wildfires & climate change

420 West Main Street, Suite 205, Boise, Idaho 83702T 208.639.8822 | F 208.639.8823www.strategies360.com

Strategies 360:

Event Planning & Publicity

Holland & Hart Wildfires and Climate ChangePanel Discussion & Tour Idaho Press Club Awards | Public Relations Division | Public Affairs Campaign

July 29, 2014Offices of Holland & Hart, 8th and Main Building, Boise

www.strategies360.comSTRATEGIES 360 | Event Publicity 2

Executive Summary

Strategies 360 was tasked with organizing and gaining media exposure for a panel discussion on Idaho wildfires and climate change. The client set a goal of bringing nontraditional voices together to raise awareness for the problems associated with climate change and wildfires and the options for mitigating both. In the midst of near-weekly events and news stories related to Idaho’s wildfires, an impactful event would have to offer a unique perspective on the issues at hand.

The client set three objectives for the event:

• Gain local media exposure • Attract a significant crowd of

relevant stakeholders • Make an impact with local and

state elected officials

With the intent of putting together an event that would be both newsworthy and meaningful, Strategies 360 secured a sponsorship from the law firm of Holland & Hart, whose interest in the topic was spurred by their many clients dealing with the impacts of wildfires.

Strategies 360 lined up a diverse and compelling panel of speakers:

LARRY SCHOENBLAINE COUNTY COMMISSIONER

CHARLIE LUCERESEARCH HYDROLOGIST, USDA FOREST SERVICE

DAVE TUTHILLIDAHO WATER ENGINEERING FORMER HEAD OF THE IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

KERRIE WEPPNERRESEARCH ASSOCIATE, BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES

Holland & Hart provided space for the event in a conference room at the top floor of the newly-built Zions Bank Building in Downtown Boise. One of the firm’s partners and former Solicitor of the US Department of the Interior, Bill Myers, agreed to moderate the panel discussion.

More than forty people attended the event, including local stakeholders, city officials from across the Treasure Valley, state legislators, and the Lieutenant Governor. After the panel discussion, attendees were invited to participate in a tour of the National Interagency Fire Center.

Two local television stations covered the event, along with a reporter from the largest daily paper in the state, the Idaho Statesman. The Statesman story ran on the front page the following Sunday, and was picked up by outlets around the state and in Seattle.


Campaign Publicity Materials

You’re Invited

Tuesday, July 29th, 11:00 a.m.

I D A H O ’ S W I L D F I R E S : F I G H T I N G T H E I M P A C T S O F F I R E S & C L I M A T E C H A N G E

Lunch and panel discussion at the offices of Holland & Hart 850 W. Main Street, Suite 1750, Boise Followed by a tour of the National Interagency Fire Center

The impacts of Idaho’s wildfires are far reaching, affecting water flows, housing, business, agriculture, and more. Learn about the consequences of increased fires and our options for mitigating the impacts of fires and climate change. Mass transportation will be provided between locations Lunch catered by Bleubird

Bill Myers Partner, Holland & Hart and former Solicitor of the US Department of the Interior Larry Schoen Blaine County Commissioner Charlie Luce Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service Dave Tuthill Idaho Water Engineering

P A N E L I S T S

Please place stamp here

Please RSVP to Nicole Kinney no later than July 25th—space is limited! [email protected] 208-639-8822 x 4

Sponsored by:

Postcard Invitation


Media Advisory

MEDIA ADVISORY: Wildfire Panel and Lunch Hosted at Holland and Hart;Tour of the National Interagency Fire Center

What: A panel discussion examining the effects of more frequent and severe wildfires as a result of climate change and wildfire impacts on Idaho’s ecology, communities, and businesses, followed by a tour of the National Interagency Fire Center. This panel discussion is taking place on the heels of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan, which, if implemented, would be the single biggest step taken by the US to combat climate change. The EPA is holding hearings on the plan next week in cities across the country. When: July 29th, 11:00 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Where: The offices of Holland and Hart at 800 West Main Street, Suite 1750, Boise, and the National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S. Development Ave., Boise. Mass transportation will be provided between locations. Who:

• Moderator: Bill Myers | Partner, Holland & Hart, and former Solicitor of the US Department of the Interior

• Larry Schoen | Blaine County Commissioner • Charlie Luce | Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service • Dave Tuthill | Idaho Water Engineering and former head of the Idaho Department

of Water Resources • Kerrie Weppner | Research Associate, Boise State University Department of

