30 Years on the Idaho Outdoors Beat with Eric Barker

Interview — Eric Barker (Lewiston Tribune): Barker reflects on nearly 30 years covering Idaho's outdoors and environment beat. Topics include how the Snake River dams/salmon debate has evolved (from agency recommendation to Congress to the courts), the massive public backlash that helped stop the Mike Lee land sell-off, shrinking federal agency staffing capacity post-DOGE cuts and its effect on trail maintenance and wildfire response, the ongoing Forest Service reorganization, the tension between fire suppression and prescribed burning, growing outdoor recreation pressure and funding gaps (hunters/anglers pay via tags/licenses, but hikers and bikers largely don't), and the growing difficulty of reporting on federal agencies that have become more guarded since DOGE. He closes with a tour through his favorite Idaho waters and asks listeners to subscribe to local news and send him tips.