Environment

This category contains 335 posts

F-35 Noise Issues Fall On Deaf ears

Gov. Butch Otter, with Boise Mayor Dave Bieter standing alongside, signed a bill Tuesday that will authorize expenditure of $100,000 in taxpayer funds to lobby on behalf of basing the admittedly noisy F-35 fighter in Boise. Stars & Stripes, the military newspaper in Japan, recently reported a Japanese court has awarded residents near Kadena AF […]

New Try At Community Journalism

We started the BOISE GUARDIAN as a news blog back in May of 2005. One of the motivating factors was the decline of newspapers nationwide and the drastic increase in government flaks, spokespersons, spin doctors, or other titled “information specialists.” We wanted to give readers a forum to air their opinions and provide “the other […]

Otter Joins Bieter Using Citizen Money To Lobby For F-35 At Gowen

Residents of the Boise Bench have little chance of winning a battle against the noisy F-35 fighter jets now that Gov. Butch Otter has joined forces with Boise’s Team Dave to combat the anti-aircraft volleys being fired from folks seeking a little peace and quiet. With unlimited resources in the form of citizen’s tax dollars […]

We Are Snowbound! Boise Assists ACHD

UPDATE FRIDAY 1/6/17 Despite near record low temps, we awoke to mostly cleared streets that are at least passable now. Kudos to all those who made it happen. ORIGINAL POST We can certainly sympathize with the officials and snow removal workers at the Ada County Highway District. Not only are the streets clogged with snow […]

Winter Wonderland or Snowy Nightmare?

No school for the kids, but for most folks it’s another day of clearing snow. After clearing the world headquarters for the Boise GUARDIAN, we ventured out to capture some images to share with readers. We can’t really fault ACHD for their priorities on snow clearance, but it does gall us a bit to see […]

F-35 Challenge: Let Us See And Hear It!

The Idaho National Guard announced Wednesday that Boise’s Gowen Field is one of five locations the U.S. Air Force is considering as a base for about 18 F-35 fighter jets. The announcement, featured in the STATESMAN is just another in a long line of moves which have never included direct citizen input to the Air […]

Boise Council Knows Better Than Fed Experts

Once again Boise City Councilors have continued the policy of “we know better.” This time it is with the Government of the United States of America’s flood experts. Seems the Feds have redrawn the flood plain map along the Boise river to include additional acres of land subject to a “100 year flood.” That term […]

Airport Noise Plan Calls For Home Buys

Boise airport officials in a press release have claimed support from the Federal Aviation Administration for a recently approved noise plan at the facility. The FAA RECORD is full of acronyms and references. Long time opponent of noisy F-15 and F-35 fighters being based in Boise, Monty Mericle offered up the following report based on […]

Rexburg Area Cougar Dead After Attack

A family camping near Rexburg Friday night is safe after law enforcement killed a female mountain lion which had attempted to take their young daughter from their campsite. The Fish and Game account of the incident follows. By Gregg Losinski, Regional Conservation Educator A family camping near Green Canyon Hot Springs east of Rexburg, Idaho, […]

Pyrocumulus Fire Cloud Looms Over Boise

A giant Pyrocumulus cloud loomed over the Boise Foothills at sunset Friday as wild land firefighters conducted a “burnout” on one flank of the Pioneer Fire north of Idaho City. A burnout is intended to “fight fire with fire” by consuming fuels in a controlled manner. The cloud is caused by moisture in the fuel […]

Low Flying News Under The Radar

The GUARDIAN has been enjoying some summer travel, fishing, and other activities–probably much to the delight of elected politicos. In an effort to offer some topics for discussion we will share some items which have popped up at coffee and lunch meetings. BATT CHIEFS of Boise Fire Dept. are highest paid city employees, beating out […]

Flowers Bloom At Craters Monument

Like Phoenix from the ashes, wildflowers are rising from the cinders at Craters of The Moon National Monument along U.S. 20 near Arco. The GUARDIAN took a little drive Sunday and discovered entire hillsides with acres and acres of wildflowers flooding among the cinders. IT looks like a bumper crop of flowers have made it […]

Forest Service Wants To Route 630 Truckloads Of Logs Over Ada Streets

After the Ada County Highway District Commishes turned down a request April 11 from the Forest Service to route 630 truckloads of logs through Hidden Springs or Boise’s North End, the Federal Agency appealed to the next level–Boise Mayor Dave Bieter. In a MAY 20 LETTER to the ACHD, Bieter lobbied on behalf of the […]

Boise Composting Could Be Rotten Deal

Boise City Couuncilors will consider a proposal Tuesday to offer curbside composting at a cost of about $3.40 per month for the average household. On the face of it the idea of cutting the amount of garbage in the landfill and the methane gas it generates sounds like a good deal. We certainly agree with […]

The Gravity Of Foothills Developments

You don’t have to be Isaac Newton to predict that water runs downhill with the force of gravity, often taking loose soil along with it. In recent history the Idaho Transportation Department learned the gravity/water/soil lesson on Horseshoe Bend Hill, forcing the relocation of Hwy 55 to its present location. Same issue caused massive rockslides […]

Protest Erupts In Gun Fire At Burns, Rangeland Protesters Set To Meet In Boise Saturday

MSNBC is reporting gunfire and death Tuesday afternoon at the standoff in Harney County, Oregon where armed protesters have occupied the Malheur Wildlife Refuge for several weeks. See the FBI news release at the end of this post for more details. The GUARDIAN has confirmed that a group with apparently similar concerns as the protesters […]

A-10 Quietly Remains On Guard

An article in yesterday’s edition of AIR FORCE TIMES claims the top guns in the military have put retirement of the A-10 Warthog air-to-ground attack fighter on hold. That should come as good news to folks living near Gowen Field who have been fighting local and federal politicos to keep the noisy F-35 and F-15 […]

2,000 Homes To Hear “Sound Of Freedom”

The Idaho Statesman’s Sven Berg posted a STORY Wednesday detailing plans for 2,000 new homes in an area which seems within earshot of city councilor Elain Clegg’s $60,000,000 third runway for military fighter jets. Clegg has been an advocate of a new runway “south of the airport” to accommodate the F-35 combat fighter jet which […]

Writer Claims Airport Study “Manipulated”

The following story is by a longtime well known opponent of the Boise Airport plans to locate the F-35 combat fighter in the most densely populated city in Idaho. Other GUARDIAN readers attending the Wednesday meeting claim comments were 30 to 1 against the F-35 plan. By MONTY MERICLE The 2015 Boise Airport Noise Study, […]

State Rep Asks Airport to Reject Noise Study

While he doesn’t seem to endorse the common sense solution of not basing noisy F-15 and F-35 combat fighters at Boise’s Gowen Field, Idaho State Rep. John Gannon of district 17A has asked the Boise airport director to reject a noise study which potentially could cost nearly $100 million if implemented. Gannon was critical of […]

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