Environment

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise has sent wildfire supression crews to help fight the Australian Bushfires. NIFC spokesperson Jessica Gardetto talks more about how countries share resources and how changing fire seasons are impacting the need for firefighters internationally. 

  Twenty-five years ago, wolves were reintroduced in Idaho. Ranchers feared for their livestock while wolf supporters celebrated their return. The controversial decision still is playing out today. We talk with Suzanne Stone of the Wood River Wolf Project and former Idaho Statesman environmental reporter Rocky Barker about this historic anniversary.

This segment originally aired on Feb. 4, 2019. 

Wanna Know Idaho asked Idahoans to submit questions they want answered about our state. In the latest edition, host Frankie Barnhill seeks to answer the question on everybody's mind - "what happens to the poop at Zoo Boise?" Barnhill joins Idaho Matters to flush out the answer.

Right before Christmas, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission rejected a proposed settlement agreement that would have changed how folks with solar panels are paid for the excess power generated at their homes. The rejection means residents with solar panels will continue to receive the same amount for power that's put back into the grid. We talk with Idaho Power CEO Darrel Anderson and Ben Otto of the Idaho Conservation League about who wins under the current policy, and what it means for the future of solar power in Idaho. 

Waste is just another part of the holidays. From Christmas trees to wrapping paper and food containers, here are some tips for reducing and correctly disposing of waste.

Solar panel owners may soon get credited less for the excess power they produce.

This segment originally aired February 7, 2019.

Cordi and Joe Atkinson have been caring for birds of prey for nearly four decades. From hunting with falcons to rehabilitating injured eagles, the Atkinsons have become the faces of predatory bird preservation. The Atkinsons join Idaho Matters to discuss their work and the role the birds play in the Idaho ecosystem.

When Topher Jones was in 5th grade, his class raised sockeye salmon to learn about the endangered species. The lesson inspired the driven student to make a difference and help save the sockeye. Idaho Matters talks with the 11-year-old founder of the Lonesome Larry Project, which sells socks to support research and conservation of the fish. 

There’s a symbiotic relationship between hunting and conservation, and we’re not just talking about a romantic notion of our hunter-gatherer roots. But with the number of hunters on the decline nationally, stakeholders are banding together to attract a different type of hunter. We get a firsthand account from Boise State Public Radio's Heath Druzin, who recently took a trek into the wilderness for this story.

The number of Steelhead trout returning to Idaho rivers from the ocean this fall was so low that Idaho Fish and Game banned Steelhead fishing on the Clearwater River. 

The first of two special turkey seasons opened Sunday across four hunting zones running from south of Boise, along the Oregon border and up into Adams County, west of McCall.

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, which means extra food — and extra food waste. But one man’s garbage is another’s renewable energy.

Four months after the Camp Fire incinerated his home and the entire nearby town of Paradise, California, Randy Larsen sat on the steps of his RV and struggled to process what he'd survived.

Earlier this month, Kenyan vultures were found illegally poisoned in the African country. However, thanks to the quick actions of a representative connected to the Boise-based Peregrine Fund, some of the birds were saved and nursed back to health. But the poisonings are not likely to stop. Idaho Matters talks with the Executive Vice President & Global Director for Conservation Strategy at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise about the problem in the Serengeti and how to mitigate this challenge to the ecosystem.

Idaho Fish and Game officials say despite national trends showing a decline in hunting, the Gem State's numbers are steady. But most people will never participate in the sport, and some see it as morally wrong. We learn more about hunting and the culture surrounding it, which is a significant source of revenue for the department's conservation efforts. 

An analysis of dams around the United States shows that nearly 1,700 are reaching dangerous levels of disrepair, including dozens in the Mountain West.