Environmental History
2/2/15 – Earthquakes
I am sure many of our western readers have experienced at least one earthquake in their lives. And today, with geologists’ ability to monitor and interpret seismological waves and almost instantly identify quakes around the world, you have all no doubt observed devastating earthquake scenes on television. The amount of damage and death that can… Read the Rest »
1/14/15 – The Great River of the West
Right before the holidays, SHRA researchers found themselves swimming in sources relating to the development of the Columbia River. Like so many other rivers, the Columbia faced a plethora of competing interests, such as hydroelectric power, fish, navigation, irrigation, and recreation. Documentation on the subject was vast but one source in particular intrigued us. Around… Read the Rest »
1/12/15 – Coeur d’Alene Mining Pollution
We recently came upon an unexpected Idaho Daily Statesman headline – “Nelson Attacks River Pollution” – while doing research on the early 1930s.[i] The headline appeared more than 30 years before pollution and sewage caused Ohio’s Cuyahoga River to catch fire and help spur the environmental movement to address water pollution nationwide. But, in northern… Read the Rest »
12/3/14 – Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness
Here in Idaho, the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act in September 2014 has a special significance. Idaho is home to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the second largest wilderness area in the United States, containing 2.4 million acres of rugged mountains, forests, and rivers. It was named after Frank Church, who… Read the Rest »
11/10/14 – ABCs vs PCBs
“Toxic substances hardly would seem a likely field of feminine expertise,” began an article from the Seattle Times in June 1980. Yet Margo Partridge, a woman who worked for the EPA, “finds more of a challenge in PCBs than the A, B, C’s of the kitchen.” Despite the fact that Partridge was an expert on… Read the Rest »
11/5/14 – State Lands for Schools
Part of the allure of the archives is that you never know what you might uncover. Not too long ago, SHRA researchers stumbled across a January 1941 letter from Idaho State Forester Franklin Girard. While the letter was of little consequence, Girard’s evocative letterhead pitted contrasting images of lush forests against fire riddled stumps. Even… Read the Rest »
10/24/14 – The Passenger Pigeon
September 2014 marked 100 years since the last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati zoo. These birds, which at one point made up 20% to 40% of the entire avian population of the United States, lived east of the Rocky Mountains, from central Canada in the north to the southern United States. It is estimated… Read the Rest »
10/22/14 -The Snake River Basin Adjudication—Organization & The Finish Line
As twilight descends upon the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA), it seems fitting to place it into the larger context of water rights settlements in the American West. In Through the Waters: An Oral History of the Snake River Basin Adjudication, editors Randy Stapilus and the Idaho State Bar Water Law Section compiled an impressive… Read the Rest »
10/20/14 – The Snake River Basin Adjudication – Where Did It All Begin?
This past summer, hundreds of people from various backgrounds, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia converged in Boise, Idaho to celebrate the completion of the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA), the largest and arguably the most successful water adjudication in U.S. history. Such esteem begs the question, how did this long and arduous process begin?… Read the Rest »
10/15/14 – Sturgeon
In August 2014, when Idaho Power biologists working near the Snake River’s Hells Canyon caught a 10-foot, 400-pound sturgeon, it was far from the largest fish caught on the Snake River.[i] Sturgeon, the largest fresh-water fish in North America, can live to be 75 years old and 14 feet long. Recently, when combing the archives,… Read the Rest »