By Greg Kaltenecker
So what is a “signature” appetizer, you ask? I’ll get to that later. At IBO we are blessed to work with and know so many great IBO supporters, students, friends, colleagues, and the list goes on and on. We could not do the work that we do without you!
I became emotional at the IBO’s 30th Anniversary event to see so many of the “old” faces from the past: people who have been with us over most of the 30 years!
But I was also shocked at seeing so many people that I didn’t recognize. People who have just discovered IBO, or folks that I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. Janell Carr was one of those hidden gems. She had been to Lucky Peak on an owl banding trip a few years back, but had always wanted to see what goes on at the hawk banding station. Janell was lucky enough to be the winning bidder on the raptor banding trip to Lucky Peak, and invited her sister, Lori Taylor (also a gem!). The trip was hosted by Yours Truly, of course!
We settled on a date and I met the two ladies at Lucky Peak around noon. We headed to the raptor banding station with help from IBO crew member Christine Waas, or just Waas for short.
After a few minutes at the lines, raptors started diving into the station, and we soon had several birds in the blind at the same time!
Janell and Lori were very pleased to see Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, and American Kestrels, but what got everyone’s attention was the hatch-year Red-tailed Hawk. The day couldn’t have been more perfect: sunny skies, light west winds, perfect temperatures, and that late September sunlight. Why does it look so different in late September and early October? Whatever the reason, those are my two favorite weeks of the entire year!
Back at camp by 5:00 pm I was hard at work preparing for dinner, leaving Janell, Lori, and Waas at the station.
In another life I should have been a camp chef, and maybe there’s still enough time left in this one!
Signature? What has become my “signature” Lucky Peak dinner is elk sliders on mini Hawaiian buns with bacon, avocado, and crisp lettuce. Oooh, I can smell them searing on the hot iron as I write this. But even better, in my opinion, is what comes first-usually by the time dinner rolls around, anything would taste good.
Starting off with an appetizer consisting of crackers, cream cheese, smoked kokanee salmon, sweet Thai chili sauce, and a pinch of paprika…now we’re getting started in style! A plate of these was taken and shared with the Lucky crew in the large wall tent.
Signature cocktail? The Idaho Mule: a slice of orange peel, good bourbon, and spicy ginger beer over ice.
I claim to have invented the drink, but if this is not true, I’ve certainly claimed it as my own! A few crew members started trickling over to our camp…with empty glasses. Did I tell you about the potatoes au gratin, done in the dutch oven with exactly 15 charcoal briquettes on the bottom and 15 on top? When you start to smell them and can see it bubbling from under the lid, it’s almost done! When the bacon was cooking, most of the rest of the Lucky crew came over with plates and glasses in hand. It was a regular party complete with great stories and enough mutual admiration to go around for everyone. The only downside, as I recall, is that we all had to share the organic dark chocolate bars during a stiff wind that came up as the sun went down.
A few net runs into the night and we had two Northern Saw-whet Owls in hand. But the wind kept increasing so I think most of the visitor crew went to bed, waking up to a beautiful morning and ready to do it all over again.
Janell and Lori were absolutely a treat to be around! Their appreciation for the days spent afield, the weather, the site, the birds, the food, and even the company, made the experience great for this old guy who’s spent over 30 years at Lucky Peak. It always is energizing to be around those who are experiencing it for the first time. Thank you, Janell and Lori, for your support of the IBO, and I hope we can do it again some day!
Here’s what Lori says about the trip:
“How do I begin to describe what an incredible adventure my sister and I had at IBO’s Lucky Peak station this past fall? It was probably one of our greatest adventures, which is saying a lot as we are both in our 60’s and have had many adventures.
We participated in raptor banding (which was lost in the fire-such a tragedy) and were so thrilled to be a part. We cannot sing enough praises about the staff – especially Greg and Waas – for teaching us about raptors! And they showed such care and respect for each bird that was banded and released.
Then there was the songbird banding-again with incredibly knowledgeable staff who were such great teachers.
At night owl banding-again so fascinating and educational. The staff gave us so much information about owls!
As if those events weren’t enough, we also had gourmet meals and signature cocktails prepared by none other than Greg. More than we ever dreamed of!
We will hold fond memories of our time together in our hearts forever! We continue to grieve for the loss of the bird habitat, personal gear of the staff and the banding station. I hope that donations will continue to come in to support this invaluable project.”
If you’d like to take a similar IBO trip with “Chef Greg”, email us to let us know IBO@boisestate.edu
This article is part of our 2024 end of the year newsletter! View the full newsletter here, or click “older posts” below to read the next article.
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