Episode Six: Combat Training
“One adjutant general said in his annual report that they were really fortunate that the National Guard now has a desert wasteland to train in. Unfortunately that’s what most people thought of it, was just a desert wasteland.”
— Dean Hagerman
Conflict erupted in the newly designated Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area as land managers and recreational users were forced to deal with the presence of an active military training area within the NCA. Although this National Guard training area had been established in the 1950s, the creation of the NCA presented a series of challenges for those tasked with managing this newly created protected area. Although many of these challenges remain, the story of the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA over the past 26 years has been one of collaboration and co-management between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Guard.
Episode Credits:
Produced by: The Wild Lens Collective and Radio Boise
With Support from: The Bureau of Land Management, The Birds of Prey NCA Partnership, The Peregrine Fund’s Archives of Falconry, a grant from Patagonia
Producers: Matthew Podolsky, Wayne Birt, Steve Alsup
Edited by: Adam McCoy
Production Support provided by: Jessica Evett, Leah Dunn, Ragged Coyote
Thanks to our Episode 6 guests: John Sullivan, Dean Hagerman, Larry Ridenour, Charlie Baun, Amanda Hoffman, Mike Kochert, Karen Steenhof
Music by: Like A Rocket, Ragged Coyote, The Great Turtle
Additional audio: