Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials euthanized an adult male black bear Sunday after it had become food-conditioned and habituated to humans.

Multiple sightings of the bear getting into garbage and poking around cabins in the Mack’s Inn area of Island Park occurred over the past several weeks, a Fish and Game news release said.

“The bear had become accustomed to finding food rewards from humans and no longer showed fear of people,” Fish and Game Bear Biologist Jeremy Nicholson said in the release. “It started peeking in people’s windows during the daylight hours and made no efforts to avoid humans.”

With thousands of campers, anglers and hikers venturing outdoors, the potential for human interactions with bears is on the rise. Fish and Game encourages people to be mindful of their food and garbage and make sure it is inaccessible to bears. The same cautions apply to homeowners in bear country.

“Human safety is always our No. 1 priority,” Nicholson said in the release. “Unfortunately if a bear gains access to human food sources and becomes habituated to humans as this one did, relocation is not an option, and the only way to ensure human safety is by removal of the bear.”

Fish and Game deals with most nuisance bear complaints from July through September when bears are traveling in search of food, the release said. Bears will eat almost anything, including human food, garbage, birdseed, and pet and livestock food.

Bears that become conditioned to raiding these food sources can lose their natural fear of people and can become nuisances or even threats. Live trapping and moving a bear does not always solve the problem, and bears often will need to be euthanized, the release said. That is why biologists often say a fed bear is a dead bear.

ALMO — Want to find an adventure without the hustle and bustle of the typical tourist town? Almo and its surrounding recreational areas may provide the seclusion you’re looking for.

The tiny village is often described as a town lost in time. The California Trail, alternate routes of the Old Oregon Trail, and old stagecoach routes are still evident in many locations throughout the area.

Looming above 10,000 feet, Cache Peak is Idaho’s highest peak south of the Snake River. The appearance of the peak and its sister summits ahead of westbound emigrants on the Old Oregon Trail signaled the “Parting of the Ways” near Raft River, where folks decided whether to continue northwest to Oregon or take the “last exit” to the California gold fields.

Those who turned southwest toward California found what they called the “Silent City of Rocks” in Idaho just north of the Utah border. Hundreds of emigrants between 1843 and 1882 wrote their names in axle grease on towering granite boulders and camped in the future park before continuing into Nevada.

Margaret A. Frink, an emigrant on the California Trail, traveled through what she called a “stone village” in July 1850.

“It is a sublime, strange, and wonderful scene — one of nature’s most interesting works,” Frink wrote in her journal.

Nestled in the Albion Mountains just east of the City of Rocks National Reserve, Almo was an early hub of activity on the trail. To this day, the unincorporated community — home to numerous ranching families — remains a hub but for rock climbers, photographers, birders, hunters, campers and cyclists.

The visitor center for the reserve and nearby Castle Rocks State Park is in Almo, open seven days a week from mid-April to mid-October, and Tuesday through Saturday during the winter months.

An estimated 240,000 emigrants passed through the Almo area on their way to California in the 1800s; today, the National Park Service estimates the number of “visits” to the City of Rocks and nearby Castle Rocks State Park at 290,000 annually.

Climbing and bouldering

Castle Rocks and “the City” are internationally renowned among climbers, boulderers and sightseers alike. Some 60,000 climbers hit the rocks every year, said Wallace Keck, City of Rocks National Reserve superintendent since 2002.

“The City of Rocks hit the national climbing magazines in the 1980s and the word spread,” Keck said.

More than 600 established climbing routes from 30 to 600 feet high are rated from a relatively easy “5.6” to an extremely difficult “5.14” spread over nearly 16,000 acres. Guidebooks to both the City and Castle Rocks are available at the visitor center, he said.

The National Park Service offers several opportunities to learn how to climb at the City before spending money on climbing equipment.

“For about $40, our rangers in the Climbing Experience program will take you out to an easy route so you can get the feel of the rock to find out if you like it,” Keck said.

He added, “Climbing can be expensive — $700 for equipment.”

In addition, rangers have offered the First Time Climbing program for children several times a year. Children are harnessed so they can climb without danger of falling, then lowered to the ground safely by ropes.

