Idaho Update SPRING 2015 EDITION PHOTO: MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD TIM CHRISTIE

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1 Idaho Update SPRING 2015 EDITION PHOTO: MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD TIM CHRISTIE

2 IDAHO UPDATE The Director s Desk TONI HARDESTY The two-hour drive I take between our Boise and Hailey offices is a coveted time for head clearing and creative thinking. During a recent commute, as I looked out at the beautiful sagebrush country, my thoughts wandered to the past, likely because 2015 marks our chapter s 50th anniversary. Creek, we have set the stage for the groundbreaking work we pursue today in places like Pioneers-Craters, a vast region that includes 2.4 million acres (featured in this newsletter). With your support, we have accomplished so much together over 50 years. On behalf of our team, thank you. Join us in coming months as we honor the people and places that made it possible to conserve so much of Idaho. We invite you to renew your commitment to the future of Idaho s remarkable lands, waters, wildlife and people. It s hard to believe that 50 years have passed since a small group of University of Idaho professors decided to start a Conservancy chapter here in Idaho. From our humble beginnings at Idler s Rest near Moscow to the creation of our flagship preserve at Silver Your friend in conservation, Toni Hardesty, Idaho State Director 2 THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF IDAHO / SPRING 2015

3 Recognition for a Remarkable Place Between the Pioneer Mountains and the Craters of the Moon National Monument lies an expansive region of remarkable ecological diversity. It is a place where one of the farthest pronghorn migrations occur in the West. Pygmy rabbits, wolverines, big horn sheep and greater sage-grouse roam freely. The Pioneers-Craters region also supports several family-run ranches and farms. Fourteen years ago, The Nature Conservancy began working with one of these families, Kathleen and Brian Bean, to establish a conservation easement on 7,500 acres of their Lava Lake Ranch. The easement made it possible for the Beans to continue their sustainable ranching operations, while also protecting their property from future development that would impact wildlife. From left: Lou Lunte, The Nature Conservancy; Keri York, Wood River Land Trust; Krysta Harden, USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Mike Stevens, The Nature Conservancy. with ranchers, local residents, conservationists, scientists, business people, and elected and agency officials. Today these collaborative efforts, known as the Pioneers Alliance, are on track to conserve more than 80,000 acres of private lands in Pioneers-Craters by the end of The Conservancy s work as part of the Pioneers Alliance recently earned the Secretary of Agriculture s highest honor for conservation. Deputy State Director Lou Lunte proudly joined alliance members in Washington, D.C., to receive the award, which recognizes large, community-driven efforts to safeguard private-public landscapes that are important to people and nature. This relationship with Lava Lake and the Beans marked the beginning of a decade of conservation in the region 3

4 IDAHO UPDATE New Eastern Idaho Manager Becomes Part of Conservancy Team Conservancy supports working lands while using science to lead the path in conservation efforts. When not working, David enjoys hiking, skiing, fly fishing, floating rivers, gold panning and hunting for wild edibles. PHOTO KEN MIRACLE David Weskamp joined The Nature Conservancy in December 2014 as the Eastern Idaho conservation manager. He will work with multiple partners and landowners, conserving and restoring the landscape in Eastern Idaho. David has a bachelor s degree in freshwater fisheries from Humboldt State University in northern California. He began his career with the Yurok Tribe on the Klamath River as a fisheries biologist, focusing on anadromous salmonids and watershed restoration. He has worked with Idaho Department of Fish and Game in the Wood River Valley, and Trout Unlimited in West Virginia. Growing up in a rich agricultural community, I have a deep respect for farmers and ranchers, David says. I like that The Nature PHOTO: DAVID WESKAMP Volunteer Opportunities Do you want to make a difference and have fun doing it? Contribute your time and talents to The Nature Conservancy in Idaho! Volunteers help with a variety of projects, from planting trees to taking photographs and a whole lot in between. Current opportunities PRESERVE STEWARD, BALL CREEK RANCH Bonners Ferry Come volunteer at the Conservancy s beautiful North Idaho farm and wetland. A typical volunteer starts with breakfast at the barn at 7 a.m., followed by fencing (deconstruction and construction) and wetland restoration (shrub planting, tree protection, etc.). Opportunities are usually available during a weekend in the spring and a weekend in the fall. VOLUNTEER PHOTOGRAPHER Statewide Looking for the opportunity to use your photography skills for a great cause? The Nature Conservancy in Idaho is always in need of great photos that showcase our landscapes, wildlife, people and way of life. This volunteer position may include independent travel or, in some cases, opportunities to join staff in the field. OFFICE ASSISTANT Idaho Falls Assist with records management, digitizing documents and organizing. Experience with Microsoft Word is required. PRESERVE STEWARD Cougar Bay This volunteer position offers opportunities from March through November and includes performing general maintenance around the parking lot and trailhead. This would be a weekly task, mostly picking up trash, keeping dog waste off of the road and trail, and walking the trails once a week or so. For more information on how to apply, contact Nancie Lange at nlange@tnc.org or (208) , or go to The Conservancy s East Idaho office has a new location: 447 Park Ave., Idaho Falls, ID THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF IDAHO / SPRING 2015

