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Welcome to The Nature Conservancy of Idaho's blog, your source for Idaho natural history, wildlife, conservation and outdoor recreation. The views represented here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of The Nature Conservancy.
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Idaho is 60% public land--a statistic that many of us consider one of the greatest aspects of living here.Recently I traveled to North Idaho to visit some of the conservation projects The Nature Conservancy is undertaking there. I write conservation easements on working timberland in Boundary County, where grizzly bears, bull trout and forest products are all supported by healthy forests.
In North Idaho, development and fragmentation are putting our healthy forests in peril. A working timberland conservation easement is a permanent agreement between a forest owner and the Conservancy that prohibits certain land uses – like development, mining and subdivision – while allowing for ongoing timber management and harvest.
And a conservation easement can ensure that forest products can be harvested from the property forever – creating a stable economic output. A special interest I had was to see where timber harvested on our conservation easements goes once it leaves the forest.
Since many North Idaho towns are undergoing economic hardships, I wanted to see how our conservation easements can play a role in keeping rural communities economically viable.
As the children streamed off the school bus and onto the porch of the Flat Ranch visitor center, they were asked why they were all wearing orange shirts. The children replied in unison, "So the counselors can find us!" Sounds like these counselors have a bit of experience with kids. Four counselors joined the group for this outing.
Before starting off on their nature adventure, the children gathered on the porch and did stretches. Arms, legs, backs and torsos stretched and twisted to get ready for the hike. The lead counselor then had a question and answer session to see how many of the kids knew about the importance of conserving nature. First question to clarify was, "What is conservation?"
Everyone came prepared with bottled water and a lunch to eat at the end of the hike. As they marched across the yard and out the gate, the counselors started pointing out the different wildflowers—looked like they were already learning something. The group hiked to the Henry's Fork Outlet, which flows through the Flat Ranch, and had fun learning about local birds and wildlife. After the hike, they returned to the Visitor Center to enjoy their picnic lunches on the porch.
The Nature Conservancy encourages school groups to visit the Flat Ranch. Although there is no structured program, there is a "hands on" display in the Visitor Center where children can touch and feel animal skins, bones and antlers. The grounds are always open for hiking, birding, fishing, picnics and wildlife viewing. No reservations are necessary, but advance notice is appreciated. The visitor center is open Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) until early October. For more information, call the Flat Ranch Visitor Center at (208) 558-7629.