“We want children to come to the City,” Keck said. “In the eight years we’ve been doing the ‘First Time’ program, we’ve never had an accident.”

Guide services are available for those who want to continue the sport.

Wildlife abounds

An avid photographer, Keck splits his time managing both the reserve and the state park, an old ranch obtained by the state in 2003.

“I would never go out to the backcountry without a camera,” he said. “Put me wherever there are birds and plants. That’s where I’m happy.”

Mountain lions, bobcats, moose, elk and mule deer frequent the park, evidenced by the piles of droppings they leave.

Raptors such as the red-tailed hawk and the harrier hawk can be found year-round, while other hawks come and go with the seasons, Keck said.

The annual “Birding Big Day Blitz” in early June brings in some of the best birders in Idaho, he said. Birding competitors pair up to check off as many species of birds they can spot in a 24-hour period.

“We’re still studying and learning what we have,” Keck said.

Winter sports

Nordic skiing and snowshoeing are popular ways to follow the California Trail through the City. Snow depths average 3 to 5 feet in the lower elevations. Snowshoes can be rented at the visitor center.

For more extreme winter sports, Pomerelle Mountain Resort is a short drive away on Mount Harrison near Albion.

Want to spend the night? Reservations are a must

Whether visitors drive in, bicycle in or walk in, the City includes 64 standard campsites, three group sites, and an RV park with water and electricity. The City also includes campsites with corrals for horses.

Castle Rocks rents out the state park’s historic ranch house called “The Lodge,” a bunkhouse and a glamping yurt. The Lodge offers modern amenities such as a fully equipped kitchen, spacious bathroom with tub and shower, flat-screen TV/DVD with Roku, Wi-Fi and propane grill.

But don’t expect to find a place to throw out your bedroll without a reservation.

“June is our busiest month, then September,” Keck said.

More information, including camping rules and fees, can be found at the National Park Service website at nps.gov/ciro/planyourvisit/camping.htm.

The City of Rocks National Reserve is open 365 days a year. All roads are gravel, so, depending on weather conditions, some roads may be impassable from November through April. Call the Visitor Center at 208-824-5901 for the latest road conditions.

Steelhead anglers are asked to watch for tagged steelhead they might catch during the 2019-20 steelhead fishing seasons and report tagged fish if they catch one.

Idaho Fish and Game has teamed up with the University of Idaho on a new research program to study how often anglers catch wild steelhead and how well those fish survive after being released. In Idaho, steelhead anglers must release any steelhead with an intact adipose fin, which identifies it as a wild fish.

Idaho fisheries managers want to better understand the effect of catch-and-release angling on wild steelhead populations. This new study will use information from tagged steelhead bound for Idaho to examine how many are caught during the season, how they survive after being released, and provide more detail on their migrations.

The steelhead will be tagged at Lower Granite Dam as they migrate upstream toward Idaho, and the study will focus on the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater rivers, but also include Snake River tributaries in Washington and Oregon.

After being tagged, steelhead will continue their upstream migration into Idaho where they can be caught, released and reported by anglers. Those fish can later be detected and identified by internal tag stations in spawning tributaries.

External tags will be orange plastic tubing located near the dorsal fin. The external tag will be labeled with a unique number that identifies the fish, as well as information about how to report the tag to Idaho Fish and Game. Most fish that will be tagged will be wild fish, but some hatchery fish will also be tagged.

The internal tag will identify tagged fish that enter spawning tributaries, which will allow researchers to estimate how many caught-and-released wild steelhead survive to spawn.

“The study is dependent on anglers reporting where and when they catch tagged fish that are caught-and-released,” said William Lubenau, the University of Idaho graduate student spearheading the research program. “Each reported fish will be a valuable data point that furthers the understanding of the influence, or lack thereof, of catch-and-release angling on wild steelhead populations, which will be valuable information to better manage steelhead angling opportunities.”

Steelhead fishing in Idaho is important economically, culturally and recreationally. Steelhead seasons focus harvest on hatchery-origin fish, while at the same time, protecting wild fish.

