Life Outdoors

05/14/2026

💙 THANK YOU, COMMUNITY 💙

Because of your support during Idaho Gives, Life Outdoors raised $10,176 from 42 donors to support watershed stewardship, youth leadership, restoration, and community science across the Payette and Boise watersheds.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who donated, shared our work, encouraged others, or stopped by to connect with us last week! Every contribution, large or small, helped move this work forward.

Now, we can dive into the real work.

This support will help us:
🌱 Launch expanded macroinvertebrate surveys
🧜‍♀️ Continue building the Mountain Mermaids and Youth Watershed Ambassadors programs
🚤 Get our Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) operations up and running for Eurasian watermilfoil management
💧 Expand hands-on watershed stewardship through River Voices and provide opportunities for youth and community members

Thank you for believing in this work.



📸1) Idaho Gives Final numbers and donors 2) Speed dating nonprofit event @ Glass House, McCall with Payette Land Trust, Payette Lakes Ski Club, and McCall Area Chamber 3) Star News wild art with Laura Bettis, Director of the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, and Brianna Bambic, co-lead Mountain Mermaids, Life Outdoors

05/08/2026

We're so excited for this next chapter. We almost reached our $10K match, feeling gratitude for everyone that chipped in! We're amazed by the turn out. Thank you!

Brianna Bambic was at the McCall Community Fair this evening wrapping up Idaho Gives.

Below is a pictures of the swag, including Animal Tales from the Heart of Idaho, crafted by Payette Land Trust (you can get your copy at Barn Owl Books Thank you PLT and Payette Lakes Ski Club for two great events this week! McCall Area Chamber

If you still feel called to give, donations are open until midnight!

05/07/2026

Let's go!

We have a 10K matching donation.

So that means all donations are doubled.

@ 6 pm today Idaho Gives is matching donations of $200+ up to $30,000

so that means

$200+ = $600+

Help us bring youth outdoor education and watershed management to the Boise and Payette!!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day 2026 everyone. It's been 56 years since that first Earth Day in 1970 which I actually attended. Our planet, its ecosystems and human societies are facing even greater challenges with 8.3 billion of us demanding more food, water and resources. We've literally reshaped the planet BUT when people work together they can drive massive positive change. I am proud that LifeOutdoors.org is part of that change. Being responsible Earth citizens means acting as stewards of the planet through conscious daily choices, recognizing our interconnectedness, and taking action to preserve the environment for future generations. It requires shifting from excess to sustainability and treating the Earth with respect and care. I will continue sharing positive stories of how we and others are making a difference and how you can participate.

Human societies didn’t just adapt to the planet—they learned to reshape it. From early fire use to today’s global supply chains, our cultural and social innovations have unlocked extraordinary power to transform Earth and improve human life. But that progress has come with serious costs, inclu...

04/22/2026

🌊 We're in. We’re officially part of Idaho Gives 2026. 🌿
We are Life Outdoors, a community rooted in water, science, and the next generation of stewards.

This year, we’re stepping forward with two powerful new initiatives:

✨ River Voices — a community initiative and short-form video competition to share stories of the Payette and Boise Rivers: their tributaries, people, history, hydrology, treasures, and challenges.

🧜‍♀️ Mountain Mermaids — advancing science-based nature management through community-based ecological restoration, with an initial focus on community-based management of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) in the Payette Watershed

Pictured is Ria Nichol, from McCall, ID, practicing her rendition of “Knock knock knock (that Milfoil down) on Heaven’s door” by Bob Dylan for a sold-out crowd at McCall’s Alpine Playhouse
Backed by Brianna Bambic, Lauren Christensen, and Nadina Zarkowski, spreading awareness and their dreams of a Payette Lake with managed EWM.

At the heart of it all is our mission: learn and restore our waters while building a generation that understands and values nature.

From tackling invasive EWMl to training youth leaders, we’re connecting people to place in a way that endures.

Join us for Idaho Gives (May 4–7) and be part of something fun. 💧 bit.ly/4tSZ3ek

03/01/2026

AI isn't all bad. It can help us understand the vast unknown world of species who inhabit our biosphere. It's not just life outdoors, it's life inside our bodies and the bodies of millions of other species.

Scientists estimate that 80 percent of life on Earth is still unknown to humanity. But as global temperatures rise, habitats shrink and food and water source...

02/14/2026

02/14/2026

Wisdom and environmental/social altruism is true wealth!

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard made Earth the sole shareholder of his company.

In a radical departure from traditional corporate ownership, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard transferred 100% of his $3 billion company to a trust and a non-profit dedicated to fighting climate change.

By restructuring the business, the Chouinard family relinquished their ownership to ensure that every dollar of profit not reinvested back into the company—approximately $100 million annually—goes directly to protecting undeveloped land and the environment.

This move effectively makes 'Earth' the company’s only shareholder, prioritizing global survival over private wealth accumulation.

The impact of this unprecedented model is already being felt globally, with the company contributing an additional $180 million to nature initiatives as of 2025. The dual structure utilizes the Patagonia Purpose Trust to maintain the brand’s core values and the Holdfast Collective to manage the flow of funds toward urgent environmental action. By choosing this path over selling the company or going public, Patagonia has established a new blueprint for purpose-driven business, proving that for-profit entities can serve as a powerful engine for ecological restoration.

source: Chouinard, Y. (2022). Patagonia's Next Chapter: Earth is Now Our Only Shareholder. Patagonia Works.

02/07/2026

Beavers created extensive waterways, natural water storage networks and species rich ecosystems.