Time for Action

By Courtney Washburn, Community Conservation Director-

From the Idaho Statesman Editorial on the issue of greenhouse gases:

“A prime example occurred in the state Senate this year, when lawmakers rejected a resolution to allow the state’s scientists to study greenhouse emissions and climate change – and possibly identify economic opportunities resulting from climate change. Instead of moving proactively, these lawmakers preferred to warm over the global warming debate. A 31 percent increase in greenhouse emissions should be sufficient to shake these senators – and any other like-minded officials – from their slumber.”

To read the rest go here

Local impacts of climate change

By Jonathan Oppenheimer, Senior Conservation Associate-

A conference hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and others wrapped up a two-day workshop in Boise yesterday. The meeting provided insight into what a changing climate means for fish, wildlife and natural areas in the Pacific Northwest. The meeting featured presentations from leading scientists whose job is increasingly to let natural resource managers know what they should be doing to prepare for changing climate conditions.

The long and short of it is that it doesn’t look good for many sensitive fish, wildlife and plant species, and that entire ecosystems may be disrupted. Species that have legs and wings may fare better, since they may be able to follow their habitat up in elevation or North in latitude. Others, may simply blink out unless they’re able to adapt.

A new report from the US Climate Change Science Program outlines threats that natural areas will face in coming years. The threats underscore the urgency to do everything we can to stop global warming pollution and invest in clean energy now.

Keeping Superfund at Bay

By Susan Drumheller, North Idaho Associate-

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality have come up with an ingenious way to garner public and political support for their 2008 Coeur d’Alene Lake Management Plan – a plan designed to keep heavy metals trapped in the lake bed.

The strategy? Propose no new government regulations.

Time will tell how this approach works, but if it doesn’t, the “adaptive management” aspect of the plan will allow the tribe and DEQ to respond with some rules – or risk the lake being designated a Superfund site by the federal government.

The feds have deferred Superfund designation for the lake – which is contaminated with heavy metals from a century of mining operations upstream in the Silver Valley – to give time for a lake management plan to be implemented and proven effective.

Perhaps the biggest strength of the plan, unveiled yesterday, is the fact that it was crafted by the tribe and the state together: “We’re starting out in a place of agreement,” said DEQ’s Gwen Fransen.

Read the press coverage of the plan’s release or read the plan yourself.

More precious than gold….

By John Robison, Public Lands Director -

This last weekend thirty-nine sunburned and slightly soggy floaters learned first hand about the remarkable values of the Boise River watershed and more about the ongoing risks from the Atlanta Gold mine.

Sponsored by Idaho Families for Clean Water and made possible by an incredible group of volunteers, this trip was the third annual float down the Middle Fork of the Boise River.

After a bumpy two-hour drive, we put in at the confluence of the Middle Fork and North Forks of the Boise River. During our scenic 11-mile float, campsite after campsite was full of families enjoying this stretch of river.

As usual, the drive to the put in along the windy road was actually much more dangerous than the river itself. Just like last year, we came across a vehicle that had careened off the road and down the steep bank toward the water. These accidents highlighted everyone’s safety concerns about hauling diesel fuel and other hazardous chemicals for mining operations on both fish and downstream users.

Floaters also learned that while the Atlanta Gold company has recently scaled back plans for its gold mine operations, the company has yet to find a long term solution for arsenic coming from historic mine shafts.

While it may be a cliché by now, it was clear to all the participants that the Boise River is more precious than gold! Thanks again to our tremendous volunteers who helped make everything happen!

New Location in Sandpoint

By Susan Drumheller, North Idaho Associate-

Thanks to some late-night, last-minute finish work by the owners of the Sandpoint Business and Events Center, we had ceiling tiles, window trim and temporary tables in the center’s lobby for our open house last week. And thanks to Pend d’Oreille Winery, we had plenty of wine to get us through the event, which attracted about 60 people to celebrate our new office location.

The Sandpoint office of the Idaho Conservation League moved into the not-quite-finished building – which once served as Sandpoint High School and later as the “Ninth Grade Center” – back in March. We invited our members and area citizens to come check out the remodeled building and catch up on
some of the work we’ve been doing in North Idaho.

