Idaho
Since time immemorial, we have shared this land with wolves and bears. They deserve our protection. – Idaho Capital Sun
For the Nimiipuu people, protecting wolves and grizzly bears is akin to protecting a family member. According to our law, every animal has a vital place in this world. When we disrupt that, we upset the entire balance within an ecosystem. We believe strongly in the sacredness of all life. Since time immemorial, we have shared this land with wolves and bears – sharing our resources, sharing food and learning from one another. It is critical that we maintain protections for our relatives, the wolves and grizzly bears, to ensure these species can continue to carry out their roles on this land.
In recent years, wolves and grizzly bears have faced increasing persecution in the Northern Rockies. The threat of hostile state management in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana only compounds the threats these species are already facing. To ensure the continued recovery of grizzly bears and gray wolves, continued protections under the Endangered Species Act are necessary – especially in light of the aggression we’ve seen toward these species in our states.
Most recently, Montana and Wyoming petitioned the federal government to remove Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment hopes these petitions will be rejected and ensure continued protections for grizzly bears in our region. We have already seen what has happened to wolves in the Northern Rockies since they were delisted – we cannot allow grizzly bears to face the same hostile state management and extreme killing.
Wildlife conservation groups petition U.S. Forest Service to stop aerial wolf hunting in Idaho
Our group is also part of a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s wolf trapping and snaring laws that facilitate the killing of up to 90% of Idaho’s gray wolf population. The lawsuit contends that continued and expanded wolf trapping and snaring will injure and kill non-target grizzly bears, which are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Idaho has ignored the potential impacts to grizzlies and charged forward with its extreme killing practices to eradicate as many wolves as possible. We joined this lawsuit to end the trapping and snaring of wolves in grizzly bear habitat during non-denning periods.
In just a single year after Idaho’s aggressive new wolf trapping and snaring laws took effect in 2021, Idaho’s wolf population declined by 13 percent. We should be doing everything we can to protect and live alongside both wolves and grizzly bears, not actively facilitating their eradication. These species are incredibly important to the Nimiipuu people, and we are working to end the assault on these species – for the benefit of our environment and for future generations.
Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment recently spoke with tribal elders to document their stories about both wolves and grizzly bears. One elder spoke of seeing a gray wolf and how beautiful an experience it was – that an almost ghost-like figure moved past at a fast pace, and how fortunate they felt after. Another spoke of how connected we are to wolves and grizzlies by our shared food and resources. Another marveled at the harmonies from wolves – singing to one another across the canyons. Another’s daughter was named after the wolf, as she worked hard to take care of her family and boys. And another spoke of the need to work to better understand grizzly bears and their needs and restore our ecosystems back to their natural configurations.
The stories shine a light on just how important grizzly bears, wolves and the rest of the natural world have been to the Nimiipuu people for generations. These stories are passed down to all of us – stories of our ancestors and how important the species have been toward ensuring the continued survival of our landscapes and each of us. Every single one of us is connected. As we face the continued loss of nature, we should be fighting harder to protect these species, not harm them.
In the coming months, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether to maintain protections for the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. We are hopeful that the agency will decide to continue protecting the species, as climate change, habitat destruction and increased killing of bears has only made the situation more dire. We must do all we can to better foster connections between isolated grizzly populations and recommit to their recovery in the lower 48, including priority ecosystems like the Bitterroot and Cascades.
And as we move toward a decision in our Idaho litigation, we are hopeful for a ruling that protects both wolves and the ESA-protected grizzly bears that are indiscriminately killed through trapping and snaring. The Endangered Species Act has afforded grizzly bears protections and Idaho’s extreme killing program for wolves has put both species at risk.
In recent years, officials in this region have proven to be incredibly hostile toward the species that Indigenous communities, and most Americans, know and love. People travel from all over the world to see our grizzly bears and wolves, and they spend significant money in our region while they are here. We should be protecting these species and the role they play in our ecosystems, our culture and our economy, not targeting them. The extreme hostility toward these keystone species will only hurt all of us if it continues.
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BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun) — Day use access fees at all Idaho state parks will be waived for Idaho residents on July 4 as part of a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Gov. Brad Little announced Friday, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
“As we prepare to mark 250 years of American independence, there is no better way to celebrate than by getting outside with our loved ones and enjoying the freedoms and natural treasures that define our great nation,” Little said Friday. “Idaho’s state parks showcase the very best of our state, and we are proud to welcome families, friends and visitors to explore them free of charge during this special occasion.”
While day use fees for Idaho residents will be waived, normal camping and reservation fees will apply, officials said.
Idaho has 28 state parks, which offer a variety of recreational and outdoor activities including hiking, horseback riding, skiing, bird watching, rock climbing, fishing, boating, swimming, bicycling and more.
State officials with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation are in the process of unveiling improvements and enhancements at several state parks, including Lucky Peak State Park outside of Boise, which recently opened a new dog beach and accessible kayak launch on the Boise River.
Other state parks include Bruneau Dunes State Park and Observatory, Harriman State Park, Bear Lake State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve, which is a national reserve and state park that attracts climbers from all over the world to its dramatic granite rock spires.
Little said the July 4 fee waiver is a part of a larger effort to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776.
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We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
Inside The Arrest of 3 Venezuelan Fraudsters
What on earth was happening in Eagle this week?
Gallery Credit: Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM
It’s Not Hard To See Why This Idaho Police Photoshoot Is Going Viral
The Jerome Police Department is going viral thanks to Twin Falls photographer, Layton Henderson. Once you see the hilarious photos, you’ll see why!
Gallery Credit: Chris Cardenas
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