BLM Says, “Enough is Enough”

By Brad Smith, Conservation Associate-

In a recent news release the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) disclosed plans to issue an emergency closure order for the Kill Hill Creek Wilderness Study Area to curtail resource damage caused by unmanaged off-road vehicle use.

Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) are essentially the BLM counterpart to Forest Service Inventoried Roadless Areas. The key difference being that roads or motorized trails in existence within WSAs as of 1976 are allowed to remain open at BLM’s discretion.

According to the 1991 Idaho Wilderness Study Report there are 67 WSAs in Idaho totaling 1,797,456 acres. The Bureau recommended to Congress that 27 Idaho WSAs containing 972,239 acres be designated for permanent protection as Wilderness.

At a meeting in Boise last night, BLM spokesman Frank Jenks pointed out that more than 20 miles of illegal routes have been created at Kill Hill by off-roaders.

The BLM will be enforcing restrictions on off-road travel beginning September 8, 2008. Maps showing official routes within the WSA will be available at BLM offices in Boise, Twin Falls and Shoshone. Informational kiosks will also be installed along arterial roads leading to the area.

Now its time for BLM to take similar action for other Idaho WSAs.

Idaho’s Bounty

By Courtney Washburn, Community Conservation Director-

Are you a food lover in the Wood River Valley, Treasure Valley or Magic Valley? You can pick up great local food like vegetables, salad greens, melons, corn, tomatoes, farmed fish, poultry and eggs, fruit, dairy and ranched meat. All you have to do is place on order online and pick it up!

Why buy local?

• great food
• builds community
• protects clean air and water
• invest in the local economy

A Bumpy Road Ahead

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate –

I spent the morning with Governor Otter, Senator Crapo, and over 250 folks including elected officials, state and federal agency representatives, and transportation professions — All of us listening intently to a dissection of our transportation-funding problems and coming to the following conclusion: The federal government doesn’t have the funds to help Idaho. Idahoans will have to help themselves. This most likely means an increase in vehicle registration fees and the fuel tax.

But we are going to need much more creative solutions if we plan to raise $240 million.

Here are some of the voices from today.

• “It just flat takes money.” – General Darrel Manning, Idaho Transportation Department Board Chair

• “A $240 million investment in transportation will result in 5000 additional Idaho jobs yearly.” – Bob Uhlenkott, Idaho Department of Labor

• “Idahoan’s don’t like taxes, but they won’t tolerate bad roads.” – Representative Ken Roberts

The Governor’s Transportation Funding Conference visits Boise today, marking the last opportunity for public comment on Idaho’s transportation funding crisis. All comments are being collected and distributed to policy makers statewide.

Boise’s Tragic Fire – What’s the Lesson?

By Jonathan Oppenheimer, Senior Conservation Associate-

Last night, 50-mph wind gusts and tinder dry grasses and brush stoked a fire on the southeastern edge of Boise. The fire destroyed 10 homes and resulted in the tragic death of a BSU professor.

The image we often see of Idaho fire is remote hillsides blackened by fire, trees ablaze deep in the forest. It’s easy to forget that even Idaho’s most populous city is interspersed with fire-prone landscapes.

Fortunately, there are things we can do to help to prevent this type of tragedy in the future. Experts tell us we can reduce the risk of home destruction by:

• clearing away brush, grass and pine needles,

• storing flammable materials (propane tanks, woodpiles, and gas cans) away from homes,

• replacing wood siding, decks and roofs with flame-resistant materials.

The Firewise program offers useful tips for protecting our homes.

The University of Idaho also has a helpful booklet with recommendations for creating and maintaining firesafe communities.

Let’s use this tragedy to prevent future heartbreak.

Good Riddance

By Justin Hayes, Program Director –

For years the Jerritt Canyon Mine in northern Nevada has been emitting thousands of pounds of mercury into the air. Some years Jerritt Canyon emitted upwards of 10,000 of mercury. For comparison, the average coal fired power plant emits 125 pounds of mercury per year.

This mercury blows over Idaho (and Utah) and then settles onto the land and gets in the water. Once in the waterbodies, the mercury contaminates local fisheries and poises a serious threat to children who eat locally caught fish.

The Idaho Conservation League has waged a multi-year effort to aggressively expose this mine’s massive mercury emissions and our concerns that the company was misleading regulators about their installation and use of emissions controls.

Concern over these massive mercury emissions finally prompted the State of Nevada to direct the mine to temperately shutdown and install better mercury controls. That was completed several months ago.

