Well, I picked one heck of time to get injured! The ski areas and the mountains are getting doused with multiple coatings of fresh snow, and I'm stuck working on rehabbing the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in my left knee. At least I can walk!
The accident occurred in a hockey game at Idaho Ice World. I play in the men's C league, which you'd think would be mellow and low-key since it's the lowest level available. But unfortunately, the league is full of younger ringers who should be playing B-league, and there's always that testosterone-charged male who loses it going after the puck in the corner. That's what happened to me in a high-speed collision with the boards after this guy checks me from behind, twisting my left leg badly to the outside and tearing the ligament.
So much for my romantic weekend with Wendy at Grand Targhee we had planned over President's Day weekend, and so much for skiing with my son Quinn in early March, when we are booked to visit Waterville Valley, N.H., and spend a long weekend with our cousins. Damn! Wah!
So that's my situation right now. I am approved to do light snow biking or Greenbelt riding, I can hike in a brace, and I am approved to do classic xc skiing. It could be much worse, I know.
My outdoor tip this week is to GO PLAY IN THE SNOW! Even if I can't go powder skiing, you should!
The latest conditions at the SW Idaho ski areas are stellar by all accounts.
Bogus Basin - 10 inches of new today, 11 inches in the last 24 hours. I saw some several pics and video of light blower powder on Facebook ... it's been staying cold up there, to keep the snow light. Another foot of snow is expected on Saturday.
Brundage Mountain - 5-7 inches of new today, 19-24 inches in the last week. Cold smoke!
Tamarack Resort - 5 inches of new today, 6 inches in the last 24 hours. Probably more up high.
Sun Valley - 3 inches of new snow today, 2 inches of new in the last 24 hours.
The good news is that more snow is expected through the weekend. Coleen Haskell, a meteorologist and author of the Idaho Daily Snow blog, says "Computer models are in good agreement through the short term this weekend. I'm expecting a foot of snow between now and Sunday morning, coming in several surges including the one today. It will be closely followed by the stronger wave Friday night and Saturday, while yet another one strikes on Monday."
Predicted snow amounts through Monday, Feb. 26 (courtesy OpenSnow.com)
This is the forecast for the West Central Mountains. Are you excited yet?
All of the Nordic areas should be in a great shape, too, with fresh snow. The Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas received 6 inches of new snow on top of a firm 24-inch base. Idaho Parks & Recreation is grooming the Gold Fork loop tomorrow as well as the Skyline loop. You can go xc skiing, snowshoeing or snow biking on these trails. "Should be perfect skiing," says Leo Hennessy, non-motorized trail coordinator for IDPR.
All of the McCall Nordic areas are reporting 2-5 inches of new snow with fresh-groomed conditions. This includes Ponderosa State Park, Bear Basin, Activity Barn/North Valley Trail, Tamarack Resort and Jug Mountain Ranch. Don't forget that you can go snow biking at Jug ... probably the best snow-biking trails in SW Idaho in my opinion.
All of the Wood River Valley xc trails are open and skiing great, especially in the upper valley. Being a gimper, I hiked on snow-covered trails in Adams Gulch and Greenhorn Gulch last weekend while Wendy went downhill and xc skiing.
Military Reserve trails had nice packed powder today ... Love this view of the city of Boise!
Closer to home, with the new dose of snow in Boise, the Foothills are perfect for hiking, snow biking, trail-running and snowshoeing right now. I went snow-biking in Military Reserve this afternoon, and there was a 1-foot wide singletrack with packed powder. Perfect!
Hope you have a fun weekend playing in the snow! I'll be dreaming of skiing powder while I dial it down to do gimper activities and work on my MCL rehab.
Ferruginous hawks on a nesting platform in the NCA.
Joe Welson of the BLM checks on a golden eagle chick in the NCA.
Hi all,
I've been kind of a nut about birds of prey since I saw bald eagles swoop down and catch crimson-red Kokanee trout in West Glacier, Montana in college. But ultimately, I owe my love for birds of prey to the late Morley Nelson, the great champion for birds of prey who lived much of his adult life in Boise. Morley touched literally thousands of people in Boise, in Idaho, and many more in the nation and the world via his many films for Walt Disney's Wide World of Color series, his own personal falconry and birds of prey films, and his conservation work with the Peregrine Fund. Many people observed Morley flying birds in his North End backyard as a falconer, he gave countless presentations all over the West with a golden eagle on his fist, and he hosted many boat tours in the Snake River canyon with outfitter Steve Guinn.
