Volunteers Wanted for Osprey Watch Program

By Beth Waterbury, Idaho Fish and Game In another month, adult osprey pairs will return to the Salmon River after a six-month hiatus in southern Mexico and Central America. This year, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game hopes to have a trained team of volunteer scientists at-the-ready to monitor breeding pairs through a new program called OspreyWatch. The program invites interested individuals to observe one or more of the Salmon Region's more than 40 nest sites from late March through mid-August, the osprey's typical breeding season in east-central Idaho. Volunteers will record field notes of osprey behavior and activities, including number of chicks hatched and their progress to fledging. Field data will be compiled in the annual Salmon Region Osprey Nesting Report compiled by Fish and Game's nongame program. Interested volunteers are invited to attend OspreyWatch training sessions scheduled for Salmon and Challis. Training sessions will include a slide show overview of osprey ecology, field monitoring techniques, and assignment of nests to be monitored. The Salmon training will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at Fish and Game's Salmon Region office, 99 Highway 93 North, Salmon. The Challis training will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at Land of the Yankee Fork Interpretive Center, at the junction of US 93 and Highway 75 in Challis. For more information, contact Beth Waterbury at 208-756-2271. Individuals with disabilities may contact the Fish and Game office at the same number or the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-2529 (TDD) to request meeting accommodations. Beth Waterbury is the Salmon Region nongame biologist.