Geosciences On July 29th, Holland and Hart will host a panel on climate change’s effects on Idaho’s wildfires. Panelists will discuss Idaho’s ecology, how our state is altered by carbon pollution, and what measures are being taken to mitigate climate change and wildfire impacts. After the panel concludes, a charter bus will transport guests to the National Interagency Fire Center for a tour of the facility. NIFC is the nation’s headquarters for wildland firefighting. and supports firefighting efforts across the country for eight different agencies. ***Those wishing to enter the NIFC facility must bring valid photo identification.***


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 2014 CONTACT: Nicole Kinney [email protected] 208-716-0382

Holland & Hart Panel Discussion Highlights Hot Topics:

Idaho’s Wildfires & Climate Change As the pressure to mitigate costly and destructive wildfires continues to mount, along with federal spending on wildfires, law firm Holland & Hart sponsored a panel discussion at its Boise offices Tuesday to discuss evidence that increased fires have resulted in part from climate change and present options for mitigating wildfires. In attendance were elected and appointed officials from state and local governments along with conservation stakeholders. Panelists boasted a diverse and impressive background of scientific knowledge and public policy experience: Moderator: Bill Myers | Partner, Holland & Hart, and former Solicitor of the US Department of the Interior Larry Schoen | Blaine County Commissioner Charlie Luce | Research Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service Dave Tuthill | Idaho Water Engineering and former head of the Idaho Department of Water Resources Kerrie Weppner | Research Associate, Boise State University Department of Geosciences The panelists urged state and local elected and appointed officials to consider long-term, cost-effective solutions for limiting wildfires. “Blaine County certainly has experienced the effects of more frequent big fires in recent years.” said Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen. “I appreciate this opportunity to work with others to identify, consider and reconsider new ideas for preparedness, response, community resiliency and strategies for the long-term environmental health of our forest and range landscapes.” While the Department of the Interior estimates that fire suppression efforts could cost as much as much as $419 million in 2014, panelist Charlie Luce of the USDA Forest Service suggested that, based on his research findings, “Fuel treatments are relatively

Press Release(page 1)


Press Release(page 2)

effective locally, but can be costly to implement and maintain. A strategy incorporating fire use in periods when fire intensity is low enough that we could control fires, but where we chose not to do so, could substantially enhance the rate and cost effectiveness of treatments.” While the Obama Administration has agreed to back legislation co-sponsored by, among others, Idaho’s Senator Mike Crapo and Representative Mike Simpson, which changes the way the federal government pays for wildfire suppression, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new measures to reduce carbon pollution, citing increased wildfires as one impetus for the proposal. If adopted, the proposed Clean Power Plan, which would be the biggest single step any one nation has taken to cut carbon pollution. Panel moderator, Holland & Hart Partner, and former Solicitor of the US Department of the Interior Bill Myers stated, “Climate change is a hot topic, literally and figuratively. Each year seems to bring more catastrophic wildfires to communities throughout the state and people are wondering if climate change is a cause and if so, is there anything we can do about it locally? Certainly many of Holland & Hart’s clients are feeling the effects. We are pleased to provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among folks on the front lines of this issue.”

###


Media Exposure

BOISE – Wildfires were the topic of discussion today in downtown Boise, how they’re changing Idaho, and how Idahoans can change toprevent them.

Wildfires in the West have actually burned less than half of the 10-year average so far this summer. But, the worst is likely yet to come. Just this last week, 18 large fires were burning in the Northwest with intensities not normally seen until August, according to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. This holds with a national trend of the fire season, like Idaho’s fire season, is getting worse.

Kerrie Weppner is a research associate with the Boise State University Department of Geosciences. “What science is telling us today is that fire seasons are actually getting longer,” she said.

That was part of the discussion today for a group consisting of a geosciences researcher, water engineer, hydrologist, and county commissioner. They met in downtown Boise. Numerous state lawmakers attended the meeting too.

Weppner says the climate in and around our forests is changing, which is increasing the fires, which is changing the climate.

“A lot of these forest and trees were established during a different climate. And, if they burn,they might not return,” she said.

Also, Idaho is drying out. Charlie Luce, a hydrologist with the Forest Service, says the Gem State is using more water, but seeing less in the aquifers. There’s 20 percent less water coming into our basins, when compared to the 1940s.

He says that’s not the only problem.

“The snow is melting earlier so it’s leaving the higher elevations at an earlier date, which gives us a longer summer to burn in,” said Luce.

