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The Riverbend Awareness Project brings you a new conversation each month about important causes and issues in our community. Each episode features a conversation with a professional from our community about significant issues like heart health, Alzheimer’s, literacy, and more. Our goal is to share resources and information that will help you have a better understanding of the particular problems and solutions associated with each topic.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are solely those of the individuals participating and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Riverbend Media Group or the Riverbend Awareness Project, its affiliates, or its employees. It is important to note that the discussion presented is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified health care professionals for any medical concerns or decisions. The Riverbend Awareness Project is a product of Riverbend Media Group.
[Intro Music]
Emma: Welcome to the Riverbend Awareness Project, and happy National Great Outdoors Month! Today, we have Heather Eastman, executive director of Idaho Business for the Outdoors with us. Heather, thank you so much for joining us today.
Heather: Of course. Thank you for having me.
Emma: Why do you love the outdoors?
Oh, gosh. I mean, I'm a child of the eighties and the nineties, and this is back before we were babysat by screens. And the way you'd entertain yourself in the summer is you'd go outside and play. And I was lucky enough to be raised on a property that we had fruit trees and we even had a cave that we could go exploring. And so being outdoors and being in nature was just a really easy way for an active, curious kid like me to entertain yourself growing up.
And then as an adult, especially when you're that poor starving college student and you don't have a lot of money for entertainment, but you can always go outside, ride your bike, go for a run, go for a hike. It's just a place that we all have access to and can really be a place that you can just be yourself.
Melissa: I love that. Yes. I agree with it's affordable or it can be. You can make it affordable. It's there for everybody.
Emma: I feel bad. I forgot to mention we also have Tyson here today welcoming him to the Riverbend Awareness Project.
Melissa: Tyson will be taking over for Emma.
Heather: I don't even know Emma, and I'm sad that she's going. I just met Emma today.
Emma: Well, thank you. Me too. It's gonna be sad, but it's gonna be an adventure.
Melissa: A little bit of background. What is Idaho Business for the Outdoors?
Heather: So we are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, and we are exactly what our name sounds like. We're a coalition of Idaho businesses who want to preserve and protect our outdoors and public lands. And we like to say that we represent the business voice for Idaho's outdoors.
And that's where we differ from a lot of conservation groups and a lot of environmental groups is we're very much approaching that preservation from a business angle and and talking about the economics of the outdoors and how it benefits state like Idaho.
Melissa: What's the connection between business and the outdoors? Because that's not, like, an immediate connection that I would make.
Heather: So You are not the first one. And we're actually part of a larger organization called the State Outdoor Business Alliance Network or SOBAN.
And every state has kind of a different composition. So there are some states where the businesses that are part of that organization are very much focused on the outdoors. You've got outdoor gear companies, rafting, fishing, hiking, hunting, things like that. Here in Idaho, the way we've structured our organization is, we talk about the fact that Idaho is 63% public land. And yet we have these larger corporations like Meta, Micron, who are coming here and building centers here in Idaho and can attract talent to come to Idaho and work in Idaho, not because we are a metropolis like you'd find on the East Coast in New York or on the West Coast, but because we have access to the outdoors.
And if you look at a lot of the recruitment strategies of some of these bigger companies, they talk about that access to the outdoors. And I think there's even a famous quote, I'm gonna forget which governor and they're gonna butcher me in the comments on this, but they talked about how access to the outdoors is the second paycheck for Idahoans. It's what makes this place such a great place to live and to work. And if we were to lose that, if we were to lose that easy access, you're ten minutes away from a river, from a lake, from a hiking trail, from a mountain, then all of a sudden we're losing a real competitive edge that the business community here in Idaho has to recruit this talent from all over the nation, if not all over the world.
Emma: I never thought about it that way, but that is very true. So what are some of the goals of the Idaho business for the outdoors?
Heather: Our main goal is to just preserve what we already have. Right? So it's hard to measure progress because we're not necessarily trying to claw back more land, we're trying to keep the land and keep the access that we already have. So we're kind of fighting this unseen battle behind the scenes that a lot of folks don't realize.
