A fishing derby Jan. 25 at Sportsman’s Park on the west side of American Falls Reservoir features a $500 first-place prize for the largest Rainbow trout and a $250 first-place prize for perch.

The derby runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sportsman’s Park near Aberdeen. The derby is a fundraiser for the Portneuf Unit of the American Fisheries Society, a student-run organization at Idaho State University.

In the Rainbow trout category there will also be a $250 cash prize for second and a $150 cash prize for third. No Cutthroat or Rainbow-Cutthroat hybrids will be considered for the derby.

The runner-up prize for in the perch category is $200 and third is free entry into next year’s derby.

Winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. Participation is limited to the first 150 participants. If spots still remain, limited registration will be available during the fishing derby at the registration booth.

A copy of the rules and release of liability will be provided at the registration table. All contestants must sign the release of liability form to participate in the derby.

Sportsman’s Park is located off Highway 39 at the end of Boat Dock Road.

In the event of derby cancellation due to unsafe ice conditions or inclement weather, refunds of entry fees will be granted or carried over to the next year. Only in the event of an extreme blizzard that closes the interstate will the event be cancelled.

There is a $35 per person entry fee. Participants can register online and review all derby regulations at shorturl.at/hkmBM or call 208-709-7538.

One raffle ticket is allotted to participants and additional raffle tickets will be available for sale.

POCATELLO — Many rural physicians choose to live in remote places because they also enjoy the plethora of outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, hunting, skiing, biking, climbing and other activities that often come with the terrain.

In Idaho and other primarily rural states, rural physicians often render first aid to friends, family and strangers met upon the trails they travel outside the office. Resident physicians at Idaho State University’s Family Medicine Residency Program can now become even more equipped for these situations when they arise, with a new specialized training opportunity in the area of wilderness medicine.

The Family Medicine Residency Program at ISU prepares postgraduate physicians to practice independently. Residents practice under the direct supervision of a physician for three years and are then ready to practice on their own. The first year of the typical residency curriculum at ISU is “front loaded,” according to program professors, which means “the residents are busy doing all sorts of things such as delivering babies, performing C-sections, and taking care of people in the hospital.” The second and third year, however, residents can choose some of the elective courses that really interest them, such as wilderness medicine or surgical obstetrics.

Thanks to A.J. Weinhold, a new clinical associate professor in the residency program, a new elective choice that is offered for residents at ISU is wilderness medicine. At the end of their first year residents can apply for this area of concentration, which provides specialized training for treating injuries and emergencies that occur in remote areas. Stabilizing patients and preparing them for transport to a clinic or hospital are among the most common treatments and residents are trained how to do so in isolated areas, often with limited medical supplies.

What is the impact of Wilderness Medicine trained physicians in the Pocatello community and beyond?

“This program shows residents that there are ways, outside of a hospital setting, where you can use your training while you are doing the things you love as well. If they choose this concentration it allows them to get out and create relationships with and ultimately make a difference in the lives of community members not only just in Pocatello but all the other communities that they will live in after,” Weinhold said.

ISU residents that choose the Wilderness Medicine concentration are also required to volunteer in the community with Ski Patrol, Search and Rescue, or providing first aid for outdoor events. Weinhold, who is the medical director for the Pebble Creek Ski Patrol, said she is pleased to be able to get the residents connected with the community through the ski patrol. This allows the residents to get hands-on training there as well as help ski patrol have more help and more people who have that extra training on top of the ski patrol training.

“As ISU’s residents complete their training, they will have learned a lot about wilderness medicine, how to apply it in the real world and to the next communities where they decide to live, work and play,” Weinhold said.

She added, “Doctors have some of the highest suicide rates in the country and by opening up these different areas of concentration it allows doctors to also focus on things that make them happy and healthier which in turn makes the community happier and healthier.”

Weinhold says she is excited to see positive changes and the beneficial impacts this area of concentration will have for both the residents ISU and for the community of Pocatello as a whole.

