What this fall election’s Boise Levy means to me

On the ballot this fall, there will be an opportunity to support a new Boise city levy to protect clean water, pathways, and open space. In order to explain what this means for the city’s future, I’d like to go back in time to look at how past levies have helped build the Boise we know and love today.During the early 1990s, community activists worked together to save the Boise Foothills from development. Hulls Gulch was at the center of this fight. “Save Hulls Gulch” signs were posted across town, as citizens worked hard to protect the open space and wildlife so close to our city. This victory preserved Hulls Gulch as the iconic trail corridor we know today—and a critical anchor for what would become the Ridge to Rivers trail system. This initial 180 miles of trail was formally established in 1992 as a partnership between the City of Boise, Ada County, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service, along with private landowners. What began as a handful of dirt paths became the world-class system of trails we now enjoy, linking neighborhoods and neighbors to a mountain biking, dog-walking, horseback riding, dirt biking, wildlife watching, and hiking mecca for all Boiseans, located merely minutes from downtown. Boise’s trail history is only a fraction of the city’s environmental story though. Decades ago, the Boise River was far from the inviting, tree-lined waterway we float and enjoy today. By the mid 20th century, it was heavily polluted from industrial waste and untreated sewage (can you imagine floating down the river with old tires along the banks, and agriculture waste dumping right onto your favorite beach?). Many stretches of the river were inaccessible to the public at that time. However, starting in the 1970s, the Clean Water Act led the city to begin restoring the river’s health. Community-driven projects helped create the Boise River Greenbelt, our beloved east-west pathway system. Having a vision for the future helped reverse decades of degradation so that we are able to enjoy it today, and built a legacy of planning ahead for future generations.We built on that legacy in May 2001, when Boise saw one of the largest city voter turnouts in recent history. Nearly 60% of Boise voters agreed to tax themselves in order to raise $10 million for conservation efforts in the Boise Foothills. This was a game changer in shaping the city we all love. In 2015, Boiseans chose for a third time to protect open space and build pathways to connect kids to school and families to parks. When you hike or bike along trails like Hawkins, Polecat, or Settlers Canal Pathway, or when a foothills fire is contained with minimal damage, you are enjoying a piece of Boise history that began as an effort to save one section of land at a time—and an effort that has extended much farther into the future than those early advocates’ wildest dreams.This fall, we have an opportunity to continue to build on this success. The current levy proposed will help preserve land in other areas of Boise—giving us a chance to build parks in underserved areas so Boise families and children can be close to a green park with birds chirping, trees and flowers blooming, and a needed moment of peace or play during a hectic day. Every Boisean deserves open space—and this levy can help us ensure they have it.The opportunities for where this next round of projects will take us are exciting. Current projects like Tuttle Spaulding pathways, Settlers Canal Path, and the new property acquisitions of Frye Street, Welford and Shamrock Street park sites are all currently being planned throughout various Boise neighborhoods and we hope to see more. Stack Rock acquisition, which includes a riparian zone, is a good example of gaining property in the foothills that helps preserve areas to mitigate wildfire risk; a key criteria in this newest levy. At the low cost of $9.89 per $100,000 of home value, the average household in Boise will pay just $49.45 per year for two years. This fall, I will vote YES! to the Boise levy again because it will continue to move the direction of our beloved city toward a community that will protect clean water and the Boise River, manage land to reduce wildfire risk, protect open space and wildlife habitat, and provide parks and pathways.