Mostly when new state parks arrive, they arrive as a fait accompli - such as when a donor offers lands and, after some quiet negotiations, the state agrees to take it over and turn it into a park.

Something a little different will be happening when the East Idaho State Park Site Selection Committee convenes on July 18 - it will actually consider original suggestions from Idahoans about what they would like to see in a new park, to be considered further by the Department of Parks & Recreation. the department notes that “Traditionally, the parks we have developed fall into four categories” - recreation, natural, heritage and recreation trailway - which leads us to wonder: Can someone come up with a useful idea that busts the boundaries?

David Frazier’s Boise Guardian web site has been collection and passing on the ideas. none so far look like boundary-busters, but a number seem like nifty ideas. (Frazier’s favorite is “A living history park where agricultural and pioneer skills from an earlier time could be demonstrated.”) He’s posted quite a few so far, and they’re worth a look.

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