Idaho Matters

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**Idaho Matters**

Idaho Matters is a wonderful way to stay up to date, meet people and understand there’s much more to this great state. Hosted by Gemma Gaudette on Boise State Public Radio News, it features arts and politics, growth and education, and the interesting stories that make Idaho unique. Send us your questions, comments or story ideas by emailing idahomatters@boisestate.edu or sending us a voicemail using the “Talk To Us” feature on the free Boise State Public Radio app.

Latest Episodes:

**Cleaning up Japanese beetles in Canyon County** Jun 06, 2023
Show notes

A Japanese beetle sits on a leaf. (A Hermit / Flickr)
Japanese beetles have invaded Canyon County. Well, at least one small residential area of Caldwell and the Idaho Department of Agriculture is working to eliminate these nasty pests.
They haven’t found very many beetles yet, but the bugs are a danger to some of Idaho's top crops including hops, grapes, apples and vegetable seeds. And the potential for lost crops, especially if other states and countries quarantine those crops, could result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
So what are these bugs? And how are officials fighting them?
Andrea Thompson, the department's plant industries division administrator, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.

Grassy shrubbery towards to front and hilly land in the back with scattered trees. — **Bureau of Land Management helps protect grouse habitat** Jun 06, 2023
Show notes

Photo of parcel acquired by the BLM from The Nature Conservancy. ( Bureau of Land Management )
Approximately 390 acres of land west of Midvale are now in public hands as part of a cooperative effort to help Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.
The Bureau of Land Management picked up the land from the nature conservancy and will keep the area open to the public while protecting the breeding grounds of the grouse and keeping a large section of sagebrush habitat intact.
Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

A woman wearing a long sleeved shirt and tan overalls releases a large bird of pretty in the mountains. — **Banding songbirds in Boise** Jun 06, 2023
Show notes

Ayla releases a Red-tailed Hawk that was banded at the Intermountain Bird Observatory as part of their migration research.( Greg Kaltenecker)
Have you ever held a wild songbird in the palm of your hand? It turns out that a group of researchers are asking you to come and do just that.
Boise State University’s Intermountain Bird Observatory works to help bird conservation through research and education and by getting people involved with that research and the natural world.
One of the ways they do that is by inviting the public to take part in their summer songbird banding along the Boise River next Friday.
Heidi Ware Carlisle, the Education Director of the IBO, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

A blue lake with some red buoys near the shoreline. You can see trees and mountains in the background of behind the water. — **McCall addresses chemical spill on Payette Lake** Jun 06, 2023
Show notes

(Steve Sheriw / Flickr)
State health officials are giving high marks to first responders in McCall for containing what could have been a significant health issue.
One woman saw something was wrong and before long officials had found and contained a chemical spill in Payette Lake. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice reports.

**Idaho free health clinics see more patients as Medicaid disenrollment continues** Jun 05, 2023
Show notes

Doctor takes a sample of a patient's blood.(BURGER / Getty Images)
Back in April, we told you about how more than 23,000 people had been dropped from Idaho's Medicaid program.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government put "Medicaid Protection" in place which kept folks on health insurance even if they had lost eligibility. But that protection ran out on April 1.
Since then, Idaho Health and Welfare has been re-evaluating the cases of almost 154,000 people to see who is still eligible and who is not and must be dropped from the program.
So far, the number of people who have been dropped was over 23,000. Now, it's more than 35,000 and the number is expected to keep going up.
Many of those folks who have been dropped are turning to the few free health clinics in Idaho for their health care and those clinics are feeling the strain.
Steve Davis, Clinic Director for the Genesis Free and Charitable Clinics in Caldwell and Garden City, and Sherrie Joseph, who directs the Pocatello Clinic joined Idaho Matters to give us an update on the situation.

**Using social media to keep Idaho's public lands beautiful** Jun 05, 2023
Show notes

Trash left on public lands. ( Recreating Responsibly Idaho / Idaho Department of Lands)
Maybe you've seen pictures or maybe you've seen it in person: trash littering your favorite campsite, old junk dumped along your hiking trail, beautiful public lands trashed and left a mess.
Sometimes it's deliberate, but often it's simply ignorance and a lack of understanding of what to do or not to do on public lands.
The "Recreating Responsibly Idaho" program is hoping to fix at least part of the problem. Robbie Johnson, Senior Public Information Officer with the Idaho Department of Lands and Idaho outdoor author Steve Stuebner, who has worked on the Recreating Responsibly campaign joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.

Where to find wildflowers in Idaho Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Spring has finally sprung and it's warming up and greening up all around Idaho. Along with all that green, we're starting to see some color as wildflowers start to bloom and show off, especially in the backcountry.

Idaho outdoor author Steve Stuebner joined Idaho Matters to give us ideas on where to spot these magnificent wildflowers.

Historic postal uniform found in Burley, Idaho Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Heyburn residents Steven Hill and Fred Sayre were completing a property clean out in 2022 when they made a fascinating discovery: a Burley postal uniform from 1927 in almost perfect condition.

Now in their line of work, it's not unusual to find relics of the past, but this discovery was special, especially because it gave them a chance to help preserve a small piece of the town's history. Hill joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his unique find.

**Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 1, 2023** Jun 02, 2023
Show notes

Boise Airport(Boise Airport)
Lori Vallow Daybell wants a new trial, you can no longer take a direct flight from Boise to Houston, homeless services could be running out of funding, a look at why there is no insanity legal defense in Idaho and we get a little insight into how some communities are helping to protect public lands.
It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date on all the news that made headlines this past week.
Our journalist panel today:
Kaleb Roedel, Reporter for KUNR’s Mountain West News Bureau
Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor at the Idaho Statesman
Nate Eaton, News Director at EastIdahoNews.com
Gretchen Parsons, Managing Editor with BoiseDev.com
Troy Oppie, host of All Things Considered with Boise State Public Radio

**The secret life of tornadoes in Idaho** Jun 01, 2023
Show notes

A tornado forms and touches down. (Orlin Wagner / AP)
When it comes to the weather, Idahoans have seen their fair share of wildfires, winter storms and droughts. What they may not have seen though are tornadoes. That doesn't mean they're not happening though.
BoiseDev reporter Anna Daly joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this often unnoticed weather event.

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