Idaho Peatlands Seminar Special Issue

Dear Wildland Friends,

If there's one thing about spring weather on the Palouse, it is that you can never predict what the day is going to bring. Well, this whole week it is supposed to be warming up, with temperatures in the low 70's. You can count on me and the dog heading out into some wild country this weekend if this is going to be the case. Make sure you try and do the same too!

The reason I am writing is to notify you of University of Idaho Professor Emeritus Dr. Fred Rabe's seminar at the 1912 Building this Thursday May 13th at 7pm. Dr. Rabe will be talking about the unique properties of peatland ecosystems in the Northern Rockies, including why these special areas offer outstanding educational and resource values. In the 1980's and 1990's Dr. Rabe and colleagues studied over 50 wetland sites on 12 different national forests across western Montana and Idaho. His presentation Thursday night will explore peatland formation, hydrological function, vascular and non-vascular flora, aquatic invertebrate species, and classification of aquatic and semi-aquatic zones in peatland systems. Knowing Dr. Rabe personally, I would bet that the slide show accompanying his lecture will be of outstanding quality as well.

This educational seminar will also serve as an excellent primer for three weekend workshops coming up later this summer in north-central Idaho. Friends of the Clearwater and the White Pine Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society will be sponsoring or co-sponsoring the 49 Meadows Workshop on June 26-27, the Hager Lake Research Natural Area Workshop on July 10-11, and the Bald Mountain Lake Workshop August 14-15. To learn more about these exciting, interactive workshops please visit www.whitepineinps.org or www.friendsoftheclearwater.org. Of course you can also call me in the office at (208) 882-9755.

Hope to see you Thursday night at the 1912 Building.

Stay wild everyone!


Brett