Wildlife Volunteers Wanted

By Michael Young, Idaho Department of Fish and Game If cabin fever has you itching to get outside, consider helping with a project through Fish and Game's Volunteer Program. A variety of interesting and worthwhile projects are scheduled for the coming weeks, all of them designed to benefit wildlife habitat and the people of southwest Idaho. Here's a sample of upcoming projects. Big Game Winter Range Restoration Thousands of sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings will be planted in the weeks ahead on the Boise River Wildlife Management Area east of Boise. March 7 marked the first day of the annual volunteer native shrub restoration project. Additional planting efforts will be conducted on March 21, 28 and April 4. Transportation and all planting tools will be provided. Volunteers have planted hundreds of thousands of bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings during the past 20 years to restore native bitterbrush and sagebrush habitats in southwest Idaho. In the process, they've saved the agency hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, volunteers have improved hundreds of acres of winter range. Bitterbrush and sagebrush - both native shrubs - comprise an important component of big game winter ranges in Idaho and throughout the west. Besides providing essential food sources for deer, elk and other wildlife, bitterbrush and sagebrush provide cover from the elements, protection from predators and nesting habitat. Even large animals, such as deer and elk, find shelter among mature stands of bitterbrush and sagebrush during winter storms. The animals hunker down under the shrubs, out of the wind and snow, to conserve precious body fat, which they need to survive the lean winter months. Because of their deep-rooted structure, native shrubs provide for soil stabilization, reducing erosion. Snake River Cleanup Fish and Game works hard to help keep Idaho's recreation areas clean, but we can always use a helping hand. Every year, dozens of volunteers venture out to help clean up Map Rock and adjacent recreation sites, including the stretch of river below Swan Falls Dam. This year, the cleanup is scheduled for April 11. Unfortunately, there is never a shortage of trash along the riverbanks. Whole pickup loads of trash are dumped along the river. An increased public awareness of the problem may lead to fewer incidents of this kind. Andrus Wildlife Management Area Annual Fence Maintenance Fish and Game manages a large swath of land northwest of Cambridge. Andrus Wildlife Management Area encompasses about 24,000 acres of prime mule deer and elk winter range and provides habitat for a number of upland birds and other game species. Domestic livestock grazing occurs in the management area, and the annual volunteer project is necessary to maintain the many miles of fences. The project is scheduled for April 25, and volunteers are welcome to spend the night in the management area bunkhouse. The work is hard and the terrain steep, but dinner will be served after the full day of work. Transportation can be arranged from Boise. Little Salmon River Riparian Restoration The Southwest Region Volunteer Program has spent many years working in Meadows Valley restoring riparian habitat. Project goals include improving water quality and fish habitat as the river flows down the canyon into prime salmon and steelhead habitat. A secondary goal involves educating Idaho residents about the value of a functioning riparian system and encouraging landowners to practice good land stewardship. A healthy riparian ecosystem improves water quality by cooling the water and stopping erosion. This promotes fish and wildlife habitat and keeps a higher volume of water flowing into the summer. Project volunteers will be involved building fence, planting native shrubs and building willow weavings, a process to stabilize eroding cut banks. This project begins April 18 and will continue each Saturday into mid-June with the exception of Memorial Day weekend. Expect extra long days because of travel time to project work sites. Free Fishing Day Each year, Idaho Fish and Game offers free fishing to all anglers--whether they are residents or not. Free Fishing Day this year will be June 13. Anyone interested in fishing is encouraged to get involved. Fish and Game offers fishing clinics throughout the state at local ponds and often provides fishing poles, bait, and food for children, families and individuals of all ages. Parents are encouraged to get their children outside and fish. How to Get Involved Call the Southwest Region volunteer office at 208-327-7095 or e-mail volunteer coordinator Michael Young at: myoung@idfg.idaho.gov. For statewide volunteer opportunities, a schedule with upcoming projects is on the Fish and Game website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/about/volunteer. Michael Young is assistant volunteer coordinator for the Southwest Region.