Give back on National Trails Day, Morning Star story contest and Raptor Fest in Kuna!

What's your story? Enter the Morning Star story contest to win a triple chair for your front yard!

Oh my goodness, the weather looks fab this weekend in the Boise Valley! Temperatures will be nudging 80 degrees in the afternoons ... and things should start to dry out after a long series of rainy days in Idaho!

For my outdoor tip of the week, I'm recommending a hodge-podge of activities for the weekend, including three National Trails Day events on Saturday, a new story contest for a Morning Star chairlift from Bogus Basin, and another event on Saturday, the Snake River Raptor Fest at Indian Creek Winery, where I'll be speaking about Morley Nelson, the great champion for birds of prey at 2 p.m., and give some tips about recreation outings in the Snake River canyon.

Put some sweat equity back into your favorite trails. (Courtesy Land Trust of the Treasure Valley)

First for National Trails Day, you can do your part to give back to our beloved trail systems and  public lands by participating in one of three events on Saturday, June 1:

• Volunteer cleanup event by the Oregon Trail reserve on BLM land near Columbia Village. See Facebook invite for details. Hours are 9-11 a.m. Sponsored by the BLM, Ridge to Rivers, the Oregon-California Trails Association and more. Contact ddraheim@blm.gov for details. 
• BBP Goathead Challenge - From June 1 - July 31 BBP is encouraging people to pull goatheads around trails and their neighborhoods. Click on link for details. June 22 is a community-wide effort coming up soon. Prizes for large quantities of goat heads pulled. Drop the spoils at the Northend Nursery or dispose of them in your compost bin.
• Boise REI, the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley and Hidden Springs will be hosting a trail maintenance project on the Cartwright Ridge Trail from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the Hidden Springs Community Barn.     

Ok, now for the Bogus Basin story contest to win a much-prized Morning Star triple chair! The Morning Star chairlift is being replaced this summer with a faster quad. The retro triple chairs are proving to be quite popular!

The story contest is all going to happen really fast! "From marriage proposals to memorable mishaps, Bogus Basin’s Morning Star Chairlift Story Contest has become a sentimental journey for local ski enthusiasts. The story contest, which runs now through June 2, represents a chance for one lucky winner to own a unique piece of Bogus Basin history by sharing their memories from riding the lift," says marketing director Susan Saad.

Bogus has provided a series of opportunities for fans to win chairs from the decommissioned lift,
including an online auction, two raffles, and now the story contest. A second and final online auction is planned for June.

The winner of the story contest will be selected by a panel of two judges - Betsy Russell, the leading  state government reporter in Idaho for the Idaho Press, and yours truly. Betsy has been an avid skier for decades, plus she's the president of the Idaho Press Club. She and I used to race together for the Statesman on Monday nights at Bogus.

Entries are due by June 2. Mail entries to marketing@bogusbasin.org by June 2nd. Entrants must be at least 18 years old, only one submission is allowed per person, and the stories must be limited to 250 words or less. Photos are optional, but not required. The winner will be announced on June 7th.

Bogus is open for the summer season BTW! See their web site for more information on what to do, but you can do scenic chairlift rides, ride the Mountain Coaster, there's food and drink, and more! 

Love this painting of Morley! Come learn more about this man on Saturday at Raptor Fest.

The Snake River Raptor Fest runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Indian Creek Winery. The event was very well-attended last year for the 25th anniversary of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. There's live music, food and drink throughout the afternoon, plus presentations!

Indian Creek Winery will be serving a variety of their fine wines, and Lost Grove Brewing will be pouring cold beer. Bang on the Wall Burgers, Crisp, Melt, and the STIL will be serving amazing burgers and fries, globally eclectic food, and delicious ice cream.

Schedule of informal presentations:

1:00pm — Heather Hayes, Research Biologist, Intermountain Bird Observatory 

"The Long-billed Curlew: Tracking A Species of Greatest Conservation Need"

2:00pm — Steve Stuebner, Award-winning Author and Morley Nelson Biographer

"Conservation and Recreation in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area." Steve will sign copies of Cool North Wind at the event.

3:00pm — Mike Kochert, Scientist Emeritus, USGS, and the NCA's first Biologist

"Fifty Years of Studying Golden Eagles in Southwestern Idaho: What Have We Learned?"

4:00pm — Juli McCoy, Programs Manager for Canyon County Parks Cultural and Natural Resources

"What's Going on Out There? A History of Cultural Resources in the Snake River Canyon"

Wow, all of those sound pretty darn interesting! There also will be exhibitors at Raptor Fest, and I'm fairly certain that Monte Tish will be there with Morley's golden eagle, "Slim." 

Have a great weekend! 

- SS