You’re invited to celebration of ‘wonderful’ Pocatello nature area
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POCATELLO – A volunteer organization that advocates for and works to improve a local nature area plans to celebrate it
At 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Indian Hills Elementary School at 666 Cheyenne Avenue, the Friends of the Edson Fichter Nature Area will hold a celebration of the nature reserve on the second anniversary of the group’s formation. The free event will feature a talk from an expert on falconry, cake, prizes for people who join the Friends group and an unveiling of the updated entrance plans for the nature area.
The Edson Fichter Nature Area, which is owned and managed by Idaho Fish and Game, spans over 40 acres of carefully managed land friendly to both wildlife and visitors. It has a river, a fishing pond and multiple trails.
Jennifer Jackson, regional conservation manager, told EastIdahoNews.com that the reserve is a “special” place.
“There truly is something for everybody, and I think what makes this place special is it’s literally in our backyard. … It doesn’t require a lot of effort to gain access to a really special place with lots of nature connections for everyone,” Jackson said.
The Edson Fichter Nature area is next to Indian Hills Elementary School at 5500 Bannock Highway. Because of its location, Jackson said it’s easy to get to, “even if all you have is 10 minutes on your lunch hour, 30 minutes after work, maybe it’s just a quick trip with your kids or the neighbor kids or the grandkids on a Saturday morning.”
When people enter the nature area, they find multiple trails taking them in different directions, some passing the amphitheater, and others passing the Ardith Garden, Monarch Waystation, fishing pond or the sporting dog pond. Jackson credited these features to the work of volunteers, “passionate about connecting the public to that nature area.”
“None of this would be happening if it were not for volunteers … that show up to assist us with everything from maintenance to working in our pollinator gardens,” Jackson said.
Despite having an amphitheater in the nature area, the Friends are holding the celebration at the school because the sun sets sooner, and they don’t want anyone to get lost or hurt once it gets dark.
At the celebration, a guest speaker who is an expert on falconry will address the crowd about the “art of falconry and introduce you to one of his birds,” a Fish and Game news release reads.
And attendees who decide to become Friends members will receive a raffle ticket and have the chance to earn door prizes in a drawing.
And at the celebration, the Friends will reveal its plans for “new signage, (and) a new staging area for the public,” which will be installed at the entrance to the Edson Fichter Nature Area.
Although Idaho Fish and Game provided support on the new entrance project, Jackson described it as “a work of love from the Friends group.”
And Jackson feels that this new entrance will better reflect how special the Edson Fichter Nature area really is.
“Whether you like to wildlife watch, bike, walk (and) take in the scenery, (or) you like to fish, maybe you like to float the Portneuf River, those are activities that are accessible to people through the nature area. … There really is something for everybody there,” Jackson said.