STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Two Blaine County men were among five conservation heroes honored by Idaho Fish and Game at IDFG’s 125h Anniversary Celebration in Twin Falls Saturday.

Brian Bean of Lava Lake Lamb near Carey was honored for his long-term support of science-based wildlife management and his commitment to being a steward of Idaho lands.

He has allowed his ranch to be used as a study site for depredation, big game movement and migration research. And he established the non-profit Lava Lake Institute for Science and Conversation in 2004.

Nick Purdy, was honored for supporting fish habitat projects to enhance the fisheries and water quality along Silver Creek where his family has had a ranch for decades. Purdy was a driving force in the establishment of the Silver Creek Alliance, which restores and enhances stream and riparian areas along the creek. And he worked with Fish and Game to provide a 30-foot easement along the creek, providing public access to more than four miles of Silver Creek.

Others who were honored:

Jud Siddoway, of Gooding County has adopted innovative land management methods to benefit the big game and upland birds that over-winter on his property. They include removing migration barriers and invasive plant species and establishing food plots.

Jeff Schroeder of Jerome County is the executive director of Idaho Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a nonprofit that strives to transform Idaho’s surplus big game meat into food for the hungry.

Lee Heider, of Twin Falls, successfully brought an amendment preserving hunting, fish and trapping rights before Idahoans while serving as state senator from 2010 to 2022.