NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST —  Gathering huckleberries is a popular summertime activity on National Forest land.
   There are no regulations in effect for huckleberry picking on the Nez Perce-Clearwater NF. Damaging or removing huckleberry bushes on National Forest lands is a violation with a penalty of up to 6 months in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
    More than once, pickers have been observed cutting a pickup load of huckleberry brush and picking berries from the brush they cut.
    If the plant is cut off at the ground, the plant is destroyed.  Something else will grow in its place before the huckleberry can regrow destroying the patch for future crops.
     For more information go to: http://www.fs.usda.go/main/nezperce/home

TWIN FALLS — The Southern Idaho Land Trust’s (SILT) acquired a 30.5 acre parcel last autumn along the eastern edge of the 279 acre Hagerman Wildlife Management Area. 
     The WMA is owned and managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as a waterfowl reserve during the waterfowl hunting season. Hagerman WMA regularly supports 30,000-40,000 waterfowl during the winter.
     This project, called Hagerman Wings, is a collaborative effort between Ducks Unlimited and SILT. The property is located west of the town of Hagerman along the Snake River in some of the most valuable conservation easements in the Magic Valley.
     The proximity of the easement to the Snake River provides excellent upland habitat use for waterfowl and other river species. As river frontage development continues along the Snake River, adjacent upland habitat is becoming more limited. Protecting this relatively natural area serves an important conservation purpose.

CRATERS OF THE MOON — The National Park Foundation recently awarded Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve a 2012 Impact Grant to support the launch of Passage for Pronghorn project that modifies or replaces boundary fences to enhance pronghorn migration. 

     The grant gives parks the critical financial support needed to transform innovative, yet underfunded ideas into successful in-park programs and initiatives.
       "This grant allows us to expand our ongoing efforts to either remove or modify fencing in an important pronghorn migration corridor", said Dan Buckley, Superintendent at Craters of the Moon..

Twin Falls