Aspen Working Group to Meet in Pocatello

The Eastern Idaho Aspen Working Group will meet Thursday, November 30, in Pocatello, for a panel discussion on aspen management in eastern Idaho. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the South Eastern Idaho Regional Offices of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at 1345 Barton Road. "This is an important meeting. The primary decision makers of the AWG have been seeking the involvement of Ônon-agency' folks about what can be done to bring back more and healthier stands," said Keene Hueftle, chairman of the Southeast Idaho Environmental Network and member of the working group who has been working on creating awareness about aspen decline for a number of years. In March of 2004, Hueftle produced a symposium on the ecology of quaking aspen in Pocatello, which led eventually to the formation of the Aspen Working Group. On April 28, 2006, officials from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and Idaho departments of Fish and Game, Lands and Agriculture crafted an agreement to work toward recovery and enhancement of quaking aspen communities in Eastern Idaho. The Aspen Working Group launched in May was part of that agreement. Since then the working group has sought additional members, including the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Idaho Conservation League and Western Watersheds Project. Representatives from each of these groups will be on the panel discussion. For questions about the working group or if you require special assistance to attend, contact Wendy Lowe at 208-523-6668, or by email at: wendy@p2-solution.com, or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-3529 (TDD).