President Obama Inauguration statement urging citizen involvement

"You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course..You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals."  President Obama, 2013 Inauguration speech.

In my opinion we all must become much more involved in public discussions about important issues that affect our families, neighborhoods, & communities on local, state, federal & global levels. Popular media, corporate and organizational lobbyists. religious and political groups all have a stake in trying to guide us toward their viewpoint. (is the word "Propaganda" appropriate?)  We, as citizens, should feel a strong obligation to try to search for information that is factual, truthful, and verifiable and share this with our friends, family and associates. 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/inauguration-2013

Winter Photos - Boise River 2013

I posted a Picasa Web album of some winter photos taken near the Boise River on January 12, 2013 during the Audubon Society Bald Eagle Count.

https://picasaweb.google.com/108466423567536607112/BoiseRiverWinter

Interesting new "Transparent Idaho" web site

Interesting new  "Transparent Idaho" web site provides state raw financial data, updated nightly, that can even be downloaded for independent analysis. (Via Magic Valley Times-News)

The trend for Federal and State governments to increasingly provide data transparency that also can be analyzed by independent interests is laudable.  As this kind of transparency is applied to environmental, ecosystem, and natural resources we should expect more informed public involvement in future decision making processes.

http://magicvalley.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/idaho-launches-financial-transparency-website/article_d28bf474-5b4e-11e2-bffb-0019bb2963f4.html