Hi, folks! I’m Bonnie Jakubos (pronounced jake-a-bus), the newest member of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks team here in the gigantic office (ha!) next to KRFY. This is the first of our Tuesday Trail Talks, which we will be sending out weekly.
You may have expected John Bauer to be coordinating the summer programs, but he managed to break his leg to get out of working with Sandy and Phil. I applied for the job the day after they hired John, so when I got the phone call asking me if I was still interested, it took me about two seconds to reply in the affirmative. You see, last fall my husband and I visited Sandpoint and went to the “Wild About Wilderness” party sponsored by FSPW and Idaho Conservation League. We decided right then and there to move to the Sandpoint area from Salmon, Idaho. These were our people!
My background runs the gamut from wildlife biologist to illustrator to environmental educator. I am looking forward to everything I am going to learn this summer.
Which leads me to what is happening during the first part of this summer. There are scads of volunteer opportunities, including a unique opportunity to help rebuild the historic Star Peak Trail. The kick-off to this stewardship opportunity is Sunday, July 8. We will be joining forces with our Forest Service partners on the Cabinet Ranger District, swinging pulaskis, using shovels and loppers as well as moving rocks, small logs and otherwise getting down and dirty for a great cause. It is also a chance to really work on your upper-body strength.
The second Star Peak Trail rebuild project will be Friday, July 20 and there will be many more trail building and maintenance opportunities as the summer really gets going. To volunteer or for more information on any hikes and activities, contact me at trails@scotchmanpeaks.org . By the way, we are planning to have more or less regular office hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon- 5 pm.
The Scotchman Peaks Education Series kicks off this Saturday, June 9 when Brian Baxter brings his inimitable style and knowledge of Old Growth Ecology to the Heron Community Center and the Ross Creek Cedars. On Saturday, June 16, Dennison Webb will lead an experiential Leave No Trace Workshop in the Lightning Creek drainage. This should be very interesting and probably even a little bit fun.
There are two Scotchman Peaks Education Series hikes on Saturday, June 30. Brian Baxter will be leading a class on Riparian Ecology, with both classroom and outdoor experiences. Rachel Reckin, USFS archeologist, will be leading another hike the same day. She will explore the archeological history of the Scotchman/Cabinet ecosystem along Spar Creek on the way up to Little Spar Lake. Group size is limited so sign up early. I don’t know about you, but I am going to have trouble deciding between the two hikes!
Check out our hiking schedule on the website and I will be updating you on new opportunities as they arise. See you in the Scotchman Peaks.
