Eye on Boise: Idaho board looks to rule out outlandish park names

After promising that new corporate sponsorship programs for Idaho’s state parks wouldn’t lead to renaming state parks for Coca-Cola or Doritos, state parks board members were faced with new administrative rules last week that actually didn’t rule that out.

The proposed rules put lots of limits on naming rights at parks. Any naming “should be carefully considered so that the perceptions of the public are positive and the recognition does not imply private or exclusive use or ownership,” they said.

Also, the proposed rules said, “State parks and units, in most cases, should bear the name to which they have been historically known due to location, topography, natural resources or cultural values.”

But then there was this clause: “The board may name a new state park or unit in honor of an individual – living or deceased – or an entity that has contributed specifically to the park or unit acquisition and that represents achievement of highest distinction in a professional or public service role which does not conflict with the department mission and goals.”

That seems to leave the door open to just what parks officials promised to avoid, if the “entity” is a big donor to the park. So when the state Board of Parks and Recreation examined the proposed rules at its meeting Thursday in McCall, it hit the brakes.

“We asked for revisions – we did not approve the rules,” said board member Tom Crimmins of Hayden Lake. “We need to clarify that.”

With a Friday deadline looming to submit administrative rules for review in the next legislative session, the parks board set a conference call for Thursday to review the rules again.

“Naming facilities is one thing – naming the park itself is something else,” said Crimmins, noting that Boise State University may have Taco Bell Arena, but it’s not Taco Bell University. “We’re not going to name the ‘Big Mac Park’ somewhere,” he said. “I mean, we’re not going to do that.”

One possible change being considered is to add legislative review of any new park name.

The proposed rules also forbid sponsorships from any political organizations, tobacco companies or any businesses selling pornography, and forbid naming or advertising at parks that could be construed as political or religious messages.

PUC opening

Gov. Butch Otter is calling for applicants for an opening in January on the state Public Utilities Commission. “We are looking for candidates who possess the right mix of enthusiasm and temperament to oversee one of the most vital regulatory functions in state government,” Otter said. PUC commissioners are full time and make $97,799 a year.

Commissioner Mack Redford, who was in his second six-year term, died unexpectedly June 30. Last month, Otter appointed retired longtime Commissioner Marsha Smith to serve on an interim basis until a new commissioner is appointed in January. The appointee, who is subject to Senate confirmation, would serve out Redford’s term, which runs through January 2019.

Interested applicants can contact Ann Beebe in the governor’s office at (208) 334-2100, or  ann.beebe@gov.idaho.gov. The deadline for applications is Sept. 22.

Horses rounded up

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials are in the midst of an emergency roundup of roughly 285 wild horses in the area where the huge Soda fire burned 285,000 acres of rangeland in southwestern Idaho; 29 wild horses died in the fire, and six more had to be killed because of injuries from the blaze. The “emergency wild horse gather” is designed to reduce the wild horse numbers in the area to match the remaining forage; the rest will be held and fed through the winter until the range recovers.

“Throughout the duration of the fire, BLM teams were monitoring the condition and whereabouts of the horses,” said Jenifer Arnold, acting Boise district manager. “A patchwork of unburned islands … provided limited forage, but not at a sustainable level. It is critical that we see to the horses’ nutritional needs by bringing them in to the Boise Wild Horse Corrals until the range recovers.”

‘It’s called compromise’

Talking about the 15 years of compromise it took to enact the Boulder-White Clouds wilderness bill, which in the end was supported by an array of groups including conservationists, county commissioners, ATV users and ranchers, 2nd District Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson said last week, “Is this a perfect bill? Absolutely not. This is not the bill any of us … would have written if we were king for a day. But we aren’t kings. It’s called compromise. That’s the nature of politics.”

The longtime Idaho GOP congressman and former speaker of the Idaho House said, “Some people get so wrapped up in their ideological beliefs that they forget other people are just as wrapped up in their ideological beliefs.”