Dear Reader,
This summer, I woke my family up at 3 a.m. to begin the drive from our cabin in Island Park to Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley, hoping to arrive around sunrise. Sometimes referred to as America's Serengeti, the valley is where you’re most likely to see the best wildlife–the largest amount, biggest, and most rare. It didn’t disappoint. We saw a moose, bear, elk, bald eagle, and more. My favorite were the bison, which stretched in every direction, their guttural musings reverberating through the car, ragged coats adorned with tumbleweeds and calves by their sides. My own children, suddenly awake, stared out the window in awe. The bison, especially when viewed collectively, seemed to be in a state of constant movement. Though they seemed leisurely and at peace, bison can be unpredictable and fast, reactionary and impulsive. But they’re smart too. In a storm, they’ll turn into snow instead of drifting with the wind because it gets them out sooner. Instinctually, they use their massive heads to plow through the other side. In this issue, we’ve got stories of the same type of resolve and intuition. I had the pleasure of writing about Dance for Parkinson’s Idaho, which offers movement classes for folks with Parkinson’s and those who support them. They’re an excellent group of people doing big, important work, and they’re joined on our pages by Family Advocates, a Boise organization focused on ending child abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Look for a feature on Faces of Hope too, which provides crisis intervention resources for anyone experiencing interpersonal violence, including an interview with activist Drea Kelly, a domestic abuse survivor who will be speaking at the 2024 Faces of Courage benefit luncheon on April 9. We have stories of students preparing to fly high with the new Idaho LAUNCH initiative, which provides grants for Idaho students seeking continuing career education at a variety of places, including some of the schools featured in an article about innovation happening statewide. And if you’re interested in things that literally fly high, read an article on backcountry helicopter flights for business or pleasure, or explore the slopes of Sun Valley with a story on Olympian (and stuntman!) Alf Engen. The bison, once on the brink of extinction, cannot shy away from their history, so neither can we. IdaHome offers a story on Ernest Hemingway’s Basque odyssey and a scholarly exploration of the importance of constitutional conversations in maintaining the integrity of the republic. Finally, see how one woman is making old parking meters new, and giving to charity in the process. My children remind me that we’re coming up on Valentine’s Day. Despite global conflict of all varieties, there is still a lot of love to be had. As we begin the new year, I want to honor the bison. May we turn toward the storm. I’ll see you in the spring.
XO,
Heather Hamilton-Post Editor in Chief www.idahomemagazine.com
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