Giving Thanks

By Justin Hayes, Program Director -

As Thanksgiving continues to devolve into an orgy of over-eating and day-after shopping, sometimes its nice to just stop and actually give thanks for what we have and to those who help.

So, to our members — who support us financially and with their good work and thoughts — we say thank you.  Without your support and help the Idaho Conservation League would not exist.

The wide ranging successes that the Idaho Conservation League has had over the years -  protecting Idaho’s rugged back country, preserving clean rivers full of trout, reducing pollution and protecting air quality – are your successes.  Thank you!

The Times They are A-Changin’

By Jonathan Oppenheimer, Senior Conservation Associate -

In some of Idaho’s mountain towns, being a conservationist isn’t always seen as a redeeming quality…There have been times in the recent past that conservationists were burned in effigy, angry mill-workers picketed in the Idaho Conservation League parking lot and certain politicians blamed environmentalists for 9-11.

On a recent visit to Wallace, I was reviewing a map of a timber sale project with a federal forester. The waitress approached and scornfully asked, “You guys aren’t the ones doing the clearcutting, are ya?” Turns out that private lands logging above Wallace had created quite the controversy, with significant opposition from many community members.

A week later, Idaho Conservation League staff sponsored a public meeting in Elk City, not a hotbed of environmentalism. Instead of running us out of town, the community of Elk City welcomed us with open arms, even passing a hat at the end of the meeting to offset travel costs for the speaker, a rancher from Montana with first-hand experience living downstream from a cyanide heap leach gold mine, as is proposed for Elk City.

Time was in Idaho that property rights were second to none. Maybe they still are…Turns out that quality of life and a clean environment are important too.

It’s Time to Feed Ourselves with Sunshine

Susan Drumheller, North Idaho Associate-

Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma,  is calling for the overhaul of our wasteful food system in an open letter to our new U.S. president published recently in New York Times magazine.

“After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent,” Pollan writes. “And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study.”

Our current system also supports the widespread practice of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,  which not only contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (and not just from livestock flatulence), but CAFOs also pollute our water and air in Idaho and elsewhere.

Pollan outlines a plan for decentralizing our food production and transitioning from a fuel-based food system back to a sun-based food system.

He’ll be happy to hear that some of this work is already underway in North Idaho. The Six Rivers Community Market is attempting to link up local food producers with consumers through an internet-based market strategy.

Sun, sun, sun, here we come!

A Climate of Change

By Betsy Bridge, Energy Efficiency Associate-

The United States is second only to China in carbon dioxide emissions, making us one of the biggest contributors to climate change.  We are already feeling the effects of a warmer planet, including a decrease in our water supplies, rising coastlines, an increase in extreme weather patterns, and an increased number of endangered species.

Yet, under the Bush administration, the U.S. has refused to sign onto international climate change agreements, rejected legislation mandating clean energy, and failed to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.  The U.S. ranks second worst among industrialized nations for climate protection performance.  Only Saudi Arabia ranks below us.  Embarrassing, no?

But we are about to enter a different era.  Soon, the U.S. will be a leader in climate change policy.  Our President-elect spoke by video to a climate conference in Los Angeles.  Obama repeated his promise to establish annual targets, which will reduce our emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80 percent by 2050.

“Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all,” Obama declared. “Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high. The consequences, too serious.”
Regardless of your political affiliation, it is so refreshing and inspiring to hear a different tune from our President-to-be.  Our President will finally be an ally, not an obstacle, in solving the most crucial issue of our time.

Phantom Energy or Vampire Appliances?

By Courtney Washburn, Community Conservation Director-

Whatever you choose to call it, some of the appliances and electronics in our homes and offices continue to use power even after we turn them off.  According to this article “the cost to consumers and businesses for all the electricity lost to vampire power in the US is estimated to be $4 billion annually.”

You may have up to 20 vampires your home, including:

• Televisions
• Stereos
• Coffee makers
• Microwaves
• Clock radios
• Cell phone chargers

Get rid of your phantoms and vampires by unplugging them, or put them on a power strip and make it easier to switch them off and buy more energy efficient appliances. Save energy and money!

