. The Rooted in Resilience Plan implementation should work in the same way, moving steadily to

accomplish the outlined goals within the desired timeframe, while adapting to the ever-changing world we live in. The

tables in this chapter highlight the estimated cost, timeline, and co-benefits of each strategy the City will pursue in

coming years. These are a result of all the engagement, expertise, and thought put into this document by countless

partners and contributors including the McCall community, subject-matter experts, the Nez Perce Tribe, and City

staff. The following framework will be used to put the Rooted in Resilience Plan into practice, taking it from a planning

document to creating tangible change.




Reduce McCall’s transportation emissions through multi-modal solutions and focusing on producing, buying, and

reusing materials locally.

Strategy Action Partners Cost Timeline Co-Benefits

GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Improve wayfinding

support

systems.

Develop clean and clear messaging and signage for visitors that

cues folks to use public transit or sidewalks (Example: ability to flag

down the blue line).

McCall Municipal Airport, Mountain

Community Transit, McCall Community

Engagement & Public Affairs Dept., McCall

Public Works Dept, Local businesses such

as hotels, restaurants, bars, short-term

rentals, and ski lodges.

$ Short term

Cleaner Air



Low impact

Prioritize Roadway projects that have sustainability related cobenefits.

Pilot a bike or e-bike share program.

Increase

access to

multi-modal

transportation

options.

1. Create E-Bike Policies & Safety Materials to manage their use

within the community.

2. Continue to monitor and evaluate e-devices (e-bikes,

e-scooters, one wheels, etc.) usage and impact, provide

education to the community to inform policies.

Enable the growth of on-demand mobility services (e.g., ridesharing,

bike-sharing, car-sharing, etc.) for the first- and last-mile

of transit connections and/or full trips.

Support the City’s Transportation Plan with Complete Street

strategies and policies for new development and public projects.

1. Create a decision-making framework to determine where and

when to prioritize bike lanes, pathways & sidewalks.

2. Consider environmental management, when possible, to ensure

snow removal and complete streets do not conflict.

Mountain Community Transit, ride-share

and taxi services like Uber, Lyft, and

Zipcar, McCall Public Works Dept., bike

and car-sharing services like Lime and

Turo.

$$ Medium term

Cleaner Air



Economic Vitality

Medium

impact

Make EV charging more accessible to neighborhoods with the least

access to charging infrastructure.

1. Create EV Parking design standards for public facilities and

share designs with the private sector upon request.

2. Make EV charging available in all public parking lots.

Mountain Community Transit, McCall

Public Works Dept., Idaho Power.

$$$ Long Term

Cleaner Air

Economic Vitality

Medium

impact

Implement parking management for public parking facilities to

incentivize non-vehicular modes of transportation.

McCall Parking Enforcement, Local

businesses, Chamber of Commerce,

Community & Economic Development

Dept., Public Works Dept.

$ Short term

Cleaner Air


Economic Vitality

Low impact




GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Reduce

emissions

associated

with

distribution

by improving

McCall's

capacity for

a circular

economy.

Encourage the McCall community (businesses and

buyers) to buy local/locally produced.

Work with local manufacturing companies to meet sourcing and

fabrication needs in core local industries or municipal initiatives

(e.g., precast toilets for recreation management).

Include sustainability-related projects as an eligible expense or

allocation criteria for Local Option Tax funds.

All McCall businesses, Chamber of

Commerce, McCall Purchasing Dept., local

housing developers, McCall Municipal

Airport.

McCall City Clerk, City Council, Chamber

of Commerce, Community & Economic

Development Dept.

$ Medium term

$$ Medium term


Economic Vitality



Economic Vitality

Medium

impact

Low impact


Partner regionally to reduce transportation-related emissions.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Strive for 50% of the town workforce to live within 5 miles of the

city.

McCall Public Works Dept., Mountain

Community Transit, McCall Municipal

Airport, local housing developers, Housing

Advisory Committee.

$$ Long term

Cleaner Air



Medium

impact

Reduce single

occupancy

vehicle inbound

and outbound

trips.

Make public transit a more accessible option by improving

connections to and from primary transit hubs and expanding the

reach and frequency of the transit network.

Implement a fleet management program with vehicle efficiency

standards for City vehicles.

McCall Public Works Dept., Mountain

Community Transit, McCall Municipal

Airport, ride-share and taxi services like

Uber, Lyft, and Zipcar, and bike and carsharing

services like Lime and Turo.

McCall Purchasing Dept., City Council,

City Clerk, Public Works Dept.

$$ Medium term

$$ Short term

Cleaner Air



Economic Vitality

Cleaner Air



Medium

impact

Medium

impact

Implement a voluntary commute trip reduction incentive program,

leading at the municipal level and encouraging McCall employers to

participate.