And that is that, you know, there's always organizations, there's always groups, special interests who wanna sell our public lands and once you sell land, it's private, it's no longer belongs to all of us and I should probably back up a little bit and talk a little bit about what public land is. So in the Western United States, there's these huge, just millions and millions of acres of public land. And a lot of people think, oh, it's just monuments or national parks or state parks. Well, that's true. Those, those are included in public land, but public land is land that literally belongs to every single one of us, not just Idahoans, but every single American.
And it's one of our greatest legacies, unlike anything that historically we've ever seen in other countries. And because we have all this untouched land, some groups can see that as a resource to be used for extraction, for development, for what have you. But again, as soon as you sell that land, now it doesn't belong to all of us. It belongs to one specific entity or one private person, and the chances of getting that land back are slim to none. It's not impossible, but we're fighting this kind of unseen fight to make sure that that land stays in public hands and stays open and accessible to every single citizen, every visitor, anyone who wants to use it.
Melissa: I love that, the idea of it's like the second paycheck, that being so accessible. What are some of the benefits of getting outdoors and having that second paycheck?
Heather: Goodness. We actually did a, a learn over lunch discussion. So one of the things that we do is we try to educate people.
That's kinda what this this talk is, is just being able to reach out to more folks and let them know how valuable this public land is and maybe how valuable it is in a way that they never thought of before. But there have been so many studies that show just the the wellness and mental health benefits of living near outdoor spaces, having access to outdoor spaces, even in an urban setting, having access to a park that you can walk to easily, that your kids can go play at. It just it leads to tremendous benefits, not just to physical and mental health, but they're showing there's economic benefits to that as well. You know, if you imagine that you're, you're happier and you feel healthier living in an environment that you're, you're going to be more productive, you're going to enjoy your life more. You're going to enjoy your work more.
You're, you're growing and, and evolving because to having to having so much land and and so many places that we can go out and play and explore in. And it it really is the freedom. And I think that that kind of Western state, frontier sort of sensibility that this is open land that is ours. And you just you you feel it. You feel more free living in a state like Idaho because you have so much open space around you.
Emma: Are there any specific benefits for the community as a whole rather than just on an individual level?
Heahter: Yes. And they've done economic benefits. You can go to, every year, the Bureau of Economic Analysis will do measurements of the economic impact of access to outdoor recreation, access to parks, you know, rivers, lakes, trees, hiking trails. And they have shown that communities that have these outdoor assets within the community tend to do better.
They they tend to be more prosperous. Like I said, it's more than just the health and wellness side of things. It's the economic side of things. It's a great way to build community ties. You know, you have this this park near you or this the state park, this national park, this monument, and there's a sense of community and camaraderie and it strengthens not just social bonds, but it strengthens economies in these areas as well.
You mentioned tourism and a lot of folks think that, oh, we must, we must just be concerned with businesses that are focused on tourism and visitation and outdoor recreation. No. It's it's a rising tide lifts all ships, and that includes the communities, that includes the individuals who live in those communities, and that includes the businesses who serve those communities.
Melissa: That made me think of, we have a in the summer and the fall, there's a local Idaho Falls Farmers Market, and it's right by the Green Belt, is what they call it. And it's the river, and then they have, like, grass and trees and some topiaries.
I'm gonna call them wrong. Just like a natural space around that you can walk the whole thing, but that's where, like, the Farmer's Market is. There's the duck race. There's a bunch of different things throughout the year around that space because it's a nice it's not the great out it is outdoors, but it's it's not like your typical what you would think, but it is a green natural space that you can go and enjoy and people run and bike. Like, it gets so much use and enjoyment in this community.
Heahter: And that's I'm glad you brought that up. That's a, another interesting topic when you talk about, tourism and visitation is you'll sometimes encounter folks who they don't wanna tell you about these these secret gems, these hidden trails, these special spots that they go to. And that can be a tricky topic as well because, you know, the more that folks know about these spaces and visit them and appreciate them, the more people are taking care of these spaces. So I always kinda try to counter that argument of, you know, we we don't want people overusing our our outdoor assets, but at the same time, we don't want them under using them to the point where they become forgotten. And that's something that can happen here in the state of Idaho too.
