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.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 1, 2022
Jul 01, 2022
Show notes A picture of the November 2021 rockslide on State Highway 55 20 miles south of Cascade.( Idaho Transportation Department)
Two Bishops and a Morning Edition host
Jun 30, 2022
Show notes
Idaho has a new Episcopal Bishop. He was ordained last Saturday in an elaborate ceremony at the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise.
Before the ceremony, our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down for a fascinating conversation about faith, hope and the search for God when tragedies happen.
The art of duck carving
Jun 30, 2022
Show notes
The art of hunting demands close attention to wildlife. In the fall, waterfowl hunters lure their prey by mimicking calls and setting out decoy birds. Some hunters go the extra distance, carving and painting decoys by hand - a stunning homage to the living animal.
In this edition of Expressive Idaho, we hear from hunter and decoy carver Tom Matus and his apprentice Justin Seelig, who are participating in the Idaho Commission of the Arts Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Producer Arlie Sommer brings us the story.
Solving the mystery of the oldest barn in Ada County
Jun 30, 2022
Show notes The Schick Barn.( Frank Eld)
“It's really quite an interesting story about the oldest barn in Ada County and possibly in the state. Undoubtedly one of the oldest still standing, having been built in c. 1865,” says Frank Eld, also known as 'The Barn Whisperer.’
Eld is talking about the Schick Barn in the Foothills north of Boise, just 15 minutes from downtown. It sits on a piece of Idaho's agricultural past.
The historic Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead was built in the 1860s and is the longest continuously inhabited home in Idaho.
The main house of the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead.(Ann Goodwin / Ann Goodwin Photography)
The home, barn, and five other buildings sit along Dry Creek, surrounded by lush green trees, a white picket fence, friendly goats and a small flock of chickens!
This merry band of chickens, and some friendly goats, live at the farm.(Ann Goodwin / Ann Goodwin Photography)
The Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to the Dry Creek Historical Society which works to protect and restore the site and to share Idaho’s history through the story of the farm.
Eld, a self-proclaimed barn enthusiast and restorer, is helping the Society repair the Schick Barn.
“The construction of the barn is unique and not typically western,” says Eld.
The barn, along with the Farmstead, was built in the 1860s by Phillip Schick who settled in Dry Creek Valley after coming to Idaho during the mining boom. He grew food for the early settlers of Boise and the miners in the Boise Basin.
Schick built his barn using techniques not commonly found in the West and Eld began an investigation that led him all the way across the country to find out why.
“My barn research and eventual trip to upstate New York validated my suspicions that Schick built what he had known from his upbringing in New England versus following a typical western construction technique on his posts and beams,” Eld explains.
When the Society began restoration, volunteers found an unusual broadaxe inside, which became another piece of the mystery that Eld had to unravel.
The mysterious broadaxe found in the Schick Barn.( Frank Eld)
“As a Finnish log construction researcher and historian,” Eld says “I know a bit about axes and when I saw this one, I knew it wasn't one usually used in the west. I eventually tracked its origins to a manufacturer in New Hampshire and actually visited there and consulted with the Historical Society archivist about the axe. It turns out to be a shipwright's axe used primarily in New England building ships.”
Frank Eld's investigation into the mysterious broadaxe led him to New Hampshire to the site of the factory that made it.(Frank Eld )
Eld’s ongoing research, including tracking down the maker of the broadaxe, has helped him paint a clearer picture of Phillip Schick and the history of the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead. And learning that history, and sharing it with visitors to the farm, is what the Dry Creek Historical Society is all about, according to Cyndi Elliot, president of the non-profit group.
“Part of the mission of the Dry Creek Historical Society…is education,” Elliot says. The volunteers dress in period clothes and let visitors see how a farmstead worked…long before grocery stores, pharmacies and the internet.
Eld says going to a historic site like this farm, makes history come alive.
"That's why the Farmstead is so important. Because this is where people experience history," Eld says.
The Schick home in 1895.(Dry Creek Historical Society )
A deep dive into the safety of Idaho Highway 55
Jun 29, 2022
Show notes A large rockslide on Idaho State Highway 55 closed down the road between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road just before Thanksgiving 2021.( Idaho Transportation Department)
The story came about after three landslides hit the road between Boise and Valley County in less than a year.
BoiseDev.com reporters Margaret Carmel and Autum Robertson investigated the story for six months, sifting through public records and emails, and Margaret joined Idaho Matters to share what they found.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 29, 2022
Jun 29, 2022
Show notesDoctor holding Paxlovid pills for the treatment of covid-19.(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
We’ll find out what that is and why it can be a problem for some - and how Idaho is doing when it comes to COVID-19 infection.?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to talk about this and other COVID-19 news.
High school student running for spot on the Boise School Board
Jun 29, 2022
Show notes(Joe Wolf / Flickr)
A Boise high school senior is running for a seat on the Boise School District Board of Trustees.
Shiva Rajbhandari made the announcement earlier this month, saying students deserve a voice in their education. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the issues he's seeing in schools and the changes he'd like to make.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 29, 2022
Jun 29, 2022
Show notesDoctor holding Paxlovid pills for the treatment of covid-19.(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
We’ll find out what that is and why it can be a problem for some - and how Idaho is doing when it comes to COVID-19 infection.?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to talk about this and other COVID-19 news.
Growth and birth rates could effect Idaho college enrollment
Jun 27, 2022
Show notes(James Dawson)
Idaho has been working for years to try to get more kids to go on from high school to college with mixed success.
New challenges have popped up, the covid-19 pandemic is one of the biggest, but there are other factors that are causing concern for Idaho colleges which want to recruit more students to keep their doors open.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, explored these challenges and joined Idaho Matters to talk about it.
Idaho Power helps fish and habitat on the Snake River
Jun 27, 2022
Show notesIdaho Power recently completed its second island floodplain project as part of its Snake River Stewardship Program, designed to improve habitat and water quality.(Idaho Power)
Last fall, Idaho Power finished adding 16 acres of floodplain to an island in the Snake to help fish thrive in that river.
Rippee Island sits between the Swan Falls Dam and Marsing.
This is desert land and the sun can warm the water in the river to a deadly degree for fish.
By creating a narrower, deeper channel the river stays cooler and keeps the bottom of the river cleaner which is better for the fish.
Jim Chandler joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this project. He’s the fisheries and water quality leader with Idaho Power.
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