IdaHome--January 2020

Community + Culture + Recreation +

Real Estate

Winter Warmth at

The Springs Growing With

Garden City Idaho Wolves Where are they now?

BOISE, EAGLE, MERIDIAN, NAMPA, CALDWELL & BEYOND

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Winter is coming...

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TA B L E of

CONTENTS

Photo by John Webster.

COMMUNITY

26

39

Chow Down: Cooking Class

Mozambique's First Female Safari Guide

30 25

17

Explore Idaho

Nonprofit Spotlight: Bustin' Out of Boise

28

Makers: Stanley's Wood-Carved Bar

14

Photography with Heart: Chad Estes

34

Where are Idaho's Wolves?

Tables: Petite 4 REAL ESTATE NEWS

8

21 37

Growth in Garden City Less is More: Minimalism ARTS & CULTURE

What's Happening at Boise Contemporary Theater

40

MONTHLY EXTRAS

Contributors

5,000 years of civilization reborn

A 20-country tour, standing ovations at the world’s top theaters— yet it cannot be seen in China today.

All-new progrAm with live orchestrA

January 28–29 Morrison Center

888.633.6999 ShenYun.com/Boise

Arts is a nonprofit organization based in New York. Its mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

4 Shen Yun Performing www.idahomemagazine.com

Happy New Year from IdaHome!

By the time you’ve picked up this magazine, it will be 2020, or nearly so. Welcome to the new year, whatever that means for you. I think we have a complicated relationship with moments like these, because they happen inauthentically--the idea that falling asleep in one year and waking in another should somehow force us into being different kinds of people. The kind who manage our money better or exercise more or start living life to the fullest. The kinds of things we might like to do all the time.

In this issue, which I’ve been calling the anti-resolution issue, we seek to oppose the idea that change must happen in an ordinary instant, though sometimes it does. We’re tackling the New Year’s Resolution in obvious and subversive ways, highlighting people like Chad Estes, a photographer whose work celebrates a variety of bodies and Brooke Richards, who is bucking the notion that we have to own more to live better. Read about how Garden City is growing and what it means for the people who live there, and learn what exactly is happening with Idaho’s wolves.

And, if you’re wondering, our issue isn’t entirely antiresolution--I’m excited when people aspire to do things that really and truly make them happy, though I think you can do that all year long. We’ve got a lot of stories about the slow and steady work of institutional change. We’re talking to and about Mozambique’s first female park guide, a nontraditional yoga class, and a body image workshop for preteen girls.

In many interviews this month, people told me about taking that very first step. Talking to a pair of women who began a nonprofit that fills the gap for women undergoing cancer treatment, one told me that she knew she could walk, and so she started there, which floored me. I cried listening to the audio of more than one story for this issue, which isn’t necessarily unusual.

It was striking though, how many people reflected this sentiment-the idea of knowing they could do that one simple thing, and using it as a springboard for big, big things.

So, happy new year, dear readers. Be kind to yourselves as you ready your minds and bodies for the year to come. Start the work now if that’s what’s in your heart, or continue it, or begin in a few weeks, when things have settled down. Do what feels good H E AT H E R H A M I LT O N - P O S T and right, and do it for yourself and the love of the work.

Editor in Chief

Happy Holidays!

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JANUARY 2020 publisher K A R E N DAY karen@idahorem.com managing editor H E AT H E R H A M I LT ONPOST heather@idahorem.com copy editor Z ACK CR E NSH AW art and design K AR EN K EY art@idahorem.com K A L E Y BE LVA L design@idahorem.com designers and illustrators JOH N AT H A N S TOK E S social media manager K E L L I E M A L ON E director of operations and sales manager M AR IELLE W ESTPH A L admin@idahorem.com contributing photographers K A R E N DAY J OH N W E B S T E R

Jump into 2020!

Embrace winter with a relaxing

trip to The Springs in Idaho City.

© 2019 IdaHome Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors to IdaHome Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor and publisher.

Cover photo by John Webster.

Just 45 minutes from Idaho’s

capital city, this mountain retreat offers mineral-rich waters in

varying temperatures, private

pools, and a luxurious selection

of spa products in the locker room and for purchase in the lobby.

Enjoy the scenic mountain views,

local wildlife, or delicious selection

of menu and snack items while you

soak in the natural waters that flow to The Springs. Stay for a drink, a

massage, or even a night at Inn the

Pines. Easy to get to, hard to leave.

I N OUR NE X T I SSUE: T h e St a r s A r e A l i g n i n g

B o i se's New M ayo r

Su n Va l l ey Fi l m Fe s t i va l

E s m é Pa t t e r s o n a t Tre e f o r t 2 02 0

Marketing, Sales and Distribution sales@idahorem.com IdaHome Magazine is publishing by Idaho Real Estate Marketplace P.O. Box 116 Boise, Idaho 83701 208-481-0693

ON THE COVER

Photo by Connie Scheer.

Photo by Elise Malterre.

Nestled By The River: Growing With

by Leah Hess Victorino Below a bluff of the Boise Bench and along the Boise River lies the little municipality of Garden City. This small stretch of land was defined originally by the gardens of Chinese immigrants (hence the name Chinden Boulevard) and it later became a gambling haven--entertainment that was legal in Garden City but not in nearby Boise. By the time Idaho outlawed gambling statewide, the town had bars, clubs, and worker housing centered around the gambling industry. Today, Garden City, once referred to by some as “Garbage City” or “Garden Sleazy”, has entered a season of change with the opportunity to cultivate a unique kind of community.

As of late, this place “nestled by the river,” as its motto reads, 8

has been viewed as a diamond in the rough with new businesses and housing developments of various price points cropping up.

This inf lux of high-end homes and establishments has made for an interesting blend of people and places within its four-square miles.

