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Posted on November 4, 2009 - by mckenzie

Blackhawk Welcomes the Sportsmen's Foundation

Blackhawk welcomed members of the Sportsmen Foundation during their 6th annual Sportsmen-Legislator Summit held in McCall, Idaho.

The Sportsmen Foundation’s , headquartered in Washington, DC , sole focus is providing access and a voice for sportsmen in the U.S. Congress, the Administration and federal land management agencies, as well as state legislatures across the country. With support from every major hunting and fishing organization and industry, the Foundation is the leader in promoting sportsmen’s issues with elected officials.

During their day at Blackhawk, Foundation members from across the country gathered to test their fly fishing skills along the Payette River. Casting lessons were provided for those new to the sport (with most hooking their first fish!). For those who wanted a scenic tour of the area, a trail ride through the Blackhawk Meadow provided the perfect afternoon activity.

Blackahwk wants to thank everyone who made it to McCall for this year’s conference – we hope to see you back soon!

Posted on November 4, 2009 - by mckenzie

Tricks and Treats

Halloween was a ghoulish good time at the Blackhawk sales office with many a scary costume, bubbling witches brew and bobbing for apples. The hands-down hit of the evening was the pumpkin bowling lane where kids of all ages tested their bowling skills to win candy and prizes. Thank you to everyone who attended…you truly made our Blackhawk Tricks and Treats party a blast!

Posted on September 22, 2009 - by mckenzie

Star Gazing BBQ

Despite a brief rain shower, the final Blackhawk Star Gazing BBQ of the summer when off without a hitch! Burgers, dogs and some of the best baked beans around were served up to homeowners and friends. And like at any great Blackhawk event, the party culminated around the campfire where stories, jokes and the fantastic cuisine were consumed by all.

While this may have been the final event of our summer schedule, keep your ear to the ground for the release of our Winter Event Schedule!

Posted on September 19, 2009 - by mckenzie

Blackhawk to be featured in NewWest.net conference Oct 11th

On October 12th and 13th, NewWest.Net will present its 4th annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference. As the premiere business event in the region, Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies will feature a rich mix of presentations, discussions and networking opportunities, all designed to advance our understanding of the economic forces shaping our region and provide practical advice on how to navigate the changing market.

As part of this unique gathering of prominent developers, financiers, government officials, real estate agents, architects, attorneys, journalists and non-profit leaders from around the region, Blackhawk on the River will be hosting a pre-conference tour for conference-goers. This special one-day tour will feature Brundage Mountain Resort and Blackhawk on the River in educating industry leaders about the conservation efforts by McCall’s developers. Below is an overview of the event:

Idaho’s Open Space and Conservation Development
The Northern Rockies are known for incredible landscapes, and honoring this through ecologically sensitive conservation development is one of the most important trends to emerge over the last decade. Blackhawk on the River, near McCall, Idaho, is one project that shows how this can be done. Join this 2-day tour for a chance to experience first-hand this conservation-based development, walk the property, and discuss over an evening campfire and dinner with the local conservationists about how it all fits together. A tour of a new conservation development project at the nearby Brundage Mountain ski resort is also included. This tour includes meals, deluxe accommodations at Blackhawk, and optional transport to/from Missoula. Departs at 8am on Sunday Oct. 11th, returns at 4pm on Monday, Oct. 12th.

If you would like more information about attending this pre-conference event and/or attending the NewWest.net Conference in October, please click here for the NewWest website or go directly to the conference schedule page to read about this special tour in McCall!

Posted on September 19, 2009 - by mckenzie

Noxious Weeds Part III: Canada Thistle

Canada thistle is found in the northern U.S. and southern Canada. Canada thistle is present is every county in Idaho. It is one of Idaho’s most widespread and damaging noxious weeds.

Canada thistle is a perennialPlant that lives for more than 2 growing seasons plant up to 5 feet tall. Leaves are wavy marginedmargin: edge of the leaf to lobedA cut into a leaf from the edge toward the center; greater than toothed, but not quite compound, up to 6 inches long, and armed with yellowish spines. Stems are single, branched near the top, ridged, and hollow. Flower headsA group of flowers borne tightly together are borne in midsummer, ½ inch in diameter, and are not particularly spiny. Flowers are purple to lavender, occasionally white, with male and female flowers borne on separate plants. Seeds are slender, tan, 1/8 inch long, and bear fine plumesA hairlike or featherlike structure, often on a seed.t brown comblike marginThe edge of the leaf. The upper part of each bract narrows into a short, stiff spine. Seeds are brown to gray in color and are tipped by plumesA hairlike or featherlike structure, often on a seed that fall off at maturity.

Natural communities that are threatened by Canada thistle include non-forested plant communities such as prairies, barrens, savannas, glades, sand dunes, fields and meadows that have been impacted by disturbance. As it establishes itself in an area, Canada thistle crowds out and replaces native plants, changes the structure and species composition of natural plant communities and reduces plant and animal diversity. This highly invasive thistle prevents the coexistence of other plant species through shading, competition for soil resources and possibly through the release of chemical toxins poisonous to other plants. 

Canada thistle is declared a “noxious weed” throughout the U.S. and has long been recognized as a major agricultural pest, costing tens of millions of dollars in direct crop losses annually and additional millions costs for control. Only recently have the harmful impacts of Canada thistle to native species and natural ecosystems received notable attention.

Canada thistle was introduced to the United States, probably by accident, in the early 1600s and, by 1954, had been declared a noxious weed in forty three states. In Canada and the U.S., it is considered one of the most tenacious and economically important agricultural weeds, but only in recent years has it been recognized as a problem in natural areas.

Management of Canada thistle can be achieved through hand-cutting, mowing, controlled burning, and chemical means, depending on the level of infestation and the type of area being managed. Due to its perennial nature, entire plants must be killed in order to prevent regrowth from rootstock. Hand-cutting of individual plants or mowing of larger infestations should be conducted prior to seed set and must be repeated until the starch reserves in the roots are exhausted. Because early season burning of Canada thistle can stimulate its growth and flowering, controlled burns should be carried out late in the growing season for best effect.

In natural areas where Canada thistle is interspersed with desirable native plants, targeted application of a systemic herbicide such as glyphosate (e.g., Roundup® or Rodeo®), which carries plant toxins to the roots, may be effective. For extensive infestations in disturbed areas with little desirable vegetation, broad application of this type herbicide may be the most effective method. Repeated applications are usually necessary due to the long life of seeds stored in the soil.

Posted on September 12, 2009 - by mckenzie

Noxious Weeds Part II: Leafy Spurge

Leafy Spurge, also known as Wolf’s Milk, or Wolf’s-milk is a flowering plant found in North America, but native to Eurasia. It is classified as an invasive species by the United States Department of Agriculture.

 

Leafy spurge is characterized by plants containing a white milky sap and flower parts in three’s. Leafy spurge is an erect, branching, perennial herb 2 to 3½ feet tall, with smooth stems and showy yellow flower bracts. Stems frequently occur in clusters from a vertical root that can extend many feet underground. The leaves are small, oval to lance-shaped, somewhat frosted and slightly wavy along the margin. The flowers of leafy spurge are very small and are borne in greenish-yellow structures surrounded by yellow bracts. Clusters of these showy, yellow bracts open in late May or early June, while the actual flowers do not develop until mid-June. 

 

Leafy spurge displaces native vegetation in prairie habitats and fields through shading and by usurping available water and nutrients and through plant toxins that prevent the growth of other plants underneath it. Leafy spurge is an aggressive invader and, once present, can completely overtake large areas of open land. 

 

Leafy spurge tolerates moist to dry soil conditions but is most aggressive under dry conditions where competition from native plants is reduced. It is capable of invading disturbed sites, including prairies, savannas, pastures, abandoned fields and roadside areas. 

 

Leafy spurge was transported to the U.S. possibly as a seed impurity in the early 1800s. First recorded from Massachusetts in 1827, leafy spurge spread quickly and reached the Western United States within about 80 years. 

 

Control:

Biological control agents (several stem/root boring beetles, a shoot tip gall midge, a stem boring moth, and 3 root/defoliating flea beetles) have been inconsistent in Idaho. Sheep and goats have been used to check the rate of spread of leafy spurge. Herbicides are available for control.

 

For more information, click to visit Idaho’s Virtual Field Guide presented by the Weed Awareness Campaign.

Posted on September 6, 2009 - by mckenzie

Labor Day Fun!

The Blackhawk community celebrated the last days of summer with a special event at our newly landscaped River Lodge on Saturday, September 5th with pony rides, hot dogs and lots of artwork!

The afternoon began with a special art project hosted by Margo Anneke and family. Using lengths of string soaked in black paint, event-goers were able to create amazing designs by dragging the string across paper. Once dry, the designs were enhanced with watercolor paint. The result…stunning works of art!

With painting complete, kids were then able to test their skills on the Blackhawk horses with pony rides around the River Lodge lawn.