But what can be done? Idaho Sen. Mike Crapoand Congressman Mike Simpson haveco-sponsored legislation to put a priority onfunding fire suppression. That would meanless money is borrowed from those coffers to fight fires when they are already burning.

On the state level, the former head of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, Dave Tuthill, says we need to store more water.“Part of that need is because of additional uses, but another part is because we’re losing some of the storage that we’ve had through snow, through wildfires, more exposure, and through climatic change,” he said.

On the local government level, Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen says homes can’t be built in the middle of the forest, in harm’s way.

“I’m reluctant to approve a subdivision in a remote area, a dense subdivision in a remote

KTVBhttp://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/07/29/panel-climate-wildfires/13341171/


BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) – Americans are already feeling the impact of climate change in every corner of the country...and Idaho is no exception.

“As climate changes, weather warms up, so sometimes there’s less snow pack,” said Dave Tuthill with Idaho Water Engineering. “That’s been a convenient place to store water in the past so we’re forced to look at other opportunities for storage.”

“Based on everything I read, there will be effects on Idaho that will affect precipitation, temperatures, heat, all of the factors that go into making wildfire.” said Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen.

A simple stroll through the Foothills shows justhow dry everything is right now and experts sayhis warming trend could continue for decadesto come.”

Experts say massive wildfires are on the increase in the western United States due to rising temperatures and worsening drought causedby climate change.

“I think people are concerned about the fires themselves, the effects of the fires on the land and in the air,” said Bill Myers, a partner at Holland and Hart and former Solicitor with the US Department of the Interior. “There seems to be a great deal of debate still about climate change. It’s not a settled issue, but the overwhelming reports are we have a lot to be concerned about.”

This hot topic was at the center of a panel discussion hosted by Holland and Hart and attended by elected officials from around the state plus experts in science and public policy.

area with inadequate access, because it puts lives at risk,” he said. “Will you put a firefighter at risk of losing his or her life, in order to protect a home? The answer that we’re all coming up with is ‘No.’ And, we won’t and we shouldn’t.”

As far as homes already in forests and rangelands, fire managers say homeowners need to do their part and be firewise by creating defensible space.

Also, something the panel says can help, which is being done, is the creation of more rural fire districts. They allow ranchers and wildland firefighters to work together to fight fires and fight them sooner.

KBOIhttp://www.kboi2.com/news/local/climate_change-269123131.html


“Idaho leaders take on a changing climate”

Idaho leaders and lawmakers meet to try to make plans to deal with the impacts on the state.

Despite the uncertainty over the scale and the speed of climate change, Idaho leaders are working on how to adapt and how to reduce its impacts.

Boise law firm Holland & Hart held a workshop for its Idaho clients and lawmakers last week at which scientists and policymakers examined how the state can reduce the effects of warmer winters, earlier spring runoffs and an increase in wildfires. The meetings came the same week that President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers reported that delaying action to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by a decade could cost the U.S. economy $150 billion annually.

HANDLING CHANGES

Like people across the U.S., some Idahoans remain skeptical about how much human activities already have contributed to any changes, said Holland & Hart attorney William Myers, who served as solicitor general in the Bush administration’s Department of Interior. And it is hard for many people in Idaho to get worked up about a possible 1.25 inch-per-decade rise in global ocean levels that Obama has posited.

No matter the cause, climate change has forced managers to act and politicians to debate.

“There’s no doubt about the timeliness of the issue,” Myers said.

Idaho StatesmanSunday Edition, Front Page

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/08/03/3307976/tackling-a-changing-climate.html?sp=/99/101/102/

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Alaska: Sort oflike Idaho, butreally different

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FormerBSUQBfinally runs theBroncos’offense

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TWODECADESOFBONDS,ANDMORETHAN$300MILLIONAPPROVED A16

EFFECTOFDISTRICT’SDOWNGRADEDRATINGCOULDBEHIGHERINTERESTRATE A16

As families keepmoving toWestAda SchoolDistrict, classrooms keep filling

IDAHOSTATESMAN:AMcClatchyNewspaper, 1200N.CurtisRoad,Boise, ID•P.O.Box40,Boise, ID83707• (208)377-6200•©2014 IdahoStatesman,Vol. 150,No.9,6sections, 58pages

INSIDETODAY “Someof these citypeopledon’thaveacluewhatgoeson in the country.”RICHARD LE JEUNE, supporter ofMissouri’s right-to-farmmeasure A11

Inmalaria fight, amajor threat

BYBRIERDUDLEYTHE SEATTLE TIMES

YANGON, Myanmar —One of the world’s mostchallenging and deadlyraces is underway in theforests of a turbulent South-eastAsian country.

