IDEEA Conference Summary

This weekend I attended the annual Idaho Environmental Education Association Conference in Boise.  I have attended once before, and it was a meaningful experience so I was excited to return.  The theme was EE in the backyard and beyond, so I decided to submit a proposal to present about the Declo STEM Day.  I was pleased with the interest that teachers and nonformal educators showed in my message that parents can be so effective as partners at our schools.  I know I really don't have a classroom of my own, so I try to support other teachers by providing resources and energy that benefit our kids. 

The conference was great because we have some passionate educators throughout the state that share their stories and talents with us.  I went on a field trip to a Bird Preserve that a local Audubon Society chapter was working to improve and restore.   We took a night tour of the MK Nature Center.  We heard from retired Idaho teacher and astronaut, Barbara Morgan.  I saw good friends and met a few new friends.  I am grateful for the time I spent in Boise. 

A side trip was to Bonneville Point, where Captain Bonneville arrived in the Treasure Valley with his expedition, and when he saw the trees in the valley below, he said, "Le Bois, Le Bois" which translates into The Trees.  Or so the story goes...

A small group of us attended the evening trip to the MK Nature Center.  It is a great site in Boise...reminds me of my GHS Ecology Center so much!!

June 8 is Get Outdoors Day and Free Fishing Day in the Magic Vallley

Enjoy a beautiful weekend outdoors thanks to the US Forest Service.  Some local campgrounds will be fee-free.  We have spent time exploring near Pettit and Penstemon campgrounds this past week, and those would be great places to visit with your family. 


The U.S. Forest Service is offering a fee-free day on June 8 in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day, an annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.


http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/

http://magicvalley.com/lifestyles/recreation/june-is-free-fishing-day-in-idaho/article_558f603c-fcbb-5f46-88f3-9278d83cdd21.html

 

 

 

 

Idaho Fish and Game Widlife Summit

This looks like a great opportunity for hunters and others who want to understand the wide variety of issues facing our wildlife managers throughout the state.  Please make an effort to participate wherever you call home!

When: August 24, 25 and 26, 2012.

Where: Riverside Hotel in Boise and at six concurrent satellite sites in Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston, Salmon, Twin Falls, Pocatello, and Idaho Falls. People may also participate online.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/about/?getPage=320

Stanley Fish Hatchery

Over the weekend, we visited our son who is working at a Scout Camp outside of Stanley.  What a beautiful place to be!  On the way home, we stopped at the Stanley Fish Hatchery...a place I have always wanted to visit.  The salmon are just weeks away from returning to Idaho streams.  Totally amazing!

Free Fishing Day thanks to ID Fish and Game

This Saturday, June 9, ponds across Idaho will be the sites for free fishing experiences!  People, gear, and fish will be on hand for youth to learn how much fun fishing can be!  Find a town near you and go have some fun!

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/?getPage=147

Youth Pheasant Hunt

Today my son participated in the Mini-Cassia Youth Pheasant Hunt that was sponsored by ID Fish and Game.  What an awesome day!  Thanks to F & G, Bill Millenkamp Hunting Preserve, and all the volunteers who took the time to teach these lucky kids all about pheasant biology, skeet shooting, and hunting etiquette.  The landowner really cares about having healthy habitat for his birds, and it was good to see the interaction between landowners and state agencies.  This event was free for the kids to go, and we will definitely look forward to this again next year.  

The landowner had a full nursery for pheaseants, bobwhite quail, and chuckers.  So cool!  In any given year, he might release 6000 birds, and harvest about 800.  So he has a great community for his birds.

An important point that the Fish and Game officer made to the group was that in terms of habitat restoration and education efforts, the hunting groups have really made an impact.  Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation...they play an important part in management plans.  It was an interesting day for me.