• For example: carpooling, hybrid work arrangements,

alternative working hours, transit encouragement, active

commuting encouragement, software solutions, employersponsored

vanpool, etc.)

Public Works Dept., Community &

Economic Development Dept.,

Community Engagement & Public Affairs

Dept.

$ Short term

Cleaner Air


Economic Vitality

Medium

impact




Protect McCall’s mountain air and tranquility by responsibly managing energy resources.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Promote energy efficiency and a shift towards cleaner energy

sources in buildings to improve public health, reduce noise pollution,

offset energy use, and preserve the unique mountain town feel of

McCall.

Baseline and

implement

renewable

energy actions

that build upon

Idaho-specific

energy goals.

• For example: Encourage switching from propane or natural

gas to electricity. Incentivize energy-efficient buildings and

developments that make as much clean energy as they use

(net-zero). Track these projects to build a library of local

examples for future use.

Incentivize the creation and maintenance of healthy and energyresilient

homes, particularly for vulnerable populations, while also

addressing housing stability. Build energy resilience through the

expanded use of wind power, hydropower, and the sun’s heat as

energy and heat source.

Local developers and contractors, Historic

Preservation Commission,

Housing Advisory Committee, Public

Works Dept., Office of the City Clerk,

Idaho Power, Nez Perce Tribe, local

residents (especially vulnerable

populations).

$$ Medium term

Cleaner Air



Medium

impact

1. Work with tribes to learn about microgrids.

2. Create an energy resilience plan.

3. Utilize renewables available with Idaho Power.


Establish McCall as a regional leader in climate resilience by prioritizing wildfire mitigation, water quality, and

conservation strategies.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Implement

policies that

support wildfire

resistance and

also benefit

broader

energy and

environmental

resilience.

Create Zoning Overlays for Fire Risk Zones with specific design and

maintenance standards. Ensure that the zoning and policy review

process support fire-mitigating landscaping.

McCall Fire Protection District, Planning

& Zoning Commission, Parks and

Recreation, Public Works Dept., Tree

Advisory Committee.

$$ Short term

Cleaner Air



Economic Vitality

Low impact

Implement

policies

protecting

water quality

and promoting

water

conservation.

Create a Drought Resilience Plan that considers water use reduction

standards for low water years within the Payette Watershed.

1. Help community members connect water conservation with

reducing energy consumption at home and at the community

level through a “Waterwise Campaign”.

Improve municipal systems and update city code so that untreated

or reclaimed water is used to irrigate public spaces or private lawns.

Update Drainage Management Guidelines to integrate and promote

wetland restoration to promote carbon sequestration.

City of McCall Water Distribution division,

Payette Lakes Recreational Water

and Sewer District (PLRWSD), McCall

Community Engagement & Public Affairs

Dept., McCall Public Works Dept, Local

businesses such as hotels, restaurants,

short-term rentals, and ski lodges, and

local residents.

$$$ Medium term




Low impact



Positively affect affordability by continuing to promote community connectedness through intelligent policy and

community development.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Implement the Local Housing Action Plan effectively and create

more local, affordable and accessible housing options.

Establish more

local housing

in areas close

to jobs and

services and/or

core McCall.

1. Support the implementation of the strategies to ensure units

are produced.

2. Include energy efficiency and sustainability criteria into

projects when possible.

3. Encourage local housing units be created within McCall to

ultimately reduce GHGs and other transportation costs (see

Transportation Strategy above).

4. Include local housing infrastructure as eligible project into

Streets Local Option Tax (LOT).

Secure dedicated funding source(s) for Local Housing.

5. Develop an employer assisted housing program for City of

McCall employees.

6. Continue to fund the Local Housing Incentive Program.

Housing Advisory Committee, local

contractors and developers, Local Option

Tax Commission, HOA and neighborhood

associations, Planning and Zoning

Commission, Community & Economic

Development Dept., City of McCall

employees, City Council.

$$ Ongoing



Placemaking

Attainable Housing

Low impact


Address McCall’s waste diversion challenges and promote self-reliance and circularity.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Focus on

construction

and demolition

strategies

as a way to

reduce waste

and a way to

reduce carbon

emissions.

Expand adaptive re-use of local materials.

For example:

• Using cleared trees from wildfire mitigation projects;

• Utilizing wood biomass for energy or redeployed in

watershed or stream restoration activities

• Incorporating retired materials into new park & facilities

features.


Preservation Commission, Public Works

Dept., Parks and Recreation Dept., Nez

Perce Tribe, local residents or volunteers.

