Boise's Morning Owl Farm has three Apprentice opportunities in 2008. Learn about sustainability and Whole Farm Planning in a structured curriculum on a working small-acreage farm from an instructor with 12 years experience as a tenured university professor.” (from Mary Rohlfing e-mail 4/24/08) To learn more, visit http://www.morningowlfarm.com/id11.html
Thursdays 11:00am to 1:00pm, through May 15. Drop-in Bike Repair Clinics at BSU Rec Center Patio - thru May 15. “Park your car at home and get your bike out of the garage. A trained mechanic will help you make minor adjustments and do preventative maintenance.” For more information, call 426-1946 or visit: http://rec.boisestate.edu/outdoor/specialEvents/index.cfm
Saturdays, 9am to 6pm, April 19 through June 7. Canyon Bounty Farm greenhouse hours, in west Nampa. Top quality organic vegetable, herb and flower starts. www.canyonbountyfarm.com for directions, complete listing of plants, and other info tidbits. (Canyon Bounty Farm is one of two growers supplying inventory to IEI’s annual plant sales.)
Saturdays, 9am to 3pm, April 26 through May 31. Draggin’ Wing Farm nursery hours, in NW Boise. Perennials, herbs, shrubs. www.waterthriftyplants.com for offerings, directions, landscaping tips.
Saturdays, Capital City Public Market. 9:30 am to 1:30pm, April 19 through October, 11am to 30m Nov 1 to Dec 20. Locally-grown produce, herbs and flowers; hanging baskets, bedding plants and container gardens; Idaho specialty foods; Idaho wines and cheese; and fresh baked breads, pastries and pies. 8th Street between Bannock and Main and on the Grove Plaza, Boise. 345-9287.
May 1, 2008, 5:00pm. “Once upon the trolley: Boise’s electric road” talk by Barbara Perry Bauer. Part of Fettuccine Forum series in the Rose Room at 718 W. Idaho Street. Free appetizers. Fettuccini $5.
Following the Fettucine Forum on May 1, at 7 pm a trolley-bus tour will introduce riders to the current plan to rebuild the trolley system as a smart-growth development tool. The tour will include a discussion of trolleys past, present and future and will approximate one of the proposed future streetcar lines. Tickets for the tour, which benefits Idaho Smart Growth, are $15 in advance (purchase by calling 333-8066 or click on "Support/Join" at www.idahosmartgrowth.org) or $20 at the event. Ticket holders will receive a copy of the book "Trolley: Boise Valley's Electric Road." Only 30 seats available!
May 1, Thursday, 7:30pm. Kessler-Keener lecture series welcomes Joanna Macy to Boise. Cathedral of the Rockies (First United Methodist), 11th and Hays. Talk: “The Great Turning to a Life Sustaining Society.” Cost $10. Tickets available at the door, or in advance at Spirit at Work Bookstore or the Idaho Human Rights Education Center. Books supplied by Spirit at Work bookstore will be available and Joanna will sign them. For more: www.joannamacy.net [Appeal: 2 volunteers are needed to help at the Spirit at Work book table both before the lecture (6:30pm to 7:30pm) and again after the lecture. Contact: Ed Keener 208-429-0266, edmakeener@cableone.net]
May 2, Friday, 8:30 am interfaith breakfast with Joanna Macy. Islamic Center in Boise, 27th St. and Stewart. All are invited to breakfast provided by the Islamic Center, share a prayer or reading or ask Joanna a question, or reflect on her ideas. An informal gathering for any and all, no RSVP needed.
May 2-4, Joanna Macy workshop entitled, “Taking Heart in Tough Times.” Fri 6pm-9pm. Sat 9am-5pm, lunch included. Sun 9am-3pm, lunch included. [Update: the workshop is full.]
May 3 through September 27, Saturdays, 9am – 1pm. Meridian Farmers Market and Bazaar. “This year the market is going to be ‘green’ and more eco-friendly by offering customers reusable MFM branded tote bags, plus there will be a lot more fun with the addition of an international style marketplace bazaar.” (Idaho Statesman, 4/25/08) Boise First Community Center, 3852 N. Eagle Road, 376-2610, ww.MeridianFarmersMarket.com
May 4, Sunday, the Idaho Statesman will include a special “Green Matters” insert.
