Delivering News to Western Ada County

Idaho Fish and Game needs volunteers to plant thousands of sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings during March on the Boise River Wildlife Management Area east of Boise where a human-caused fire last summer burned critical winter range.

The annual volunteer planting project will begin on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Subsequent planting projects will be conducted on March 10, 17, 24 and 31. Transportation and planting tools will be provided.

For more information regarding the planting project or to learn about other volunteer opportunities with Fish and Game, contact volunteer coordinator Michael Young at 327-7095 or michael.young@idfg.idaho.gov. Volunteer information is also available on the agency’s website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/about/volunteer/

Volunteers have planted upwards of a million bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings during the past 22 years to restore native bitterbrush and sagebrush habitats in Southwest Idaho. In addition to saving the agency hundreds of thousands of dollars, volunteers have restored 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 and from predators, while also providing nesting habitat for birds and small mammals.

Even large animals like deer and elk find shelter among mature stands of bitterbrush and sagebrush during winter storms. Shrubs provide protection from wind and snow, allowing the animals 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.

Local schools pull together on a community service campaign for the Eagle and Star Food Banks

Eagle, Idaho – February 1, 2012 – In an effort to address the need for paper products within the food bank system, Seven Oaks Elementary School PTA Families In Service Committee has spearheaded an innovative “Spare A Square” community service campaign.  This program seeks to generate the donation of enough toilet paper and other paper products to fill an ENTIRE SCHOOL BUS. The bus, which has been donated by the Meridian School District will deliver the paper products to the Eagle and Star food banks for distribution to families in need.

Paper products are often lost in the shuffle when people are donating to food drives however they are items that every person requires on a daily basis.  Further, the beginning of the New Year is an especially difficult time for the food bank to keep up with the needs of the community. Several local schools have joined forces seeks to meet this need for local families including Seven Oaks Elementary School, Eagle High School, Eagle Middle School, Galileo Elementary School, Ustick Elementary School, Star Elementary School and Eagle Hills Elementary School.  It is also fun to point out that this program brings together high school students and elementary children which is an unusual, but exciting, blending of talent and energy.

This program is coordinated by Seven Oaks Elementary School parent, Liz Elfering and their fifth grade leadership team.  To encourage donations, students receive pencil rewards and a Huge stacks of paper products fill the hallways of all of the schools involved and are a sign of a collaborative commitment.  Carol Rodriguez, secretary of the Seven Oaks PTA stated, “It is wonderful to see children display empathy and watch them work as a pro-active team caring for other’s needs.  We can all learn from their example.”

We would like to encourage members of the community to get involved with this program and drop off paper products to any of the participating schools through February 10^th.

On February 11 and 12, 2012, in the heart of Idaho, please join us for the 3rd Annual Stanley-Sawtooth Winterfest.

Activities will include Kid’s Fun Area, Curling Competition, Winter Triathlon, Big Air Competition, Snowshoe Drag Race, Street Dance, Awards Ceremony, Pond Hockey, Snowmobile Fun Run, Powder 8s Competition, Avalanche Education, and lots of sledding and snow play. So, bring your winter gear for two days of fun for all ages. Food and drink will be available at restaurants and food vendors throughout town.

Sign-ups begin at 10:00am on Saturday, February 11th at the stage on Ace of Diamonds, Stanley.

For more information go to www.stanley.id.gov or www.stanleycc.org.

Strategy to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships Reduces Dating Abuse

(BOISE, IDAHO) –February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month, and the Center for Healthy Teen Relationships’ and Start Strong Idaho’s, programs of the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence (Idaho Coalition), strategy of promoting healthy teen relationships as a way to reduce teen dating abuse might just be making a difference.

Since 2006, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo has been the sponsor each year of a resolution to recognize the problem of teen dating violence. During that same period, the Idaho Coalition has promoted healthy teen relationships as a way to prevent teen dating abuse through two initiatives—Start Strong Idaho and the Center for Healthy Teen Relationships. Each February, as part of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month, Idaho schools receive posters and other awareness materials on healthy teen relationships. Presentations to youth on what healthy relationships look like, sound like, and feel like are ongoing throughout the school year.

The Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports that the number of Idaho high school students who have experienced physical violence by a dating partner has dropped from 13.6% in 2007 to10.6% in 2009 to 8.7% in 2011 (Idaho Department of Education, YRBS 2011).

While there have been decreases in physical abuse, the same survey found 30% of all Idaho high school students have sent or received a nude or semi-nude image of themselves or someone else via email or text during the previous 12 months and 9% have been forced to have sex when they did not want to at least once during their lifetime.

“Studies show that one in five teens say that their friends are victims of dating violence, and nearly half of teens who are in relationships know friends who are verbally abused,” said U.S. Senator Mike Crapo. “This week, Senate Resolution 362 was passed by unanimous consent, designating February as a month to focus on preventing teen dating violence and educating communities in ways to stop physical and sexual violence before it begins. The awareness efforts from organizations like the Idaho Coalition aid tremendously in making sure victims know where to turn for help, but it is ultimately the responsibility of all of us to speak up when we see violence and stop it.”

“Senator Crapo’s national leadership in recognizing February as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month along with the sobering rates of abusive behaviors in teen dating relationships demonstrate the growing understanding that teen dating and sexual abuse are serious issues,” said Kelly Miller, Executive Director, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence. “Through the Center for Healthy Teen Relationships and Start Strong Idaho we will continue to engage young people and our statewide partners – St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, the Idaho Department of Education, domestic violence programs and others – in promoting healthy teen relationships as a way to reduce dating and sexual abuse.”

During February, Idaho high school students from across the state are encouraged to participate in the annual Love What’s Real Challenge to promote healthy relationships in their schools and communities.

“The Love What’s Real Challenge has encouraged me to bring change into my own school, Capital High, and create awareness about teen dating violence,” said Khadija Khan, Center for Healthy Teen Relationships student activist. “We’ve created the Love What’s Real Club that meets weekly, and we are especially excited to host a dance at our school in February promoting National Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month.”

For more information about National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month or the Love What’s Real Challenge, visit www.lovewhatsreal.com.