Much of Garden City’s identity was rooted in its concentration of affordable housing, but that is rapidly changing throughout the Treasure Valley. The appeal for people relocating to Garden City in recent years is greenbelt access, a picturesque river, and proximity to downtown, all at a lower cost than in Boise proper. Of course, this alters the housing scene for lifelong Garden City residents like Diann Ferbrache.

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Ferbrache has no plans to leave her community with family, friends, and job close by, but she has many examples of friends who have moved to cheaper areas of the valley-Emmett, Parma, Payette, and Caldwell. “[Growth] is bringing in new amenities, parks, and things to do…but it’s constantly a reason to raise our rent,” she says. Her mother has owned the trailer in which they live for 10 years, but they do not own the land and are subject to increases by the property manager.

Ali Rabe, executive director at Jesse Tree, which focuses on homelessness prevention, says that they’re seeing “transfers of property ownership that lead to mass evictions, and when the property is rehabilitated, they can charge more because people

are willing to pay more now.”

Rabe explains that the goal is to keep people in their homes, but, in these larger cases, that isn’t always possible.

The sudden draw to Garden City has shifted housing prices at all income levels. Safiyyah Markle, who lives in The Waterfront District where 36th street meets the river, is astounded by rise in her home’s value. The assessed value has risen 37% since she purchased it in 2015. She has considered moving and hopes to stay near the neighborhood that she has grown to love but has come up short in her search for a nice place for her young family in her price range.

Garden City’s Comprehensive Plan, amended in 2019, states an objective to “continue to

be a leader and set an example for the region in creating a diversity of housing.” There is both great responsibility and opportunity to standout as model for integration and embrace its eclectic personality. Studies show that well-designed mixedincome housing can benefit all residents and increase community engagement, and from discussions with Garden City residents from all walks of life, there is potential for building common ground.

From riverfront condos to trailers to mixed housing of subsidized and market value units, one sentiment is clear: Garden City residents care. Both Markle and Ferbrache know their neighbors well and value their close community. Ferbrache notes how central mailboxes at

the trailer park lead people to come outside to meet and she shares how mobile home owners there have taken collective action against one resident who has failed to comply with regulations since moving in. Story after story can be heard of neighbors showing up for each other.

The city’s Comprehensive Plan also aims to “create a heart for city” with places to gather, a wise design goal that fosters community involvement.

Figuratively speaking, however, the heart of Garden City already exists; it is the people, some who have been coming together regardless of background for generations. The present challenge is to care for all members of the community as new blood continues to f low into this little city by the river.

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9

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After spending a day relaxing at a hot spring, in the crowded changing room, I waited for my daughter to finish dressing. I was surrounded by women of various shapes, sizes, and ages. Each was beautiful. I guessed, based on their behavior, that some of them thought differently about themselves. Downcast gazes, folded arms, covering up with towels, all these behaviors I observed and wondered why we, myself included, are so quick to judge ourselves unlovely. I saw none I would count as ugly. I saw sisters.

Photographs by Chad Estes.

Listening As A Life-Changing Act How A Boise Photographer is Redefining Beauty

W

hen Stephanie Lasater met Chad Estes, she had three children under the age of six and had just completed treatment for stage 3 breast cancer. She had undergone a full mastectomy and was pronounced “cancer-free.” This was good news--news that so many who receive a cancer diagnosis never hear. But for Lasater, there was still so much to process.

Around this same time, Chad Estes, a local ordained minister, hospice chaplain and photographer ran across a professional portrait of a woman’s torso—a single breast mastectomy patient. Estes says this portrait “began a conversation between my wife and me that became the beginning of a journey of interviewing people about their scar stories.”

Mutual friends introduced Lasater and Estes to each other and when he visited her house for the first time, he simply listened to her talk about her journey. He wasn’t afraid to hear about the emotional or angry aspects of what she shared.

She says, “Even when you are surrounded by people, battling cancer can be very lonely. It's healing when someone stops and really listens...Chad steps into the pain, takes your hand and walks through it with you.”

by Stephanie Nelson Estes began a project called Reveal Mission, which incorporated these early conversations and thinking about cancer, scars, and bodies. “The Reveal Mission uses art therapies, mostly photography and writing, to help people be real about their experience, express themselves without fear of judgment, and provides opportunities and platforms to share their stories if they determine it would be freeing and empowering to do so,” explains Estes. Some women want to talk about their cancer journey, some want portraits to have for themselves and some want to share their portraits and stories with others while some want to participate in all aspects.

In October of 2012, Estes collaborated for the first time with eight local women who fought breast cancer to create an art project sharing their portraits and stories in downtown Boise. Since then, Reveal Mission projects have been featured at Lewis and Clark State College and at Boise State University—where Stephanie Lasater participated.

Currently, Estes is working on a body positivity project called “Vitruvian Women,” aptly named after DaVinci’s “Vitruvian Man” drawing which represents the beauty of the ideal male form. The project

Photographer Chad Estes. turns this concept on its head and shows that there is no ideal body form for women; indeed, all bodies are beautiful. Vitruvian Women celebrates the fact that our bodies carry scars and marks that are part of our stories, and participants choose whether or not to showcase these. The project also creates space for a woman to share parts of her body that she feels have a story, even if there is no visible scar or mark.

Estes is particular about keeping participants closely involved in the process, establishing privacy protocols (like asking participants to sign off at every step) in order to obtain permissions all the way down to the finished story.

Vitruvian Women consists of 36 portraits celebrating body positivity and body liberation through women’s stories. Recently, the exhibit ran from June through

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15

All of us can be self deprecating and too conscious of what we might consider flaws, but projects like this help me focus on the positive aspects of my body.

November, with new installments appearing every month. The series will pick up again in January and run through the spring. The Reveal Mission studio, located inside the Gem Center for the Arts building, is hosting the exhibit.

