Idaho Conservation League • Volume XVIII • Number 3 • September, 2015 FEATURING Celebrating Idaho’s new wilderness! 3 Looking back on a season of fire 6 It could happen in Idaho... 12 Boulder-White Clouds / Ed Cannady Boulder-White BOARD Paul Cunningham, Chair, Boise Steve Mitchell, Vice Chair, Hailey Kahle Becker, Secretary, Garden City Julie Richardson, Treasurer, Hailey Tanya Anderson, Victor Jerry Brady, Idaho Falls Carolyn Coiner, Twin Falls David Eichberg, Boise Boulder-White Clouds / Ed Cannady Elaine French, Ketchum Lori Gibson Banducci, Boise Steve Lockwood, Sandpoint FROM THE DIRECTOR: Jim Norton, Boise John O’Connor, Bonners Ferry TOGETHER, WE GOT IT DONE Tom Page, Hailey Buddy Paul, Coeur d’Alene Jerry Scheid, Idaho Falls Pres. Barack Obama opened the door of the White Kim Trotter, Driggs House Oval Office and invited us in. With Rep. Margrit von Braun, Moscow Bill Weppner, Boise Pam Benham Pam Mike Simpson and a few others, I stood behind the president as he signed the Boulder-White Clouds STAFF Natalie Chavez wilderness bill. Simpson mentioned how long we had Systems Associate worked on this. “So this must be a pretty special day Nancy Dooley Community Engagement Associate for you,” Obama said to me. I replied that it was a Susan Drumheller special day for many people. North Idaho Associate Rick Johnson Jenny Estes Development Assistant Justin Hayes Countless people have worked to protect this special Program Director part of Central Idaho, headwaters of four rivers. Literally generations of Rick Johnson Executive Director people contributed to this success. Some are no longer with us, including Marie Callaway Kellner Ernie Day and Robb Brady. Water Associate Dani Mazzotta Central Idaho Director I’m reminded of Lynne Stone, still a tireless defender of this Betsy Mizell Community Engagement Associate extraordinary place, and Linn Kincannon, who became an excellent Suki Molina ambassador for ICL in the halls of Congress. Also, Tom Pomeroy and Deputy Director Aimee Moran Alan Reynolds. This list has no end. Development Director Jonathan Oppenheimer Senior Conservation Associate But as Cecil Andrus often reminds me, names are quickly forgotten. Ben Otto Energy Associate John Robison What is remembered afresh with each generation is the joy in first seeing Public Lands Director Lori Sims Castle Peak, the thrill of a bugling elk up the Bowery, or the pull of a fish Development Associate in Boulder Chain Lakes. That mountain goat on the flanks of Merriam Brad Smith North Idaho Director Peak doesn’t care about us. Lana Weber Community Engagement Associate Mary Beth Whitaker Simpson said, “We do this for your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren, Editor & Designer Erin Zaleski and untold generations yet unborn, who will one day hike up there with Office Manager their kids. And they’ll lie on the ground and look at the stars....” Boise 208.345.6933 [email protected] That is why we do this work. That is why we DID this. www.idahoconservation.org Ketchum Rick Johnson 208.726.7485 Executive Director Sandpoint [email protected] 208.265.9565 2 printed on recycled paper PUBLIC LANDS SPOTLIGHT Passing the “Elvis Version” You have read about our work to proved challenging in Washington, DC. Learn More permanently protect the Boulder-White Compromise? Wilderness advocates Clouds for years. You’ve heard us repeat, partnering with a Republican? For the next To learn more about “The time is now.” Despite setbacks, we decade, Democrats and Republicans in turn ICL’s work to protect still had reasons to keep working for this held it at bay. Sadly, Simpson’s quest for the Idaho’s special special place, to not give up. With your political center coincided with a polarizing places, go to www. support, we never did. period in Congress. idahoconservation.org Idaho Conservation League members In 2006, the bill was certain to pass in the have worked for wilderness designations final hours of a lame duck session—until since our founding in 1973. In 1999, newly outgoing Speaker Dennis Hastert substituted elected Rep. Mike Simpson first attended a pork-barrel provision for a business in his our annual Wild Idaho! conference, and district. In 2009, the entire Idaho delegation he and I toured the Boulder-White Clouds introduced the Simpson bill. Again, it was in a small plane. Afterward, we talked sure to pass until Sen. Jim Risch changed about how wilderness gets protected. his mind at the Senate hearing. While the ground-breaking pragmatism that ICL Simpson ultimately crafted a bill that pioneered with Simpson made national news was rich with compromise. These and helped set the stage for the successful compromises played well in Idaho but (continued on page 4) Boulder-White Clouds / ICL Artist in Residence Peter Lovera 3 PUBLIC LANDS Passing the “Elvis