The Wilderness Medical Society has accredited ISU’s Wilderness Medicine program, which means that while residents work towards this concentration, they can also work on a fellowship with the Wilderness Medical Society. To achieve fellowship status, a person has to have 100 credit hours working in wilderness medicine. ISU helps their residents get more than 50 percent of these required credits by the time they are done with their residency.

To earn these credits residents complete tasks and training modules in a multitude of topic areas. Residents working toward the wilderness medicine area of concentration also attend a Wilderness Medicine Society conference. This year there is a winter conference in Sun Valley. The residents also have to do a 16-hour wilderness first-aid course, which is offered by NOLS Wilderness Medicine or Advanced Wilderness Life Support.

“In 2018 there were about 12 such classes within driving distance from Pocatello, so it makes it a little bit easier for residents to obtain those hours,” Weinhold said.

ISU has also created a lecture series accredited by Wilderness Medical Society. Residents in the wilderness medicine track are not only required to attend these lectures, but also teach them.

Since its creation 25 years ago, the ISU Family Medicine Residency has graduated 137 physicians, half of whom are now practicing in Idaho. These graduates provide care for 120,000 Idahoans, and now a few more — when they are able to render care on a trail or mountainside, not just in a clinic or hospital.

POCATELLO — For the fifth consecutive year, the Idaho State University Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group (CW HOG) offered a free trip to veterans for a five-day rafting adventure down the Green River through the “Gates of Lodore” in Dinosaur National Monument.

Ten veterans from throughout Idaho — from Pocatello, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Boise — joined the group of 23 that included staff, ISU students and community members on the early-August float trip. They floated 50 miles through stunning canyon country in Colorado and Utah.

“The veteran population is one that deserves to be served and have these experiences,” said Bob Ellis, CW HOG instructor/outdoor recreation coordinator. “The trip was great. We had great weather, and a little low water because it was later in the season, which makes for some challenges. But we love traveling with the vets because they love to help out, that is their nature.”

CW HOG receives grant funding from the Veterans Administration to essentially offer this annual trip for free to veterans. The veterans have to provide a $100 deposit, but it is refundable upon completion of the trip.

“We want everyone to know we are doing this for the veterans because they are an important population for us,” Ellis said.

The veterans on the trip included some ISU students, but it is open for veterans statewide. For some, the trip can be life changing. Chad Elliott, a veteran and ISU alumnus from Ammon, said the trip was exceptional.

“Because of Justin, Bob, and Kerry (CW HOG staff) I have a renewed strength to live life to the fullest,” Elliott said. “The rafting trip opened my eyes to greater possibilities and I am honored and blessed to know there are still people out there who want to unselfishly support our country’s veterans. I look forward to going on the rafting trip next year.”

CW HOG is pursuing funding to potentially expand free or low-cost offerings to veterans for winter activities such as skiing or yurt trip.

As noted above, veterans weren’t the only members of the group of adventurers. The trip included current ISU students, including Sierra Anderson, from Twin Falls, who is a senior in ISU’s nursing program.

“The trip was a blast and I have been on many rafting trips and this was one of my favorites,” Anderson said. “I totally recommend anyone to take on this adventure and try something new with the Outdoor Adventure Center. It was very well planned and I felt like I was with experts and was safe at all times.”

“Rafting on the river,” she continued, “is an experience that you cannot describe and it is never too late to have an adventure of a life time in the rivers of unknown.”

ISU students can sign up for one free outing this summer. A deposit is required, but will be refunded after participating. Space is limited, so students should sign up early for the first-come, first-served trips. Restrictions and limitations may apply. Participants may be required to provide their own equipment, but equipment rentals are available at a student rate. Trips planned this fall include stand up paddle boarding, Hagerman whitewater rafting, rock climbing at Massacre Rocks, caving, kayak touring, a Yellowstone tour, rock climbing at Castle Rocks, Lava Hot Springs trip, overnight yurt trip and West Yellowstone cross-country ski trip.