Estes believes that when we listen to body image stories, it can help us to be more open to taking responsibility for the negative cultural realities around us and address any toxic viewpoints we 16

grew up with and adopted. Estes hopes to do more projects in the future, including a body image project for men, a body image project on mental health and possibly one on aging bodies.

After being a part of Vitruvian Women, one woman told Estes, "One of the things this project has done for me is to help me accept myself as I am. I had been consciously trying to hide every flaw I have—all day, every day. After

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sharing my story with you I can no longer hide because my secrets are out. I'm not perfect, and that's okay!"--an idea Estes hopes to perpetuate through his work.

The Reveal Mission and Vitruvian Women are promoted largely through word of mouth, so if you or someone you know is interested in participating in any way, please contact Chad Estes at TheRevealMission@gmail.com.

One Step At A Time Bustin’ Out Of Boise Helps Fill the Gap

by Heather Hamilton-Post Seldom are there stories more compelling than those born of sadness--catastrophe making way for triumph, despite the odds. For Bustin’ Out Of Boise founders Karen Thompson and Tami Malone, this is true, both in their own metamorphosis and in the work their organization is doing for women going through cancer treatments.

Malone began the process without exactly meaning to. “It was 2007, and I was going through some big life changes--the death of my father, a divorce--and a friend asked me to do the 60 mile, 3 day Susan G. Komen walk,” she explains, adding that the training was brutal.

When she transferred to Boise in her position with Alaska Airlines, she decided to do it again, this time asking her coworkers to join. Thompson, who is now the organization’s president, agreed.

“I’d actually had a stroke, and I was really afraid to do anything for a long time after that. Three years after it happened, I knew I had to do something, and Tami was talking about this walk and I thought ‘I can walk’. It was the right timing,” she says. Soon after, others joined in and Alaska Airlines helped sponsor a BBQ , now in its tenth year.

Inspired by the sense of community they saw, Malone and Thompson began thinking about how they could support cancer patients and their families, while keeping dollars in their own community. So, on a shorter walk for awareness, they asked cancer survivors what they’d needed help with as they navigated treatment. The answers were almost universal--food, transportation, childcare, and basic household chores.

“And that’s where we come in,” Thompson says. “Where family, medical, everything steps away, we fill the gap.”

Bustin’ Out Of Boise’s annual BBQ brings volunteers and friends together for good. Photo by Natalie Koziuk Photography.

The group helps facilitate and fund things like transportation, grocery shopping, and house cleaning for cancer patients who may otherwise struggle to make mortgage payments or meet their child’s bus after school. Bustin’ Out Of Boise offers exactly what patients via an ala carte menu of services that allows patients to choose what they want within their allocation of money for up to six months.

Since the shift from walking for research to serving the community, Bustin’ Out Of Boise has helped 24 women, due largely to the support they receive from the community.

“We have a sisterhood of volunteers. That's just been amazing,” Malone says. But, she adds, they’re always looking for more, especially as the organization grows. Volunteers can do a variety of things, including everything from serving food at events to marketing and public relations work. This year, they hope to host their own walk, which will require extra help.

Need extra convincing? “One of last year’s recipients fought a courageous but short battle with cancer, and now her daughter is a volunteer with us.

They told us that we were the difference between having groceries and not during those six months. It took everything they had. It’s a tough battle,” Thompson says. A battle made easier by Bustin’ Out Of Boise, who hasn’t yet turned anyone away.

And they’d like to keep it that way. Want to help?

Set up a monthly donation--just $10 a month from 500 people adds up quickly, increasing the number of local women Bustin’ Out Of Boise can serve. www.idahomemagazine.com

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Avimor, Chapter 1

In Avimor, there are homes suited for every stage of your life, and, as your life changes, there will always be the perfect size home in Avimor for you. You’ll never even change your zip code, which is fortunate since you’ll never want to leave. With houses beginning in the mid $200,000s and ranging as far as your imagination will allow, this premier lifestyle community offers everything you like about city life, while maintaining that small town feel. Nestled in the Boise Foothills and just eight minutes from downtown Eagle, Avimor is more hamlets and villages connected by trails than it is traditional housing development.

Here, we’ll give you a reason to go out your front door. From the heated indoor and outdoor pools to the clubs, classes, and sports fields to over 100 miles of trails, you’ll enjoy the community atmosphere created when people love where they live. No matter your passion, you’ll find an outlet for it here among the intergenerational families that call this place home. Stop by the locally owned convenience store or try our new brewery run by Avimor’s very first resident-living here is a family affair.

Plus, we’re committed to smart, sustainable growth--like the McLeods have who have owned and managed the land for over 100 years, we care about the wide open spaces that make Idaho unique, and, even at completion, will have 70% open space for Idahoans to enjoy. While you’re watching elk graze or any one of the 160 species of birds that live here too dart across the wide open sky, know that we’re actively conserving land, energy, and water to create a community that withstands the test of time.

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Living With Less: A Guide to Everyday Minimalism

by Heather Hamilton-Post “It’s a rabbit hole. You never expect to go where it leads you. I was an executive leader for Nordstrom--and now I’m a minimalist coach. Life is weird,” says Brooke Richards, pausing for a bite of avocado toast. She’s dressed in leggings, a belted shawl, tall boots--an outfit she says she’s never even worn before. “That’s what minimalism can do for you,” she says. “It opens up possibilities.”

Richards, who founded a minimalist coaching company called Intent, revels in the sort of lessons the minimalist movement stands to teach us. She recalls a trip to a big Portland bookstore in which a small boy carried bags of books in reusable bags up to the front counter. “He’s just waiting at the front counter so they can scan the books, and they offer him cash or a consignment card. He chooses the card, and runs over to his mother, who asked him what books he would like now,” she recalls. “It was the most brilliant thing. Before new stuff came in, stuff had to come out. He knew that. He knew how to stand in line, he knew that someone else could get joy out of these books that he was done with.”

