Idaho Nature Notes

We've Moved!

2015-09-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

To provide the best experience possible, we are pleased to announce our blog has moved to nature.org/idahoblog. Follow us there for the latest on natural history, wildlife, and conservation stories from our staff and guest bloggers.

As Fires Burn Up the Forest Service Budget, the Conservancy Calls for a Better Way to Fund Fire Suppression

2015-08-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

by Will Whelan, director of government relations As I write this post, Soda Fire in southwest Idaho is by far the largest wildfire in the nation, and Idahoans from Owyhee County to the Clearwater Valley are being advised to evacuate homes in the path of advancing flames. More than 60 large fires are active across the country, with nearly 20,000 firefighters on the lines. The entire

Learning the Ropes

2015-08-14T13:46:00.002-07:00

by Maria Rachal and Alex Jones, Flat Ranch Preserve summer interns On June 5, we arrived for our first day of work as the Flat Ranch’s summer interns. Earlier that week, through the generous support of the A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation through Washington and Lee University, we had traveled over 2,000 miles from Virginia to Idaho. We go to school in the

California Condor

2015-07-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Eller, director of communications As we turned another corner along the old coast Highway 1 between our campsite at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Sand Dollar Beach, I looked out admiringly at the majestic scene, the Pacific Ocean crashing against the rugged coastline, framed by the Los Padres National Forest. I could look at this view all day. This stretch of road is one of my

Cuba to Yellowstone

2015-07-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

by Bob Unnasch director of science During the past several weeks I had the opportunity to take a break and travel some. At the end of May I traveled to the Archipiélago de los Jardines de la Reina, a cluster of islands off the southern coast of Cuba. Two weeks later I spent a few days in Yellowstone. While honestly, the main reason for my visit to the Caribbean was to catch large

Tree Hugger

2015-07-06T12:46:00.001-07:00

by Valerie Connor board liaison/operations assistant Big, strong, dark and handsome. I’m standing under a mighty Ponderosa Pine and it is my new favorite tree. The orange-brown color, the vanilla smell, and the puzzle-like texture of the bark are all so captivating. It’s the weekend and my husband and I are out exploring. We end up outside of Featherville in the

Driving Really Slow….

2015-06-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

by Marilynne Manguba Idaho protection specialist Did you know that most vehicle cruise controls don’t work under 25 mph? A group of citizen scientists figured this out last summer and fall when they participated in mobile acoustic surveys to gather basic information on bat ecology and population dynamics. A few years ago, I attended a presentation on bats

The Big Burn and the Mid-Seral Bulge

2015-05-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Haugo, forest ecologist and Jon Schwedler, associate director,conservation programs Earlier this winter PBS ran a documentary based on Timothy Egan’s bestselling book “The Big Burn”, the story of the massive wildfires of 1910 that reshaped many forests across north Idaho and western Montana. With current snowpack at or near record low levels across much of the Northwest

An Appreciation of Scott Reed, 1928-2015

2015-05-14T09:25:00.004-07:00

By Will Whelan, director of government relations, Lou Lunte, deputy state director and Robyn Miller, director of conservation programs Scott Reed © Diane Ronayne By Susanna Danner, director of protection For the past seven years, I’ve been writing conservation agreements for salmon in the Lemhi River, working from my faraway desk here in Idaho’s capital city. I’ve fallen in love with the upper Salmon River watershed – I’ve backpacked in the Lemhi Mountains, fished the Lemhi River, and even visited Sacajawea’s

Rock Creek Ranch Hoedown

2014-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: This year, Rock Creek Ranch was purchased by the Wood River Land Trust and the Conservancy from the Rinker family. Working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the ranch was protected from development by a permanent grassland conservation easement. by Caroline Clawson, development assistant On June 26th The Nature Conservancy and

The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014

2014-07-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Update: On August 1st we learned that a key Senate subcommittee included legislative language to enact the Wildland Disaster Funding Act, as well as language to access the disaster cap on an emergency basis to address suppression in FY15. This means that the key provisions of the WDFA could be included in the Senate version of the spending package that funds the main wildfire fighting agencies,

Where have all the trout gone?

2014-07-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

Editor's note: Silver Creek is currently experiencing record low flows, high water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen levels. In an effort to reduce stress on the fishery at the preserve, The Nature Conservancy is temporarily restricting access to Silver Creek for fishing. For more information go to this link. Coincidentally, the following blog was

Curlew Tracking Update from the Flat Ranch Preserve

2014-06-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

by Jordan Reeves, East Idaho conservation manager As you may recall from earlier blog posts, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the annual late spring arrival of long-billed curlew to our Flat Ranch Preserve. While we are always excited to witness the birds return to nest at the ranch, this year was particularly

Night at the Museum – It’s Transforming

2014-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

by Lou Lunte, deputy state director