In a rapidly unraveling turn of events, the mine’s operator appears to have gone bankrupt, has fired all the employees and possibly even abandoned the gold processing facility.

Our objective was to force them to control their mercury emissions — not to necessarily shut them down. But, if you can’t operate cleanly, you should not be operating.

Idaho, Utah and the poor folks that live even closer in Northern Nevada will breath easier now that this facility — the largest mercury emitting mine in the United States — is closed down. Now, if you all can just wait 50 years, our fisheries might be safe to eat again.

Mining in Idaho is no longer business as usual

Photo of Gov. Andrus and Rick Johnson announcing agreement between Idaho Cobalt and the Idaho Conservation League

By John Robison, Public Lands Director -

For mining companies, business as usual in Idaho has often been get in, get rich, and get out. Irresponsible mining companies have left a legacy of scars, poisoned water, and damaged communities. As a result, the Idaho Conservation League aggressively opposes high-risk mining projects such as the Atlanta Gold mine.

When we see a mining company that is willing to take extra steps, we think these efforts should be recognized. Formation Capital is dramatically raising the bar with the Idaho Cobalt Project by fully bonding for water treatment and funding a Conservation Action Program (CAP). CAP will fund fisheries and water quality restoration projects in the Upper Salmon Watershed above and beyond what is required as part of the mine’s plan of operations.

As such, the Idaho Conservation League decided the best way to further our conservation mission is to work with the company instead of simply trying to stop the project.

Make no mistake, the Idaho Cobalt Project has a considerable list of concerns and we and others will remain engaged. But when the next mining project comes knocking on Idaho’s doors, we will have raised the bar considerably. Mining is no longer business as usual in Idaho.

Rethinking Fire

By Jonathan Oppenheimer, Senior Conservation Associate-

Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff were in town last week to tour the National Interagency Fire Center. Their visit came on the heels of a three-part Idaho Statesman series on fire.

What we’ve learned is that:

• putting out all fires today increases the risk of bigger fires tomorrow,

• the rapid growth of homes and communities close to natural areas results in higher suppression costs and greater risks to firefighters and residents, and

• the rising cost of firefighting takes money away from recreation, wildlife and ironically, fuels reduction.

In 2003, an Idaho Conservation League report found that many of the fire plans for Idaho’s federal lands were outdated. In the coming weeks, we’ll release a new report that looks at the 2007 fire season, which impacted over 2 million acres in Idaho. What we are finding is that Idaho land managers have taken steps in the right direction and are managing fires smarter and safer, by lighting controlled burns and allowing some fires to burn in natural areas away where it’s safe.

Fish and Game Employee Left Twisting in the Wind

By John Robison, Public Lands Director-

Dave Parrish, Fish and Game’s Magic Valley supervisor, was demoted and reassigned to a fisheries program for sharing his insights on the controversial China Mountain Wind Project.

Dave Parrish wrote a letter to the editor in the Times News reminding the public to weigh the costs to Idaho wildlife when forming an opinion.

Dave Parrish’s new assignment isn’t the only thing that smells fishy. While this sounds like just the sort of public service that a Fish and Game biologist should be doing, his letter was not approved or supported by the department.

While Fish and Game officials deny any political influence, the clear message to all state employees is to keep quiet and not let facts stand in the way of decision-making. Idahoans deserve better, particularly when it comes to reviewing complex issues like how we are going to meet the energy needs for our communities without destroying the very reasons we live here.

Protection of Species to be Narrowed

By Brad Smith, Conservation Associate-

Former Idaho Governor and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne issued a press release yesterday calling for “narrow” changes to the regulations designed to protect threatened and endangered species.

Under existing regulations, federal agencies consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Services when a project has the potential to affect protected species.

The changes proposed by Secretary Kempthorne would give federal agencies more latitude and remove an important system of regulatory “checks and balances” in place since 1986.

Also of note is a proposed change to prevent what the Bush Administration called, “misuse of the ESA to regulate climate change.” This change is being proposed despite the fact that global warming poses the real possibility to lead to the extinction of countless species.

The Washington Post quoted Rep. Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, who called the proposed changes an example of “Eleventh hour rulemakings.”

Rolling back the protections of the Endangered Species Act compromises Idaho’s quality of life by risking our fish and wildlife.

Guilt-Free Movie Night

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate -

I’m not talking about butter-less popcorn, soy dream, or sugar-free soda….

No, I’m talking about Netflix.

Thanks to the investigatory journalism of The Green Lantern on Slate.com, I can feel good about my low-carbon, movie-viewing diet.