For that family, minimalism (or whatever they may have called it) didn’t mean getting rid of everything, but being more intentional about the things they owned. Richards says that minimalism doesn’t have to have hard rules--if you want something, you’re allowed to own it. “It’s trendy to put the word ‘minimalism’ in things to define a style, like cozy minimalism, but it isn’t necessary,” she says. “There’s a billion dollar industry designed to get you to buy more stuff, so I www.idahomemagazine.com

21

never judge how people approach it.”

For Richards, minimalism happens in three stages. First, she says, you simplify, which is really just paring things down. Next, you style your space-things like making your closet look more like a retail space or designing the mason jar kitchen storage that you always wanted. “It’s bringing functional joy,” she says. Finally, you stage the area, which Richards describes as giving it that personal boutique look, “so that when a woman goes into her closet, she feels like she’s shopping every morning--maximizing her wardrobe to minimize her costs.”

As a former personal stylist and retail buyer, Richards knows clothes, and typically starts people on their minimalist journey by tackling the closet first. She advocates for clothing capsules that rotate Brooke Richards works as a minimalist coach, helping with the seasons, explaining that, if you see the same clients make more with less. clothes month after month, they lose their luster.

Her own closet is broken into two capsules separated there’s a physiological shift when you start to realize by colorway each season. She doesn’t believe in a you were wasting a lot of money on some crazy separation of casual and career clothing, advocates thing,” she says. for line drying everything except for sheets, towels, And, while people don’t come to her with the and denim, and says that every piece of clothing express goal of living more sustainable lives, a low should be able to be worn with at least four other waste approach to living often goes hand in hand things. And, while your wardrobe should consist of with minimalism. Richards now maintains a zero basic pieces that can be dressed up or down, you can waste kitchen by shopping in bulk at places like still have some fun. “It’s okay to Roots Zero Waste Market, and, hang onto that sequin blazer or though she buys locally sourced crazy earrings just because you and organic when available, love them,” she says. she’s saving money because she "That's what Ultimately, minimalism doesn’t throw food away. minimalism should be about loving all of Now, Richards is can do the things you own, but that introducing a tiered subscription for you. can be hard to seperate in a service that will allow would-be It opens up world that encourages rampant minimalists to receive exactly consumerism. For many, the how much help they need, possibilities." minimalist movement is a by way of information, social rebuking of the push to live media groups, and coaching larger and own more, focusing sessions. The subscription will instead on quality and opportunity. People come to also include product recommendations, tips and Richards because they want to get out of debt or be tricks, and webinars. “The concept is free--we want able to breathe in their home after years of purchases everyone to be able to utilize the idea. Everyone has they thought would make them happy. “Eventually, to start somewhere,” she says.

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McCall Winter Festival This year marks the 55th annual carnival, held January 24, 2020 to February 2, 2020 in McCall, Idaho. Themed "It's A Kids World," celebrating this magical winter event through the eyes of a child. See ice sculptures, parades, hockey, snow bike races, snowshoe golf, winemaker dinners, live music, vendors, craft fairs and more.

To learn more, visit visitmccall.org.

Photos courtesy of Visit McCall.

BY

T I M

AT W EL L

TA B L E S

Petite 4 is a small restaurant, at least in the physical sense--it is called Petite 4, afterall. The little space is filled with an array of tables, French-bistro inspired decor, and a long bar where patrons can see food being prepared. It’s the sort of space where rubbing elbows with your neighbors is a real possibility, not just an idiom. It’s the sort of space where all five senses are stimulated simultaneously while still allowing room for connection and exploration.

“A really intimate environment, like eating dinner in someone’s house,” said Sarah Kelly, who describes herself as operator of all things culinary at Petite 4. She owns the restaurant with her husband, David.

“We’re creating details super unique to our space,” said Kelly. “It’s not going to look like any other place in town.

The number 4 in the name comes from the address--they’re located at number 4 Latah Street, adjacent to Chalice Tattoo Studio on a quiet area of the bench.

In a rare triple-entendre, the name Petite 4 is a play on the French term “petit four,” which refers to a small oven. This is a quiet celebration of the upgrade from Bluebird, Kelly’s first restaurant, which was a popular local sandwich shop.

“I wasn’t going to be making sandwiches when I was 80,” said Kelly, referring to the much-loved Bluebird as a “stepping stone.”

The level of thought that went into naming the restaurant has seeped into every other aspect of Petite 4. Kelly’s attention to detail is apparent in the minutiae of the carefully curated French-bistro inspired decor, the unique location, and the menu. From tender shellfish to creamy sauces and a lineup of indulgent desserts, each dish is simultaneously delicious and Instagram-able.

For Kelly, the menu and the decorations are a medium through which she can build a community.

“I just love the opportunity to be creative for those people who support us,” said Kelly.

Community events include catering, an outdoor oyster cart in the summer, and donuts to order on Saturday mornings.

Petite 4 owner Sarah Kelly.

PE TITE

4

C H O W DOWN

BY T I M AT W EL L Photographs by Whitney Bilbao.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY MAKE PAELLA AT BOISE'S BASQUE MARKET In Basque tradition, there are three rules to making paella. Tara Eiguren, co-owner of the Basque Market in downtown Boise, is quick to point out that these rules are malleable.

“Whatever your grandmother said is correct, is what you do,” says Tara.

Rule number one: you must use a proper pan. At the Basque Market that Tara owns with her husband Tony, there are paella pans ranging from stovetop size all the way to pans that are five feet in diameter and weigh 85 pounds empty. At the paella cooking classes that Tara and Tony host regularly at the market, paella is made on a medium sized pan, large enough to feed about two dozen hungry students.