Version” (cont.) (continued from page 3) public lands and his intention to move Owyhee wilderness bill in 2009, we could forward. He has now created 19 national not get the Boulder-White Clouds bill through monuments. Congress. The Idaho monument campaign was With the first Obama term underway, former unique: Idaho is a red state; we didn’t Idaho governor and Interior Secretary Cecil have a supportive governor; and we had a Andrus came to Wild Idaho! and encouraged Republican delegation often hostile to the us to keep the Boulder-White Clouds president. Our state legislature and Custer pressure on but with a changed strategy. County, where much of the monument would While only Congress can create wilderness, be located, were wildly opposed. a president can create a monument. In 2010, Andrus began his own advocacy Still, our work elevated the campaign within with Obama. In early 2013, ICL began a the administration. We sent teams to DC, monument campaign in earnest. identified thousands of grassroots supporters, and developed local and national partners— Boulder-White Clouds / ICL Artist in Residence Peter Lovera work modeled on what we’d done years before to support Simpson’s efforts in Congress. We had a great coalition pulling forward. In September 2014, at a dinner in DC to commemorate the Wilderness Act’s 50th anniversary, we arranged a meeting between Simpson and the White House advisor at that time, John Podesta. We had hoped that Simpson would provide Podesta at least a nod toward the monument. But the morning before, Simpson threw us a curve: “I’m going to talk to him about the monument, but I’m also going to ask for six months at the start of the next Congress to try to pass my bill again,” he told us. Simpson is a legislator and proud of it, working in a dysfunctional body. We should The Boulder-White Cloud national not have been surprised that he’d try to move monument campaign was one of the first his bill again. But we had no reason to expect in the Obama administration that was a different results. strategic pivot away from Congress’s failed wilderness efforts. The president spoke In October 2014, at a Boise State University 4 broadly about Congress’s failure to protect conference, Simpson gave one of the best Passing the “Elvis Version” (cont.) conservation speeches since Frank Church He said that he would not get in Simpson’s and Cecil Andrus were in office. “Within the way. While we were still concerned, the bill year,” he said, “one of two things will have cleared committee unanimously. happened. The Boulder-White Clouds will Boulder-White Clouds / ICL Artist in Residence Peter Lovera be a designated wilderness or a national monument.” By then, the six-month window to which Podesta had agreed was public. This deadline raised the profile for his legislation and validated that a national monument would happen if his bill did not pass. In December 2014, several largely conservative interest groups reached out to the delegation. Their message was clear: The monument is serious and the Idaho delegation needs to solve this problem. While they had opposed the wilderness bill before, they would support it now. Risch listened and said to Simpson, “We can get this done.” A new bill was introduced in the House and Senate this February. On my wall hang copies of the 10 bills that Simpson has The week of July 27 was huge. On Monday, introduced over the past decade, with a the House unanimously passed Simpson’s personal note written on each. This last bill bill. On Thursday, the Risch bill unanimously says, “The Elvis Version—‘It’s Now or Never’.” passed out of the Senate committee. Suddenly, in Simpson’s sixth month, only a Risch held the first congressional hearing, floor vote in the Senate was needed. inviting ICL. I made it clear that ICL had supported a legislative resolution for many That afternoon, Senate leadership began years—and still did. But we didn’t believe it a rare “hotline” process to move the bill to would happen. At the hearing, Risch spoke the floor. With support from Sens. Mitch about the values of the Boulder-White Clouds McConnell and Harry Reid, senators were and of another Idaho area, too—Scotchman asked about having the bill come up for Peaks. The monument was barely mentioned. unanimous consent. If one senator objected, it was over. Initially, no objection was raised. The House hearing had no public witnesses. Then one emerged—Ted Cruz. Unable Rep. Raul Labrador, not an ally of Simpson’s, to move the bill to the floor, the Senate hit agency witnesses hard, indicating that he adjourned and senators headed home for the might derail this effort. Soon after, we had weekend. a private hour-long meeting with Labrador. (continued on page 8) 5 AROUND THE STATE A Season to Remember: The Fires of 2015 Lingering drought across much of Idaho contain them.