STANLEY — Work can go forward on a trail crossing private land that connects the popular tourist destinations of Redfish Lake and Stanley, a judge has ruled.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale late last week rejected a request by the owners of Sawtooth Mountain Ranch to halt construction of the 4.4-mile trail for pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders and snowmobilers.

The U.S. Forest Service has a conservation easement deed dating to 2005 that allows a trail 30 feet wide to cross about 1.5 miles of private property.

Ranch owners David Boren and Lynn Arnone filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service in April seeking to halt work, contending the plan needs additional environmental reviews.

But Dale ruled the ranchers failed to show they were likely to succeed on the merits of their arguments. Specifically, Dale rejected a request to stop work while the lawsuit works through the court system. The U.S. Justice Department, which defends federal agencies in lawsuits, has until July 26 to respond to the initial complaint, according to court documents.

Boren is the founder and a board member of Clearwater Analytics, a financial management company headquartered in Boise. The secretary of state’s office lists him as the registered agent of Sawtooth Mountain Ranch.

Boren and Arnone, in a statement sent through their attorney, said they were disappointed and were reviewing Dale’s ruling.

“We remain of the view that the proposed trail raises unresolved concerns about public safety and sustainability,” the statement said. “We will continue to pursue a dialogue with the Forest Service in the hopes of improving the construction, maintenance and use of any Stanley to Redfish trail.”

Dave Coyner of Quality Asphalt Services has a contract to build the trail but hasn’t received the OK from federal officials yet following the court ruling.

“I’m waiting for the green light,” he said Monday.

He said the plan is to start on the north end of the trail near Stanley, a tiny mountain community heavily dependent on tourism. The northern end is where the easement is located through private land as well as some wetland areas that Boren and Arnone contend need additional environmental study.

Coyner said his company builds trails for the federal government around the country and is knowledgeable about working in wetland areas and has narrow equipment to work within the easement area.

He said the lawsuit has set the project back more than a month, so it’s likely it won’t be finished this year in the high-elevation area where winters come early.

The Forest Service for years has wanted to build the trail in the area that attracts thousands of tourists drawn to the rugged and scenic area that offers many outdoor recreation activities.

The trail is also part of a bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2015 creating three new wilderness areas in central Idaho.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho sought support for the wilderness areas for years among local residents, environmentalists and ranchers before finally finding the right mix.

The deal that emerged brought in more than $1.5 million for trail maintenance in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and includes money to build the new trail between Redfish Lake and Stanley.

Idaho Power, along with officials from both Idaho and Oregon, are urging boaters to clean, drain and dry their craft before moving from one water body to the next. According to a news release, this is the best way to prevent the spread of invasive mussels, which can damage the region’s economy and environment.

Tiny invasive mussels can travel from one lake to another by stowing away on boats and other watercraft. Idaho Power recently hosted an emergency drill organized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to coordinate a response if the tiny creatures were discovered in the Snake River.

Preventing non-native quagga and zebra mussels from making it into lakes and reservoirs in our region is a major focus for agriculture, cities, industry and Idaho Power, which operates 17 hydroelectric dams on the Snake River and its tributaries.

Mussels reproduce quickly and anchor themselves to any solid underwater surface. Unchecked, they choke pipes and damage equipment. They can also overwhelm ecosystems, harming native fish and plants. To prevent the spread of mussels, Idaho and Oregon have set up inspection stations where anyone hauling a watercraft — from an inflatable kayak to a 100-foot yacht — is required to stop and have their boat checked for hitchhiking mussels.

Learn more at invasivespecies.idaho.gov.

Privy, latrine, commode — there are many names for an outhouse.

These small, yet convenient outdoor restrooms have been answering desperate calls of nature for years at boating and fishing access areas across the state. But along the Salmon River between Challis and North Fork, seven of these plain-looking structures have been transformed into works of art.

Several local artists and high school art students have volunteered their talents to paint colorful murals inside and outside, transforming them into something the nearby communities can be proud of and visitors appreciate.

“The results are original works of art that receive far less abuse and require less maintenance over the long term,” said Caryll McConnell, an Idaho Fish and Game employee who spearheads the effort. “It’s been rewarding and fun, a win-win approach for everyone.”

