Minidoka National Historic Site, named one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, threatened by Massive Livestock Confinement Operation
Coalition of Site Supporters says New Information Needed Before Decision Made on CAFO Permit
Posted September 22, 2008 | Contact pr@nthp.org or 202-588-6141
Washington, DC – September 19, 2008 – On Monday, September 22, the Minidoka National Historic Site could end up with a massive livestock facility and 13,000 head of cattle as a neighbor if the Jerome County Board of Commissioners reconsiders its decision to deny a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) permit. The proposed facility would be just over a mile upwind from the Minidoka National Historic Site, which last year was named one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and a broad coalition of national and local partners want the public record on the CAFO permit reopened before a decision is made that could both impact public health and threaten an important national landmark.
Reopening the public record will allow the Jerome County Board of Commissioners and the general public to account for important recent developments. A 2008 Pew Charitable Trust study has concluded state regulations and local ordinances concerning public health consequences of large confinement operations are out-of-date. Additionally, since the permit was first denied, Big Sky Farms, the initial feedlot applicant, has sold 1,150 of its 1,200 acres to South View Dairy, whose history of compliance with similar facilities has yet to be examined in the context of this permit application.
Most significantly, the Minidoka National Historic Site is a place of national importance. The Minidoka Relocation Center, a World War II-era internment camp for Japanese Americans and their immigrant ancestors, operated from August 1942 to October 1945, housing 13,000 internees from Washington, Oregon and Alaska on a 33,000-acre site with over 600 buildings. Designated a National Monument in 2001 under the auspices of the National Park Service, the site is visited annually by thousands, including former internees and their families who pay homage to the wartime hardships and sacrifices of Japanese Americans.
"Reopening the public record of the permit process is necessary to protect the integrity of the Minidoka National Historic Site and the permitting process itself," said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Sixty-five years after they were stripped of their dignity and their freedom, former internees and their descendants – and all Americans – may lose this evocative link in American history, and we can't stand by and let that happen."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and a broad coalition of local and national groups including the Friends of Minidoka, Preservation Idaho, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Japanese American Citizens League, and Idaho Concerned Area Residents for the Environment, formed when the original permit application was filed.
"Our concern is not with the approval of a feedlot, per se, but with the approval of a feedlot so close to the Minidoka National Historic Site," said Emily Momohara, Chairperson of the Friends of Minidoka. "We are concerned about the negative impact on a historic resource with regional and national significance."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. For more information visit www.PreservationNation.org.