May 5, 7pm. Documentary Film Wild Connections: The Hells Canyon-Wallowa Ecosystem. Join BSU’s Environmental Studies Association and the Hells Canyon Preservation Council for a screening of this movie. Farnsworth Room in the SUB. Refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public. [For more about BSU’s ESA: www.boisestate.edu/studentorgs/esa]
May 6, 7 - 8pm, Sage Grouse Talk hosted by Sierra Club. Free evening slide show and talk at Fish and Game building (back entrance) on Walnut near Municipal Park.
May 7, “Visualizing Density,” one session in an education series from COMPASS (Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho). The series, "Making Connections: Improving Mobility and Design in the Treasure Valley," runs 3/26 thru 6/9; the topics support implementation of the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion. Presentations are free and open to the public, but attendance must be confirmed for some events. For more information, call 855-2558, ext 231. For a list of speakers, topics, and schedules, visit: http://www.compassidaho.org/comm/publicevents_connections.htm
May 8 – Visualizing Density: Tools and Techniques. See http://www.compassidaho.org/comm/publicevents_connections.htm for more info.
May 10, 7am to 2pm. “International Migratory Bird Day. Foothills Learning Center is celebrating International Migratory Bird Day along with the MK Nature Center and Zoo Boise. Activities at the Foothills Learning Center include a birding class from 7-9am then a series of workshops in artistic portrayals of birds from 10-2. Join us for photography, sketching, and painting workshops. There will also be a journal-making activity especially for kids.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This event is part of their Second Saturdays series of free family-oriented programs on the 2nd Saturday of the month throughout the year. For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
May 12 to 17, Boise Bike Week. National Bike to Work Day on May 12, and a Pedal Power Parade on Friday. www.biketreasurevalley.org for more.
May 14, 6:30 – 8:00pm, “Shift to Green” bike tour. An easy bike tour of Boise’s local solutions to global warming. Meet at Sierra Club office, 503 W. Franklin. Ride at 6:30, wine social at 8:00. Free bulbs and t-shirts. Bike events all week, go to: boisebikeweek.org www.Idaho.sierraclub.org/middlesnake.
May 16, Turtle Talk, Idaho Earth Institute. 7:00 to 8:30pm “Discovering a Sense of Place: Hammer Flats” by Tony Jones of Save the Plateau and Ryan Guerra of Riverstone Community School. Talk will be at MK Nature Center, 600 S. Walnut.
May 16, 6:30 – 11:00pm. Endangered Species Day celebration at Satchel’s Grill. (Sierra Club) Festivities include live music, fun wolf activities, a wolf presentation by expert Suzanne Stone, and an outdoor screening of the film Never Cry Wolf beginning at 9:30. Satchel’s great food and beverages available all evening, 705 W. Bannock.
May 16, 17 & 18. Eagle Island Experience Festival, Eagle Island State Park. Kids activities, music & craft booths. www.experiencefestival.org, www.gruntwerks.net.
Saturday, May 17, 9am to 8pm & Sunday, May 18, 10am to 6pm: Idaho Green Expo at Boise Centre on the Grove. http://www.idahogreenexpo.org. Idaho Earth Institute will have a booth at the Expo, and we'd love volunteer staffers! Stan Kidwell is the IEI board member coordinating the booth. To volunteer, please contact Stan at sproutmagazine@aol.com or me at sharonmatthies@earthlink.net. Thanks!
