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DEAR DIARY, What a day it's been...

December 10, 2002 175 Shows and Counting… By Bruce Reichert In March of 2003 "Outdoor Idaho" will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. We will be celebrating the way most television shows celebrate these events… on the air. By my calculations, we've produced about 190 Outdoor Idaho shows since October of 1983. Okay, to be honest, some of those were half hours reduced from original hour programs. So, let's say we've produced about 175 original shows. I have no idea how many miles that represents traveling around Idaho, although I do know it has involved several vehicles. I remember an interview we did with then Governor Phil Batt. We picked him up at the Capitol in our ugly blue station wagon with over 150,000 miles on it. We shot the interview, and were driving Mr. Batt back to the Capitol. He asked to be dropped off several blocks from the office. Come to think of it, I can't say I blamed him. I do know that in the next budget cycle, we received a new vehicle. Trying to figure out what should go into a 20th anniversary show has been fun… and frustrating. One thing we don't want to do is just show clips from the past, because, frankly, we do enough of that already. We want new material for our 20th anniversary, but we also want to look backwards and forwards. So, we've decided to do this… four segments of twenty minutes each… on Environmental Issues…Outdoor Idaho Beginnings… Wildlife…People & Places. There will be new profiles, a campfire discussion with a group of interesting people, a behind-the-scenes look at how an Outdoor Idaho show is put together, stories on salmon and wolves and other wildlife, Testimonials, and "I Remember" segments sprinkled throughout the show. They'll even be an ode to hats! We'll be in the edit bay through part of January and all of February, and God willin' and the creek don't rise, we'll finish just in time for you to watch our efforts, on the evening of March 6. October 10, 2002 Cloning Ole Bud Moore By Bruce Reichert If you've ever wanted to clone someone, then you'll understand my fascination with 85 year old Bud Moore. Bud used to be the Forest Ranger at Powell Ranger station in the Clearwater National Forest.    If I could clone him, I'd stick Bud in all the ranger stations in the West, because I'm convinced so many of our problems on Forest Service lands would quickly vanish with him at the helm! I met Bud in late September, when videographer Tom Hadzor and I went up north to begin working on a story on the Clearwater forest. The Clearwater is a complex forest, one of the real jewels of our nation, and loggers and enviros definitely believe it is a prize worth fighting for. The Forest Service finds itself stuck in the middle somewhere, trying to do what's right for a public that can't seem to agree on much. That's where someone like Bud Moore could be of help. He's a big friendly bear of a man, who immediately puts people at ease with his smile and his wisdom and his candor. Oh, yeah, and his energy! This guy is in better shape than most 50 year olds! Bud took us to Rocky Point lookout, one of the highest points in the Clearwater. From there we could see why Lewis & Clark had so much trouble in this country. We could see why loggers value the timbered hillsides and drainages. We could see why some folks are upset with so many clearcuts. Bud makes no bones about it: the Forest Service made some mistakes in the past. They lost the respect and trust of the American people; so now they have to work overtime to get it back. Bud is a big believer in “ecosystem management,” managing for the entire forest. Get the timber out, sure, but don't wreck the land to do it. On his own eighty acres in Montana, Bud is actively practicing ecosystem management, and he's convinced his neighbors to do the same. He takes trees off the acreage, but it's also a haven for animals, including the grizzly bear. We'll be seeing more of Bud Moore in our 20th Anniversary Outdoor Idaho show in March. Someone this wise about the forest just needs to be profiled! Return To Top   View Previous Diaries