BOISE, Idaho – A new walking trail at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey offers visitors a spectacular view of the Treasure Valley along with interpretive signs about birds, wildlife, and the region’s fragile sage-steppe ecosystem.

The trail extends for a quarter-mile to a knoll, where a gazebo and benches provide a shady place to enjoy the scenery and watch for wildlife. The trail is open year-round during the same hours as the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center and is included in the price of admission.

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Admission: $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 youth (4-16), free to members
Information: (208) 362-8687
Driving directions: From I-84, take the Cole Road exit and continue 6 miles south on Cole Road to Flying Hawk Lane.
Website: peregrinefund.org/hours-admissions

“The trail is designed to educate visitors about the connections between plants and animals in our region,” said Jack Cafferty, interpretive center director. “Students and other visitors will see how cheat grass, for example, affects the food supply for birds of prey.”

The trail project was funded in part by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the nearby Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Located along the Snake River south of Kuna, the 485,000-acre parcel of public land is home to one of the world’s largest concentration of hawks, eagles, falcons, and other birds of prey.

Cafferty said that environmental education has played a critical role in the success of The Peregrine Fund, a private non-profit that operates the World Center for Birds of Prey, since the conservation organization was founded in 1970.

“It’s becoming more important than ever, as computers, phones, TV and technology pull young people away from valuable outdoor experiences,” Cafferty said. “We want to help strengthen the connection with the natural world, and this trail is a great way to do it.”

The trail also will be good place for students and other visitors to test their bird identification skills after learning about birds of prey at the visitor center, he added.

Large sandstone boulders mark the entrance to the new trail, which is mostly flat. Made of compacted gravel, it is accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

For more information, contact:

Erin Katzner
Director of Global Engagement
Main Phone:     208-362-3716
Direct Phone:     208-362-8277