A new strain of malaria

has emerged in Myanmarjust as the country is emerg-ing from a half-century ofisolation, increasing the riskthat the lethal scourge willspread into India andAfrica.

If the strain reaches otherregions, it could undo hugegains made over the pastdecade—atacostofbillions— to corral the illness.

Malariamortalityhas fall-en 42 percent worldwidesince 2000, but the diseasecontinues to sicken more

than 200million people andkill 500,000 children a year,oraboutoneeveryminuteofevery day, according to theWorldHealthOrganization.

Fightingmalaria has beena Sisyphean task over thepastcentury.Majorattemptsto eradicate the disease —caused by a parasite trans-mitted by a particular mos-quito species — failed inpart because it’s a moving

TheGates Foundation isamong thosebattling adrug-resistant strain ofthedangerousdisease.

SeeMALARIA,A17

At a specialmeeting,Republicanspick anewstateparty chairman andtry toput infightingbehind them.

Tacklinga changingclimate

[email protected]

© 2014 Idaho StatesmanDespite the uncertainty over the scale

and the speed of climate change, Idaholeaders areworking on how to adapt andhowto reduce its impacts.

Boise law firm Holland & Hart held aworkshop for its Idaho clients and law-makers last week at which scientists andpolicymakersexaminedhowthe statecanreduce theeffectsofwarmerwinters, ear-lier spring runoffsandan increase inwild-fires. The meetings came the sameweekthatPresidentBarackObama’sCouncil of

Idaho leaders and lawmakersmeetto try tomakeplans todealwiththe impactson the state.

SeeCLIMATE,A8

READROCKYBARKER’SDAILYBLOG

IdahoStatesman.com/lettersfromthewest

Growingpains— again

[email protected]

© 2014 Idaho Statesman

In Meridian, Eagle and Star schools, it’sstarting to feel like 2004 again. Growingnumbers of families and subdivisionssouth of Interstate 84 in the West Ada

School District — formerly the MeridianSchool District — have filled up seven ele-mentary schools and choked one middleschoolwith students. In thedistrict’snorthernsection, at least fourmiddle schools are overtheir 1,000-student capacity, and district lead-ers arebracing formore ashome constructionresurges.

In response, Idaho’s largest schooldistrict isasking voters to approve the sale of $104 mil-lion in 20-year bonds that would add moreschool space and reduce overcrowding andtheneed forportablebuildings.But itwouldn’treduce classroom sizes, a chief complaint bydistrict parents. That would require hiringmore teachers, and the district says it doesn’treceive enoughmoney from the state for that.

Unrelenting enrollment increases haveshaped the district formore than twodecades,even through the recession, as the TreasureValley’scenterofpopulationhasmoved steadi-lywest fromBoise.Meridianhasbecomelessasuburb andmore a city that stands on its own,with increasing shopping, dining and recre-ational opportunities. Home construction allbut stopped in theGreatRecession,but enroll-ment kept rising, with new kindergartenersoutnumbering graduating seniors.

KYLEGREEN/ [email protected], left,andMarkCiavarellaworkon the foundationofa single-story, eight-classroomaddition toMeridianHighSchool. It is sched-uled tobe finishedby themiddleof2015.Speeding renovationsatMeridianHigh isoneof thegoalsofabond thedistrict is seeking.

SeeBOND,A16

IdahoGOPturns page,electsYates

BYKIMBERLEEKRUESITHEASSOCIATED PRESS

After a two-month battle in theRepub-lican Party that followed a chaotic stateconvention, which adjourned in Junewithout the passing of a platform or theelection of any officers, Steve Yates willtry to lead theGOP intoNovember’s elec-tions.

“The job of the new chairman is tosmooth the rough edges, not stop the dia-logue,” said state Sen. Jim Rice ofCaldwell,whoattendedSaturday’s specialmeeting of the party’s governing body.“Get rid of the rough edges sowe can fo-cusonwhat’s important.”

Divisions inside the party have beengrowing for years,butafter traditionalRe-publicans scored a series of key wins inMay’s primary, many thought far-rightconservatives might lose their grip. In-stead, teaparty supporters tightened their

SeeGOP,A8

AUG.4THROUGHAUG. 22

AdaCounty:8a.m. to5p.m.Monday throughFridayandonSaturday,Aug. 16, from10a.m. to4p.m.at theelectionsoffice,400N.BenjaminLane,Boise.

