Letters to the editor: Sage-grouse, Boise’s demise, Idaho education
Sage-grouse
The promo on-air spot for a podcast focusing on the greater sage-grouse refers to the bird as “controversial.”
It is not the bird that is controversial. Quite the opposite. It is humankind’s deep-seated desire to do things that degrade and even destroy the sagebrush-sea habitat that centrocercus urophasianus depends on for its life history.
Heck, if we’re going to refer to a native bird as “controversial,” then we might as well refer to the barn swallow by that word. After all, this swallow, also native to North America, has the habit of nesting on human buildings. My home in Elmore County hosted nesting barn swallows this past spring/summer.
What deserves to be called “controversial” in media reporting of the greater sage-grouse are human activities like livestock grazing, mining, off-roading, oil drilling and fracking. All these activities tend to create roads, which, in turn, fragment and degrade wildlife habitat.
The road-killed barn owl I found two weeks ago on the shoulder of Old Oregon Trail Road in Elmore County is evidence of this. The owl didn’t do anything “controversial.” It was simply living its life when struck down by human activity — a moving motor vehicle.
Alan C. Gregory, Mountain Home
What’s ruining Boise
Dr. Kustra recently placed the demise of Boise on what he called gun-toting right-wingers. I’m a 5th generation Idahoan and have lived in Boise for 50 years. I contend that the changes in Boise are actually the result of progressive newcomers that influenced our local politics. Dr. Kustra is one of these newcomers and, as a leader, should take some responsibility for how Boise has changed. During his reign, BSU implemented segregated graduation ceremonies based on race or sexual preference. His administration allowed to fester an atmosphere of fear and hate where so called “woke” “cancel culture” bigots call others bigots if their beliefs or ideas were different. (For clarification, Dictionary.com defines a bigot as: “A person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion”). And now at BSU our kids are being taught “what to think” and not “how to think.” Unfortunately, these types of changes have not created an open-minded, respectful or tolerant atmosphere that promotes the sharing and learning of ideas, nor has it created an appreciation for our differences. It’s unfortunate his progressive ideas didn’t work, because he’s correct, Boise is not as good now as it was when he arrived.
Cris Williams, Boise
Idaho education
The article by Rod Gramer (Idaho Statesman, December 23, 2020) suggests higher education is important for Idaho business. Unfortunately, Gramer’s appeal bodes poorly given the current political environment. Idaho, as a strongly Republican state, had a percentage support for the Republican outgoing president this past election exceeded by only four other states. Data indicates that in Republican-dominated states, education is not an emphasis nor is it supported well. Of the 25 states that supported Trump in the election, 19 are below the median in educational support in terms of dollars provided per student. Idaho is in an unenviable position, at the bottom, last among all states in some counts, in financial support of education. Are Idaho’s students doomed to remain among the less educated in the U. S. because of our politics? Idaho is blessed with many devoted, under-paid educators, who toil in under-funded teaching environments. Are the educators and students of Idaho ever going to be a priority for our state government? If not, our businesses will not prosper and our state will flounder. Perhaps, our state’s legislative government prefers to continue in its doldrums rather than to address fundamental issues?
Thomas G. Hallam. Sr., Garden City