Today, I went for a walk on the bike path down to Dog Beach. For those who don’t know, it’s a little public beach on the lake located in between the train bridge and the Long Bridge. If you’re heading north on the Long Bridge, and look down and off to the right a bit before you get to the gas station, you often see happy dogs and their owners cavorting down there in the sand next to the lake.
This morning, however it was just me and a couple of Canada geese hanging out at the beach. Even though it was cold and the weather was sort of iffy, I confess that I felt a little sad that Dog Beach is likely to go away when (or if) the byway is built. On the one hand, traffic isn’t going to get any better, but on the other hand it’s depressing to see so many of these little special places going away.
I realize that change is inevitable, but I believe some thing shouldn’t change. Today, after my walk, I put up a new page on the Sandpoint Insider site about the Forest Service land in North Idaho that the Bush Administration wants to sell off. Sylvie White, owner of TerraPen Graphics (a cartography firm in Sandpoint), contacted me about putting her maps of the parcels online. I thought it was a great idea.
Although there has been at least one article in the local paper about the USFS sale, a lot of confusion exists as to where the parcels actually are. Unless you happen to be familiar with townships, ranges, section and so forth, the numbers just look like a foreign language. Sylvie has taken the data and put it on easy to read maps, so you can see exactly where the eligible parcels are. Some of the parcels are located near Gold Hill, Talache, Colburn, and McArthur Lake. The page also includes links to public officials, so you can submit comments. (The Forest Service is accepting public comment until March 30, 2006.)
The thing that I find particularly sickening is that politicians who undoubtedly never have even seen these areas are forcing us to choose between land and schools. The sale is designed to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act for another five years. It’s unfair and wrong. A quick Google News search showed that Republican and Democrat representatives across the country are vehemently opposed to this idea, so it’s not just me. Throwing away our heritage because irresponsible politicians can’t figure out how to pay the bills is pretty much repugnant to everyone (except George Bush apparently).
The Forest Service’s motto is “Caring for the Land and Serving People.” Unfortunately, thanks to shortsighted political decisions being made in Washington, they aren’t being allowed to do either.