Tailpipes and Feedlots

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate-

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality released a report last week documenting the main sources of greenhouse gases in the state. Greenhouse gas pollution has been linked to global warming and Idaho’s emission rates are rising faster than the nation as a whole. According to the report, the two main sources of this pollution are vehicles and large dairies/feedlots.

Together, vehicles and large animal operations account for 51% of the greenhouse gases in Idaho. Fossil fuel use in residential, industrial, and commercial sectors accounted for 19% of Idaho’s pollution. In fact, if we neglect to further reduce pollution in Idaho we could be 60% above 1990 levels by 2020.

This probably sounds like a bunch of bad news, but isn’t. Getting a clear understanding of the source of Idaho pollution is the 1st step towards reducing Idaho pollution.

If you would like to read the report and find out more information go here.

Governor Seeks Input on Transportation

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate-
The Statesman reported the Governor’s plan to bring the discussion of ITD’s funding shortfall to Idaho communities throughout the state. This July, through a series of six meetings, the Governor hopes to build consensus among Idahoans and to begin to raise support for roadway maintenance and improvement. This last winter has definitely taken a toll on some of Idaho’s roads and highways, and the state will need to increase funding for road maintenance. However, a clear understanding of Idaho’s transportation crisis must include funding for alternative transportation options.

Let’s kill multiple birds with one stone. By including alternative transportation options in these statewide discussions, we can begin to address the increased pollution in the Treasure Valley and in North Idaho, the rising cost of gas, and the ever-increasing growth of Idaho communities. Simply funding road maintenance and improvement will alleviate none of these burdens.

Seek Smart Solutions

By Courtney Washburn, Community Conservation Director-

Below is an exerpt from the readers view in today’s Statesman which proposes some great solutions to our transportation challenges.

Rachel Winer: Seek Smart solutions to cut fuel costs, keep communities vibrant

As the price of gas continues to rise, more Idahoans are feeling the financial impact. According to a recent poll, the squeeze is hitting everyone – over 70 percent of Americans say they are experiencing financial hardship because of the rising cost of gas.

Transportation costs are the second highest household cost. Rising costs mean that many Idahoans simply can’t afford to drive as much. Since there seems little hope for gas prices to go down anytime in the near future, we need to seek out other solutions.

One solution is to create and support housing and transportation choices. We can do this through creating more walkable, compact communities and a better public transportation system. By shifting 10 percent of new housing construction to this type of smart growth development, the country could save $220 billion in household expenses over 10 years.

To read the full article go here.

Feds Move to Regulate GHG Emissions

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate-
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)  release a report yesterday detailing expert opinions on the economics of policy options to address global warming. In other words, Congress, through the research and reporting powers of the GAO, are taking a close look at how the U.S. could regulate greenhouse gas emissions and how those regulatory options might influence our economy. The GAO complied a panel of experts from across the Country; folks that study the impacts of global warming from an economic and social perspective.  These panelists unanimously agreed that a market-based approach should be implemented to place a price on greenhouse gases. Further, the majority of the expert panelists agreed it would be in the best interest of the Country to establish such a price as soon as possible, regardless of whether or not other countries adopt similar policies.
Two main market-based approaches were highlighted: a greenhouse gas tax and a cap-and-trade program. If you are interested in more information about how the European Union has implemented its 2005 green house gas cap-and-trade program go here.

June 7 is National Trails Day

By Brad Smith, Conservation Associate-

While many of Idaho’s amazing backcountry trails will still be buried under snow this Saturday, National Trails Day at least signals that those beautiful summer days trekking into the back country are close.

REI and the American Hiking Society have teamed up to sponsor a number of volunteer trail maintenance projects throughout the country. Unfortunately no event is scheduled for Idaho this year. Thousands of miles of back country trails need care and maintenance. With dismal budgets these days, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are increasingly relying on volunteer work to keep these trails in quality condition for public enjoyment.

The Idaho Conservation League(ICL) is sponsoring an event in Northern Idaho this summer when the snow does melt off. On July 12 and 13, ICL will partner with the Forest Service to do some cleanup and maintenance work at beautiful Roman Nose Lakes in the Selkirk Mountains. Volunteer support would be greatly appreciated.

ICL also holds a summer hiking series in Boise, Ketchum and Sandpoint.