Radio Auction Benefits North Idaho Students and Families

A north Idaho outdoor science center is a step closer to completion thanks to a fundraiser by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The fourteenth annual radio auction on April 28, 2004 raised more than $8,000 for the Waterlife Discovery Center in Sandpoint. The center, currently under construction at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Sandpoint Hatchery, will draw students, teachers, families and tourists to learn about Idaho's aquatic wildlife. Proceeds from the radio auction will help pay for a teaching amphitheater and a viewing courtyard. "In a survey over two years ago, north Idaho teachers expressed an overwhelming need for a place similar to Boise's MK Nature Center, where students could study wildlife in a natural setting," Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation Executive Director Gayle Valentine explained. The Waterlife Discovery Center, located on the scenic shores of Lake Pend Oreille, is a joint project of the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation (IFWF) and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It will feature a trout stream, a pond for waterfowl and aquatic mammals, a fish-viewing window and interpretive trails. The center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2004. The annual radio auction, broadcast on the Clear Channel Radio Network (KIDO-AM Boise, KID-AM Idaho Falls, KWIK-AM Pocatello), featured 23 outdoor adventures. Radio listeners phoned in bids to compete for the trips. Items included Idaho river and fishing excursions as well as a variety of wildlife research trips with IDFG biologists. Treasure Valley resident Julie Moldenhauer won a trip to ride with conservation officers on an enforcement patrol up the Salmon River. Officers will check fishing licenses and jet boat registrations as well as monitoring big horn sheep populations. "This trip combined a lot of activities we really wanted--the jet boat ride, the chance to stop at places we've never been, plus, the opportunity to see sheep and do some fishing," Moldenhauer said. "I'm also looking forward to writing out a few tickets for violators." The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1990 to protect and sustain Idaho's fishing, hunting and wildlife heritage. Board members represent each region of the state.