We've got thousands of miles of trails that don't have the funding to be maintained. They're they're all walking trails. They're non motorized trails. And if we don't get folks, you know, understanding that these trails are out there and and really caring about them and helping find sources of funding to help maintain these trails, they can get overgrown and they can disappear and get closed because there's no one taking care of them. So our organization, you know, because we're nonpartisan, because we're we're so focused on staying right in the center thing, it can be a tricky balance because we're trying to make everybody happy.
But at the same time, at the end of the day, we wanna serve these outdoor spaces and and make sure that we can preserve them for not just our current generation, but for future generations.
Emma: Do you have any favorite areas to visit in East Idaho?
Heather: I have not ventured over to East Idaho as much as I would like to. It's it's usually, you know, I'm driving through on the way to to Pocatello or or driving down to driving over to Montana. I've driven across the country a couple of times. I'm I'm crazy like that, but, no, but here in the, in the Treasure Valley, obviously we have the foot foothills right there. Bogus Basin, you know, used to be a big snow border. And what I love about Idaho is you're really about thirty or forty minutes away from just about any landscape that you could possibly want to visit and explore and play, with the exception of ocean. We don't have ocean.
Melissa: You can't have everything.
Heather: You can't have everything.
Emma: No. But you get lakes and rivers, and that still water features. So That's true.
Melisa: There's fish.
Heather: Oh, there's plenty of water. We have we have lots of water, but we don't have any ocean.
Melissa: I'm gonna jump in. Tyson, do you have any favorite spots?
Because I feel...free to jump in anytime if you have the question that comes in your brain.
Tyson: Yeah. Absolutely. So I love to fish. That's probably my favorite way to recreate in the outdoors. So if I were to either recommend or just say some some great spots around Southeast Idaho, for sure, the McTucker Ponds near Pingree is a great area to bring, like, your kids, perhaps even, like, your dog too if it's a nice dog. And then if you're more inclined to fly fishing, which is what I like, a place called Birch Creek is a great place for beginners, children, or even adults, or whoever wants to learn. I would check Birch Creek out, and that's over by Arco.
Heather: I'll have to check it out.
Emma: Do you have any favorite... you mentioned you like snowboarding. Do you have any other favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors, Heather?
Tyson: Oh my goodness. I, so I used to be big into water skiing and wakeboarding. I'm also, I'm 41 years old, so I'm slowing down a little bit. And, when I was young and, and would go out and play, I was always getting in accidents and hurting myself and, you know, tearing my shoulder.
And so I finally just had to slow down. But ultimately I, you know, I, I came up in high school, I was a cross country runner, I ran track and you know, running on a treadmill is probably the most boring thing in the world. So I've always been a get out and find a trail, find a six mile loop or an eight mile loop and and run that. So, usually, it's it's running or hiking or just being out in nature.
Melissa: I agree with the treadmill sentiment. It's definitely more enjoyable when you have something different to look at and fresh air and doesn't smell like rubber. You know? It's just way better. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Heather: I used to be crazy, and I'd wake up early and go go for runs in the foothills and go running up mountains. And and, now it's much more on the on the Green Belt where it's a lot flatter. You kinda know your know your pacing and you're not having to run the bill.
Emma: That's nice because there's something for everybody, whatever whatever level you're at.
Heather: Mhmm, Mhmm. And, for the last five years, I've had horses. And so anywhere that I can go and bring the horses and find a horse trail, that's fun too because then they're doing the walking. But I still get to be out in nature.
Melissa: Makes those harder hikes a little easier, probably.
Heather: Much easier. Except now you got a thousand pound animal that you gotta worry about. To take care of.
Melissa Yeah. You talked about the importance of protecting our public lands and making sure that they're there for us to enjoy in the next generation. How can we take care of them and make sure they're around and in good shape?