The Outdoor Adventure Center rents outdoor equipment ranging from rafts and kayaks to backpacks and mountain bikes.

For more information, visit isu.edu/outdoor or call 208-282-3912.

POCATELLO — For the fifth consecutive year, the Idaho State University Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group (CW HOG) offered a free trip to veterans for a five-day rafting adventure down the Green River through the “Gates of Lodore” in Dinosaur National Monument.

Ten veterans from throughout Idaho — from Pocatello, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Boise — joined the group of 23 that included staff, ISU students and community members on the early-August float trip. They floated 50 miles through stunning canyon country in Colorado and Utah.

“The veteran population is one that deserves to be served and have these experiences,” said Bob Ellis, CW HOG instructor/outdoor recreation coordinator. “The trip was great. We had great weather, and a little low water because it was later in the season, which makes for some challenges. But we love traveling with the vets because they love to help out, that is their nature.”

CW HOG receives grant funding from the Veterans Administration to essentially offer this annual trip for free to veterans. The veterans have to provide a $100 deposit, but it is refundable upon completion of the trip.

“We want everyone to know we are doing this for the veterans because they are an important population for us,” Ellis said.

The veterans on the trip included some ISU students, but it is open for veterans statewide. For some, the trip can be life changing. Chad Elliott, a veteran and ISU alumnus from Ammon, said the trip was exceptional.

“Because of Justin, Bob, and Kerry (CW HOG staff) I have a renewed strength to live life to the fullest,” Elliott said. “The rafting trip opened my eyes to greater possibilities and I am honored and blessed to know there are still people out there who want to unselfishly support our country’s veterans. I look forward to going on the rafting trip next year.”

CW HOG is pursuing funding to potentially expand free or low-cost offerings to veterans for winter activities such as skiing or yurt trip.

As noted above, veterans weren’t the only members of the group of adventurers. The trip included current ISU students, including Sierra Anderson, from Twin Falls, who is a senior in ISU’s nursing program.

“The trip was a blast and I have been on many rafting trips and this was one of my favorites,” Anderson said. “I totally recommend anyone to take on this adventure and try something new with the Outdoor Adventure Center. It was very well planned and I felt like I was with experts and was safe at all times.”

“Rafting on the river,” she continued, “is an experience that you cannot describe and it is never too late to have an adventure of a life time in the rivers of unknown.”

ISU students can sign up for one free outing this summer. A deposit is required, but will be refunded after participating. Space is limited, so students should sign up early for the first-come, first-served trips. Restrictions and limitations may apply. Participants may be required to provide their own equipment, but equipment rentals are available at a student rate. Trips planned this fall include stand up paddle boarding, Hagerman whitewater rafting, rock climbing at Massacre Rocks, caving, kayak touring, a Yellowstone tour, rock climbing at Castle Rocks, Lava Hot Springs trip, overnight yurt trip and West Yellowstone cross-country ski trip.

The Outdoor Adventure Center rents outdoor equipment ranging from rafts and kayaks to backpacks and mountain bikes.

For more information, visit isu.edu/outdoor or call 208-282-3912.

POCATELLO — Idaho State University biological sciences master’s student Paige Miller has continued ISU research of Southeast Idaho trumpeter swans this summer by using remote cameras and placing tiny thermometers inside of empty egg shells.

She is continuing research begun by ISU Professor Dave Delehanty and former master’s student David Bush. Bush and Delehanty who, among other things, detailed patterns of trumpeter swan egg incubation at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Miller is expanding his research to include the swans nesting at the Bear Lake and Camas refuges, which are all part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Southeast Idaho Refuge Complex.

Her research is important in a number of ways.

