Misha Smith

Kayla Wilcox Boise, Idaho National Forest Foundation Black Billed Magpie photo from All About Birds This last summer, I was able to do a field research trip to Belize with my graduate program. My professor asked my class a classic icebreaker question: “What’s your favorite animal?” Being biology students, the answers were brilliant and unique, vibrant, exotic species from all corners of the earth, the depths of the ocean, and the shores of the coral reefs we were studying. I felt this...

Julia Sanderson Boise, Idaho Students learning in the school garden during summer school Does the title of this article give you anxiety? Maintaining outdoor growing spaces in a public school setting is a common challenge for many. So, what can we do? Partner with summer school! Getting students (and teachers) outside is the whole goal, so partnering with the summer school program in your area is perfect. This summer, we partnered with elementary schools as well as junior high to get...

By Erika Hopkins Twin Falls, Idaho I notice things — upside-down reflections of trees in raindrops on my window, swallowtails drawing nectar from purple thistle, pill bugs curling into tight balls on the sidewalk, still and self-contained, waiting until it's safe to move again. I'm just as drawn to books that notice things the same way, that slow down long enough to really look. Here are three from my life right now: one I'm currently reading, one that stuck with me long after I finished, and...