Morley Nelson with a prairie falcon
Morley personally discovered what is known as the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. I know this because I wrote Morley's biography, titled Cool North Wind: Morley Nelson's Life with Birds of Prey (Caxton Press, 2000). Soon after moving to Boise in 1948, he visited the Snake River canyon for the first time. He saw an incredible diversity of birds of prey flying around, hunting for prey on the sagebrush flats above the canyon, and golden eagles and prairie falcons nesting in the canyon walls. How fortunate it was that a man like Morley, who already was totally passionate about raptors, discovered this wildlife resource that was unique in the world.
Morley always said that it was important to let people "feel a part of the environment" by showing them the magnificent birds of prey in action. He knew the birds would sell themselves if people had a chance to see them in person or in a movie.
The Snake River canyon was where Morley worked on "Ida, the Offbeat Eagle," for Walt Disney, a movie that required 12 trained golden eagles for various scenes. He took Marlin Perkins to the canyon to film a Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom segment about golden eagles and sheep. He put an 8-pound weight on one of his golden eagles, and they filmed the bird trying in vain to leave the ground. This was proof positive for all the sheep ranchers to see that there was no point in killing eagles for fear they might cart off a newborn lamb, a frequent assumption at the time.
Morley doing the "hero" shot with a golden eagle on his fist. His first wife, Betty Ann, is holding a prairie falcon.
In the late 1960s, Morley worked with Bureau of Land Management officials to catalog all of the golden eagle nests in the canyon with help from University of Idaho graduate students. They confirmed 25 active nests in 1968 and 36 active nests in 1969. The BLM recommended a protective withdrawal of 26,255 acres that would provide rim-to-rim protection for the area in 1971. Rogers Morton, the Interior Secretary at the time, signed it. Over the next two decades, numerous research projects laid the ground work for protecting the "dinner table" for birds of prey that nested in the canyon. In 1993, the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area was created, protecting 485,000 acres of land and 81 miles of the Snake River between Walter's Ferry, south of Nampa, to Bruneau. It was a remarkable achievement backed by all of Idaho's political leaders, particularly the late Gov. Cecil Andrus, Rep. Larry LaRocco, Sen. Larry Craig and the late Sen. Jim McClure.
This year is the 25th anniversary of the original designation of the birds of prey area. And the BLM has put a HUGE amount of effort into creating a year-long celebration to commemorate the original achievement and pay tribute to the many people who made it possible, including Morley.
"A lot of people don't understand the incredible resource we have here at the NCA," says Amanda Hoffman, area manager for the BLM. "It's the largest and densest population of nesting raptors in North America, if not the world (approximately 800 pairs of nesting birds of prey). The rich history of people caring so passionately about this area is important, and what we're trying to do is recognize the people who were involved in the designation, and introduce the NCA to a whole new set of people who might not have been familiar with it before."
This would include school kids in the Treasure Valley. Through Feburary and March, there will be multiple presentations about the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area at branch libraries throughout the valley. On Friday, there is a presentation at the Boise Public Library branch at Cole & Ustick at 4 p.m. On Saturday, there's a presentation at the Nampa Public Library at 11 a.m., and another presentation at the library branch in Bown Crossing at 11 a.m. Go see them! You'll see educational birds of prey up close, learn about the NCA, and about more events coming up this year.
I would strongly encourage everyone to participate in the events coming up this year. The BLM wants to create Idaho's Largest Trash Cleanup event on Saturday, April 21st. Sad but true, a lot of people see the edges of the birds of prey as a place to dump old furniture, tires, appliances, building materials and more ... Let's get hundreds of people out there to help! Let's break the record! To inquire and sign up, contact Cory Coffman at the BLM, ccoffman@blm.gov or call 208-384-3485.
Northern saw-whet owls nest in the NCA.
There will be guided hikes, raptor identification classes, raptor identification field trips, interpretive trips to learn about biological soil crusts, reptiles, insects, plants and geology. You can go out and help band ferruginous hawk chicks! See the event flyer online or contact Cory for more information.
On Saturday, June 2nd, there will be a Snake River Raptor Fest hosted by the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership at the Indian Creek Winery in Kuna from noon to 5 p.m. There will be live birds of prey, presentations, live music and interactive activities for all ages. I am definitely planning to attend.
