Conservation Flying- the Aerial Perspective on Landscape Impacts

Anyone who’s ever been in a plane staring out the window on the landscape below knows that feeling of gaining a new perspective of the land, a city or place. Whether it makes you feel smaller in our large world, more connected to the place, or simply inspired by the beauty – it can’t be denied that flying changes your perspectives.

On this episode of Building a Greener Idaho I speak with Bruce Gordon and Jane Pargiter from EcoFlight who have been doing “conservation flying” missions across the United States and the world to help educate and bring new perspective to a diverse audience about a wide range of conservation issues. I snagged them for a short conversation while they were passing through Boise flying missions with the Idaho Conservation League. Whether it’s flying journalists, politicians or representatives of community groups, their job is to get people up in the air in small aircraft for an intimate experience and a new perspective of the landscape and the issues that affect our land, air, water and communities.

Join us Tuesdays at 3pm on Radio Boise at 89.9 FM or 93.5 FM in the Treasure Valley. Or stream us online at http://www.radioboise.org.  Got an idea for a show? We’d love to hear about it! Contact us at buildingagreeneridaho@gmail.com

Read Full Post »

Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve

Light pollution limits 80% of Americans from seeing the Milky Way at night.  Light pollution disorients turtles trying to see the glare of the moonlight as an indicator of water.  The blue/white colors we use in lights disrupt our production of melatonin and therefore our sleep cycle.

But its not all bad news. In the face of the challenges caused by light pollution, a partnership between communities and public sectors arose to help designate Central Idaho as the nation’s first gold-tier dark sky reserve.

Today’s show is a rebroadcasting of an Idaho Environmental Forum that was presented in December featuring Astronomer Matt Benjamin and Mayor of Stanley Steve Botti.  Their biographies can be found below.  

January 17th is the next Idaho Environmental Forum – their annual Legislative Gala.  For information on the gala and IEF, click here.

Steve Botti

Steve worked for the National Park Service for 35 years before retiring in 2007. During that time he worked in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, served as the Chief of Natural Resources Management at Yosemite National Park, and as the National Wildland Fire Program Planning Manager for the Washington Office of the National Park Service. He authored An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park in 2001, which was awarded the Henry Allan Gleason Award from the New York Botanical Garden for the outstanding publication in plant taxonomy in 2003. In 2007 he was awarded the Meritorious Service Honor Award from the Secretary of the Interior for career achievements in serving National Parks. From 1987 through 2010 he taught field botany seminars for the Yosemite Association and the Jepson Herbarium at the University of California.

Steve and his wife Vicki retired to Stanley in 2007, and he was elected President of the Stanley City Council in 2008. He has continued to serve in that position through 2017, and was elected Mayor of Stanley this past November. Outside of work, Steve spends as much time as he can enjoying rivers rafting, cross-country skiing, hiking, and the dark night sky in the Sawtooth and Boulder-White Cloud mountains.

Matt Benjamin

Matt and his family currently live in Boulder, Colorado, though Matt has been spending time in Idaho for 35 years. His family connection to Idaho began when his grandfather used to take his dad to Ketchum on the train

from Los Angeles. Matt spent the past 12 years working for the University of Colorado at Boulder as an Astronomer and the Education Programs Manager for the Fiske Planetarium. While at the Planetarium,

Matt collaborated on several NASA research grants and educational programs with our federal labs and aerospace companies. Matt is currently Board President of the Growe Foundation, which initiates school garden programs through lesson plans for 19 elementary schools in the Boulder Valley School District.

Got an idea for a show? We’d love to hear about it! Contact us at buildingagreeneridaho@gmail.com

Read Full Post »

Idaho Climate Summit Recap: Economic Opportunity

In November a diverse coalition of industry leaders, environmental groups and universities hosted the Idaho Climate Summit: Safeguarding Idaho’s Economy in a Changing Climate. While conversations about climate change in Idaho have been happening within various sectors and constituencies for quite some time, the summit was the first successful attempt to bring together a wide array of business, academic, public and environmental representatives with a focus on economic opportunities in addition to the very real impacts to our environment and way of life.

I had the chance to talk with a few of the speakers from the conference about their perspectives on why climate change is an important reality to make business decisions around and what opportunities exist for innovation that will help grow the Gem State’s economic vibrancy due to the climate reality.

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Julia Kertz Grant from Micron Technology, David Eichberg from HP Inc, Kate Gordon from the Risky Business Project and the Paulson Institute, and Aimee Christensen from the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience.

Got an idea for a show? We’d love to hear about it! Contact us at buildingagreeneridaho@gmail.com

 

Read Full Post »

Air Quality & Idaho Politics

Today I talk with Rialin Flores, the Legislative Associate for Conservation Voters for Idaho, about air quality issues, effective grassroots political engagement, holding elected leaders accountable, and electing people who care about things like clean air and water.

With all of the excitement around politics these days it’s a timely conversation to have about how policy and politics are being played here in Idaho around conservation issues. Air quality is our theme this month, but Rialin and I will also touch on CVI’s broader work and insights around Idaho’s political process. Speaking of the political process… democracy is at work today and you should participate. The Greater Boise Auditorium District election is today so get your VOTE on! Find details and polling locations for Ada County

Pre-show quiz (no cheating by googling it): What is Coal Rolling and did the Idaho Legislature address it in the 2017 session? Tune in to find out!

Got an idea for a show? We’d love to hear about it! Contact us at buildingagreeneridaho@gmail.com

Read Full Post »