Rule number two for traditional paella: it must be cooked over an open fire. Inside the Basque Market, it is unfeasible to have an open fire due to the small, confined area. Tara and Tony compromise by using a special gas grill that evenly distributes flames and heat throughout the paella pan. This is the same method the Eigurens employ when serving paella to the public at noon on Wednesdays and Fridays. While the gas grill isn’t exactly the same as an open fire, there is still the feeling of warmth and togetherness that one might find when sitting around a campfire.

Rule number three when making paella: it is traditionally made by a man. And while Tony

of the process. She takes the lead

is the one who adds ingredients

explaining each step of the recipe,

to the pan during the cooking

telling stories and interacting with

classes, Tara is just as much a part

guests.

“You grow up with it,” Tony says, describing his introduction to Basque cuisine. “It was more my grandfather and my mom.”

When you take a cooking class at the Basque Market, you quickly discover tradition is something to celebrate, albeit in a relaxed manner. Tara and Tony go out of their way to help guests feel comfortable, even if they aren’t familiar with Basque culture.

As Tara puts it, “We’re friends and family here. We’re making paella.”

IDAHO MAKERS BURNING TO TELL A STORY SEAN ALLEN: Pyrographic artist

by Karen Day On any day, the mountain town of Stanley, Idaho, is most often the coldest place in the lower 48. Nestled in the Sawtooth Mountains at 6,260 feet elevation, summers are breathtakingly beautiful, albeit with numerous freezing nights and winters that endure early darkness and repetitious below zero temperatures. The town brags 72 hardy residents and Sean Allen has been one of the most enduring locals, on and off, since his parents first brought him to town in 1960.

Like every mountain-wise man, Sean has mastered multiple talents that require endless practice during long winter nights. For many years, playing bass guitar for Casanova Jack was his profession until arthritis ended his touring career.

Now, pyrography, the lost art of woodburning, is Allen’s passion.

But this is woodburning like you’ve never seen.

History reveals applying heat to wood as art was practiced by the Egyptians and early African tribes.

In ancient China, it was called fire needle embroidery. For centuries, artists expressed themselves with 28

hot strokes in wood, leather and gourds.

Today, most people think woodburning is reserved for Christmas tree ornaments that earn Boy Scout Merit Badges. Allen’s work is more a unique genre in the old art of woodburning. Think murals. Now, think big.

Allen sees the world with an artist’s eyes. “I could never draw stick figures because when I look at a face, I see the shadows first and that’s what my pencil draws,” he says.

Where we see a table, Allen see stories. Fir, maple, birch and oak speak to him with their rich grains and warm earth hues. Within the natural stratifications, Allen applies a 1500- degree pen to burn life into inanimate walls. Elk, bear, landscapes, rivers of the Stanley Valley now run down a 20-foot wall in the Mountain Village Resort, where Allen has been commissioned as a full-time artist by owners Russell and Mandy Clark.

Recently, Allen finished burning the 46-foot fir U-shaped bar top, portraying the entire Sawtooth Range, town of Stanley and White Clouds Mountains from left to right in minute detail.

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“Finished it in three months to the day,” Allen says. He works 8hour shifts, five days a week, which equates to 1,920 hours on the bar as his canvas.

Currently, his vision of living in 1850’s Idaho is beginning to darken the length of the 30-foot restaurant wall. Elk lock antlers, grizzlies stare menacingly, Lemhi Shoshone gallop over the hills and gold miners pose as if frozen in the act of finding a nugget in the yellow grains of wood.

Smoke, heat and Allen’s talent have created entire worlds so moving and intricate that a one-dimensional plank of wood gives rise to wonder and awe in any observer.

“I’m not sure where my next commission will be when I run out of walls here at the Mountain Village,” says Allen. “But there’s plenty of blank walls in the world.”

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EXPLORE

Photo courtesy of Sun Valley Lodge.

If you’re in search of an idyllic winter wonderland, look no further than this horse-drawn sleigh ride, which sends visitors dashing through the snow for daytime, dinner, or even a private sleigh experience. The rides, available from around mid-December until March, offer around 40 minutes of scenic views--reservations required via the Sun Valley Recreation Center.

For dinner, meet at the Sun Valley Inn and head to Trail Creek Cabin. For a daytime experience, leave from the Sun Valley Nordic Center.

Dress warm, but know that they’ve got snuggly blankets for use on the trek, and lucky for you, wagons in place of sleds, should the weather require it.

Whether you’re looking for a romantic night on the snow or a family friendly excursion this holiday season, a sleigh ride through one of Idaho’s most beautiful cities is hard to beat!

Dash Aerial Yoga isn’t your typical yoga experience, which might be evident from the puppy that welcomes visitors or the fabric slings swaying from the high ceilings. “We’re not traditional-we don’t lock the door on you, or make you leave your phone somewhere, or limit what comes out of your mouth. Verbalize what you’re feeling! We’re only silent during savasana, and that’s because we’ve worked so hard,� laughs Karin Hobbs, Dash co-owner.

Hobbs, who has a background in everything from sports medicine to martial arts, wants her studio to be a place for joyful movement for people of all abilities and sizes, and is dedicated to helping people overcome the learning curve that comes with upside-down yoga by allowing them to do what they need to do, even if it means just watching for a few classes. “We want people to use what they learn here outside, too. Aerial yoga gives people a lot of confidence, the ability to be okay with themselves, not comparing themselves to somebody. Everybody has a strength, and everybody has a weakness. And we all appreciate all of that together,� Hobbs says.

It’s also a great workout that leaves clients feeling, as they describe it, “lighthearted�, “empowered�, and even “humbled�, among other (all positive) adjectives.

Check out the studio and dashaerialyoga.com for classes, private bookings, and a great, size-inclusive retail store!