CanyonCounty:A fewWestAdaSchoolDis-trict voters live inneighboringCanyonCounty.Votingwillbe from8a.m. to5p.m.MondaythroughFridayat theelectionsoffice, 1102E.ChicagoStreet,Caldwell.

EARLYVOTING

MORE STUDENTSWest Ada School District enrollment is upmore than 100 percent in the past two decades.

17,666

‘94

36,195

20,78821,914

22,70723,771

24,98825,937

26,299

27,967

29,90431,564

32,66033,449

34,12034,581

35,645

36,84437,719

19,62118,672

Projected

‘00 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15‘99‘98‘97‘96‘95 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12‘07‘06‘05‘04‘03‘02‘01 ‘08 ‘09

School years beginning:

Source: West Ada School District

‘16

35,086

38,669

Economic Advisersreported that delayingaction to reduce carbondioxide and other green-house gases by a decadecould cost theU.S. economy$150 billion annually.

HANDLINGCHANGESLike people across the

U.S., some Idahoans remainskeptical about how muchhuman activities alreadyhave contributed to anychanges, said Holland &Hart attorney WilliamMyers,who served as solici-tor general in the Bush ad-ministration’s Department

of Interior.And it is hard formany people in Idaho to getworked up about a possible1.25 inch-per-decade rise inglobal ocean levels thatOba-mahasposited.

No matter the cause, cli-mate change has forcedmanagers to act and politi-cians todebate.

“There’s no doubt aboutthe timeliness of the issue,”Myers said.

Scientists in theWest aredocumenting longer andhotter fire seasons, and lesswater stored in the moun-tains because of earliersnowmelt. Biologicalchanges that scientists al-ready see range from a risein previously tropical dis-eases, such as West Nilevirus, towarmer water tem-peratures that threatensalmon and trout.

These changes challengeIdaho homeowners, farmersand businesspeople whoselivelihoods depend on thestate’snatural resources.

Idaho hasn’t ignored cli-mate change, despite thepo-larization over its causes. In2007, Gov. Butch Otter di-rected the Idaho Depart-ment of EnvironmentalQuality to develop a green-house gas inventory andprovide recommendationsfor reduction. Otter arguedthat the state benefits fromenergy efficiency, even asheopposed “cap-and-trade”legislation that would havecreated amarket for carbonpollution with a goal of re-ducing greenhouse gasemissions.

Carbonpollution releasedin the use of fossil fuels isone of the leading green-

house gases.The latest Idaho State

Water Plan urges policy-makers to promote pre-paredness, planning andflexibility to respond andadapt to “climatevariability”as the state looks at newwa-ter storage reservoirs andaquifer recharge.

The city of Boise devel-opedanemissions-reductionprogram as it joined otherU.S. cities in a commitmentto address climate change.Blaine County has gone to afour-day work week to re-duce its carbon footprint byshrinking theamountof timeit has to heat buildings andthe miles its workers drive,said Commission ChairmanLarrySchoen.

“We’re talking about it inBlaineCounty and globally,”Schoen said.

FIRESANDEROSIONFirehas capturedmuchof

the public attention in Idahowhen it comes to climate.

More than half of South-ern Idaho’s forests haveburned over the past 20years. About 11,000 yearsago, fires reshaped Idaho’slandscape in the form oflandslides and erosion, saidBoise StateUniversity geol-ogistKerrieWeppner.

Weppner uses carbontesting to age charcoal fromancient fires to determinehowquicklychangehashap-pened in the past.

Based on her research,shepredictsmore landslidessuch as those that occurrednear Hailey after last year’sBeaverCreekFire, andmoreof the kind of erosion thathas reshaped theBoiseRiver

watershed in places such asRabbitCreek,whichhas suf-fered major slides after twodecadesofwildfire.

“This instability can lastforweeks or years,”Weppn-er said.

Such erosion adds to, orsometimes even counters,other climatic effects, saidCharlesLuce, a Forest Serv-ice hydrologist in Boisewho has become a top re-searcher in the Northweston changing precipitationpatterns.

The amount ofwater thatfalls in the Boise River wa-tershed has declined byabout 20 percent since the1940s, he said. The burningof 50 percent of the forestcanopy in the past 20 yearsmeans fewer trees store thewater that does fall, increas-ing runoff by 5 percent.

This dynamic makeslooking for creativeways tostore mountain watercritical to protect Idaho’swater supply, said DavidTuthill, the former directorof the Idaho Department ofWater Resources. Some ofthis storage could be in tra-ditional reservoirs, butTuthill also is working withlandowners in places wherewater could be stored inaquifers.