May 17, Saturday, 9am. Trail Awareness Run starting from Camel’s Back Park in Boise. Organized by the Ridge to Rivers Volunteer Trail Rangers, to educate trail users about Foothills policies and resource issues as well as provide general trail information. www.ridgetorivers.org, 514-3756. Idaho Statesman article from 4/23/08: http://www.idahostatesman.com/outdoors/story/359527.html
May 19 through June 8, M-Th 11:20am-3pm, “The Sociology and Politics of Food.” (497-010 ST) Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
May 28, 7:00 to 8:30pm, free. “Sense of Place: A Native American Perspective. Join MaryJane Oatman Wak-Wak, Indian Education Coordinator for the Idaho State Department of Education, as we explore the Native American connection to place. As a member of the Nez Perce Tri be, she will share her story with us, provide some local history and prehistory, and discuss the importance of place in the Native American culture and its value in education today. She will weave together an evening of storytelling and history and provide a wonderful evening of immersion into a unique culture and perspective.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This talk is part of their Sunset Series (2nd and 4th Wed from May through July). For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
May 31 and June 1. “Cultures and Sustainable Futures (ANTH 294/494-1500) Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. (This workshop “available for anyone who has an interest in the topic.”) Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
June 9. “Making a Great City by Design - Themes from Recent Vancouver Experience,” one session in an education series from COMPASS (Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho). The series, "Making Connections: Improving Mobility and Design in the Treasure Valley," runs 3/26 thru 6/9; the topics support implementation of the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion. Presentations are free and open to the public, but attendance must be confirmed for some events. For more information, call 855-2558, ext 231. For a list of speakers, topics, and schedules, visit: http://www.compassidaho.org/comm/publicevents_connections.htm
June: The NPR radio show Splendid Table will be in Boise. Date not nailed down as of 3/18 Idaho Statesman article. To keep tabs: splendidtable.publicradio.org, radio.boisestate.edu. In the meantime, see the results of their recent “The Splendid Table Survey on Listener Preferences On Food and Sustainability” at http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/about/sustainability_results.shtml
June 9 – July 13, M-Th, 11:50am-1:50pm. “Environmental Ethics: Deep Ecology” (297-003 ST) Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
June 9, 10, 11 & 12. “North American Birds of Prey. Marc Bechard, BSU (BIOL 494/594-1500) This workshop focuses on the types of birds of prey found in North America, their identification, and breeding biology with emphasis on the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho. Included are field trips to the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area and the World Center for Birds of Prey.” Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. (This workshop “available for anyone who has an interest in the topic.”) Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
June 12 – 14, Thur/Fri 4pm-8pm, Sat 9am-4pm. “Boise’s Railroads: Past & Future of Rail Transport.” (494/594-1515 WK) Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
June 14th. “Fun with Frogs: reptiles and amphibians. In cooperation with Zoo Boise’s June celebration of frogs, join us for a great day of amphibians and reptiles at the Foothills Learning Center. We’ll explore the habitat requirements of our frog and snake friends, including the ponds here in Hulls Gulch. Meet live animals and talk with experts on these fascinating creatures.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This event is part of their Second Saturdays series of free family-oriented programs on the 2nd Saturday of the month throughout the year. For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
June 27 & 28. “Ethnobotany: Introduction to Edible, Medicinal & Useful Plants. Ray Vizgirdas & Edna Vizgirdas, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (ANTH/BIOL 494/594-1507) Learn about plants used by Native Americans and other early residents of the region for food, medicine, clothing, and building materials. Join the instructors in the classroom and in field explorations on day two.” Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. (This workshop “available for anyone who has an interest in the topic.”) Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
July 9, 7:00 to 8:30pm, free. “Edible and Useful Plants of the Boise Foothills. Back by popular demand, local naturalist and author Ray Vizgirdas will take you for a walk in the Boise foothills to observe, identify, and learn about wild edible, medicinal, and useful plants. Find out how early settlers and Native Americans used plants to make medicines, tools and crafts including shoes made from sagebrush bark, and baskets from cattail leaves. Learn how many of the foothills plants are also important as food and shelter to current native inhabitants such as deer, kangaroo rats, and birds. Ray Vizgirdas is the author of the Guide to Plants of Yellowstone and Grant Teton Natoinal Parks and Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada, and he lives and works in Boise.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This talk is part of their Sunset Series (2nd and 4th Wed from May through July). For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
July 11 & 12. “Fish of the Snake & Columbia Rivers. Philip Groves, Idaho Power Company (ANTH/BIOL 494/594-1511) Learn about native fish species, both game and non-game, and about introduced species and their potential impact on the ecosystem. Day one is in the classroom and day two takes the student into the field with various sampling gear to capture many of the native (and non-native) species for first-hand identification and habitat exploration.” Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. (This workshop “available for anyone who has an interest in the topic.”) Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
July 23rd, 7:00 to 8:30pm, free. “Eating Local: Making changes that Make a Difference. Casey O’Leary is most often found rolling through the wild dirt with the worms as her mentors in her garden of Earthly Delights, a local subscription farm and market garden run on human power. Join her for an informal and lively discussion about local food and local living as a personally empowering, community-sustaining lifestyle choice. She will be accompanied by members of our FLC Junior Garden Club who will be here with the bounty from their on-site water-wise garden providing yummy food and inspiration to us all.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This talk is part of their Sunset Series (2nd and 4th Wed from May through July). For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
July 26 & 27. “Archaeology of Climate Change. Pei Lin Yu, University of California, Santa Barbara (ANTH 494/594-1508) The archaeological record is used to investigate ancient climate change and tactics used by human societies to cope and, in some cases, be transformed. Students will learn through specific case studies how the relationship between humans and the climate in which we live can be explored in a scientifically productive manner that has utility for modern societies.” Part of Boise State University’s summer class 2008 offerings. (This workshop “available for anyone who has an interest in the topic.”) Admission, registration, fees, deadlines: www.boisestate.edu/extendedstudies/summer.