Photos by Derek John Fisher and Tyler James Bush.

Amy Pence-Brown, known internationally for her viral Stand For SelfLove (Google it if you want to be inspired), is teaching a two hour free workshop for girls aged 10-12 on body image, meant to address challenges with self-esteem, body image, and using one’s voice for change. “ I've had the honor to speak to lots of young people over the past four years about being an activist in your own life in big and small ways. About how to stand up for what's important - including yourself. It's something I teach all three of my children at home and a message I'm honored and thrilled to share with others,� Pence-Brown says.

The workshop will take place on January 11, 2020 at the Boise Public Library and will utilize books, video, art, activism, and discussion to empower young women. Sign up at https://www.amypencebrown.com/beradbeyou.

Photos courtesy of Amy Pence-Brown. www.idahomemagazine.com

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Make tracks, make memories.

On the Best Snow in Idaho.

Book your McCall, Id winter vacation at

visitmccall.org

Stay & Ski Packages FROM $124* *Per Person, based on double occupancy

Fat biking isn’t a commentary on any type of rider--in fact, people of all sizes and shapes participate every winter in places like Sun Valley and McCall by jumping on a bike with wide tires and hitting the trails. Think of them as the “jeep� of mountain bikes, floating over treacherous terrain, all the while keeping the rider safe and inspired. “They are great in conditions Photos courtesy of Sara Sheehy. that are either challenging with cross country skis or mountain bikes. Crusty snow, mud, sandy conditions are all places that fat bikes shine,� says Lindy Johnson, winter sports enthusiast. “ When the cross country skiing and mountain biking conditions are poor, the fat biking conditions are usually awesome.�

What experience/equipment do you need to successfully do it? Really, you simply need to know how to ride a bike. Oh, and maybe a helmet and some cold weather gear.

And, should you fall, you can count on a little extra cushion by way of snow.

Interested? Bogus Basin rents equipment and holds four fat bike races on Sundays throughout the season, which begin at 11:00 am.

Just an hour outside of Boise, true magic awaits.

The best combination of family, food, and animals one could ask for this holiday season in Darl Allred’s family business. With his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters, Allred offers horse-drawn sleigh rides in Garden Valley from mid-December to midFebruary, allowing people the chance to enjoy a toasty beverage, feed local wild elk herds, and even stay for lunch.

Now in their ninth year, Allred says that his horses enjoy working. “They’re big gentle giants.

Their size intimidates people, but they’re well disciplined, and well mannered,� he adds. “And we’re one of only three breeders of spotted draft horses in the northwest!�.

You can catch the horses at parades and rodeos throughout Idaho, but the best way to see them is pulling a sleigh through a snowy field.

This year, look for some new furry faces--three horses that Allred has raised join the herd for the first time.

Photo courtesy of Idaho Sleigh Rides.

Where Are They Now? Catching Up With Idaho’s Wolves

by Heather Hamilton-Post

Photos courtesy of Jim and Jamie Dutcher, founders of Living With Wolves.

In the 1990s, we were all talking about wolves in the west, and especially in Idaho, a land so varied in landscape and profession.

We had ranchers and legislators, conservationists, hunters--and many who belonged in at least two categories. Everyone had an opinion, and we weren’t quiet about it. Years later, multifaceted public debate has shifted to resignation and wolves are still here, making the news.

So, what exactly is happening with wolf populations in our state?

First, a brief bit of history.

Wolves were listed as endangered in 1974, after they nearly disappeared from the lower 48 states. For Idaho, the federal reintroduction took place in 1995 and 1996. According to Idaho Department of Fish and Game,this rapidly increased Idaho’s wolf populations, which peaked at 850 wolves in 2008-2009. In 2009, wolves were delisted from Endangered Species Act protections in an effort to slow growth and slightly reduce the population to prevent predation on some elk herds and private livestock. Legal action relisted them in 2010, and by May of 2011, they were delisted again.

IDFG now manages wolves as big game animals, “similar to black bears and mountain lions,” and sets hunting and trapping seasons “with a focus on managing wolves to reduce conflicts with livestock and other big game populations,” they write. And, although wolves were introduced throughout the west, Idaho’s approach to management is indeed unique.

“Idaho, like many states, manages wildlife for the hunters, growing elk and deer populations, but not offering as much representation to other species.

But we’re the only state with a Wolf Control Board,” says Garrick Dutcher, Program Director for Living with Wolves, a nonprofit

dedicated to wolf education and outreach.

The board Dutcher refers to receives $400,000 for the general fund, along with around $100,000 from the Department of Agriculture and around $100,000 from IDFG, which supplies funds for wolf management by way of payouts for wolf kills. Often, Dutcher explains, decisions regarding wolf management (like hunting and trapping seasons and rules) are made

by IDFG commissioners, a role appointed by the Governor with no industry knowledge requirement.

Now, there are between 700 and 800 wolves in Idaho during the winter, spread across roughly 100 wolf packs, a number reached by monitoring trail cameras, noninvasive genetic sampling in habitats and harvested wolves, and reports from the public. The IDFG manages a hunting season with over-thecounter tags for hunting up to five wolves and trapping five more.

In much of the state (Panhandle, Clearwater, Upper Snake, and Salmon regions), hunters may kill 10 wolves and trap 10 more. Hunting and trapping tags are interchangable, meaning, as long as both seasons are open, you could use your trapping tag on a hunted wolf and a hunting tag on a trapped wolf--”which doesn’t happen with other animals,”

adds Dutcher.

“There’s already been one hunter who reached the 20 animal limit, and two or three who are close. You’d only need 40 or 50 to wipe out the entire population of wolves in the state,” Dutcher says. He explains that the incentive is financial now--all together, the hunter/trapper he refers to likely collected $20,000.