“Swans, trumpeter swans in particular, are the most massive bird in North American,” Miller said. “These are big, beautiful, charismatic birds that people are enamored by. The really interesting thing about them is that they were critically endangered for so long they are, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating conservation stories to date, going from under 100 known individuals in the Rocky Mountain area to thousands. They’ve rebounded and are doing quite well.”

Because the birds are doing so well it provides the opportunity for more detailed research on their behavior.

“Understanding the species that occupy these wetlands gives us knowledge that has implications for managing those populations and, therefore, managing wetlands,” Miller said. “Wetlands in general are important habitat because they can reduce the impacts of floods, filter water, and provide a lot of biodiversity and resource potential for people to enjoy and utilize.”

In late spring and early summer, Miller was out in the marsh visiting swans’ nests almost daily, deploying camera systems and then going back every few days to switch out SD cards and batteries. The cameras allow researchers to monitor the swans 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, to investigate swan incubation constancy across the refuges.

“Setting up the camera systems on the nest and being able to review the footage, we get to see swans from right after they laid the eggs, to the incubation and maintenance of the nest, to hatching the eggs to teaching their cygnets (baby swans) on how to be a swan and survive,” she said.

“It is really cool to see the cygnets learn behaviors from their parents.”

She said she’s also interested in Bush’s results that seem to indicate that the times Trumpeter Swan spend away for the nest taking a break to do self-maintenance behaviors are occurring and correlating with the time of day, one in the morning and evening.

“So we wondering if that may additionally correlate with temperature,” she said.

The birds rarely take recesses mid-day, possibly because eggs would be exposed to too much heat from direct sunlight and they stay on nest at night so eggs aren’t exposed to colder temperatures. Most of the time, when leaving, the birds cover the eggs with nest vegetation.

“We’re wondering if the nest itself acts as a kind of compost heap as it is in crocodilian species and if the nest has any temperature regulating effects on the eggs,” Miller said. “For the thermal part of my project, I’ve set up and deployed little, tiny temperature sensors called iButtons. I actually planted those inside of empty swan eggs, that were infertile and donated by the Wyoming Wetlands Society. These were placed in swan nests after the cygnets hatched and left with their parents.”

She blew the contents out of the eggs and installed the temperature sensors inside so the researchers could simulate the effects of temperature on a swan egg that was in the nest exposed to harsh sunlight and environmental conditions, and one egg buried in the vegetation of the nest.

While Miller was in the field this summer studying Southeast Idaho swans, Delehanty and Bush were up in Alaska presenting the results of ISU’s previous swan research at the 2019 American Ornithological Society meeting in Anchorage this June. The title of their presentation was “Incubation Behavior of Trumpeter Swans Measured by Continuous Infrared Videography.”

“We greatly appreciate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for access to several swans’ nests so that we could complete these studies,” Delehanty said.

POCATELLO ­— For the last 20 years, Idaho State University fish ecologists Ernest Keeley and Janet Loxterman in the Department of Biological Sciences have studied cutthroat trout populations in waters from Alaska to New Mexico. Among their other research endeavors, they have identified some of the last remaining native, genetically pure populations of cutthroat trout in the areas around Pocatello, including distinct subspecies variations, in some unlikely places.

“I think it is important to try to maintain those unique populations that have been here for thousands and thousands of years and are part of Idaho’s heritage,” Keeley said. “We want to make sure we protect some of that original biodiversity.”

Recently, Keeley found a genetically pure population of cutthroat trout right under his nose, in a tributary of the Portneuf River that dumps into that stream within the city limits of one of the largest cities in Idaho, Pocatello. That tributary, City Creek, also features one of the most popular trails in the area and where it dumps into the Portneuf, the river is severely degraded.

“One really interesting thing we discovered about a year ago is that there are still cutthroat trout in City Creek,” Keeley said. “It’s a tiny little stream and a lot of small streams like it, such as Johnny Creek (also in Pocatello) have lost their fish populations.”

