Mark your calendars
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
3 May
Trail System Improvements
At Avimor, we take pride in our public trail systems. We have been partnering with local organizations to ensure the trails at Avimor are the best they can be. Here are just a few projects that have been completed in the past month:
Bovine Nirvana Bridge Project: Cutting in the re-route on Bovine Nirvana. SWIMBA (South West Idaho Mountain Biking Association) volunteers worked hard building this bridge. Avimor donated the building materials.
Avimor Sign Project: Avimor recognizes that a well marked trail system is a happy trail system, so we funded this sign project.
To thank volunteers for working on and improving trails, Avimor also recently sponsored a BBQ after the most recent SWIMBA Trail Day. Watch video here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200942457593672
19 Apr
Bah, Ram, Ewe. Sheep are baaaaack in the Foothills.
It’s springtime in the Boise Foothills, which means it’s time for flocks of sheep to make their annual journey to the high country.
The Idaho Statesman talks with Sheepherder Maximo Aranda as he unloads a band of 2,000 sheep at the Miller Gulch Trailhead:
Aranda led the sheep away from the trail to water on a fork of Crane Creek.
The sheep will be in the area of Corrals and Hard Guy trails for a couple of weeks, moving across the Foothills toward Bogus Basin and Boise National Forest land for the summer.
“This is good spring range,” said Wilder rancher Frank Shirts. “This is good for the ground and good for fire danger.”
Shirts, who has 12 bands of sheep – three grazing in the Boise Foothills – is one of the largest sheep operators in the West.
Hikers and cyclists might cross paths with sheep in the Foothills. Shirts recommends keeping dogs on leashes even on nonleash trails and walking bikes through the sheep to avoid conflicts with the white Great Pyrenees guard dogs.
Each band is usually protected from coyotes and other predators by two dogs. Shirts has one band of sheep already grazing near the motorcycle parking lot up 8th Street, headed toward Table Rock and Lucky Peak.
Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/04/18/2539034/sheep-baaaaack-in-the-foothills.html#storylink=cpy
19 Mar
Avimor Construction and Trails
Avimor welcomes recreationalists from all over to visit our neighborhood and use our trails. However, just a quick heads up for anyone planning on riding the area in the near future:
We are beginning construction on some new home sites and road ways out of the main gate near the pond. Currently the only thing affected will be the Burnt Car two track road, and we will cut in a temporary trail just north of the construction. Therefore, your best bet will be to use the Twisted Spring/Spring Valley Creek trail, as it rides much better. Once things are settled in SWIMBA will be planing a permanent single track trail.
Yellow = Affected Construction Area
Blue = Old Route
Green = New Temporary Re-route
Update via SWIMBA
5 Mar
Boise Bird Festival at Avimor
Mark your calendars! Boise Bird Festival at Avimor is April 27th! Come and learn more about Idaho’s birds with short bird walks, educational and interactive booths, workshops and demonstrations on a variety of topics from bird identification and backyard feeding to wild bird photography. Check out all the participating organizations in the right sidebar. You won’t want to miss it!
This one day Boise Bird Festival will be the official Pledge to Fledge event for Idaho on Saturday, April 27th, 2013. The Idaho Pledge to Fledge event will be held in the Boise foothills at the Avimor community’s Foothills Heritage Park. The main purpose of Pledge to Fledge and this event is simply to introduce people to the beautiful birds all around us. There is no financial pledging involved, but rather an invitation to those already interested in birds to “pledge” to introduce their friends and family to the wonderful world of birding and thereby help them to “fledge” into bird enthusiasts themselves.
Because birds are an indicator species of the health of the ecosystem, we know that the more people care about birds, the more they will care about conservation, and the creation and preservation of cool natural places. It’s also about getting people outside to enjoy nature. We are inviting all organizations and agencies involved in any way in the livelihood of birds and their habitats to participate. – BoiseBirdFestival.com
For more information, visit http://www.boisebirdfestival.com/
12 Feb
Magazine Names Boise Top Retirement Destination
“Where to Retire” Magazine – the only magazine in America geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions – named Boise as their top retirement destination. The city will be profiled in the upcoming March/April issue, available on February 19th. 
Magazine Editor Mary Lu Abbott said Boise possesses qualities important to today’s retirees. “Boise may be a bit remote but it boasts cultural riches to complement an active outdoor lifestyle, which attracts many joggers and bikers to an extensive riverfront greenbelt. Ample shopping opportunities, top-notch medical facilities and a wide array of recreational adventures round out the appeal of this Northwest metro,” Abbott said. (KIVI)
Retirees who choose to relocate are generally healthier, better educated, and more affluent than those who do not. These retirees bring significant economic benefits to their new states and hometown. For this reason, hundreds of towns across the nation seek to attract retirees as a source of economic development.
Each year, 700,000 Americans relocate to new towns to retire.
Sources:
18 Jan
Avimor Bird Guide
Avimor, the builder/developer and its community residents are deeply committed to the restoration and revegetation of key habitats for birds, insects, and wildlife and promote the lifestyle of enjoying the wonders of nature. We are passionate about preserving the ecosystem of the foothills and our development reflects our efforts. We are confident that as riparian and shrub steppe areas are restored with native vegetation that populations of native birds will return and thrive. We can use your help in tracking our progress.
This bird guide is a living and growing document. A list of all bird species seen is being compiled by employees, contractors, and friends of Avimor, including you. The following bird species have been documented by avid birders at or adjacent to Avimor. If you see or photograph a bird not presented in this guide, we’d be delighted if would email us as quickly as possible. Thanks and happy birding!
Click here to view Avimor’s Bird Guide:
Here is a Goose example from the guide:
Snow Goose
When: Spring and Fall migration
Where: Most likely to be observed flying overhead.