Wolf hunts aren’t always successful--in 2018, 43,224 hunting tags and 401 trapping tags were sold. IDFG notes that an unknown percentage purchase tags just in case they come across a wolf and aren’t actively trying to harvest one. Last year, 311 wolves were harvested, which is a pretty low percentage (less than one) of purchased tags.

In 2018, 83 wolves were also killed

by Wildlife Services because of livestock depredation. And, while wolves don’t have a lot of natural predators, mountain lions and bears can and will kill wolves when necessary.

“The primary focus of wolf management in Idaho is to manage wolves to reduce conflicts to livestock and negative impacts to other big game populations, primarily elk,” says IDFG, maintaining “a well-distributed, selfsustaining wolf population within the state.” Of course, there’s a lot of ambiguity there--IDFG knows

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that elk populations are impacted by predation, population density, habitat availability and quality, weather, and hunting. “Not all elk populations in Idaho are negatively impacted by wolves,” they write.

Dutcher agrees. “Idaho had a temporary decline in elk in Idaho, but game managers think there are more here now. It was the only state that recorded any sort of decline-there have been record hunts in three states even with growing wolf populations,” he says.

But we’re an agricultural state too, home to roughly 6,000 cow-calf ranching operations across the state, which is a large part of our economy.

From January to June of 2018, state and federal authorities say there were 61 confirmed wolf-livestock kills, and the Idaho Rangeland Commission says that wolves have killed around 700 cattle and 550 sheep since 2009. In 2018, the Idaho Office of Species Conservation reimbursed $166,600 in federal funds for confirmed livestock losses.

And many of those making policy regarding wolves are intimately involved in agriculture.

Dutcher agrees that the concern over livestock makes sense--things like birthing, disease, and weather take out livestock every year, so the introduction of additional carnivores into an ecosystem in a scary prospect. “But attacks by wolves are in line with mountain lions and bears. Coyotes outpace wolves when we’re talking about damage by carnivores. We just want to see wildlife protected,” he emphasizes, “and to give ranchers an opportunity to make their livelihood work.”

Dutcher and others believe there are extremely effective nonlethal methods for protecting livestock, which could be funded with a reallocation of funds. The Wood River Wolf Project advocates for things like increased human 36

presence, animal management, guard dogs, foxlights and spotlights, fladry and turbofladry, and noisemakers, which have all proven effective methods of keeping wolves at bay.

The Idaho Rangeland Commission, among others, doesn’t oppose the ideas in theory, but says that they are too expensive for most farmers and ranchers.

Well publicized attacks like the one in Banff National Park in August of 2019 deepen the debate too, though Parks Canada calls such incidents “very rare”--that accident marked the first time a person had ever been hurt by a wolf at a national park.

The wolf in the Banff attack was very large-- an adaptive result of living in a very cold place, and not, as some believe, a characteristic of imported Idaho wolves. When wolves were chosen for Idaho release, biologists selected wolves that lived in areas with similar habitat that preyed on elk populations.

Though there is some debate, many taxonomists believe that the same species (and not two subspecies) moved between the US/Canadian border. And, because borders are imaginary to animals anyway, even two subspecies would likely go back and forth. There is a misconception that these implants were larger than native wolves, but it is not supported by evidence.

Dutcher believes that the resistance to wolves is the result of years of misinformation that have permeated the mindset of ranchers, commissioners, and the general public. He explains that there are some persistent myths floating around--the belief that wolves breed like rabbits or are vicious, among others--and he wants to set the record straight. “Typically, only one pair of wolves (the alphas) per pack reproduces once per year, and they usually have 4-6 pups. There has

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not been an attack on humans in the lower 48 states since they were reintroduced. All of the qualities we love in our dogs--we didn’t teach them. Wolves are family animals that work together as a social unit. They’re emotional creatures,” Dutcher says.

So what does the future hold for Idaho’s wolves? “IDFG will continue to maintain a sustainable population of wolves in the state while managing with a focus on reducing wolf conflicts with livestock and negative impacts on other big game populations,” they say.

“From where we sit right now, it’s grim,” says Dutcher. “But I’m optimistic because I believe that some of the concerns about wolves are not panning out. The younger generation has a different perspective. People are learning to cherish what we have--spectacular public lands and wildlife to inhabit them. Every part of the ecosystem, part of the majesty, plays a role. We have something really special here.”

Because this debate has many parties who are deeply involved--farmers and ranchers, conservationists, hunters, etc.--the discussion on how best to manage wolves is likely to continue as long as they live in our great state. The reality is that, in any number, they’ll continue to exist in the United States and beyond. How we choose to live together though, the wild and the wild hearted, remains to be seen.

Expanding the Dialogue

by Karen Day

Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Angela Bassett and Benjamin Burdick are Yale School of Drama Alumni. Likely, the first three actors are familiar names and the fourth will prove a surprise in that Burdick is an Idaho native and the new Artistic Director of Boise Contemporary Theater.

“I was on the Jerome High School speech team and we won 3 state titles.” Burdick says. “That gave me the itch to go into acting in college. I did improv at Yale. Then tv and local theater in LA. I never expected my career would bring me back to Idaho, especially as a theater director.”

The circuitous path that brought Burdick and his wife, Jessica Morris, to Boise wound through the exhilarating and exhausting realities of duel acting careers while trying to raise two young sons.

“My pinnacle was being cast in JUNK, by the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Ayad Akhtar.

But acting, like any art, requires and consumes your total attention and I had to leave behind a newborn, my wife and my 3- year-old son to do the play.”

Life opened Burdick’s eyes beyond the stage and an internet search provided the next step, which happened to take him full circle back to a job offer at BCT in March 2018. He doesn’t miss acting, he admits, because there simply isn’t time with three more plays to produce for 2019 -2020 season.

