Managing Growth

It is foolish to build houses over your farm land.

I know I read that somewhere, I thought it was in Proverbs, but try as I might, I can't seem to find it right now.

The truth of that statement should be self evident. More houses means more people. Less farm land means less food. More people, less food. This is not a sustainable trend. But that is what we are doing here in the Treasure Valley, and a lot of other places all over the Western States. We are selling out our small farms to developers. Once these fields produced corn, barley, or maybe hay, something people or live stock could eat.. Now they produce grass clippings which get put in the trash.

Americans everywhere need to re-think the way we use land. Land is a finite resource. There is only so much of it, and it is not all the same. Flat lands which are good for growing things and close to a water supply are rare. Some 70% of Idaho is reserved National lands. BLM or Forest Service land... and either way a lot of that is not sceanic or productive, endangered habitat anything. Most of it is too steep to hike, too dry to farm, and to remote for people to care about.

It would be a good thing if some of these area's were made availible for development rather than surrender any more productive farmable ground to housing tracts. I know there are some who fight against development of the Boise foothills, but the alternitives are worse in the long run. Homes can be built on hills, it gives them a view. Houses can be built on rock, it gives them a firm foundation. Homes can be built on hills and rock, but farms can't. I hope city planners everywhere will exercise some wisdom, and cause the growth to occure where it should. Use wisdom, fore-thought and planning. Preserve what is good and productive, loose only that wich we can afford to loose. We are building tomorrow, lets make it grand. If we don't, then the next generation will have to do it over again, and at a higher cost.