Steelhead Madness

By John Robison, Public Lands Director-

This fall I joined throngs of other Idahoans trying to entice a wily steelhead. Steelhead success is measured in hours per fish, not fish per hour. This week fishermen spent an average of 23 hours fishing per fish caught.

Twenty-three hours. For one fish. In November, hundreds of otherwise sensible people who normally possess sound time management skills are spending their entire weekends waiting for a bite.

Yesterday after work I caught my first steelhead.  Yes, it was an excess hatchery fish. Its fin had been clipped and its gill cover had been hole punched. It had been trucked from the Snake River and dumped into the Boise River.

It had the carbon footprint of a Hummer. But catching it made my week.

The miracle of steelhead runs used to happen all the time. Naturally. For free. Without trucks. In many parts of Idaho, it still can.

A Rift Created

By Sara Cohn, Community Conservation Associate-

Recent election results regarding local funding for transportation have struck some as just another example of how rural and urban Idaho perceptions differ when it comes to finding solutions to the challenges we face.

I don’t know about you, but I get kind of tired of this generalization. Sure, there are differences in some concerns between urban and rural populations, but focusing on the differences never got a community anywhere.

Idahoans are all part of the Idaho community. We are a mix of people that share the values that keep us living in Idaho – gorgeous landscapes, abundant wildlife, clean air, and the opportunity for unparalleled outdoor experiences.

What is a rural community? What makes a community urban? Is it based on population size? Is it based on land uses like agriculture or industry? Or is it a frame of mind?

If we are going to continue to focus on the perceived rifts in our Idaho community, we will never find solutions to issues like transportation funding – or any other challenges we may face for that matter. In the spirit of transportation metaphors – let’s focus on building bridges rather than creating roadblocks.

Homegrown Power

By Betsy Bridge, Energy Efficiency Associate-

Homegrown energy is almost always cheaper than imports when you factor in the social, environmental, and economic benefits.  With this in mind, the New Rules Project recently conducted a study that examines how much energy could be generated by tapping into state internal renewable resources.

The report asserts that at least half of the states could satisfy their energy needs from renewable energy generated inside their borders and the vast majority could meet a significant percentage.

This is great news for Idaho, a state rich in renewable energy.  Currently, we import over 80% of our electricity from out of state, but if we tapped into the wind, solar, and geothermal potential in our state, Idaho could possibly be a net exporter of energy. The development of renewable energy within Idaho’s borders could provide numerous benefits to our state, including:

•    Boosting rural economies
•    Creating local jobs
•    Cutting back on the cost of transmission
•    Reducing our green house gas emissions

Idaho has so much renewable energy potential.  We need to begin developing these resources in order to secure a more affordable and independent energy future.

North Idaho Gets a Breather from Rapid Growth

By Susan Drumheller, North Idaho Associate-

“If Mother Nature had a second home, it would be in Idaho,” touts The Idaho Club’s intro to its website.

But second-home sales are slowing down in the Idaho Panhandle, according to a recent article by Associated Press reporter Nick Geranios.

Geranios points to the bankruptcy of Sullivan Homes – The Idaho Club’s exclusive builder – as one example of how the housing slump has hurt home sales in North Idaho. While the economic slowdown isn’t good for folks in the building industry, it does take the pressure off county planning staffers who have been scrambling to lessen the negative impacts of growth.

Land use codes are the way counties and cities can plan for orderly growth while protecting lake and rivers, natural areas and quality of life.

This week, Bonner County Commissioners are expected to OK a new set of land use codes for the first time in 30 years.

Meanwhile, Kootenai County is looking to update its comprehensive plan and has scheduled public hearings on the plan the first week of December.

Just because some builders are disappearing in North Idaho doesn’t lessen the importance of good land use planning. Afterall, whether Wall Street or Main Street is healthy or hurting, people will still gravitate to North Idaho’s spectacular lakes, mountains and countryside.

Ouch!

By Courtney Washburn, Community Conservation Director-

A new survey ranked Idaho 44th in the nation in governmental integrity, openness and accountability.

The survey was conducted by the Better Government Association which examined the following:

• open records laws
• open meeting laws
• whistle-blower laws
• campaign finance requirements
• conflict-of-interest laws