Foothills Habitat Restoration
Post-Fire Stewardship at the Boise River Wildlife Management Area
By Danae Fails, Golden Eagle Audubon Stewardship Coordinator
As the Boise foothills don their spring green, it’s easy to overlook the scars left by last fall’s Valley Fire which consumed nearly 10,000 acres of vital bird and wildlife habitat. The vibrant growth we now witness is largely due to the soil seed bank—dormant seeds lying in wait for the right conditions to sprout. Unfortunately, among the first to emerge is cheatgrass, a non-native invasive species that thrives post-fire and poses a significant threat to native ecosystems.
Boise River WMA Ecological Oasis
The Boise River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) stretches across roughly 41,500 acres in the foothills east of Boise and serves as critical winter range for Idaho’s largest mule deer herd. Its diverse landscape—dominated by sagebrush-steppe and riparian corridors—offers year-round habitat for a variety of birds, mammals, and pollinators. More than 300 wildlife species live here.
In October 2024, the Valley Fire scorched almost 10,000 acres within the WMA, destroying sagebrush, bitterbrush, and riparian vegetation. These plant communities are essential for nesting birds, especially ground nesters, and for providing food and shelter to wintering deer and elk. Sagebrush doesn’t resprout after fire—it must regenerate from seed, a process that takes decades. Meanwhile, invasive species like cheatgrass seize the opportunity to dominate the landscape, perpetuating a dangerous fire cycle.
Charred branches and ash-covered hillsides dominate the landscape and provide little benefit to birds and wildlife. This little stream (right) and others like it are now the focus of Golden Eagle Audubon’s work to assist Mother Nature in healing.
Even Mother Nature Needs Help Sometimes
To kickstart recovery of healthy habitat, Golden Eagle Audubon has adopted a 10-acre portion of the burned area near the Highland Valley and Cobb Trails. Supported by Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG), we have launched a multi-stage restoration effort
Aerial and Hand Seeding: In January, IDFG dropped sagebrush seed by plane to cover large swaths of the burn area. Golden Eagle Audubon volunteers began hand seeding with a native seed mix in March to supplement those efforts. Cynthia Wallesz (left) spreads native seed along burned hillsides.
Community Planting Events: Golden Eagle Audubon teamed up with teens from the National League of Young Men to plant nearly 1,000 native seedlings near the Cobb Trail early this spring (right). Join us in fall 2025 to plant thousands more sagebrush and other natives!
Riparian Restoration: Willows and other riparian species will be planted in the fall to stabilize creek banks and support riparian wildlife.
Invasive Species Control: Volunteers will hand pull species like white top and rush skeletonweed to give native plants a fighting chance.
You Can Help Now
As temperatures rise, watering young plants becomes critical—and Golden Eagle Audubon is seeking volunteers to help. Even drought-tolerant native seedlings need supplemental water during their first season. Without it, much of this hard work—and the plants themselves—could be lost. Our experience at our Boise River ReWild project demonstrated how important watering is. (left)
We invite you to join our watering crews this spring and summer. This is a hands-on opportunity to help the foothills bounce back and to ensure that restoration efforts take root—literally.
To sign up or learn more about volunteer watering shifts HERE.
Looking Ahead
Recovery won’t happen overnight. It could take a decade or more for the WMA to regain the habitat quality it once had. But the work being done today—from native plantings to invasive species control—is laying a foundation for long-term improvement.
The involvement of groups like Golden Eagle Audubon and hundreds of local volunteers underscores what’s possible when a community comes together for conservation. Every seed planted, every bucket of water poured, brings the Boise foothills one step closer to healing.
Western Meadowlarks breed in the Boise foothills. Photo by Alec Andrus.