Wildlife
Tired of Pandemic And Legislature? Try Eagles
We simply cannot join the throngs who report daily on the legislature and the pandemic repeating and repeating the same speculation. Better to soar with eagles… We took our annual drive Saturday to the “EAGLE TREE,” 120 miles east of Boise at WENDELL. The magnificent birds come every Christmas for about 40 days and roost […]
Feathered Friends Find Feeder
The snow has covered the ground and made home bird feeders a popular stop for our feathered friends. For those who think the GUARDIAN is “for the birds,” you are correct. We enjoy watching the gold finches flock to the thistle feeder as well as the multitude of other small birds who visit the wild […]
And The Survey Says…
About 6,000 Ada County residents responded to a survey from the county commishes regarding what to do with the Fair Grounds (EXPO Idaho). A whopping 84% wanted to leave the venue in its current location at Chinden and Glenwood. The survey offered three choices of suggested use of the 247 acres of public land. Respondents […]
Foothills Levy Spending Update
The recent purchase of 325 acres of foothill land by Boise City from the family of Gov. Brad Little prompted one GUARDIAN reader to do a little research on the activities of the committee entrusted to spend the $10,000,000 levy. Here are some results of their examination. The (Little) parcel is not within the current […]
F&G Posts Wildlife Porn
Things are slow during these days of house arrest forced by COVID-19, but the folks at Idaho’s Fish and Game Department have added some spice with “camera trap” images including one which shows black bears at an intimate moment. The image is included in a series of photos within a PRESS RELEASE sent to Idaho […]
Idaho F&G: How Not To Say “Killed”
The folks at Idaho Fish and Game have set a new standard when it comes to euphemisms. We have all heard “harvest,” and “lethal means” used when it comes to killing wildlife, but the latest terms of “wolf control actions, remove wolves, reduce predation, improve elk survival, management plan,” all boil down to the same […]
Idaho’s Well Trained Wildlife
The GUARDIAN took advantage of the sunny day Tuesday and made a wildlife viewing journey to Garden Valley. It has been a while since we visited the area in spring and we were surprised at the way the deer and elk have been trained by Idaho Fish and Game biologists. The two big game species […]
Wildlife Conflicts Mount As Population Soars
Recent issues with wolves developing a taste for mutton and at least one grizzly bear in Eastern Idaho seems to like veal (he killed a calf), have Idaho wildlife managers caught in a bind. Historically, ranchers and settlers spent many years and bullets wiping out the predators to insure the safety of their flocks and […]
Was Grizzly Shot, Killed, Slaughtered, Whacked, Blasted, Smacked, Harvested, Put Down?
It will be interesting to see how the Idaho Fish and Game Department spins a new development on a single permit to hunt and kill a grizzly bear in Idaho near Yellowstone Park this fall. F&G officials determined that a single permit was warranted to kill a bear after the grizzly was “delisted” as an […]
Open Space Advocate On Bike Park Decision
GUEST OPINION BY Katie Fite Public Lands Director WildLands Defense The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission failed to uphold two separate Appeals of permits for Hillside Grading and Flood Plain development to allow construction of a two million dollar Mountain Bike Park in Military Reserve. The Albertson’s Family Foundation would pay for construction, taxpayers […]
Got A Spare Bear To Kill?
Guest Opinion By INNA PATRICK, Ph.D. The proposal to hunt a lonesome male grizzly bear in Eastern Idaho is not in the public interest. There is no scientific proof that killing a single bear is “wildlife management.” It certainly is not a hunting season. Idaho F&G does not want to provide protected habitat for large […]
Wildlife Advocate Cries Foul On Bike Plan
Local wildlife and wildland activist offers alternative to bike park. “The Fate of Boise’s Military Reserve: A Valued Natural Area, or Bike Mecca?” Guest Opinion By KATIE FITE A year’s worth of secretive, closed door meetings between Boise City and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertsons’ Family Foundation hatched a plan to construct an “All Skills” […]
Still Room For Bird Tour
We still have room for three more passengers if you want to take the half day excursion to see migrating waterfowl at Fort Boise near Parma. See details in previous post. If you leave details in the comment section, they will remain private.
Idaho Spring Break Is For The Birds
The GUARDIAN ran across a really cool Idaho spring break idea Monday worth a half day jaunt to the Idaho Fish and Game Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area near Parma. The place is packed with migratory wildfowl. Snow geese are the overwhelming leader, but there are all sorts of ducks, geese and swans as well. […]
NNU Nighthawk Mascot Is a Goatsucker
Local media was alight with announcements Monday that CRUSADER has taken on a negative connotation, so the new mascot is a NIGHT HAWK for Nampa’s Northwest Nazarene University. But did the well-intentioned deciders at the Christian institution of higher learning not have at least one staffer who had a passing interest in ornithology? Night hawks, […]
Pollution Solution For Loose Goose
GUARDIAN readers have long advocated assorted meal plans for Boise’s homeless population supplementing diets with fresh goose meat. In Washington, D.C. the idea has apparently taken hold with the National Park Service. Here is a piece sent to us by a reader that addresses the problem of goose poop and feeding the hungry. In typical […]
Ball Park May Face Extra Innings
It looks like Boise’s downtown “field of dreams” ball park proposal could go into extra innings if the home team calling itself CONCERNED BOISE TAXPAYERS is able to keep the developer and local agencies from getting to first base. The group boasts Gary Michael, former Albertson CEO, as the lead off pitcher with a bullpen […]
Great Birding As Water Flows Rise
The past weekend offered some great birdwatching opportunities, thanks to sunshine and high water. The white pelicans are flocking to the water below C.J. Strike Dam on the Snake River south of Mountain Home as seen in this David R. Frazier image. A good pair of binoculars provides a great chance to watch the “C-130 […]
Too Much Water For Sockeye Salmon
It seems counterintuitive, but the famed “red fish” sockeye salmon at the Idaho Fish and Game Eagle Island hatchery could be victim of too much water. F&G staffers are trying to defy gravity with sandbags to keep the Boise River from overflowing its banks and flooding the hatchery. Each morning staff members from Fish and […]
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