Most of the talk aboutrecharge has revolvedaround the Eastern SnakeRiver Plain Aquifer, thestate’s largest. It stretchesfrom the edge of Yellow-stone to near Glenns Ferry.The discussion is primarilyabouthowto storemorewa-ter to benefit agriculturethrough irrigation.

Most of these efforts havebeen around the idea of acentral state program, notprivate efforts that mightfunction more widely andmore efficiently.But if delib-erately refilling natural un-derground reservoirs can beused more imaginatively, itcould offset the lost naturalstorage in snow.

“The concept of recharg-ing aquifers just hasn’t got-ten going,”Tuthill said.

UNCERTAINTIMETABLESOther Idaho adaptation

measures include makinghomes and communitiesmore fire-resistant. BlaineCountyhasbanneddevelop-ment in steep, erosion-proneareas and requires newhomes to have fire-resistantroofs. Boise made similarchanges after the 2008Ore-gonTrailFire.

Idaho and the Bureau ofLand Management cooper-ated todevelop rural firedis-

tricts so ranchers have thetraining and organization tojump on range fires beforefederal firefighters can,My-ersnoted.

The adaptation discus-sions arebasedonhistory aswell as climate forecasts.The model for changeranges from the pace we’veseenover thepastcentury tomore accelerated change.

Forests might be altereddramatically, Weppner said,as trees that once thrived inIdaho are replaced by treesthat grow in warmer, drierconditions.

“What is the time framewe’re talking about?”Myersasked Weppner during theHolland & Hart workshop.“This is something thatcould happen in amatter ofdecades, or are we talkingabout centuries?”

Weppner said it could be“decades, centuries or evenlonger.”

Over the past 35 years,Idaho’sSnakeRiverwine re-gion has seen its frost-freeperiod increase by about amonth, which means in-creased sugar content ingrapes.That has allowedgrowers to branch out fromwhite wines to richer redsnow prized throughout thenation.

But the change in a grow-ing season can have mixedbenefits— such as requiringmorewater for a longer irri-gation season.

Such potential effects arewhy government and indi-vidualsneed tomanage theirrisks now, Blaine County’sSchoen said.Thatmeans lis-tening to scientists andusing the data availabletoday.

“Sometimes you have totry things, you have to ex-periment,” Schoen said.“Sometimes you have to trynew things without perfectknowledge.”

Rocky Barker: 377-6484

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Rockyhasbeen fol-lowing theclimatechangedebatethepast twodecades.HegothisenvironmentalstudiesdegreeatNorth-landCollege.Hehascov-eredwater, fireandothernatural issuesandeventsin Idahosince 1985.Hehaswritten fourbooks, in-cluding “ScorchedEarth:HowtheFiresofYellow-stoneChangedAmerica.”

ROCKYBARKER

CLIMATECONTINUED FROMA1

hold. They said formerchairman Barry Petersonshould remain the party’sleader, though he was notofficially re-elected at theconvention.

The fight over control ofthepartyended ina lawsuit,with a judge ruling that Pe-terson’s one-term reign ex-piredwhen the conventionadjourned.

Compared with the con-vention,where everymovewas critiqued and ques-tioned, Saturday’s meetingwas overwhelmingly sub-dued — committee mem-bers applauded their adop-tion of the party agendawithout challenging eachotheronparliamentarypro-cedure.

A large crowd watchedthemeeting unfold, but Pe-terson was not in atten-dance. The vote on his re-placement as chairmanwasthe firstorderof business.

Yates beat out two othercandidates:Oakley rancherDoug Pickett and Blackfootsheepherder Mike Duff,whowas theonly candidate

to run for the post duringboth the convention andSaturday’smeeting.

“Iwish I could say it wasa pleasure addressing youtoday, but we are not herebecause things workedwell,” said Yates, an IdahoFalls businessmanwhowasan aide to formerVicePres-identDickCheney. “Iwouldnot be someone broughtforward as chairman ifthings had been workingthe way they always haveand should.”

Yates said it was time to

restore the party and workto defend it from what hedescribed as an intrudingfederal government.

“Let the healing begin,”he said.

Moving forward meansfollowing the rules, saidBryan Smith, one of thosewho sued to try to keep Pe-terson as chairman.He ranunsuccessfully against U.S.Rep. Mike Simpson in theMayprimary.

Smithandother teapartysupporters had argued thattraditionalRepublicans loy-al to Gov. Butch Otter hadbroken party rules to winkey seats inside the party,including thechairmanship.

