My talk to Ignite the Change on Earth Day 2015, sponsored by the Tree club at Timberline High School in Boise, Idaho.

1. BOISE -
THE
BEST BASE CAMP
IN AMERICA

2. I FEEL LUCKY TO LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS
 I was born and raised in Minnesota.
 The Allure of Skiing in the Mountains
is what brought me to the Rocky
Mountain West
 I got a journalism degree from the
University of Montana
 I landed a job as an environmental
reporter and I wanted to Save the
World

3. MAXIMIZE ON YOUR FREE TIME
 I had a HUGE passion for
everything outdoors. I still do!
 On any free day, I wanted to go
biking, kayaking, rafting,
backpacking, camping, you name
it!
 I’d mark the calendar to keep
track of how many days I skied,
went rafting, camping,
backpacking, etc.
 And brag to my friends about it!
Entice them to go with me!

4. IN IDAHO, WE ARE
BLESSED”
FROM PARKS, TO GREENBELTS TO
WHITEWATER RIVERS,
MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS – WE
HAVE IT ALL!

5. SPRING IS A TIME WHEN WE FLOCK TO OUR LOCAL PARKS
 Local parks are a treasure in our
communities – Boise has 110 parks!
 A place for rest and relaxation close
to home
 Pools and playgrounds for kids
 Ball fields for soccer, la crosse,
baseball and softball
 Open space for dogs and frisbee golf

6. BOISE RIVER GREENBELT 22-MILE PATH TIES PARKS TOGETHER

7. BOISE FOOTHILLS – A HUGE PLAYGROUND
 The Boise Foothills are a
vast open space reserve
… From the top of Bogus
Basin to the Boise River.
 It’s called the Ridge to
Rivers Trail System
 135+ miles of hiking,
running and biking trails.
Easy access!
 Start with lower loops
and work up to big loops

8. EAGLE FOOTHILLS
 The City of Eagle and mountain
bike volunteers have been
instrumental in building the
Eagle Bike Park.
 The Bike Park has a number of
gap jumps for riders who like to
catch BIG AIR, a dual slalom
course and a pump track for
kids.
 It’s a great place for kids to
build their mountain biking
skills close to Home.
 Lots of singletrack trails too …

9. WHITEWATER BOATING IN SW IDAHO – LEGENDARY!
 The Payette River – North
Fork, South Fork, Main Fork
and Middle Fork – Great
learning river …
 Boise River for the masses
 It’s a thrill to run big rapids
and survive! Surf the holes!
 You become an adrenaline
junkie!

10. WHITEWATER BOATING OR SURFING IN BOISE
 Boise River Park
 Best for kayaking and
surfing
 Wave-shaping technology
makes the play wave fun
at different water levels
 Allows boaters to play
and build skills close to
home

11. WILDERNESS WHITEWATER VACATIONS - WORLD CLASS
 Middle Fork Salmon River
 Salmon River
 Selway River
 Hells Canyon
 Dream vacation for
families and friends
 My kids can’t even
remember all the Salmon
River trips they’ve done
…

12. HIKING AND BACKPACKING – WORLD CLASS
 Sawtooths and
White Clouds near
Stanley
 Payette National
Forest – McCall
 Hundreds of high-
mountain lakes for
camping and fishing
 Awesome scenery

13. WINTER ACTIVITIES
 Bogus Basin – Solid local hill
 Brundage Mountain and
Tamarack in Valley County
 World-famous Sun Valley
 Tubing hills
 Parks and Pipes

14. WINTER ACTIVITIES
 Idaho City Park n’ Ski
Areas & Yurts
 1.5 hours from Boise
 50+ miles of xc ski and
snowshoe trails
 6 backcountry yurts
available for rent
 Reasonably priced
 Accessible for all abilities

15. BOISE ROCKS!
 It’s no wonder Outside magazine
named Boise its No. 1 "Dream
Town"
 We’re consistently in the top 10
of Forbes lists as a GREAT place
to work, live and play
 But someone has to show people
how to tap into all of these
wonderful resources …

16. MY OUTDOOR BOOKS AND MAPS SHOW PEOPLE WHERE TO
GO AND HOW TO GET THERE …
•First guidebook published in 1992
•Many editions published since …
•Tens of thousands of people have bought my books over the years …

17. CONSERVATION – GIVING BACK
 As an outdoor leader, I felt some
responsibility to give back …
 Founding president of SWIMBA
in 1992.
 We worked on trail maintenance
and building new trails in the
foothills and beyond …
 Worked on trail etiquette …
 In partnership with REI, we got
hundreds of people involved …

18. CONSERVATION – GIVING BACK
 My proudest achievement: $10M open
space levy to buy more land in the
foothills, protect wildlife habitat and
create more trails.
 We kicked butt – Big grass-roots
campaign … Door-to-door, I gave a
million speeches to groups, engaged
school kids …
 Since then, 11,000 acres of land have
been protected; $12 million positive
economic impact for the city of Boise

19. OBESITY AND VIDEO GAMES
 Locally, there are still many people in
Boise who don’t get outside very
often, if ever …
 One in three children or 30% in Idaho
are overweight or obese.
 Our kids are spending too much time
in front of the TV or the computer,
playing video games or using
electronics …
 We need to get our kids OUTSIDE and
let them be KIDS!

20. SPENDING TIME OUTSIDE IS GOOD FOR YOU
 It’s uplifting – it’s inspiring – it’s fun!
 What if you carved out time to play
outdoors every week? Benefits?
 Vitamin D from sunshine
 Strenthens your heart
 Tones your muscles
 Burns calories
 Improves focus
 Refreshes the soul
 Wonderful feeling of freedom

21. NATURE’S GIFT
 So, in my opinion, We have the
best base camp in America! It’s
all easy to access! No excuses!
 It’s a GIFT from NATURE that
we all can enjoy …
 Take your kids!
 Introduce your friends to your
favorite places!
 And remember to GIVE BACK!