Following a string of record-breaking temperatures, many Idahoans are looking for ways to beat the heat like staying indoors, floating the river and using cooling devices.
The City of Boise is participating in an urban heat study this summer to combat the effects of climate change.
On a hot July day, kids splashed and played in the pool. Not too far away, on the other side of the park, Logan Rivera was setting up a tripod for a small orange weather sensor. He’s part of a youth crew working for the Idaho Conservation Corps.
“We just collect the weather data, so the stuff like, you know, the wind speeds, uh, the directions of it, temperature, humidity, all that stuff, and then send it to a national interbase,” said Rivera.
Rivera is part of several youth crews helping with the urban heat study. The program lets students earn money and school credit, while they learn about the effects of climate change and how to support the development of urban forests where they live.
“I wanted to be productive and do something community based,” he said.
Many students like Rivera are passionate about the environment and want to play a role in maintaining it.
The Idaho Conservation Corps recently received a $4 million federal grant to fund forestry projects aimed at fighting climate change in the Treasure Valley. Some neighborhoods, however, are hotter than others because there aren’t enough trees to cool them down.
“The reason we chose the Borah Neighborhood Association is it is one of the neighborhoods that we've identified as having high heat, and we would like to help put into place practices and policies that can help improve quality of life for residents here,” said Lance Davisson, the executive director of the Treasure Valley Canopy Network.
Davisson said Boise is one of four cities across the nation participating in this project, and that crews are out in the field three days a week collecting data from the heat sensors installed around town.
The information gathered can help the city determine which areas need the most improvement and come up with strategies to reduce temperatures, so families can feel comfortable spending more time outside.
