ShaSha Kingston
Vice President, BREN Board of Directors

In December, the Board elected ShaSha Kingston to Vice President.  She’ll take over for long-time VP Darryl Kuhrt, who will remain on the Board.
ShaSha grew up in Boise and attended Boise High School before moving to the Boston area for college. In 2024, she graduated from Tufts University with a bachelors of science in biology, psychology, and environmental studies. She currently works for the Mystic River Watershed Association — a local environmental organization in the Boston area. She also conducts research with the Tufts Racial Equity and Diversity Lab, is a Board Member of Our Climate Common, and is excited to be the Vice President BREN’s Board of Directors. In her free time, ShaSha loves crafting, reading, biking, and without a doubt will always stop to pet a cute cat.

Getting to Know ShaSha:
First memory of the Boise River? My first memory of the Boise River is catching crawdads with my childhood babysitter. We’d walk from her house to a calm part of the river, with buckets and nets in tow, and I would spot them and she would scoop them up! We’d then bring a couple back for her dad to cook for dinner.

Favorite reach or spot? Friendship bridge— a great place to watch people float the river or hammock in the adjacent park.

Favorite activity on or near the river? I love biking next to the river along the Boise Greenbelt. That’s how I would get to and from summer camps and most of my activities growing up!

Biggest future concern? Habitat degradation— from overuse, development, and invasive plants. The Boise River is a gem, as it’s unique to have a clean river running right through a city for wildlife to flourish and humans to recreate. Protecting what we love is vital, and together we can make sure that the Boise River and Black Cottonwood forest are healthy and resilient for generations to come.

City of Boise Lower Boise River StoryMap

BREN contributed to the City of Boise’s new Lower Boise River StoryMap.  The StoryMap is a comprehensive information hub for the history of the river; impacts of settlement and population growth;  current health of the river ecosystem; and ongoing efforts to protect, restore, and enhance the river.

The StoryMap can be viewed on the City of Boise website.

2026 River Clean Ups Now Being Scheduled

Is your group ready to make a difference for the Boise River?  BREN is now scheduling river clean ups for the spring and summer of 2026.   We provide all the supplies and haul the trash away; you provide the people power!

Help us beat our 2025 record of 1,586.97 lbs. of trash removed from the Boise River.

Find more information on our website.

Watch BREN volunteers in action as they clean up an abandoned camp near Expo Idaho

This time-lapse video shows BREN volunteers cleaning up an abandoned camp site on the south side of the river near the Glenwood Bridge during the 2025  ‘Your Mother Doesn’t Work Here’ Annual Boise River Cleanup.’

BREN developed The Boise River Enhancement Plan through an extensive literature review.  BREN uses the plan to prioritize our projects.   It is a community-generated, informative, forward-looking plan to improve water quality, aquatic and riparian habitat, and stream channel function from Lucky Peak Dam to the Snake River. The plan takes a bird’s eye view of the current health of the river and proposes to work cooperatively to enhance the ecosystem.  You can read the plan on our website.

BREN’s Annual Report can also be found on our website.  Read about some of the projects that BREN worked on in past years and see how we are using your donation dollars to support a happy, healthy Boise River.  Thank you to all of our sponsors for your support!

Current info on Boise River CFS Flows can be found here

Upcoming Events

Visit our Events page on our website for more details.

February 13, 5:30 – 9:00:  Love at First Flush – A Valentine’s Tour of your Water Renewal Facility.  Join the WaterShed for a sunset tour of the facility, followed by a plated dinner, chocolate fondue, and card making.  RSVP and find more information on the WaterShed’s website.

Support BREN by making a donation.

We are gearing up for 2026: Cottonwood Gather and Grow Project, bank restoration near Kristin Armstrong Park, the Notch, and, of course, Boise River Cleanups.  We can’t do it without you!

Your donations enables BREN to keep working on behalf of the Boise River.  We greatly appreciate all of our donors.  Please reach out to us anytime for questions, updates, or just to chat.

To support BREN projects send a check to PO Box 9402, Boise ID 83707 or  Donate Now.

Follow us on our social media pages for the latest news.

BREN is on BlueSky at boiseriver-bren.bsky.social

Thank you to our Supporters!

We appreciate everyone who gives time, expertise, or monetary donations.  Without a strong support network, BREN could not do what it does to protect the Boise River.

Founding Friends of BREN

Founding Friends of the Boise River Enhancement Network has been our way to recognize people who provided invaluable early support to BREN.  A list of our Founding Friends can be found on our website.

BREN Corporate Sponsors

Boise Valley Fly Fishers
Idaho Power Foundation
Idaho Conservation League
RivHab

Superior Gutter and Roofing

Become a business sponsor today!

Thank you to the Bates Family Foundation

Thanks for caring for the Boise River.

Boise River Enhancement Network Inc
Board of Directors:
President, Rob Tiedemann
Vice-President, ShaSha Kingston
Secretary, Vicky Osborn
Treasurer, Tamsen Binggeli
Darryl Kuhrt
Jonathan Lucas
Will Tiedemann
Madeline Wyatt
Sheila Miller
Christine Panagos
Phillip Gordon
Arabelle Britton
Luke Schaefer
Nick Schofield

BREN Coordinator
Marisa Keith

BREN Committee Members:
Louisa Evers
Ben Everson