EDITORIAL: Celebrating America means protecting North Idaho

We're going to learn a lot about ourselves as Americans in the next seven days. 

Not in the sense that we'll be testing the limitations of our patriotism, but instead in how much we care about this beautiful place we call home. 

This shouldn't come across as preachy, although some will absolutely take it that way. That's fine. Sometimes the things that need to be said aren't always the things people want to hear. 

After years of watching communities across the West burn, North Idaho stands on the precipice of potential disaster. The conditions and fuel are there. The heat is here. All it's going to take to push us over the edge is one or two irresponsible decisions involving fire — whether that's fireworks, an unattended campfire, a burn pile, equipment, or something as simple as a discarded cigarette — to create devastation unlike anything we've seen in a very long time. 

Just last week, we saw not one, not two, but three significant fires in North Idaho and Eastern Washington. We don't yet know their official causes, but that's almost beside the point. When wildfires can start from something as simple as a power line, a spark, a campfire, a piece of equipment, or a cigarette butt, we should exercise extra caution with anything capable of starting a fire in an ecosystem that's already as fragile as it's ever been. 

Nobody wants to hear that, especially this time of year. 

Of course, fireworks are the most visible concern this time of year, which is why they're getting so much attention. But they're far from the only risk. 

And before we get too far, I know. "Rockets' red glare. Bombs bursting in air." 

Those words were written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing an actual battle. They weren't intended as an endorsement of setting off fireworks during periods of extreme fire danger, no matter how closely we've associated the two over the last two and a half centuries. 

As Americans, there is nothing more red, white, and blue than the lights, colors, and booms that accompany fireworks on the Fourth of July. Fireworks are as much a part of Independence Day as flags, parades, family barbecues, and small-town celebrations. They've become part of the tradition and part of what makes the holiday feel like the holiday. 

But patriotism isn't measured by how loud the boom is or how high the rocket flies. 

This year, as we celebrate our nation's independence, it feels like the world around us is hanging by a drought-ridden thread. One careless decision. One unattended campfire. One firework landing in dry grass. One unexpected gust of wind. One spark landing in the wrong place. That's all it could take to turn a day of celebration into a summer of regret, smoke-filled skies, evacuation notices, and headlines we'd rather never see. 

We can't let our desire to celebrate override our responsibility as stewards of this beautiful piece of country. And stewardship matters. In fact, it feels like one of the most patriotic things we can do. 

Patriotism isn't just waving a flag, singing the anthem, or posting on social media once a year. It's taking care of the places we've been blessed to call home, understanding that our freedoms come with responsibilities, and recognizing that our actions affect our neighbors, firefighters, and the generations who will inherit what we leave behind. 

North Idaho isn't just a place we live. It's a place we're entrusted with. 

It's our forests, mountains, lakes, wildlife, communities, and way of life. We work too hard to safeguard this place from so many outside influences to let it become another single-name tagline for national tragedy. We care too much about what we've built here to risk losing it over a moment of carelessness. 

Nobody is saying you can't celebrate. 

Celebrate. Fly the flag. Attend the parade. Fire up the grill. Spend time with family. Be proud to be an American. But also be respectful and responsible. 

If you're using fireworks, know the conditions around you. If you're camping, make sure your fire is completely out before you leave. If you're operating equipment in dry conditions, use common sense. If you're enjoying the outdoors, leave nothing smoldering behind. 

Just don't take any unnecessary risks. 

For the next seven days, we're going to celebrate our great nation. But on the eighth day, what will matter most is whether we did our part to protect the piece of it we call home. 

And in North Idaho, safeguarding what we have may be the most patriotic act of all.