$ Short term


Placemaking

Low impact

Leverage early

community

adopters of

waste diversion

to foster

wider-spread

catalyzation.

Work with partners to re-launch a Green Business Program which:

For example:

• Develops energy efficiency-focused contractor trainings;

• Creates assistance programs for buildings to become

more energy efficient; and

• Promotes green business practices in the community.

Local businesses, local contractors,

McCall Library, Chamber of Commerce,

Community & Economic Development

Dept.

$ Medium term



Economic Vitality

Low impact




Create a thriving and sustainable McCall through managed growth, affordability, and community engagement.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Foster

economic

resilience

through green

workforce

development

and

empowering

McCall’s

business

owners of

all sizes to

be drivers of

climate action.

Support the deepening of relationships between the tourism industry

in McCall and members of tribal nations to ensure stewardship and

cultural heritage are appropriately communicated to visitors and to

build productive, mutually beneficial partnerships.

Collaborate with the recreational sector & environmental educators

to educate visitors on the impacts of climate change with longterm

trends in the recreational industry and promote the Rooted in

Resilience Plan.

Nez Perce Tribe, Chamber of Commerce,

McCall Community Engagement & Public

Affairs Dept., Community & Economic

Development Dept., Local tourism-relate

businesses such as hotels, restaurants,

short-term rentals, and ski lodges.

$ Medium term


Placemaking

Low impact


Protect McCall’s natural environment for generations to come, especially Payette Lake, McCall’s sole source of drinking

water.


GHG

Emissions

Reduction

Reduce

Payette Lake’s

exposure to

pollutants from

recreational

use and

stormwater

runoff.

Create a Destination Management Plan (DMP) to establish a holistic

approach to the tourism economy that supports the long-term

health and well-being of the community, including actions that will:

1. Specify the location and nature of tourism development,

activities, and operations, and;

2. Regularly measure and monitor tourism’s economic

contribution and visitor volume.

Work to strategically reduce pollutant runoff and restrict

development in high risk, hazard, and environmentally sensitive

areas.

Continue efforts to restore degraded environments especially around

high-use recreation areas.


Preservation Commission, Chamber of

Commerce, Public Works Dept., Parks

and Recreation Dept., Nez Perce Tribe,

City Council, local residents and visitors,

volunteers.


Preservation Commission, Chamber of

Commerce, Public Works Dept., Parks

and Recreation Dept., Nez Perce Tribe,

City Council, local residents and visitors,

volunteers.

$$ Medium term

$$ Medium term


Placemaking

Economic Vitality



Wildfire Defense

Low impact

Low impact

Pursue

nature-based

solutions to

combat carbon

emissions.

Promote and implement land management practices that increase

the ability of the land to absorb and store more carbon dioxide in

soils through plant and tree growth, a concept known as carbon

sequestration.

Local landscapers, Public Works Dept.,

Parks and Recreation Dept., Nez Perce

Tribe, Tree advisory Committee, local

residents, volunteers.

$ Medium term


Placemaking

Economic Vitality

Low impact



GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Active Transportation: human-powered mobility, such as biking or walking.

Algal Blooms: Algae are always in natural bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and rivers, and a few types produce

toxins. A harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurs when toxin-producing algae grow excessively in a body of water. The

excessive algal growth, or algal bloom, becomes visible to the naked eye and can be green, blue-green, red, or brown,

depending on the type of algae. Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Anthropogenic: Something, usually an environmental change, caused by the actions of human beings.

Business-as-usual (BAU): scenarios that are based on the assumption that no mitigation policies or measures will

be implemented beyond those that are already in force and/or are legislated or planned to be adopted. Source:

Intergovernmental Pannel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Building Types:

• Commercial: A property where at least 50 percent of floor space is used for commercial activities such as retail, office,

etc.

• Residential: A building that includes between one and four housing units for residential inhabitants. Source: CEO.

Carbon: Carbon, carbon dioxide, or gaseous carbon compounds is used in this context to describe the outputs of

using fossil fuels for energy and/or production of goods. As more carbon is released into the atmosphere, the build up

can act as a blanket that traps heat around the world and disrupts Earth’s climate.

Carbon Sequestration: Process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken up by plants through photosynthesis

and stored as carbon in biomass and soils. Source: Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission

Inventories (GPC)

Carbon Sinks: places (e.g. forests, soil, etc.) that absorb more carbon than they release.


