~News and Upcoming Events~



• Welcome Back! We're having a little PARTY and showing a film at the Lamphouse on Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM



• Write a Letter to the Forest Service asking them to protect roadless areas.

• HELP! Social Media Guru Needed

• Sad news: We have lost fellow bird-watcher.

• Check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology BIRD ACADEMY Courses! New courses! Some courses discounted up to 40%! Free courses!
  https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/course-list/

• Show your support for Prairie Falcon Audubon by joining the growing community of members! 
  Click ❤️ Here

🐦 Welcome Back, Bird Watchers! 🐦

Instead of a September Program, we’re having a little PARTY and showing a film at the Lamphouse!!

Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM!

🍿 Free popcorn!

🥤 Drinks available for purchase.

Join us for The Big Year, starring Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson. It’s a hilarious look at bird watching taken to the extreme(s)!

Bring your fellow birding friends and come celebrate birds, fall migration, and nutty bird-watchers. We’ll see you at the Lamphouse! 🐦🎥

The Big Year (2011) is a hilarious comedy about three men—played by Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson—who become obsessed with winning the “Big Year,” a competition to see who can spot and identify the most species of birds across North America in a single year. As they travel from one spectacular location to another, their intense rivalry pushes them to make sacrifices and face challenges in their personal and professional lives. Along the way, the film offers a funny and heartfelt look at friendship, family, ambition, and the importance of enjoying the journey rather than simply trying to win. Need a laugh? Then be sure to join us!

Protect the 2001 Roadless Rule!

Comment by September 21, 2026

The U.S. Forest Service is accepting public comments on roadless area protections, and we need the Magic Valley’s bird-watching community to speak up. Idaho currently manages its roadless areas under our own state-specific rule (the 2008 Idaho Roadless Rule), which would technically remain unaffected by changes to the 2001 federal rule. But weakening the Federal Roadless Rule will undoubtedly give Idaho lawmakers ideas about rescinding our Roadless Rule. It is critical that these baseline protections are not weakened.

These pristine, unbroken forests provide vital habitat for iconic species—from breeding Flammulated Owls and Northern Goshawks to critical migratory corridors for dozens of songbirds.

Allowing roads, mining, or commercial logging to chip away at these areas will fragment these ecosystems and threaten vulnerable bird populations.

Please take 5 minutes to submit an official comment urging the USFS to maintain strict, uncompromised protections for roadless areas.

Where to comment: Go to:

https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869

Use docket number FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66

Deadline: Monday, September 21, 2026

Hot tip: Check out the comments that have already been submitted to the Forest Service Comment Portal to get ideas and to see what effective letters look like. As you poke around you will realize that there are very few comments that support the rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. That doesn't mean that you don't need to comment. You do!

Let’s ensure our backcountry stays intact for future generations of birds and birders. Thank you for taking action!

Volunteer Social Media Chair Needed

Are you passionate about conservation, community engagement, and digital storytelling? Prairie Falcon Audubon is seeking a volunteer Social Media Chair to serve on our Board of Directors and help share our mission with a broader audience. This role is an opportunity to use your creativity and communication skills to promote birding, conservation, educational programs, and community events while helping inspire a deeper appreciation for birds and their habitats throughout the Magic Valley.

About the Role

The Social Media Chair develops, manages, and grows Prairie Falcon Audubon’s online presence across social media platforms. This volunteer leader helps translate the chapter’s conservation work, programs, field activities, and community events into engaging digital content that informs, inspires, and connects audiences.

Ideal Volunteer

The ideal volunteer is creative, reliable, and comfortable communicating online. Experience with social media content planning, photography, graphics, or community outreach is helpful, but a strong interest in birds, conservation, and local engagement is just as important.

How to Get Involved

If you are interested in helping Prairie Falcon Audubon expand its digital outreach and connect more people with birds, conservation, and community programs, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Sarah Harris

Stanley Albee

July 19, 1938 - July 19, 2026

We'll miss your insightful questions and seeing you in the front row at all of our programs.

Stanley Albee, age 88, passed away July 19, 2026, at his home in Buhl. Stanley was born July 19, 1938, in Twin Falls. He entered and departed this world on July 19, a fitting coincidence for someone whose determination remained evident throughout his life.

Stanley was the son of Ralph and Esther (Deters) Albee. He grew up on the family farm in the Northview area of Buhl. He graduated from Buhl High School in 1956 and from the University of Idaho in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy. Later that same year, he married the love of his life, Betty Albee (Edmons) of Buhl.

He then began a career working for the federal government as a soil scientist. Throughout the 1960s he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation on irrigation components of large water projects, like the Garrison Dam Project in North Dakota. In 1970 he joined the Soil Conservation Service (NRCS) where he mapped soils across the western US. He drove his government pickup with a large hydraulic soil auger in the back onto private and public land where he sampled different soil types and recorded the results in ink on large aerial photographs.

During the UFO cattle-mutilation hysteria of the 1970s, the Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, newspaper published a front-page photograph of Stanley standing beside his government pickup beneath the headline, "Do Not Shoot This Man." Stanley appreciated the humor of the moment and delighted in telling the story.

His years mapping soils sparked a lifelong fascination with geology and the forces that shaped the Earth's landscapes over millions and billions of years. Equally important to him was understanding how those lands could be wisely managed and protected for future generations.

In 1981, Stanley retired from federal service and returned to the family farm near Buhl. Alongside traditional row crops, he raised U-pick black raspberries, cucumbers, and other vegetables. He also established a tree farm, growing Austrian pines and Colorado blue spruce that today mature across the Magic and Wood River valleys.

Over the course of his life, he and his wife, Betty, were members of various Methodist and Nazarene church congregations. One of Stanley's favorite bible verses, which he would often recite was "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth (Psalm 121)."

Stanley was a man of deep Christian faith and an equally devoted student of science. To him, the two were never in conflict but were complementary ways of understanding God's creation.

Friends and family knew Stanley as someone who could rarely pass an interesting rock outcrop, unusual tree, or productive field without stopping to wonder how it came to be.

He began life on the family farm, spent decades traveling the West studying and caring for the land, and ultimately returned home with his family to cultivate the farm where he was raised.

Above all, Stanley was a considerate neighbor, a faithful friend and a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Betty Albee, his sister, Ann Evans, his son, Robin Albee (Christine Zadra), his daughter, Angela Overturf (Ken Overturf), his granddaughter, Elizabeth Overturf (Jax Taylor) and his grandson, Zachary Overturf.



His funeral service was held at the Twin Falls Nazarene Church on Saturday, July 25. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Prairie Falcon Audubon Society 1467 Falls Ave W, Twin Falls, ID 83301.

Stan on a Prairie Falcon Audubon Field Trip to China Mountain