5 Where Have all the Curlews Gone? Long-billed curlew at the Flat Ranch Preserve. Starting this spring, the Conservancy s Flat Ranch Preserve will serve as one of six locations in a study of long-billed curlew populations in the Intermountain West. Ultimately, the research conducted will help guide management strategies aimed at the conservation of long-billed curlews, says Jay Carlisle, research director at Boise State University s Intermountain Bird Observatory (IBO), which is conducting the study. Researchers plan to survey curlew nests and populations between early April and mid-june. Tracking population density and the success of nests, while taking into account habitat types, human disturbance and predation, will provide insight into factors affecting curlew populations. I m looking forward to learning more about curlew migration and their breeding ecology. Especially because once we ve answered some of the basic questions about where they go, and what factors are influencing reproductive success, there are many other exciting directions the research could take, says Stephanie Coates, Boise State graduate student and project researcher. These surveys complement an ongoing IBO study of curlew migrations that began in 2013 using satellite transmitters. Preliminary results revealed a trend in which curlews breeding in Western Idaho migrated to the Central Valley of California, and those breeding in Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming migrated farther south, generally to locations around the California-Mexico border. Last year one of those transmitters was placed on a female long-billed curlew from the Flat Ranch Preserve. The Nature Conservancy helped raise funds for the transmitter and enlisted the public s help in naming the tracked bird, Henrietta. This spring, IBO also plans to deploy at least 16 new transmitters on curlews from populations in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, including monitoring an additional curlew at the Flat Ranch Preserve. PHOTO: MEGAN GROVER-CEREDA Satellite transmitters used to track migrating birds. Researchers attaching a transmitter to a curlew. PHOTO: SHYNE BROTHERS PHOTO: SHYNE BROTHERS By Lisa Eller, Director of Communications 5

6 IDAHO UPDATE The Bats of Ball Creek Preserve PHOTO: USFWS/ANN FROSCHAUER For many years, thousands of little brown bats considered the old farmhouse at The Nature Conservancy s Ball Creek Preserve to be home. The bats had long used the attic as both nursery and roost, causing the ceiling to sag under the weight of bat guano. In 2000, workers sealed the attic and affixed new bat houses to the outer siding, and the colony soon flourished. A decade later, the fatigued bat houses started to crumble and fall. With the house in need of substantial upgrades, the bats had to move. As it turns out, mounting bat houses to the side of your house is not such a great idea! As insectivores, little brown bats are beneficial to agriculture because they eat many species of agricultural pests. Recognizing the huge ecological benefits of the bats, Kennon McClintock, the Conservancy s North Idaho field representative, called in a bat expert to ask about the feasibility of moving them. The expert told Kennon that moving the colony was risky, but if the boxes were oriented to make the most of solar gain, and stayed within a certain proximity to the old farmhouse and Ball Creek, the bats had a better chance of adapting to their new homes. The crew went to work repurposing the stinky batguano wood from the attic to build the new boxes. The odor would entice the bats to check out the boxes. The big question: Would they return? During a population count last fall, staff recorded 165 bats that were indeed using these bat houses. In April, when the bats return from hibernation, population monitoring will continue. Look for updates on the progress of the little brown bats on our blog: idahonaturenotes.blogspot.com For more about Idaho s 14 species of bats and how to build bat houses, visit: fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/nongame/ leafletbat.pdf PHOTO KENNON MCCLINTOCK/TNC. By Valerie Connor, Operations Assistant 6 THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF IDAHO / SPRING 2015

7 New Fly-fishing Documentary FEATURES CONSERVANCY PRESERVE A new documentary film, The Rocky Mountain Fly Highway, serves as a stunning reminder of the world-class fly-fishing waters found right here in the Intermountain West. The one-hour film, which features The Nature Conservancy s Silver Creek Preserve, is narrated by Tom Skerritt and written by celebrated Idaho columnist Tim Woodward. It follows a 500-mile section of U.S. Highway 20, from Yellowstone National Park to the Oregon border, as it winds through more than a dozen of America s most coveted fly waters. For decades the Conservancy has preserved and restored many of the lands and waters featured in the film legendary rivers like the Henry s and South Forks of the Snake River, the Yellowstone, the Madison, the Owyhee and Silver Creek. The one-hour film showcases Silver Creek s history and fly-fishing allure. A large, spring-fed creek in Central Idaho, Silver Creek is widely considered to be both a model for conservation and one of the most challenging fly-fishing streams in the West. Anglers say the fish at Silver Creek are so educated, they have Ph.D.s. As Skerritt explains, You can have ideal conditions, the right fly, the perfect cast and still go home frustrated. For more on the film, visit flyhighway.com. To learn more about Silver Creek Preserve, visit nature.org/idaho. 7

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