Case Study: a qualitative research method that is used to enhance understanding of the policy-making process. By

using case studies, one can learn how public policy is designed and implemented. Public policy case studies provide

insight not only into decision-making processes, but also into the political and organizational environments from which

public policy emerges. Source: Sage Research Methods

Circular Economy: Circular economies are resilient and regenerative systems that rethink how materials are

produced, used, and discarded. They reuse, repair, and recirculate existing products and materials for as long as

possible. Once materials reach the end of their life, they are recycled and transformed into new products. Source:

Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC)

Climate Vulnerabilities: the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects

of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC)

Co-benefits: the benefits from policy options implemented for various reasons at the same time, acknowledging

that most policies resulting in GHG mitigation also have other, often at least equally important, rationales. Source:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Defensible Data: Data collected by sound and logical means, from which any qualified person would be able to draw

the same conclusion(s).

Electrification: The process of replacing equipment that is traditionally powered with fossil fuels to that which is

powered by electricity.

Energy Independence: This generally refers to a community’s ability to provide enough energy from diverse sources

to insulate itself from outside market fluctuations and avoid dependence on imported energy.

Energy Storage System: Any commercially available, customer-sited system, including batteries and the batteries

paired with on-site generation, that is capable of retaining, storing, and delivering energy by chemical, thermal,

mechanical, or other means. Source: 4 CCR 723-3.

Fleet vehicle: cars owned and used by an organization, government agency, or any public utility. They are primarily

used to transport cargo or people. The vehicles are the foundation for many businesses and range in type heavily from

taxi cabs, rental cars, trucks, public buses, and much more. Source: J.D. Power.


Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. GHGs are the seven gases covered by the

UNFCCC: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); perfluorocarbons

(PFCs); sulfur hexafluoride (SF6); and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). Source: Global Protocol for Community-scale

Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and certain

synthetic chemicals, trap some of the Earth’s outgoing energy, thus retaining heat in the atmosphere. This heat

trapping causes changes in the radiative balance of the Earth—the balance between energy received from the sun and

emitted from Earth—that alter climate and weather patterns at global and regional scales. Source: EPA 2023

Low-Income: a person or family with a household income at or below two hundred percent of the current federal

poverty line; or at or below eighty percent of the area median income, as published annually by the United States

department of housing and urban development. Source: Idaho Legislature, Chapter 56, Title 11.

Indoor Air Pollution: Indoor air pollution is created by the release of harmful pollutants inside. These can include

fine particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide and various other toxins. Source: World Economic Forum.

Locally Made/Local: Products that are extracted, manufactured, produced or processed, and sold within a 100-

mile radius of McCall. For food orders, the maximum radius should be within 15 miles of McCall. Source: Sustainable

Purchasing Best Management Practice Guide - Town of Erie.

Microhydropower: Micro-hydropower is a smaller class of hydropower. Micro-hydropower systems are small

hydroelectric power systems of less than 100 kW used to produce mechanical energy or electricity. Source: University

of Wyoming.

Natural Amenities: A naturally-occurring feature that provides valued recreational opportunities, resources, services,

or benefits to the local community.

Program: An ongoing, long-term offering by the utility with no specified end date that utilizes or deploys DER on the

distribution grid in a manner that provides system benefits or cost savings. Source: Adapted from 4 CCR 723-3.

Primary Transit Hub: A place where many modalities and lines of transit may connect and branch out, such as an

airport, bus station, or train station.

Resilience: The ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or disturbances related to

climate change and other events. Source: CEO.


Science-Based Target (SBT): a carbon emissions target that is in line with the scale of reductions required to keep

global temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. Source: The Carbon Trust.

Snowpack: snow on the ground in mountainous areas that persists until the arrival of warmer weather. Melting

snowpack is an important source of water for many areas. Source: National Geographic.

Social Hazards: risks resulting from individual or collective human behaviors, social conditions, or societal factors

that may cause harm to people or the environment.

Stormwater: the runoff generated when precipitation from rain and snowmelt events flows over land or impervious

surfaces (e.g. roofs, parking lots, sidewalks, etc.) without draining into the ground.

Waste Diversion: To minimize solid waste generation through source reduction, recycling, reuse or composting.

Waste diversion also reduces disposal costs and the burden on landfills. Source: US Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA).

Watershed: A land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow

points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Source: NOAA.

Waterwise: Using water more efficiently by using plants that have lower water needs and encourage efficient water

use.

Weatherization: Household upgrades that protect your home from the elements, such as extreme heat and cold

weather. Residential weatherization measures include insulation, efficient window and door replacements, air sealing,

and more. Source: Bonneville Power Administration.


APPENDIX A

2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory



APPENDIX B

ezEV Suitability Assessment



APPENDIX C

Drought Resiliency Draft Framework



ROOTED IN RESILIENCE

A Climate Action Plan

2025

FINAL_McCall Rooted In Resilience CAP__10.27

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