“The lawsuit was impor-tant for clarity. It was piv-otal,” Smith said. “Now wehave a party eager to followthe rules. ... The new chairneeds to consider all of theparty’s opinions and notjust pursue his own agen-da.”

Duff said Republicansare ready to unite. “There’sa task at hand,” he said.“And that task — if we canexecute it, and I think wewill — will be hell for theDemocrats come this No-vember.”

GOPCONTINUED FROMA1

MELISSADAVLIN/ Idaho PublicTelevision via AP

SteveYates

Court denies Concordiawaiver to let students take bar examBYBILLROBERTS

[email protected]© 2014 Idaho StatesmanThe Idaho Supreme

Court has rejected2-year-old Concordia Uni-versity School of Law’s re-quest to allow its first classof students to take the exam,madebecause the schoolhasnot received provisional ac-creditation from theAmeri-canBarAssociation.

The lackof that accredita-tion likelymeans the 45-stu-dent class won’t be able totake thebar—a requirementfor practicing law — aftergraduationnext summer.

Concordia officials willmeet with their attorneysthis week to review thecourt’s decision and consid-er their options, said CathySilak, law school dean and aformer Idaho Supreme

Court justice.The accreditation applica-

tionwillbeconsideredby theABA thisweek.Silak said shecould not speculatewhat theassociation’s decision mightbe.

Concordia and the ABAhave been in contact duringthe accreditation process,which began in March 2013,the earliest date the schoolcould apply, Silak said. Both

Silak and the association de-clined to discuss details oftheircommunications,citingconfidentialitypolicies.

The Supreme Court hasoccasionallygrantedwaiversfrom the exam requirement,Chief Justice Roger S. Bur-dick wrote Friday in his or-der, which Concordia pro-vided to the Idaho States-man.

“However, the Court has

only done so in those in-stances where the applicanthad several years’experience as a lawyer in an-other jurisdiction or as ajudge,and the courtdoesnotanticipate relaxing thesestandards,”hewrote.

Full-time third-year lawstudents at Concordia willhave put down an average of$51,000 over their threeyearsof school.

“Our primary goal is forthem to be successful andbecomegraduates andeven-tually (be) attorneys or pur-sue a legal career in somecorporate setting,” Silaksaid. “We would certainlywork with each individualstudent to help ensure theirsuccessful transition into theprofession.”

BillRoberts: 377-6408,Twitter:@IDS_BillRoberts

BYKIRSTENJOHNSON(IDAHO FALLS) POST REGISTERIDAHO FALLS — In a

quiet classroom at the IdahoFallsActivityCenter, 8-year-old Mei Mei Hill plasteredzebra-print sticky material,tie-dyeduct tape andeyeballfoam stickers on her brandnew cane.

“I like the eyeballs be-cause theymake it look sortof scary,” saidMeiMei,wholives inPocatello.

Once her cane was com-plete, Mei Mei and othercampers in this year’sBrailleEnrichment forLiteracy andLearning summer programpracticed swinging, tappingand exploring the halls ofthe empty building.

The activity tookplaceonthe first day of a two-weeksummer program that is runby the National Federationof theBlind. Six students areenrolled this year, up fromfour last year.

“(The camp) is importantfor the kids, just because of

the socialization,” saidNancyLuth,whoworkswithmost of the children duringthe schoolyear.

The Eastern Idaho campwas launched last summerwhen officials in the SnakeRiver Valley Chapter of theNational Federation of theBlind identified a need. Thecampfollowed thesuccessful

debut of a Boise camp theyearbefore, officials said.

Throughout the program,kids practice skills to helpthem in daily living,including reading andwriting braille, using a caneand pouring liquids. Struc-tured learning is coupledwith field trips, including toiJump trampolinepark.

Summer programhelps blind,visually impaired children

MONTELAORANGE/ Post RegisterVolunteer instructorSandyStreeter leadscampersand theircanesdownahallwayduring thecamp.


Scientists in the West are documenting longer and hotter fire seasons, and less water stored in the mountains because of earlier snowmelt. Biological changes that scientists already see range from a rise in previously tropical diseases, such as West Nile virus, to warmer water temperatures that threaten salmon and trout.

These changes challenge Idaho homeowners, farmers and businesspeople whose livelihoods depend on the state’s natural resources.

