"If you take care of the birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems of the world."

Thomas Lovejoy

~News and Upcoming Events~

• Friday, May 1st ~ FIELD TRIP ~ Little City of Rocks north of Gooding, ID

• THANK YOU to everyone who attended our EARTH DAY program with The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey! (photos below)

• THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered at the Orton Botanical Garden Spring Clean-up! (photos below)

• The Cottonwood Nature Preserve, along with members Charlie and Melody Lenkner and Karl Ruprecht, made the news! Click HERE to watch!

Little City of Rocks Field Trip

FRIDAY, May 1st

8:00 AM - 12:00 AM (??)

Two Meeting Spots:

Meet up at 8:00 AM in Twin Falls in the southwest corner of the Barnes and Noble parking lot or....

Meet up at 9:00 AM in Gooding at the McDonalds (2440 Main St, Gooding, ID). Coffee. Last toilet.

We'll carpool to Gooding, then head north to the Little City parking area. The turnoff for the Little City of Rocks is located 12.5 miles north of Gooding, Idaho on Highway 46 and marked by a BLM sign. You will find the turn here: MAP PIN

The parking area/trailhead is located about two miles down a graded dirt road suitable for most vehicles. Given our very dry winter, the road should be dry and not too terribly rough.

Plan to marvel at the unique rock formations while looking for birds. We should see Chukar, Rock and Canyon Wren, Brewer's Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Horned Lark, Western Meadowlark, Golden Eagle, Common Raven, and more. Rattlesnakes, Gopher Snakes and a variety of lizards are also very common in the area, so we'll keep an eye out for those too!

We will walk about one and a half miles through the center of the canyon past towering hoodoos. There are many amazing sights to see from the trail and opportunities to explore even more formations off the trail as well. The trail leads along a small creek that must be crossed a few times, but will most likely be dry when we visit. At the 1.5 mile mark, the trail splits into two canyons. Some trail maps show the route as a loop that can be accessed from either canyon but hikers must be willing to scramble off trail to complete the loop. We will be turning around at this point to avoid going off trail.

Things to consider: There is little shade on this walk and it can get pretty warm. Bring plenty of water, sun screen, maybe some mosquito dope, and snacks (or a lunch). Wear boots, light-weight long pants, and a good sun hat. Don't forget your binoculars and a camera.

Little City of Rocks Geology Explained (2.5 min long)

Little City of Rocks Bird Checklist

EARTH DAY 2026

The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey



What a heartening presentation for Earth Day! Around 75 people, including 29 4th and 5th graders from Saint Edwards School attended. Stephanie Ashley and 8 year old Peregrine Falcon Schmidt captured the kid's attention and inspired many questions! Through the kid's great questions and Stephanie's thoughtful answers, we learned all about birds of prey - what they eat, where they live, how fast they can fly, how their existence is threatened, and how the Peregrine Fund and the World Center for Birds of Prey is working hard to keep birds of prey soaring overhead.

Many thanks to the UU Fellowship for providing a comfortable space and sound equipment for the presentation, Tim Coiner's Rotary Club for sharing our presenters, Chris, Stephanie, and Schmidt, and most importantly to everyone who attended!

Chris Parish Peregrine Fund President and CEO

Stephanie Ashley

Curator of Birds at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise

Schmidt

Peregrine Fund Ambassador

Thank You Volunteers! 

~ Lamar and Rosalie, Pat, Michael and Melody A., Karl, Theresa, Collete, Julie, Sarah, Randy, and Melody L. ~

Despite a frosty morning start, his intrepid group trimmed Fernbush, eradicated Cheat Grass, removed Idaho Fescue from pathways, and managed to tally 13 species of birds, including a Mallard couple who have decided to nest under a couple of native shrubs right in the middle of the garden. The garden is looking great!

Check out our hard work at the Annual Orton Botanical Garden Plant Sale, where you can tour the garden and purchase native plants, drought tolerant plants, and plants for pollinators.

May 17 & 18 and 24 & 25

Spring Clean-up at

Orton Botanical Garden

Learn more and become a member of the Garden

Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Click the link above to read the full article, watch some great little videos, and be inspired to do some good in the world to help out the birds