Habitat-Niche Featured at the Flicks

Habitat Niche: Places to Go, Things to Do, a wildlife film produced by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game with Wide Eye Productions, will be one of the featured films in this week's International Wildlife Film Festival visit to Boise. The film festival comes to town as part of Boise's annual Bald Eagle Days, sponsored by the Idaho Bird Observatory, Idaho Fish and Game, Peregrine Fund, Golden Eagle Audubon, BLM, Idaho Parks and Recreation, Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands, Idaho Environmental Education Association and the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center. Bald Eagle Days kicks off with the International Wildlife Film Festival on Wednesday, January 25, and Thursday, January 26, at The Flicks, 646 Fulton Street, in downtown Boise. The festival includes children's matinees at 4:30 p.m. that showcase films especially geared to children. The festival's main selections will show at 7 p.m. All shows will feature a unique line up of films. Tickets at the door are $8 general and $6 for matinees, children, seniors and students. Proceeds from the film festival support conservation efforts by the Idaho Bird Observatory at the Barber Pool site. Habitat and Niche took first place honors in the children's category competing with programs from BBC and NHK Television Japan among others. Habitat and Niche introduces children to the idea that if animals had business cards, it would make it easier to understand them and their role in nature. "Habitat" is where an animal lives and "niche" is its job there. For example if a bear had a business card, it may read like this: Black Bear, Chief Berry Picker, U.S. National Forest, "Never Gripe When They're Ripe." Habitat and Niche shows at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday. Bald Eagle Days culminates with a free day-long event Saturday, January 28, at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, 5657 Warm Springs Ave., that includes raptor viewing, educational displays and many other activities. For more information on Bald Eagle Days and the International Wildlife Film Festival go to http://news.boisestate.edu.