Idaho hasn’t ignored climate change, despite the polarization over its causes. In 2007, Gov. Butch Otter directed the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to develop a greenhouse gas inventory and provide recommendations for reduction. Otter argued that the state benefits from energy efficiency, even as he opposed “cap-and-trade” legislation that would have created a market for carbon pollution with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon pollution released in the use of fossil fuels is one of the leading greenhouse gases.

The latest Idaho State Water Plan urges policy-makers to promote preparedness, planning and flexibility to respond and adapt to “climate variability” as the state looks at new water storage reservoirs and aquifer recharge.

The city of Boise developed an emissions- reduction program as it joined other U.S. cities in a commitment to address climate change. Blaine County has gone to a four-day work week to reduce its carbon footprint by shrinking the amount of time it has to heat buildings and the miles its workers drive, said Commission Chairman Larry Schoen.

“We’re talking about it in Blaine County and globally,” Schoen said.

FIRES AND EROSION

Fire has captured much of the public attention in Idaho when it comes to climate.

More than half of Southern Idaho’s forests have burned over the past 20 years. About 11,000 years ago, fires reshaped Idaho’s landscape in the form of landslides and erosion, said Boise State University geologist Kerrie Weppner.

Weppner uses carbon testing to age charcoal from ancient fires to determine how quickly change has happened in the past.

Based on her research, she predicts more landslides such as those that occurred near Hailey after last year’s Beaver Creek Fire, and more of the kind of erosion that has reshaped the Boise River watershed in places such as Rabbit Creek, which has suffered major slides after two decades of wildfire.

“This instability can last for weeks or years,” Weppner said.

Such erosion adds to, or sometimes even counters, other climatic effects, said Charles Luce, a Forest Service hydrologist in Boise who has become a top researcher in the Northwest on changing precipitation patterns.

The amount of water that falls in the Boise River watershed has declined by about 20 percent since the 1940s, he said. The burning of 50 percent of the forest canopy in the past 20 years means fewer trees store the water that does fall, increasing runoff by 5 percent.

This dynamic makes looking for creative ways to store mountain water critical to protect Idaho’s water supply, said David Tuthill, the former director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.


Some of this storage could be in traditional reservoirs, but Tuthill also is working with landowners in places where water could be stored in aquifers.

Most of the talk about recharge has revolved around the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, the state’s largest. It stretches from the edge of Yellowstone to near Glenns Ferry. The discussion is primarily about how to store more water to benefit agriculture through irrigation.

Most of these efforts have been around the idea of a central state program, not private efforts that might function more widely and more efficiently. But if deliberately refilling natural underground reservoirs can be used more imaginatively, it could offset the lost natural storage in snow.

“The concept of recharging aquifers just hasn’t gotten going,” Tuthill said.

UNCERTAIN TIMETABLES

Other Idaho adaptation measures include making homes and communities more fire-resistant. Blaine County has banned development in steep, erosion-prone areas and requires new homes to have fire-resistant roofs. Boise made similar changes after the 2008 Oregon Trail Fire.

Idaho and the Bureau of Land Management cooperated to develop rural fire districts so ranchers have the training and organization to jump on range fires before federal firefighters can, Myers noted.

The adaptation discussions are based on history

as well as climate forecasts. The model for change ranges from the pace we’ve seen over the past century to more accelerated change.

Forests might be altered dramatically, Weppner said, as trees that once thrived in Idaho are replaced by trees that grow in warmer, drier conditions.

“What is the time frame we’re talking about?” Myers asked Weppner during the Holland & Hart workshop. “This is something that could happen in a matter of decades, or are we talking about centuries?”

Weppner said it could be “decades, centuries or even longer.”

Over the past 35 years, Idaho’s Snake River wine region has seen its frost-free period increase by about a month, which means increased sugar content in grapes. That has allowed growers to branch out from white wines to richer reds now prized throughout the nation.

But the change in a growing season can have mixed benefits - such as requiring more water for a longer irrigation season.

Such potential effects are why government and individuals need to manage their risks now, Blaine County’s Schoen said. That means listening to scientists and using the data available today.“Sometimes you have to try things, you have to experiment,” Schoen said. “Sometimes you have to try new things without perfect knowledge.”

The Idaho Statesman’s story by Rocky Barker was picked up in the following outlets:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online http://www.seattlepi.com/business/energy/article/Idaho-leaders-consider-climate-change-5665523.php

Spokesman Review’s Huckleberries Online Bloghttp://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2014/aug/05/idaho-starts-climate-change-talks/

Capital Presshttp://www.capitalpress.com/Idaho/20140804/idaho-leaders-consider-climate-change#.U-POD_ldWSo

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