New West Network

My Page: Daryl L. Hunter

I live in a beautiful rural valley of 700 people in eastern Idaho and after I came to live here I found out that Utah isn’t the only place that is fifty percent Mormon.......................As a compulsively inquisitive geo-political junkie I decided to look through the Book of Mormon so I could learn a little about the belief of my neighbors. As with any outsider looking into another’s faith, I found many outlandish passages that would require faith to swallow, however, this is a characteristic that all religions share. What I have learned of my Mormon neighbors in the years since my voyeuristic venture into the sacred book of the LDS Church is more telling. My anecdotal experiences have revealed to me that I couldn’t have better neighbors or live in a finer community. [more]

Today's partisan politics begs the question, who's side are they on anyway? Regardless of which party, the answer spoken in deeds, not words is always - the side of their party, and America is becoming the victim of their divisive ways.............................A liberal’s nature supports government safety net programs and the role of big government’s as nanny state..................... Conservative’s nature on the other hand believes that America’s safety net has become a hammock [more]

Governor Dave, what a surprise he was. As a conservative it was a great disappointment to me when Dave Freudenthal became Wyoming Governor in 2002. Upon his victory I wrote an article-reprimanding Wyoming for endorsing a nanny state liberal but Governor Dave has proven me wrong...............It is doubtful that, Gary Trauner, Barbara Cubin’s challenger for Wyoming’s House seat will be able to represent conservative Wyoming in the fashion that Wyoming native Governor Dave has...........But lets imagine that Gary Trauner turns out to be a clone of Gov. Dave [more]

Iogen, an Ottawa biotech firm which specializes in Cellulosic Ethanol, is hoping to build a $350-million factory in Idaho Falls, next year...Iogen is producing ethanol by exploiting the destructive nature of the fungus “Trichoderma Reesei,” which is the culprit responsible for “Jungle Rot”...Bush's endorsement of the waste-to-energy technology has renewed interest the process. [more]

There have been few characters of American folklore with the stature of Paul Bunyon. This legendary hero.............It is refreshing to hear that this proud profession is still celebrated despite its vilification by America’s tree huggers..................Estranged Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore in his effort to bring sanity to the debate [more]

The cowboy is one of America's most cherished and mythical figures. He symbolizes the mystique of the American west, a caricature of frontier courage, independence, and rugged masculinity. The iconical cowboy brings to mind, horses, cattle, the howl of a coyote, and wide-open spaces, the cowboy riding off into the sunset. In the west, all these things are still alive and well, but sadly the cowboy may be riding off into the sunset for good. [more]

About 10 years, ago a grizzly sow and her three cubs were seen by Paul Bruin as he was fishing the Snake just above Deadman's Bar in Grand Teton National Park. The following day these bears were tranquilized on South Park Loop at the Bob Lucas’s Ranch. She either skirted Jackson or walked straight down the river through the property of many unsuspecting homeowner. In November, 2003 a 2-year-old female grizzly had been sleeping on people's porches and in garages for nearly a week in Driggs Idaho. 06-2004 JHMR ski patroller Kirk Speckhals was mountain biking on Togwotee Pass, north of Jackson Hole, when a grizzly attacked him, it was driven off with pepper spray [more]

The face of the west is changing, what was once a frontier populated with hard scrabble farmers, loggers, miners, cowboys, and ranchers has been infiltrated and is getting gentrified by interlopers from the cities that have a new plan for their adopted home, part of this plan is to end the grazing of our public multipurpose lands. [more]