Keeley was tipped off by an Idaho Department of Environmental Quality survey from 2012 that indicated there were a few cutthroat in the stream. The ISU biologist then sampled the stream and found cutthroat, both mature and young-of-the-year cutthroat, indicating they are successfully breeding in the small stream.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are the only native trout species in the upper Snake River above Shoshone Falls. Non-native species like rainbow, brown and brook trout have been introduced in many streams and in many instances have taken over. There have been up to 14 major subspecies of cutthroat trout identified, two that have gone extinct, and Idaho has three of them, the Yellowstone, Westslope and Bonneville.

These major subspecies, such as Yellowstone cutthroat found in the Snake River and Portneuf, however, have native populations that are genetically distinct from each other that are separated by physical boundaries. Although all the native trout in the upper Snake River drainage in Idaho are classified as Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, there are distinct, genetically pure subspecies variations that are about 2 percent different genetically from each other. If these subspecies variations interbreed with other cutthroat or rainbows, they lose their genetic uniqueness and Keeley thinks these subspecies should be protected.

“The Portneuf River that runs through Pocatello, at one time, just 100 years ago, had abundant cutthroat trout in it, but now we only find them in remnant areas in the very upper part of above Lava and in some of the small tributaries,” Keeley said. “Their range has shrunk, but there are still healthy populations in some areas.”

What may have saved the native trout population in City Creek is a cement culvert on the lower creek that blocks the passage of non-native brown and rainbow trout that might have migrated out of the river further upstream into the tributary. Such man-made barriers on streams can have opposite effects on native cutthroat. In City Creek and in Gibson Jack Creek, above where these structures are located, cutthroat trout have been protected from non-native trout, preventing interbreeding or hybridization and predation. But, in other instances, river and tributary barriers inhibit movement between the main river and spawning tributaries, which isolates the population and prevents individual fish from getting any bigger than 10 to 12 inches.

When fish have access to larger rivers they are able to get bigger and produce more offspring. So it can become a “catch-22” for fisheries managers, deciding whether to leave barriers in place to protect populations, or modifying barriers to allow fish to access more productive and extensive habitat.

For example, on the upper Portneuf River, where there aren’t many non-native trout, a diversion on Pebble Creek was modified so that it now allows Yellowstone cutthroat from the upper Portneuf River to spawn and rear young in the creek, which has been a boon to that population.

“There are a lot of efforts that provide recreational opportunities for fishing, but we are really interested in protecting native trout biodiversity,” Keeley said. “That is what we are trying to identify. Where those remaining populations are, and what threats might exist for them. In those areas, remaining populations should be protected because they represent the last of the native fish biodiversity.”

“We found some of the cutthroat trout in the upper Snake and the adjoining Bonneville Basin seem to be of an entirely different evolutionary lineage than what we originally thought,” Keeley said. “They certainly should be managed separately. If you are reestablishing new populations where the trout have gone extinct, you should make sure you are using a neighboring population that is from the same group.”

Keeley’s goal is to provide students and our community with information and a better understanding of our local fauna, so that it can be appreciated and protected for future generations to enjoy.

“We are fortunate to live in an area that still has wide-open spaces, but we need to understand what other species we share it with and what they need to survive,” he said.

POCATELLO — A fishing derby running 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 at Sportsman’s Park on the west side of American Falls Reservoir near Aberdeen features a $500 first-place prize for the largest trout and a $250 first-place prize for the largest perch.

The derby is sponsored by the Portneuf Unit of the American Fisheries Society, a student-run organization at Idaho State University. The derby is a fundraiser for the group.

There is a $35 per person entry fee. Online registration is available at bit.ly/2sby9S0. Participants should email portneuf.afs@gmail.com or call 208-520-3902 if they are planning to participate to ensure their registration is received and accepted.

Mail-in registration is accepted, but must be received by the chapter by Jan. 21 Call before using mail-in registration to ensure spots are available. Online registration is preferred. Registration will be accepted the day of the event, but will be capped at 100 entrants. Registration is first-come, first-served.