August 9th. “Working with the Sun. What better time than August to explore the power of the sun? We’ll be making solar prints, cooking snacks with heat from the sun, and learning how man and animals can adapt to and work with the heat of the sun. We will also explore the value of shade in our landscapes and hardscapes and explore other ways to cool off.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This event is part of their Second Saturdays series of free family-oriented programs on the 2nd Saturday of the month throughout the year. For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
August 23, 2008, Saturday. Idaho Botanical Garden presents Bug Day. 343-4464, www.idahobotanicalgarden.org.
August 29, 2008. Deadline for entries in Boise’s “2008 Mayor’s Excellent in Design Awards Program.” The program “recognizes good urban design practices, environmental sensitivity and contributions to the city’s well-being. Anyone may nominate a development within Boise built between June 2005 and June 2008 that fits into one of eight categories. Winners are selected by the Boise City Excellence in Design Committee. For more information, contact Andrea Tuning at 384-3830. Download forms at www.cityofboise.org.” [Idaho Statesman, 4/4/08]
August 29, 30 & 31, 2008. City Harvest, Grove Plaza. Friday evening, Saturday all day, Sunday until 4pm. 433-5675.
September 13th. “Woolly Wisdom. Have you ever wondered why sheep suddenly appear in the Boise foothills for a few days in the Spring and Fall? Would you like to know where they are coming from and where they are going? Do you want to find out how dogs help protect sheep and keep them in line? You and your family are invited to learn the answers to these questions and get some ‘woolly wisdom’ about the Western tradition of sheep trailing at this fun family event at the Foothills Learning Center. You will have a chance to see sheep up close and personal, see them get sheared, and touch and see the beautiful handicrafts made from their wool. Kids can try their hands at spinning and dyeing wool and making felt. You will learn about the history of sheep grazing in the Boise foothills, how trailing is managed today, and steps you can take to prevent conflicts with sheep on trails. This is a second annual event sponsored again by the Idaho Rangeland Commission. Join us for a really fun day.” Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road (up 8th Street into foothills, past the end of the pavement), 514-3755. This event is part of their Second Saturdays series of free family-oriented programs on the 2nd Saturday of the month throughout the year. For more about the center, including a street map: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page19817.aspx
September 21, Sunday. Idaho Botanical Garden presents Mad Hatter’s Tea Party & Pic-A-Dilly Market. 343-4464, www.idahobotanicalgarden.org.
September 28, Sunday. Idaho Botanical Garden presents Touch the Earth Concert. 343-4464, www.idahobotanicalgarden.org.
November 12, 2008, 7:30pm. Michael Pollan speaks as part of Readings & Conversations, The Cabin's annual series presenting nationally-acclaimed literary figures. At the historic Egyptian Theatre, 700 West Main Street in downtown Boise. Cabin members receive priority reservations and seating during the early bird reservation period. Same-seat requests are due by May 15. Early bird ends June 15. Single tickets for each guest go on sale at least two weeks prior to the scheduled event. Visit http://www.thecabinidaho.org/whatwedo/readings-and-conversations.htm for the rest of the speakers in the 2008/2009 series.
Michael Pollan writes about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, gardens, agriculture, drugs, and architecture. In 2006, The New York Times selected Mr. Pollan's The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, as one of the five best books of the year. Mr. Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, was released in early 2008 to popular and critical acclaim. His other books are no less groundbreaking: Second Nature and The Botany of Desire. Take note, Idaho: Mr. Pollan once wrote, "Without the potato, the balance of European power might never have tilted north." A former editor of Harper's Magazine and a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, he is a Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
November 13, 2008 Idaho Smart Growth’s fourth annual Grow Smart Awards. www.idahosmartgrowth.org