McConnell, a self-described “hobby artist” who majored in art in college, also works seasonally for Fish and Game to maintain boating and fishing access sites in the Salmon-Challis area. She and others thought combining art with community involvement as a creative approach to reduce vandalism, maintain cleanliness and instill community pride in these sites.

“The idea is simple,” she said. “Utilize local people and their talents to promote a sense of pride and ownership in these facilities, and so far it’s been working nicely.”

According to McConnell, very minor vandalism has occurred at a few sites, but not nearly as much as in the past.

Kid’s Creek Pond in Salmon was the first roadside bathroom to receive an artistic makeover in 2012. This popular area is owned by the city of Salmon and co-managed by Idaho Fish and Game, which regularly stocks rainbow trout and excess hatchery steelhead and salmon for anglers. The area is also utilized by local educators as an outdoor classroom.

After receiving complaints that the restroom building was unsightly and just didn’t match such a nice area, McConnell pitched her community art idea to a friend, Meri Galvan, a Salmon High School art educator. It turned out both the art concept and location were perfect.

After practice painting native fish in the classroom, Galvan and 14 of her students painted an underwater mural on the interior and a colorful fishing scene on the exterior. The fish displayed reflect the personalities of the many artists in true collaboration.

Their work is also signed and personalized so everyone knows this was a community project and completely original.

“It was exciting to watch the artwork develop and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the creative process,” McConnell said.

Twenty miles south of Salmon on Highway 93, an eye-catching bull elk and wildflowers decorate the exterior walls of a small restroom at the Elk Bend boating access site, as vivid Sockeye and Chinook salmon, steelhead and sturgeon enhance the interior. Artists of the Lemhi Art Guild of Salmon transformed this once drab building into a bright, attractive bathroom in 2014.

“The artists literally put the elk in Elk Bend and salmon along the Salmon River,” McConnell said with a smile.

Artwork at the Colston access site, located 12 miles south of Elk Bend, was made possible by the Challis Arts Council. Three youth and four adult artists, under the guidance of artist Sahra Beauprè, designed and painted a colorful mural, depicting the surrounding Salmon River country. Six shaded campsites along the river and a natural boat ramp make this a very popular year-round destination.

Summer boaters, picnickers and steelhead anglers will enjoy a Salmon River sunrise over the nearby Bitterroot Mountains at the Carmen Bridge access site, located four miles north of Salmon. Six students from the Upper Carmen Charter High School captured this nearby scene in 2018, one week before commencement.

“This marked the last year the school was in operation, so it was a fitting tribute to a great little school,” McConnell said.

Bathrooms at the Lemhi Hole, Bobcat Gulch and Red Rock access sites have also been transformed by local artists Cheryl Detwiler-Mihalka, Lynn Federspiel-Young, Heidi Messner, Nancy Russell, as well as McConnell. Native fish and wildlife commonly observed in the area adorn the interior walls at each site.

“At Bobcat Gulch, we decided to exhibit creatures you really don’t want in camp,” said McConnell, referring to the skunk, mountain lion, rattlesnake, raccoons and black bear family. “But they’re actually quite beautiful to see, especially in paint.”

At Red Rock, one of the busiest access sites along the river, the artists used a creative method known as Zentangle to exhibit local river wildlife. This modern approach uses bright colors within shapes in repetitive patterns. A bighorn ram, osprey, otter, kingfisher, crane, heron and various native fish now provide visitors an appealing view rather than featureless interior walls.

“Creativity is contagious,” McConnell said. “And we’re working on it — one beautiful outhouse at a time.”

Funding to purchase and maintain Idaho’s 300-plus boating and fishing access sites managed by Fish and Game comes from the purchases of hunting and fishing licenses, tags and permits, along with an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment.

A single-page brochure with Highway 93 milepost location, artist’s names and photographs of each site is available at the Fish and Game office in Salmon. Another useful guide is the Salmon Region Access Guide, which highlights most sites from the Stanley Basin to Corn Creek, as well as sites along the Lemhi River. This guide is also available in print at the Salmon Fish and Game office.