By Mary Lucachick The Barber Dam Hydroelectric Project is the closest hydroelectric power plant to Idaho’s capitol. It’s located about 1/3 mile above Eckert Road east of downtown Boise. Fulcrum, LLC, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America, Inc., and Ada County are co-licensees. The 40-year Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the… Read more »
News
Category: Boise River
A Typical Day—in Rhyme
By Tom McCabe The Screech Owl sings in the middle of the night The Juncos are feeding at first light. Goldfinches come—American and Lesser I grab the binos from the dresser. A Robin whinnies and a House Finch sings Mourning Doves come and flutter their wings. A Nuthatch calls as I head out the door… Read more »
Birders Gather Data for Cottonwood Creek Project
by Heidi Ware Carlisle, BSU Intermountain Bird Observatory The east end of Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise will be transformed over the next year. What’s now a mono-culture of turf with scattered mature trees will make way for a vibrant small creek with aquatic and riparian vegetation taking root. Willows, Wood’s Rose, Golden Currant,… Read more »
Cottonwood Creek: “A Great Source of Trouble and Expense”
A deep freeze had clenched the Boise valley for weeks and snow lay thick on the foothills. In mid-January the temperature shot up to a balmy 50 degrees and rain began to fall. Day after day the rain continued. On January 21, 1866, according to the January 23, 1866 edition of the Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman,… Read more »
Boise River Water Quality Just Got Better
After what seemed like an eternity of disrupted traffic for State St. commuters, the new State St. and Veterans Memorial Parkway intersection is finished. Congratulate yourself if you’ve figured out how to negotiate the turn lanes. From the perspective of the Boise River, the inconvenience was well worth it. Improvements in stormwater management make this… Read more »
Urban Reserve Feels the Love
120 youth and adults took to the hillsides at the City of Boise’s Hyatt Hidden Lake Reserve in October to create healthier habitat for birds and reduce fire risk. Armed with shovels of all sizes, trowels, and even a post hole digger, the determined volunteers dug through the rocky soil to plant nearly 2,000 native… Read more »
Parma Rancher Tackles Water Quality
The Pintail Ranch straddles the Boise River near the Highway 95 bridge by Parma, ID. Doug Bates bought the the beautiful property, in part, to create and improve wildlife habitat on the ranch. Little did he know what was happening on his ranch was harming the fish and wildlife that live in the Boise River…. Read more »
Sediment and Phosphorus Begone
by Hal N. Anderson, Manager, Clean Water Partners LLC. Can bio-engineered sediment basins and constructed wetlands improve water quality in the Boise River by reducing levels of phosphorus and sediment? In 2014, Clean Water Partners, LLC, (CWP), began a demonstration project at the North Alkali Drain in Canyon County to find out. Now, after four… Read more »
Boogie for the Boise River
Love to paddle, run, drink root beer or beer, listen to live music, and support the Boise River all in the same day? Here is your perfect opportunity. BREN will be hosting the 2nd Annual River Boogie Duathlon at Quinn’s Pond and Esther Simplot Park on September 16th, 2018. Register Now! The race starts with a fun… Read more »
Boise River Boating Report
Flows have fluctuated on the lower Boise River this spring, but as the river begins its final downward dance, many people are thinking about getting on the river in their canoes, kayaks and rafts. Rivers are dynamic natural systems that are always changing. The lower Boise River is no exception, and the recent weeks of… Read more »