In August, they will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NCA with a panel of speakers. There will be more interpretive hikes and activities continuing through the fall.
Joe Siratnak of the BLM led a volunteer planting effort at Kuna Buttle last year. Hundreds of people helped out. You can sign up to volunteer this year as well!
It's my personal opinion that the Birds of Prey NCA needs more love. The habitat out there has been degraded by numerous wildfires, and when things burn more than once, the sagebrush shrub component gets burned up, annual grasses like cheatgrass and noxious weeds take over the landscape, and the birds of prey and their prey base suffer. Approximately 50 percent of the habitat out there is rated in "poor" condition, according to BLM experts.
So let's do our part to help make things better. The BLM has been marshaling volunteers for planting sagebrush, native perennial plants and forbs, all of which are important for the habitat structure out there. Watch for opportunities to participate in planting efforts to make the habitat better. Again, contact Cory for more information, ccoffman@blm.gov or call 208-384-3485.
For people who might want to try to see all the birds of prey in the NCA, here's a list of birds to identify:
Nesting raptors: Prairie
falcon, American kestrel, golden eagle, red-tailed
hawk, ferruginous hawk,
BTW, my biography on Morley Nelson, Cool North Wind, is still in print. I've heard people say it's a good read! And probably the most complete history of the creation of the NCA from soup to nuts. I will be giving some presentations about Morley and the book in the coming year. Stay tuned!
Ducks on the pond! There are some large, scenic ponds in the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve and lots of habitat for waterfowl.
Hi all,
I've been working on updating Boise Trail Guide: 90 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home for the next printing, and I wanted to share a sweet hiking and birding spot in West Boise that I'll be featuring in the next edition of the guide. With weather projected to be in the mid-50s this weekend, this would be a nice low-key outing.
It's called Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve. It's a hidden gem located near the junction of Maple Grove and McMillan. The 54-acre reserve has large ponds and wetlands areas that have the dual purpose of filtering stormwater runoff and serving as a home to large numbers of birds, waterfowl and small critters.
There are more than 10 interpretive signs in the reserve.
The park is set up perfectly for birding -- for pros and amateurs. There’s a pathway in the upper bench of the park where you can look down on the ponds with your binoculars, and there are places where you can get much closer, depending on your preference.
Managed by Boise Parks & Recreation, the park was dedicated in 2012. The Hyatt Family donated 22 acres of the property to the city, and the rest was acquired. In December 2008, the Boise Public Works Department received a $1.3 million EPA grant to create an innovative stormwater treatment pilot project at the site. The project has turned out to be a great success from a water-quality and wildife-enhancement standpoint, so hat’s off to the city and its partners. It's my understanding that ACHD and Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District also were involved in the project.
This is also a place to learn ... there are multiple interpretive sites that provide educational information about stormwater, wildlife habitat, wetlands as nature’s filtering systems and more. Please note that there’s no fishing, boating, swimming, wading or bikes allowed in the park to protect wildlife.
The Golden Eagle Audubon Society will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count at Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve on Monday, Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. This would be a good opportunity to learn about birding from the pros.
The Hike: Start from either the parking area next to Marigold or McMillan. There’s a main loop that tours the ponds below, and an upper trail that connects back to the main loop. If you travel both trails, you’ll cover about 1.5 miles. Hikers and runners who want to do more mileage can double or triple the loop. There's a long sidewalk along Maple Grove to Marigold that can be added to your loop. Another tip for the weekend would be to dust off your road bike and go for a ride on the Greenbelt, Hill Road, City to Farm Loop in SW Boise, Swan Falls or any number of rides that you do in the Boise Valley.
Check out my Boise Road Cycling Guide, which has 30 detailed rides for beginners, intermediates and experts in the valley. It's a two-sided, color, waterproof map that you can find at most any bike shop in Boise and Boise REI. The rides include routes in Emmett, Meridian and Nampa as well as the Boise area.
At Bogus Basin, there's a fun event going on Saturday called the Goggle Tan Tour. The beer starts flowing at 11 a.m. Bogus Basin will have a BBQ going on the patio by the lower lodge as well. Entry is free. It's a traveling show, and this is their fourth stop. There will be live music, ski beach games, "badass give-aways" including goggles from Smith Optics, and beer.
Brundage has Diva Day happening on Saturday, with $30 discounted lift tickets for women 18 and over, free yoga practice, live music, and Happy Hour giveaways in Smoky's Bar & Grill. Sounds fun, too!