The afternoon came to a close with one of the all-time favorite events at Blackhawk…the paint the pony! Scooby Doo, elected by the kids as the best horse for their canvas, was painted with handprints, star bursts and polka dots.

From all of us at Blackhawk, we hope that everyone had a wonderful and fun-filled Labor Day…we definitely enjoyed hosting this special weekend event! Now it is time to bring on the snow!

Posted on September 5, 2009 - by mckenzie

Noxious Weeds Part I: Spotted Knapweed

Spotted Knapweed is an aggressive, introduced weed species that rapidly invades pasture, rangeland and fallow land and causes a serious decline in forage and crop production. The weed is a prolific seed producer with 1000 or more seeds per plant. Seed remains viable in the soil five years or more, so infestations may occur a number of years after vegetative plants have been eliminated. Spotted Knapweed has few natural enemies and is consumed by livestock only when other vegetation is unavailable. The plant releases a toxin that reduces growth of forage species. Areas heavily infested with Spotted Knapweed often must be reseeded once the plant is controlled.

Historical records indicate that Spotted Knapweed was introduced from Eastern Europe into North America in the early 1900s as a contaminant in crop seed. It now infests several million acres of grazing land in the northwestern United States and Canada.

 Identification:

Spotted Knapweed is a biennial plant that germinates in one growing season, then flowers, seeds, and dies during a second or short-lived perennial plant that lives for more than 2 growing seasons. Mature plants may be 3 feet in height and are much branched. The weed forms a basal at the base of plant or plant part rosette, a circular, normally basal, clump of leaves. The first year and stem leaves are pinnately with 2 rows of leaflets, like a feather divided. Flower heads are abundant, ½ inch wide, and generally solitary on branch tips. Flowers are pink to purple, or occasionally white, and appear from midsummer to fall. Each stiff flower head bract leaflike structure at the base of flowers or leaves has a dark comblike fringe resembling a black spot at the tip. Seeds are dark brown to tan and are tipped by plumes. A hairlike or featherlike structure, often on a seed that fall off at maturity.

Control:

Spotted Knapweed is one of the most prolific noxious weeds in Idaho. Several biological control agents are available to stop the spread of this plant. A seed head moth and 2 seed head gall flies have been effective. Effective herbicides are also available for control of Spotted Knapweed. For more information or to report a large crop of Spotted Knapweed, please call the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign at 1-866-IDWEEDS. You can also log on to Idaho’s Virtual Weed Guide to find out more about noxious weeds in your area: Click here for the Virtual Weed Guide.

Posted on August 29, 2009 - by mckenzie

Fall Plant Hike

This weekend, guests and homeowners of Blackhawk toured the community learning how to identify several healing botanicals and how to put them to use in their day-to-day lives. If you missed the hike, but would like to learn more about these amazing fall plants, stop by the Blackhawk office at 112 N Third Street to pick up a copy of the Fall Plant Hike Field Guide.

This season, the overwhelming favorite plant was the huckleberry. Below is a recipe we shared with our hikers…Enjoy!

Huckleberry Cordial:

Gather ripe huckleberries. Pour the berries in a large glass container and pour Ever Clear or vodka over berries to barely cover the fruit. Seal the jar and allow the jar to stand in a dark place for three weeks. Strain the liquid from the berries through layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze gently to extract most of the liquid. Discard solids.

In a heavy kettle, mix together an equal amount of sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and simmer ten minutes. Allow the mixture to cool. Add equal amounts of the cooled syrup to the Huckleberry liquid. Mix well and decant cordial. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2009 - by mckenzie

Fighting Idaho's Noxious Weeds

This week at Blackhawk, Director of Outdoor Pursuits Jil Wickander hosted an organizational meeting with the Blackhawk Ranch, Blackhawk Lake and Blackhawk on the River HOAs to discuss a plan for controlling the spread of several species of noxious weeds found within our development.

Noxious weeds are plants that can make significant modifications to the natural environment such as accelerating soil erosion and changing stream velocity. The primary noxious weeds we see in and around Valley County and at Blackhawk are spotted knapweed, leafy spurge and Canadian thistle.

To combat these invasive plants, Blackhawk, together with homeowners, will be putting together a program to educate the community, organize community weeding parties, and get several community members licensed to spray for these noxious weeds in an effort to control the spread of each species.

In addition, Blackhawk will be posting information on these three noxious weeds online in the weeks to come. Check back to learn more about each individual plant including how to identify and control the spread of each featured noxious weed.