Trip Auction: Live the Wild Life

Contact: Gayle Valentine or Marcella Hepworth Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 208-334-2648 If fishing, floating rivers, backpacking and bird watching are on your "to do" list this year, you can bid on a trip online in the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation's 16th Annual Trip Auction. The auction begins Saturday, April 1 at 5 a.m. mountain time and ending Sunday, April 9 at 11:59 p.m. This event, co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is the foundation's largest fundraiser, attracting hunters and anglers as well as hikers and wildlife watchers. The 2006 event goes "high tech" with an all-online auction of 28 trips. Musick & Sons Auctioneers and Appraisers, an Idaho-owned company with an average of 3,500 clients, will manage the online auction. This annual auction has been conducted on the radio in previous years. Full trip descriptions and step-by-step instructions will be available March 24 by visiting www.ifwf.org. Pre-registration before April 1 is recommended. Trips are offered in every corner of Idaho. This year's adventures include: - A backpacking adventure to Snow Peak in northern Idaho. - A Salmon River drift boat and birding package. - Sturgeon fishing and research in Hells Canyon. - A framed 26- by 31-inch original watercolor by Idaho artist Mary Maxam. - An upland game bird hunt in Idaho's Magic Valley. - A fun-filled experience in Idaho's whitewater capital. - A fly-fishing trip in Idaho's Selway Wilderness. - A Harlequin duck survey. In 2005, Boiseans Russ Van Horne and Catherine Butler were the winning bidders on a canoe trip down the North Fork of the Payette River near McCall. Van Horne is an experienced canoeist, but this trip was unlike any other he'd taken. "Canoeing with two biologists is a great experience. They identified all the wildlife we saw including osprey, turkey vultures, and loads of kokanee salmon, a bald eagle, blue heron and several types of ducks." The 2006 auction proceeds will fund Idaho Fish and Game Hunter Education programs and shooting ranges for students in Jerome and Lewiston. Past auctions have benefited Nampa's Wilson Ponds, the Salmon Outdoor Classroom and Sandpoint's Waterlife Discovery Center. "We're looking forward to this new format for our largest annual fund raiser, said Gayle Valentine, Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation executive director. "We hope to keep both our loyal bidders from past years as well as expand our audience through this on-line event. This is definitely a big change for us and we're hoping for a great response." The 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.