Farm Report Links

I couldn't work anything I found there into the segment but I really enjoyed visiting the website for the German Mint Museum in Eichenau, a suburb west of Munich. Theres some interesting stuff at the Idaho Mint Commission and I feel obligated by regionalism to post it although it's a bit too agribiz for my taste. Also, last week I mentioned the book Organics, Inc. by Samuel Fromartz. I highly recommend it. If you need a little more convincing read the Powells Review. Bonus question - what Sagebrush Variety Show skit featured heroic character Manuel Sosmartz, my thinly veiled nod to the author of Organics, Inc.? also from last week I forgot to post a link to the companion website to the Organics, Inc. book which inspired some of my comments

Bucky's Links of The Week

The best of the articles I read about the relationship between chicken poop and arsenic. The Humane Society's press release on the lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's refusal to enforce humane slaughter laws for poultry. The article I mentioned focusing on small farms in California that are voluntarily switching to more humane slaughter practices. And Rural Roots where you can use the Find Farm Fresh Food to locate small farms who share your views on ethicureanism. Oh, and since I'm using a word they probably coined, (eth•i•cu•re•an n. (also adj.) someone who seeks out tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical) I have an excuse to humbly suggest you check out the The Ethicurean website and blog.

Pollution Report 10/10/06

All of the items on the Pollution Report and more can be researched further on the DEQ website.

10/13: The Idaho DEQ is seeking public comment on its draft certification of a federal permit regulating discharge of municipal stormwater to the Portneuf River. The federal permit authorizes the cities of Pocatello and Chubbuck, Bannock County, and the Idaho Transportation Department District 5 to discharge municipal storm water to the Portneuf River, Pocatello Creek, and other associated waters.

10/13: Fiberglass Systems fabrication facility in Boise seeks to renew its air quality permit by consolidating all of its existing air permits and state and federal air quality requirements into one document.

10/16: The Jerome Cheese facility in Jerome submitted an air quality permit to construct application so it can install new drying equipment.

10/18: Coeur d'Alene Fiber Fuels facility in Hauser submitted an application for an air quality permit to construct so it can build a wood pellet producing facility.

10/20: The Lignetics of Idaho facility in Kootenai applied for an air quality permit to construct so it can regulate emissions resulting from the installation of a new dryer line and additional equipment at its Kootenai facility. Under the proposed permit, the facility will be required to comply with air quality rules. The state will conduct periodic inspections to ensure permit conditions are met.

10/25: The DEQ is seeking public comment on draft legislation authorizing creation of a state program to manage underground storage tanks (USTs) in Idaho. USTs store petroleum products or certain other hazardous liquids that can harm the environment and human health if the contents are released into the environment. Idaho has about 3,500 regulated USTs.

10/30: The DEQ is seeking public comment on its draft water quality certification of four draft permits regulating aquaculture facility discharges to surface waters throughout Idaho. The permits authorize permitted aquaculture facilities and fish processors to discharge treated wastewater to surface waters throughout Idaho.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel

This is the last Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel. Just another experiment that didn't prove sustainable. Kelli mentioned a link on this episode where you can access information about alternative energy sources in Idaho. You can find it at energyatlas.org.

Sagebrush Variety Show Farm Report Links

As mention in the Farm Report on Zucchini: The website of Ruth Ozeki, gardener, chickener and author of All Over Creation, a book that inspired us to take our garden more seriously. She raises chickens. A press release for the Zucchini Catapult Contest at the Annual Vermont State Zucchini Festival.

Bucky Buckaw's World Egg Day Links for

Compassion Over Killing's page on the victory in pulling the misleading Animal Care Certified label. And to celebrate World Egg Day print The Hidden Cost of Eggs flyer and post in your office or cubicle. Some places to try and find a chicken for adoption might be your local Craigs List, or Freecycle. I've seen chickens for adoption on both and you can also post a request. Or try the Trade section of the Backyard Chickens Message Board. http://p072.ezboard.com/fbackyardchickensfrm12 For our Boise listeners, I recommend calling the Idaho Humane Society at (208) 342-3508. They have adoptable chickens from time to time.

Farm Report Links

This week's Farm Report recommendations for further reading are: A discussion of the Fibonacci Numbers in nature. The Tournesol Guerilla's known as Brussels Farmers. Here, I get you started on a search of the International Vegetarian Union Recipe Pages. Just enter "Sunflower" in the search window on the upper left of the page. And a sunflower recipe page from about.com.

Pollution Report

All of this week's items on the Pollution Report and more can be researched further on the DEQ website.

9/8: DEQ seeks comment on proposed permit to construct and Tier II air quality permit for Woodgrain Millwork, Nampa.

9/15: DEQ seeks comment on draft guidance on point of use drinking water treatment systems in Boise.

9/15: Public comment period extended on draft wastewater reuse permit modification for the Amalgamated Sugar Co. operation northeast of Paul. The draft permit modification would allow year-round irrigation of wastewater at the sugar beet processing facility.

