What's Up with the Anti-BWC Ads?
Radio and print ads are popping up around Idaho. Some attack Rep. Simpson. They oppose wilderness protection in the Boulder-White Clouds, but miss the point.
One of the great achievements of Rep. Mike Simpson's years of work to advance a bill in the Boulder-White Clouds, as well as Sen. Mike Crapo's work in protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands, has been proving how commonsense conservation can be done in Idaho.
In great part, these two leaders have helped take the political edge off wilderness protection, once one of Idaho's most polarizing issues. They did it by creating solutions from the bottom up, driven by Idahoans, and by including other measures to help various interests.
Now, despite overwhelming support for a long-evolving Boulder-White Clouds package, someone is trying to create controversy where it doesn't exist—trying to politicize wilderness as was done long ago.
The so-called Idaho Recreation Council is running advertising all over Idaho radio with anti-wilderness ads that go after Rep. Mike Simpson. The council is also running print ads that make stuff up about how wilderness is bad.
I've heard some reports about the trail of dollars paying for the ads. Someone else can determine whether they are true. I know much of what the ads say is not.
Boulder white clouds