Heather: That's a really great question. And so there's a lot of groups like mine and we arrange across political spectrums and really it's supporting the groups that are doing some of the work behind the scenes that I mentioned. But more than anything, just being aware of how valuable these lands are and letting our leaders at the community level, you know, all the way up to the state and even the federal level, letting them know that we care about these lands and we benefit from having them right here in our backyard. And if the public in general were to stop caring, that would make it easier for these lands to disappear.
So at the end of the day, just learning more about public lands, learning what you have and making it known to your leaders in the community that, hey, these are important to us and we wanna take care of them. And then, like I mentioned, finding groups that maybe they're out there doing trail clearing or they're doing a green belt cleanup. There's always groups that are looking for volunteers to help them plant native seedlings, native trees. So there's ways to directly take care of these outdoor space lands, and then there's ways to indirectly by supporting these groups and the the advocacy work that they do to make sure that these lands really never go up on the for sale block.
Melissa: Makes me think too. Sorry. This is getting personal. Not in a bad way, though. My parents both worked in forestry, and that's what my mom started off on, working on trails and maintaining them. And they'd, like, go out for a week. They'd camp out and they'd take care of trails. And so I've heard some stories growing up, like, packing all the mules and meeting bears and all the fun, you know, kinda wild stories, but she also, like, she loved it. She loved being out there and taking care of them. Like, it was her job, so it wasn't necessarily volunteering. But knowing that she got to have that experience, super cool. And so the idea of, like, I could volunteer maybe somewhere, find a place to do what she did, not on the same scale, but a little part of that, that's pretty exciting.
Heather: Yeah. And it's it's really incredible. So we do, we do a lot of volunteer activities with our business members. We encourage them to get their employees out and we try to pick a dedicated day when, you know, they might cut out of work a little bit early or start work a little bit late because they spent a couple hours picking up trash on the Green Belt or, the last couple of years we did the rewild project down along the Boise River where we planted native seedlings and then we had to take care of them for a couple of years and water them during the hot summer months.
And getting out and really taking care of the land is such a great way to, if you're not already connected to it, reconnect with the outdoors, reconnect with these spots, really just slow down, get away from screens, get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and take care of something that hopefully will always be here, but that kinda needs us to make sure that we take care of it and keep it that way.
Emma: That's awesome that there are so many volunteer opportunities. I was thinking, as we're talking about this, I love going outside. But, sadly, I don't get to do it that often because I don't know, having a job. It's hard sometimes. It feels like I have to really plan ahead and find a way to get out and enjoy the outdoors more. So do you have any tips for how people can incorporate getting outside more into their lives, especially when they have a really busy schedule?
Heather: Yes. And so a little a little personal and peek peek behind the curtain background. We're a smaller organization. I'm the only person on staff currently, and that means that I have to wear every single hat. I'm constantly doing 10 different things every day and it can feel overwhelming and busy. And every single time I start to feel overwhelmed just stepping outside, getting in sunlight. It's, it's become a little bit rote and cliche to say, like, go touch grass when you're just a little too much, but it's true. You know, just getting outside even if it's for five minutes, I worked at this great company a few years ago that they would call them building walks and it was just, hey, everybody, we're just gonna go walk around the building.
And we've, we have this, this thing in our culture. We, we believe we have to be productive for every minute of every day, but a five minute walk just outside around the building, even if you're not in a park, even if you're not in nature, you're just getting out, getting in the fresh air, getting in the sunlight. Studies have shown it can affect your mood. It can it can boost your happiness chemicals. It can it can really make a huge difference and not just how you feel, but, you know, it's I'm talking to the employers now too, to your productivity.
So if you've got employees that tend to start to kinda, you know, you know, their energy winds down in the afternoon, encourage them to get out and go for a walk, especially, you know, if they're more social, grab a buddy and say, hey. Let's go walk around the building. It's such a tremendous boost to how you feel and how productive you can be when you get back to get back into your seat. Again, even if it's just for five minutes.
[Outro Music]
Melissa: Thanks for listening. Tune in for part two and learn about getting involved in preserving and enjoying our great outdoors.