Listen to Rocky on the issues
PBS Moyers on America: "Is God Green?"
Rocky's participation in the PBS program "Moyers on America: Is God Green?" sheds light on the evolving views of conservative evangelical Christians regarding environmentalism. The program highlights how individuals like Pastor Tri Robinson in Boise, Idaho, have navigated the intersection of faith and environmental stewardship. Barker's commentary underscores the broader shift within conservative communities towards recognizing the importance of caring for the planet. Through these narratives, viewers gain insight into the changing dynamics of environmental activism within religious contexts.
​
Boise State Public Radio: The latest on the fate of the lower Snake River dams
Since the online news site Clearing Up reported in December on a leaked Biden administration plan to remove the four lower Snake River dams, a lot has happened.
The leak took a peak at a proposed agreement from the federal government that would spend billions of dollars to replace the energy the dams currently generate plus spend more money to help save salmon in the Columbia Basin.
​
Since that leak, Idaho asked a court to decide if the courts could order the breaching of the dams as part of the Endangered Species Act. A house committee held an oversight hearing on the plan, and Thursday morning, Clearing Up reported the 30-year fight over salmon and dams may be done after a "negotiative session" where a final agreement was reached. This all came before a Friday deadline to find a solution to the questions of dams, fish and energy.
Longtime environmental reporter Rocky Barker has been following this story, and he joined Idaho Matters for an update.
_svg.png)
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Leaked agreement shows federal government willing to take down Snake River dams
A coalition of environmental groups and tribes who are suing the federal government over the condition of salmon on the Snake River have been in talks with the government for over a month. Those talks are tentatively scheduled to reach an agreement by December 15, but last week, a leaked draft agreement showed that the federal government may agree to take down the four lower Snake River dams. The agreement also revealed federal government commitments to investing in habitat restoration and alternative energy development on tribal lands. The Snake River is the main tributary of the Columbia River, flowing from Idaho and eastern Washington into Oregon. We talk to longtime Idaho journalist Rocky Barker about how we got here, and what the leak could mean for a future agreement.
Public Radio's Environmental News Magazine: Wolf Reintroductions
Under the Endangered Species Act wolf populations have been restored in a number of states such as Minnesota and Idaho, places you’d normally think of as wolf habitat. But wolves in the Borscht Belt? Commentator Rocky Barker says there’s a new proposal for wolf reintroduction in this more unlikely part of the country.
Video Interviews
On the 20th anniversary of the Yellowstone fires, Rocky Barker talks about covering those blazes as a reporter for the Post Register in Idaho Falls.