Describing his job, he points to the theater’s mission statement, scrawled on two different white boards in his office like visibly repeating mantras.

BCT inspires our community to examine our perspectives and better ourselves, each other, and the world around us by creating thoughtprovoking stories of the human experience.

Theater arts as a crucible for dialogue is what Burdick, and everyone who is involved at BCT, is striving for. Not just community theater, but provocative, original material that offers a mirror for audiences to see themselves and a 38

window to see beyond themselves.

BCT is more than a theater, according to Burdick’s vision, it aspires to be a physical, mental, emotional and psychological space for people to engage in civil discourse and expand dialogue with themselves, and others.

Now more than ever in America this goal feels both necessary and lofty. But true art, no matter the vehicle of expression, speaks to people with its sheer capacity to say something different to each.

Simultaneously. Theater, especially, shows us how two apparently opposing truths, or more, can exist at the same time and how seeing that complicated reality offers us a broader understanding of the human experience.

“Contemporary Theater has its own unique challenges,” says Jessica, Burdick’s wife and temporary, BCT Development Director.

“Plays are chosen because they’re new, unproven and therefore, risky without previous reviews or audience familiarity. That’s also why it’s so exciting!”

BCT Spring 2020 guarantees to take risks and dare audiences to see three new works. “Slow Food,” a comedy with 3 Boise actors begins the season, followed by “Every Brilliant Thing,” a play that addresses the profound tragedy of depression with gratitude, deep insight and hope. The World Premiere of the musical, “The Show on the Roof,” promises to be the most provocative of all, taking on a dark time in local history in 1955/56, when gay men were subjected to McCarthy-era persecution, imprisonment and driven from Boise. Based on the 1960 book

by John Gerrassi, facts were supplemented by the documentary

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Rory Pulsue, Alex Syiek, and Tom Ford, the creative trio behind The Show on the Roof. by local filmmaker Seth Randall, “The Fall of 55.”

“The music is toe-tapping and joyous, but the subject matter is not trivialized,” says Tom Ford, author of the play’s libretto who also stars in the show.

The director, Rory Pulsue, and the composer of the music and lyrics, Alex Syiek flew in from NYC. They, and Ford were at BCT last week holding auditions.

All were ebullient, but seriousreflecting their description of “Show on The Roof.”

“It’s important to us that this material premieres where the event happened to make it feel relevant.

And the local talent has proved very worthy of the play,” says Syiek.

“It’s our job to tell stories, because if we don’t, what doesn’t exist is forgotten,” adds Pulsue.

Fortunately, for Boise audiences, BCT exists to tell this story and many more.

READING THE ELEPHANTS

by Karen Day This is Gabriella Curtiz’s first trip to Idaho. She’s sitting in Elmer’s Restaurant in Boise, enjoying her initial taste of cinnamon pancakes, syrup, and whipped cream. In an hour, she’s going to stand in front of 50 people at the Boise Zoo and present a program about her job in Gorongosa National Park, in English, though Portuguese is her country’s official language. One would think this young woman from Africa would find all these new experiences overwhelming.

Gaby, however, appears unruffled as she chews foreignly-crisp bacon. Apparently, only a charging elephant can intimidate the first female safari guide in Mozambique.

“I grew up just sixty miles from Gorongosa,” Curtiz says..

“But I had never seen a wild animal until I visited the park in 2016.

It changed my life,” she says. It might be easy for us to imagine lions and elephants roaming the great African savannahs but, out of 54 countries, 37 have elephants and only 28 have lions.

“Our country was at war for a long time,” Gaby explains.

“Gorongosa is being restored now, but many people think only of it as the area of resistance and conflict. Many Mozambicans do not know this beautiful National Park even exists. One of my jobs is to introduce my people to this wonderful place in their own country.”

Gaby learned about the park through an outreach program in local schools that strives to educate students early on the importance of preserving their natural heritage.

“I saw a Gorongosa film when I was 12 years old,” says Gaby.

“That day, I decided I would learn English and work at the Park someday. When I was 18, I applied to be a business intern there. This allowed me to see how tourism could grow and empower the local community. 50% of the staff in every department --science, business, accommodations, are women. I may be the first female safari guide, but there are already

may Mozambican girls aspiring to do the same!,” she says.

“As a guide, you must learn to read the animals. This is something I would like to teach to others. It’s one of my personal goals--to start a guide school.

There are schools in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa- but none in Mozambique.”

For now, Gaby will be coming back to Idaho next August, prepared to spend four years earning a business degree at Boise State University.

“In my village, I’m a role model. Parents tell their children, ‘If you want to be like Gaby, you must study and know what you want.’ This is a big responsibility. I feel it like a weight, that I must do well and inspire my community to believe they can do it too. I am so lucky to have these opportunities.

And most of all, I am lucky to be in nature. Nature is so powerful.

Even in Idaho, it brings peace to my soul. This is what I want to share with people when they come to Gorongosa. The peace that nature brings to your soul.”

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Tim Atwell graduated from Boise State University in 2016 with a BA in English and a certificate in Technical Communication.

He currently works on the marketing team of a local healthcare technology company. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking and spending time outdoors.

Contributors

John Webster is an accomplished freelance photographer who resides in Boise. Being an Idaho native, the area surrounding the Treasure Valley has motivated him to capture the culture and lifestyle the West provides.

Stephanie Nelson is a freelance writer who has lived in Boise for 16 years and probably won’t ever move. She has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington and she’s passionate about travel, hiking and trying out local restaurants with her husband and two kids.

Leah Hess Victorino is a Boisean, born and raised, and freelancer who takes on research and writing assignments to maintain her unofficial status as perennial student. She is mama and wife to three extraordinary humans with whom she loves to explore the world.

Photo courtesy of Visit McCall.

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