By Lauren Perreault, USGS For decades, the lower Boise River downstream of Lucky Peak Reservoir has been highly enriched with phosphorus. Too much of a good thing, the high concentrations of phosphorus create a cycle of excessive plant growth, decreased oxygen for fish, and even algal blooms. But things may be turning around. Water-quality monitoring […]
by Kati Carberry, BREN Coordinating Team Chair Hi Fellow Boise River Enthusiasts, The Boise River Watershed Watch Day is coming up on Saturday September 30th from 10:00-12:00. Watershed Watch is a great program led by the Boise Watershed where a Team Leader and a group of citizen scientists monitor an assigned surface water site along […]
By Graham Freeman, Idaho DEQ Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) seem to be making all of the news these days, from newspapers to national television, from Florida to Washington and most places in between. So what exactly are Harmful Algal Blooms and why are they such a hot subject right now? Let’s dive in, or maybe […]
By Kate Harris, City of Boise You may have seen the “Pond Closed” signs at City of Boise ponds this year or heard about the City’s decision to close Esther Simplot Park to dogs. The City closed both Quinn’s Pond and Esther Simplot Park ponds on June 21 due to E. coli concerns. Quinn’s Pond […]
By Roger Rosentreter PhD, plant ecologist and river lover: High water! Means you have an opportunity to improve your little bit of the Boise River. Control of invasive species to improve the function and value of critical riparian habitat is a top recommendation of the Boise River Enhancement Plan, and now’s the time everyone can […]
By Charlie Woodruff, Building A Greener Idaho Our theme of From Snow to Flow continues this week with a conversation about the Boise River with Idaho Fish and Game Regional Fisheries Manager Joe Kozfkay and Freshwater Trust Idaho Program Manager Christy Meyer. Our beloved Boise River brings life to the high desert and flows through […]
The Boise River will have better habitat for fish and wildlife and cleaner water and more community members, including refugees, will participate in stewardship activities if funding is awarded to two BREN-facilitated collaborative enhancement projects. Cottonwood Creek Daylighting Project BREN partnered with the Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited, City of Boise, Idaho Department of Fish […]
If you travel on State Street or Capitol Blvd. or frequent Traders Joes, Boise Brewery or other businesses on Broad Street, it’s been a season of lane closures, traffic delays and annoying inconvenience. You can take heart in your suffering – the Boise River will benefit from new stormwater management practices installed as part of […]
Thanks to the Canyon and Owyhee Conservation Districts for hosting a fun and informative tour on Sept. 22, 2016. Meeting land owners who are implementing soil health and water quality BMPs, seeing what they doing and engaging in discussion is a fabulous way to learn. Kudos to the staff of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, […]
Dear Mr. President and Parks and Recreation Commissioners, I am writing on behalf of the Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN.) BREN is a local network of over 200 members whose primary goal is connecting people and projects in support of ecological enhancement of the Boise River. Our members represent diverse interests, including agriculture, economic development, […]