Cool Fact: Each year, early in the Spring, thousands upon thousands of migrating Snow Geese can be see at Old Fort Boise. An experience everyone should have on their bucket list.
If you see this bird at Avimor, please notify us.
Learn more
Canada Goose
When: Year round
Cool Fact: At least 11 subspecies of Canada Goose have been recognized, although only a couple are distinctive. In general, the geese get smaller as you move northward, and darker as you go westward.
4 Jan
Ranchers Use Website To Educate Urban Residents
Located in the Eagle foothills, Avimor’s backyard boasts thousands of acres. To some, these Idaho range-
lands are a great playground; however to others, th
ey are a very important workplace. Apart from local recreationalists who visit the lan
d to ride, run, hike and enjoy nature, certain ranchers consider the same land a
very important working area. These local ranchers have turned to the Internet to educate urban residents about the ranching industry, and ultimately ease the tension that comes with sharing public land.
In its second year of existence, Lifeontherange.org features stories about ranchers throughout the state.
“It’s about real people doing real things and positive things you don’t typically see in the media,” says Gretchen Hyde, executive director of the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission, which created the web site.
The target audience is urban residents, who usually obtain their limited knowledge of ranching from negative stories they hear in the media, Hyde says.
If someone does a Google search for public lands grazing, “they get nothing but negative information,” Hyde says.
“We’re trying to counter that … with real people and not just somebody’s opinion,” she says. “We’re exposing people to what’s really happening. They’re seeing faces and understanding the complexities of these issues.”
Since the IRRC, a state agency, works on a limited budget, they felt creating a website was the most economical and effective way to reach people. They created the website with the hopes of promoting the industry and demonstrating the good things ranchers are doing for Idaho’s rangeland.
“We’re not saying everything is roses out there on the public lands,” says past IRRC Chairman John Noh. “But for the most part, ranchers are doing a good job and that’s what the commission is trying to showcase.”
Sources:
http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/SE-Urban–Ranching-011113
10 Dec
City of Boise set to acquire 154 acres in Northwest Boise Foothills
On Tuesday, The Boise City Council and Mayor David Bieter will make a purchasing decision on 154 acres of property in the Northwest Boise foothills. The City of Boise would use the Foothills Serial Levy Funds to purchace the land for a negotiated price $500,000.
Acquiring this 154 acres of open space (located at the end of Collister Street) would not only protect a bountiful population of rare Aase’s Onion, it would also provide needed trailhead access Polecat Gulch Reserve.
“This high-priority addition to our Foothills conservation effort not only will preserve a rare native plant, it will allow needed trailhead access to Polecat Gulch Reserve for all Boise residents,” said Mayor Bieter. “We appreciate the patience of trail users who have anxiously awaited access to this popular area in the Northwest Foothills.”
Read more here: http://parks.cityofboise.org/news/2012/12/city-of-boise-set-to-acquire-154-acres-in-northwest-boise,-provide-trail-access-to-polecat-gulch/
30 Nov
Avimor Floorplans
Estate Series: Everyone needs a great place to call home, but what if your amazing home backed up to miles of Boise Foothill trails and open space? Would you call that having it all? Welcome to the Estates Series at Avimor. This series offers truly spectacular Foothills Living.
| Lot Size | 1/4 Acre and up |
| Homes | 2,075 to 3,700 sq. ft. |
| Features | Larger lots across the communityOne and two-level homes with large garage Many flex options |
Homestead Series: Sometime you just need space. Maybe you need more rooms, larger rooms or custom rooms designed to fit your style. Larger homes on larger lots are what the Homestead Series offers. Let us help you design a home that fits your every need, including an amazing landscaped yard designed for the Boise Foothills.
| Lot Size | Approximately 1/4th Acre |
| Homes | 1,724 to 2,710 sq. ft. |
| Features | Variety of lots available, many of which backup to open space and trails and are within walking distance of the Swimming Pool and seven Community Parks. Flexible House plans. |
Foothill Series: Truly have a home in the Foothills! Above the Village Town Center along Goldenridge are two-story homes with walk-out basements, also known as daylight basements. With this higher elevation comes expansive views, larger lots, and greater flexibility to design a home for the entire family. When you tell people you live in the Boise Foothills, they will not believe how right you are!
| Lot Size | Approximately 1/6th to 1/4th Acre |
| Homes | 2,217 to 2,884 sq. ft. |
| Features | Walk-out basements Panoramic Views Many Lots built on hillside overlooking Community. |
Courtyard Series: Well-designed for a simpler lifestyle, these smart homes are filled with incredible spaces that can meet your every need. Each home backs up to open space and the beautiful Spring Valley Creek. This series of homes is also within easy walking distance of the Village Town Center and Community Center Swimming Pool. Sometimes you want it all, just in a smaller space.
| Lot Size | Approximately 1/8th Acre |
| Homes | 1,028 to 1,900 sq. ft. |
| Features | Near Village Center Great for low-maintenance lifestyle Perfect for the traveler “lock it & leave it” lifestyle Flexible floorplans |
Cottage Series: Within a comfortable walking distance to the Village Town Center, Swimming Pool, and future Community Center lies a unique blend of homes with large front porches and pedestrian-friendly streets. Each home comes with a rear entry garage, which increases the front curb appeal of each house. Remember when neighbors strolled down the street and visited with each other? You’ll find that at Avimor.
| Lot Size | Approximately 1/8th Acre |
| Homes | 1,460 to 2,792 sq. ft. |
| Features | Near Village Center Low-maintenance lifestyle Great street appeal with rear garage entry |
More details available on our website: http://www.avimor.com/homes/floorplans/
Avimor Village 