In the trout category, there will also be a $250 cash prize for second and a $150 cash prize for third. Second place in the perch category is $100, and third place is free entry into next year’s derby.

POCATELLO — To understand changes in the Snake River Plain’s climate and ecosystem over thousands of years, Idaho State University biological sciences doctoral student Amy Commendador has been analyzing the contents of owl pellets using a sophisticated instrument called an isotope ratio mass spectrometer 

These piles of pellets can accumulate over thousands of years, being slowly buried by dust. After owls feed on small mammals and other creatures (which are usually swallowed whole), their stomachs cannot digest the fur, bones, teeth and other tough parts of the prey. These indigestible materials are formed into a tight pellet in the owl’s gizzard, which is then regurgitated. These pellets are often deposited at a specific roosting site, leading to relatively long-term accumulations of material in one location.

The primary focus of Commendador’s study has been an extraordinary collection of bone material accumulated by way of owl pellets excavated at the Wasden Site — a set of basalt caves where owls roost — in Southeastern Idaho, originally held at the Idaho Museum of Natural History at ISU. Working in the ISU Stable Isotope Laboratory run by ISU biological sciences and geosciences Professor Bruce Finney, Commendador has been chemically analyzing the bone remnants with the goal of developing a reconstruction of climate for the Snake River Plain that extends back at least 10,000 years.

The Snake River Plain lacks natural lakes, typically used for this kind of research, so other data sources, such as these piles of bones, are necessary to develop models of past climate specific to the plain. 

The small mammals that make up owls’ diets, such as pocket gophers and pygmy rabbits, served as good subjects for Commendador’s research.

“Small mammals are a good proxy for paleoclimate reconstruction because they have very small home ranges, they don’t migrate very far,” Commendador said. “When you are looking at the isotopic ratios in a small mammal recovered from owl pellets, you know that it is representative of a specific local area, in this case that surrounding the Wasden Site on the Snake River Plain.”

Small mammals are also good for paleoclimate reconstruction because they are sensitive to climate fluctuations. For example, if it gets too cold or too hot, they either have to migrate or they die. In addition, their diet needs are known, so they serve as samplers of the plants available to them at any given time.

In previous research, these animals allowed for reconstructions of past environments through the analysis of species counts and distributions.

“If you have a sequence of bones in a deposit you can look at abundances and diversities of small mammals in them and they will directly correlate with climate,” Commendador said.

Commendador, who works as a collections manager at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, decided to take it a step further by also analyzing isotopic ratios and changes in animal morphology, for example, body size, to track climate change over the centuries.

So far, Commendador’s study has looked specifically at the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios of herbivores.

Carbon isotopes reflect plant photosynthesis, and can change with drought and different plant types. By looking at the carbon isotopic data of these small mammals, Commendador was able to see the types of plants they have been eating over time. As the types of plants available to the animals is strongly mediated by climate, her carbon data provides a snapshot of climate at each point in time.

“Key variables that affect the nitrogen isotopic levels are temperature and precipitation,” Commendador said. “If temperature goes up and/or precipitation goes down, there are higher nitrogen15/nitrogen14 ratios.”

Looking at both carbon and nitrogen ratios over time allowed Commendador to reconstruct the fluctuations in climate over thousands of years.

“After looking at the isotopic ratios, we found that it does look like these small mammals are tracking climate changes,” Commendador said. “Our evidence is that the climate was drier, and distributed differently throughout the seasons, in the past.”

Though her research isn’t completed, Commendador’s results suggest that plant communities in the Snake River Plain can change in response to climate. She is now continuing her study by looking at hydrogen and oxygen isotopic ratios and body size changes, to be concluded in the spring. This research will make up one part of her Ph.D. thesis. She earned both her master’s and bachelor’s degree in her home state, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, focusing on archaeology in the Pacific.

For more information on Commendador’s study, email her at commamy@isu.edu.