New Addition Puts Fair On The Wild Side

Want to get up close and personal with a bald eagle? Now that the fairgrounds have added a new wildlife building, the North Idaho Fair is the place to do it.

The building and all its wildlife displays are courtesy of the Region One Idaho Wildlife Council, a group that unites 17 different sportsmen’s clubs and over 2,000 members.

Ed Lehman, chairman of the council, said the project was sparked by a similar exhibit at the Boundary County Fair.

“They have an eagle’s nest. I watched people marvel at its size - over 8 feet across - and I watched the kids climb in and out of it. I realized that Kootenai County had nothing in the way of a wildlife display,” he recalled.

The council felt the project would be important not only to foster an understanding and appreciation of wildlife, but also of sportsmen.

“People who just view animals don’t realize what sportsmen do for wildlife, both money-wise and volunteer-wise,” Lehman said.

He explained that in Idaho, no general tax funds support wildlife. All the funds for wildlife projects are generated by sportsmen.

“Idaho Fish and Game operates on revenue generated by things like hunting licenses, the federal tax on firearms, and the fishing tackle tax. Sportsmen pay the whole bill,” Lehman said.

Council members were enthusiastic about the educational potential of a wildlife exhibit. Approaching the fair board in March, they got a green light.

“Nobody believed we could get the building up by fair time,” Lehman said with a grin.

The completion of the 36-by-72-foot building was accomplished by a host of donors and volunteers. Around 80 people, mostly council members, donated time and labor. Fifteen Coeur d’Alene businesses donated more than $1,000 apiece.

“The businesses really stepped up with materials. They saw the need for it, too,” Lehman said.

In the wildlife building, you’ll find displays of all kinds of stuffed and mounted birds and animals, from turkeys to bear and deer. The council had hoped to have murals painted on the walls by the date of the fair, but time ran out. Those will be added in time for the fair next year. Temporary exhibits will be dismantled, and volunteers will set to work on permanent installations.

Lehman described the project as a real challenge, but a real “kick,” too.

We have a lot of animals to manage, and a lot of public land to do it on,” he said. “Now we’ll have an exhibit that reflects that.”

, DataTimes