Pacific Loon at CJ Strike Wildlife Management Area. Photo by Ken Miracle

Idaho Fish and Game Wildlife Diversity Biologist Jamie Utz will talk about southwest Idaho’s wildlife management areas including birding favorites CJ Strike, Montour and Fort Boise. Jamie will explain current management goals, how IDF&G sets management goals and how birders can be involved.

Jamie is the diversity biologist for the IDFG Southwest Region, based out of Nampa. She is originally from Pittsburgh and came west to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University in 2009, where she studied the tradeoff relationship between diet quality and predation risk in pygmy rabbits. After completing her degree, she held several temporary positions with the IDFG before transitioning to her current role in the spring of 2021. As you might expect, her favorite activities all revolve around being outside: backcountry skiing, backpacking, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking. Her favorite bird experience at the IDFG was trying to capture a common loon from a busy roadside pond in Boise.