Controversial Minidoka Feedlot Proposal Still Alive
A district judge reverses the Jerome County Commissioners' decision to deny a permit for a 13,000-heifer feedlot near the Minidoka Historic Site. The three-member board must now revisit the issue.
For Sansei Tom Ikeda, the annual pilgrimage to the Minidoka National Historic Site in rural Idaho has become a family affair of sorts - 15 of his relatives, including his parents and grandparents, once called this barren landscape home.
His uncle Francis Kinoshita answered the patriotic call to duty while incarcerated here, giving up his life while fighting in Italy as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
"I attended this year's Minidoka pilgrimage in honor of his memory," said Ikeda from his home in Seattle.
But just one week after Ikeda and more than 250 former World War II internees and their families gathered for the annual pilgrimage, an Idaho judge has breathed new life into a controversial proposal to build a 13,000-heifer feedlot just over a mile west of the historic site.
Fifth District Judge G. Richard Bevan ruled June 27 against the Jerome County Commissioners who had voted last October to deny the feedlot permit request by Big Sky Farms Limited Partnership. The judge believes the commission erred in their decision by relying largely on the county's comprehensive plan instead of the county's zoning and confined-animal feeding operation (CAFO) ordinances.
The commissioners will now have to revisit the controversial issue and will likely take it up in August.
It's a situation that has left a lingering sense of unease for those who have ties to the historic Minidoka site.
"The feedlot owners are focused on making money and will aggressively pursue actions, even if it isn't in the best interests of the overall community," said Ikeda.
An Odorous Proposal
Dr. Frank Kitamoto, 69, was surprised to see the lush greenery of the surrounding farms during the recent Minidoka pilgrimage, a sight in stark contrast to the barren landscape he and his family had endured during WWII.
It's not hard for him to imagine the negative impact a feedlot one-mile downwind would have on the historic site.
"It would definitely affect us," he said.
But Kitamoto, a longtime resident of Bainbridge Island, Wash., has confidence that the local residents will ensure the defeat of the proposed feedlot.
"Most of the people in the area are against the feedlot being there," he said. "I think the people in Idaho are going to take care it."
When Jerome County Commissioners held two days of hearings on the controversial proposal last October, many local farmers did come out to voice their opposition. Joining them were several former internees of Minidoka.
Karen Yoshitomi, PNW regional director, attended last year's hearings and provided testimony. Without the likely benefit of hearings this time around, she believes the discussions should focus on the CAFO and zoning ordinances rather than the permitting process.
There's also the issues of waste management, odor, and airborne pathogens.
"I've been to a number of rest areas along interstate highways and downwind of large dairies or feeding operations," she said. "In the summertime especially, the combination of the smell, heat and hordes of flies, would turn even the strongest stomach."
But the issue is still a sensitive one, especially in Idaho where farmers greatly impact the local communities and economy.
That's why the group Friends of Minidoka has largely stayed out of the ongoing debate, preferring to defer to the National Park Service which has oversight of the Minidoka National Historic Site.
"We're doing as much as we can but still respecting the local community, said Emily Momohara, chair of Friends of Minidoka. "We realize this is a national issue with local implications. We hope that everyone involved can see this is an American story when people make their decisions."
Friends of Minidoka recently received a grant from the National Historic Trust and is using the money to conduct a study on the impact the feedlot would have on the historic site. They hope to have it completed by the end of August in time to be considered by the County Commissioners.
A Second Round
Jerome County Commissioner Diana Obenauer was not necessarily surprised by Judge Bevan's ruling. But she notes that a 22-page supplemental report the commissioners had prepared outlining their decision was not submitted by the prosecuting attorney. If it had been, she believes the judge would have ruled differently.
She and the other commissioners are now regrouping and hope to set a date in August to address the feedlot proposal once again.
Obenauer voted against the proposed feedlot last October, two out of three commissioners to do so, and she was largely swayed by the testimony of the former internees.
"I understand their concern and I share it," she said.
She also believes a second round of hearings is a good idea although the Commission has yet to address the issue.
"I believe that this will be a significant watershed decision that will have significant impact to any future decisions regarding the siting and approval of large CAFOs built close to historical sites and preservation areas, as well as the protection of the general health and safety of our population and future water purity and supply," she said.
Although Judge Bevan ruled against the Jerome County Commissioners' October decision, his ruling did not order them to approve the feedlot permit. But he did order the County to cover the court expenses of Big Sky, something the commissioners hope can be reduced or eliminated.
Ironically Big Sky is no longer the owner of the land for the proposed feedlot. However details of the new owner have not been released.
In May the federal government approved a bill to elevate the Minidoka site's status from a National Monument to a National Historic Site. And now plans are underway to expand the former WWII internment camp.
For the national JA community, preserving the integrity of the site is a top priority.
"Allowing an offensive land use in such proximity to a National Monument is an insult to those who were unjustly incarcerated there," said Floyd Mori, JACL national director. "It is a travesty to those who have worked so hard to make this national treasure a reality, including members of Congress, local citizens, former internees, and JACL members."
"The site has the potential of being a powerful beacon for the advancement of democracy in our increasingly diverse country," said Ikeda. "The commissioners have the opportunity to nurture and expand the activities focused on Minidoka by opposing the feedlot proposal."
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