9/25: DEQ is seeking public comment on a draft partial-permit regulating radioactive waste storage and closure activities at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) facility. The draft partial-permit outlines the procedures for storage of calcined solids and closure of its Calcine Solids Storage Facility.

Andrea Alday's Vegan "Fish" Pate Recipe

This week's Sagebrush Variety Show Farm Report on dill references a recipe for a vegan "fish" pate, which was used as the vehicle for the Sagebrush Players to taste their dill. Here is the recipe from Andrea Alday (host of RadioBoise's Snow and Thunder show):

1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill leaves
juice of 1 lemon
1 T capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 sheet sushi nori, crumbled
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients into a food processor, reserving a small chunk of the tofu (about 1/4) and process till the tofu is creamy. Season with salt as desired. Add the remaining tofu and buzz till worked in but small pieces remain. Chill in refirgerator and serve cold with raw vegetables, bread, crackers, etc.

Character Profiles: Linden and Marteline

This week on Ukiah Digby for Coroner, opponent campaign managers Linden Cuttown and Marteline Mascarpone finally meet face to face. Despite their mutual distaste for each other's politics, they have something in common: they are both Trekkies -- oops, no, Trekkers. And yes, the numbers Linden rattles off to denote which episodes Q appeared in were actually researched by... us. This theme is present throughout the series, so if you have a background in science fiction, there are lots of details to look out for! The inspiration for Linden and Marteline's characters are political consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin. Carville was Clinton's campaign manager and Matalin was deputy campaign manager for Bush W, and since they were both doing exactly the same job for different people, it's really no surprise that they eventually got married. Oops--I hope that doesn't spoil the suspense of our story.

Red Trees

In this week's Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel, the Gratzbys observe and comment on the red pine trees. Kelli explains it's a result of heat stress and says she read about it on the NASA website. Here's a link to that report.

Time to Think About Cold Weather Crops

Broccoli romanesco

Cole Crops or Brassicas like Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi. You can also frow another crop of leaf lettuce, spinach, and radish if you sow NOW. (This is assumung the first frost comes in mid-October.) Rutabagas are supposed to be planted in the fall only, and you might be able to get away with planting turnips and mustard greens, too. Now's also the time to plant garlic and shallot bulbs for their emergence in spring.

Sagebrush Gear Available

We've set up a souvenir shop where you can get stuff with our radical quail logo. We've also purchased sagebrushvariety.org as our very own. Go tell your friends, and get your Ukiah Digby for Coroner bumper sticker here!

Bucky's Quail Chick Photos

Quinoa and first quail chick.
Happy hen Quinoa with two of her quail chicks
Quinoa with one quail chick
First newly hatched quail chick.
First newly hatched quail chick with remaining clutch.

Vote for Ukiah Digby for Coroner!

It's election season and we're broadcasting the radio play Ukiah Digby for Coroner for Idaho Muscovites, which will be a first for them, but for our wecast/podcast followers, it's the second time around. As our very first radio play, it's a little rough production-wise but thoroughly listenable. It's nice to know how much we've improved over the last year. Still, it's worth listening to again and we've even re-recorded a few scenes. We will provide a listening guide for the hardcore fans on all aspects of the show, episode by episode--and hopefully that won't get us into trouble.

Sagebrush Pesticide Links

As promised by Bucky: Meeting the Challenge of West Nile Virus Without Poisons from Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). We recommend our Treasure Valley listeners consider joining NCAP-Idaho's listserve for discussion on the decision to aerially spray mosquitoes, explore alternative solutions and avoid future aerial spraying. Send an email to jmiller@pesticide.org if you would like to be added to the listserve. Idaho is late to the spraying for West Nile business. Perhaps we should learn from the past mistakes of others. A good read along those lines is Overkill: Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus in California May Cause More Harm Than Good from Pesticide Watch.

Pesticide Carnival

This week's show features the exciting, long-awaited conclusion of the Benjamin Franklin Cipher. The rest of the program is dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of pesticides, disease vectors, and the truth about West Nile virus. In the premiere of a new segment, Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel, the Gratzby family gets sprayed with Naled and all of them get sick. All the symptoms described are realistic and have happened, in fact, to one of the Sagebrush Players. In the one-act radio play The Goathead Assault, the absurdist/surrealist approach takes the idea of assaulting large groups of people with toxic chemicals without their input or consent to the extreme. We've also re-written the Milfoil Song into the West Nile Song. Unfortunately, we ran out of room and could not include our interview with local beekeeper Ed Keener this week, but that has a spot reserved on next week's show.

CIEDRA Bill

Your help is urgently needed NOW - today! - to stop CIEDRA from passing the United States Senate. By taking just a few moments of your time to make calls to Senator Larry Craig's local and Washington offices, you can not only save Idaho's Boulder-White Cloud mountains from being privatized; you can also protect the Wilderness Act as we know it. Please take the opportunity to act today.

Make no mistake: the future of our public lands and the qualities we enjoy and treasure about them will be changed forever if we do not act immediately to STOP CIEDRA in the Senate.

Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) rushed CIEDRA to the House floor as a "non-controversial" bill on a day when a majority of Representatives weren't even present to vote against it. He has been fast-tracking this horrific bill without meaningful debate because he knows that the more people learn about CIEDRA, the less they like it.

We cannot allow HR 3603 to sail through the Senate the way it did in the House of Representatives. CIEDRA is a controversial bill. It can be stopped if we speak in opposition with a strong and united voice.

Please join your fellow conservationists, friends and family in turning up the volume now. YOU CAN STOP CIEDRA IN THE SENATE BY PLACING YOUR CALLS NOW.

Below are guidelines with the steps and background on how calls to Congress are received.

After you've made your calls, please ask at least two more people to call Senator Craig. Ask them to ask two people, each of whom should ask two more people, and so on. In this way, 2 + 2 can grow to become many more than 4.

Please take the time today to make the calls and contact your friends. Your focused action will STOP CIEDRA NOW!

Here's a sample script for making your calls to Senator Craig to STOP CIEDRA NOW!

WHEN CALLING SENATOR CRAIG, TELL HIM: "I'm calling to thank Senator Craig for opposing CIEDRA. There are a number of reasons to oppose CIEDRA, but most important to me is that it gives away public land and erodes protections for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that Senator Craig has staunchly supported."

Call Senator Craig's Washington DC office at (202) 224-2752 AND The office listed below nearest to where you live:
Boise (208) 342-7985
Coeur d'Alene (208) 667-6130
Lewiston (208) 743-0792
Twin Falls (208) 734-6780
Pocatello (208) 236-6817
Idaho Falls (208) 523-5541

NEVER CALLED A SENATOR BEFORE? IT’'S SIMPLE! HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT.

From Senator Craig's website http://craig.senate.gov/email/ "When you call my office:

Please be patient as there may be other callers ahead of you, or your call may have to be interrupted briefly to place other incoming calls on hold. If you are calling to voice your opinion on an issue, please be prepared to provide your name and address, or remain anonymous if you prefer. All information provided is kept confidential. If needed, I will respond to your message quickly and thoughtfully and in writing. No matter the issue, my staff will be friendly and polite. I hope you will show them the same respect."

Your call will probably go something like this:

You: "Hello, my name is so and so. I'd like speak with your Environmental Legislative Aid, please.

[You will then be transferred to that person or their voicemail. You may be asked by the person answering the phone what the issue is that you are calling about. Tell them you are calling in regards to CIEDRA].

You (to the Environmental Aide): "Hello, xxx. My name is so and so and I'm calling to thank Senator Craig for his past support of wilderness and to urge him to OPPOSE CIEDRA. There are a number of reasons to oppose CIEDRA, but most important to me is that it gives away public land and erodes protections for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that Senator Craig has staunchly supported."

If possible, please share your experience in making the call and the response of the staffer with whom you spoke. Email colleen@wildrockies.org and put "Called Sen. Craig" in the Subject line so we can track the number of calls made to the Senator's office.

Pass it on

After you’ve made your calls, PLEASE send this request to call Senator Craig to at least two other people and ask them to make calls just as you did. Ask them to ask their friends to make two calls, too!

Like you, we are grassroots activists in this fight to save the heart of Idaho. We don't have money for slick advertising, telemarketing calls, and paid lobbyists. The more noise we make, the more we can equal this very lopsided playing field.

Finally, thank you.

[unapologetically plagiarized from the Committee to Save the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (CSSNRA)]

Endangered Chicken Links

Sorry about the delay in posting promised links associated with last weeks backyard chicken broadcast. I've been a little distracted by the suspense of wondering if our broody hen, Quinoa, will hatch the fertilized quail eggs we snuck under her. We may be breaking new ground here - I can't find any evidence of anyone else encouraging a chicken to hatch and raise quail although I've heard plenty about chickens bringing ducks up. My own observation is that some hens really want to experience motherhood and Quinoa has that personality. We really don't have enough space for more birds in the backyard (not to mention the city code limiting us to 3 hens) so I'm hoping they hatch and get some early instruction and then leave to explore the wide world (maybe coming back to visit us from time to time). Most importantly, I hope Quinoa find the experience rewarding. If it works out, I'll do an episode on it. Below are the links on endangered chicken breeds. Regards, Bucky Buckaw American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Conservation Priority List Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities

Under The Pavement

I just came across my own name in the "what listeners are saying" section of the website for Under The Pavement, Manchester's radical/ alternative radio show out of ALL FM 96.9, a community radio station for south, central and east Manchester, England. If I'd known they were going to reprint the positive comment I left on a the Post Punk Kitchen messageboard I might have written something more expansive. At any rate, it's one of a handful of podcasts I subscribe to, because the mix of guests and interviews, alternative news and reports from radical and activist groups (mostly out of Manchester, but still inspiring to this Idahoan) has a lot in common with what the Sagebrush Players are trying to communicate and promote. Solidarity, Robert