BOISE, Idaho — A celebration of culture, healing and history took on new meaning Friday as descendants of the Boise Valley’s original Indigenous inhabitants gathered at Eagle Rock Park to honor a three-acre land gift that tribal leaders say will preserve their heritage for generations.

The announcement was celebrated during the 15th annual Return of the Boise Valley People gathering, an event that reunites descendants of the Boise Valley’s original tribes to reconnect with their ancestral homeland while sharing their history, traditions, and culture with the public.

WATCH | New land gift gives Boise Valley tribes a future home for cultural education

Land gift to Boise Valley tribes celebrated during Return of the Boise Valley People

“We honor the relationship between this land and the generations of the original Boise Valley people, their ancestors, their descendants, and those yet to be born,” organizers said during the ceremony.

Among those celebrating was Lance Dick Jr., a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes Tribal Council who grew up on the Duck Valley Reservation. He joined the Duck Valley Singing Group as tribal members marked the return of the land.

“It feels good to come and connect with the people and come back and reclaim ourselves here in the Boise Valley,” Dick said.

He said the land represents more than property—it represents a renewed connection to the Boise Valley.

“It just feels good knowing that there’s people willing to contribute back to our people and give that land, and being able to reclaim ourselves here in the valley,” he said.

The property, located near the Boise Foothills in the North End, will remain home to the Keener family during their lifetime. Afterward, it will become a cultural gathering place where future generations can learn about the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived throughout the Boise Valley for thousands of years.

Lori “BirdWing” Edmo, co-founder of the Return of the Boise Valley People gathering, said the vision extends beyond preserving the land.

“Our plan is to use it as a place to educate about our people, our version of our history, and also to educate everyone,” Edmo said. “We’ll grow our traditional foods and have a walking path with information about the original Boise Valley people.”

Ed Keener said his family’s decision to return the land followed years of building relationships with members of the Shoshone-Paiute and Shoshone-Bannock tribes.

“I’ve been working to get to know Native people for 20 years, particularly people from Duck Valley,” Keener said. “I thought this would be really good for folks whose ancestors were here to begin with and had always been here.”

The Return of the Boise Valley People gathering continues through the weekend. Friday’s public cultural celebration featured tribal booths, songs, language demonstrations and educational exhibits. Saturday’s activities include a walk and run at Eagle Rock Park before tribal events move to Gowen Field, while the weekend concludes Sunday with a sunrise ceremony for participating tribes.

The Keener family says they hope their gift inspires other landowners to consider ways to help preserve Indigenous history and strengthen connections between communities.

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Mountain Home neighbors are coming together this weekend to honor Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

June 19 marks the day enslaved people in Galveston Bay, Texas, were freed — more than 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

WATCH | Mountain Home marks 25 years of Juneteenth Celebrations—

Mountain Home celebrates Juneteenth with a weekend of community events

The Mountain Home Juneteenth Committee hosts an annual Juneteenth 5K to honor the holiday. Saturday’s festivities continue at noon at Carl Miller Park with food, live music, games, and more.

Committee Vice President Dylisaly Reed said this year’s event marks an important milestone. 25 years ago, efforts led by former Mountain Home Mayor Joe B. McNeal helped Idaho become one of the first states to officially observe Juneteenth — though the holiday did not become an official state and federal holiday until 2021.

“It took the help and the foresight and the running, and the legacy of Dirk Kempthorne and Joe B. McNeil, who did what they had to do in order to make this happen for us,” Reed said.

RELATED | Idaho Black History Museum commemorates Juneteenth

Many neighbors said they only learned about Juneteenth a few years ago. Purvis Cowens, who attended the Mountain Home Juneteenth 5K, said awareness remains a challenge.

“We don’t talk about it in school. A lot of people of color are really not familiar with it,” Purvis Cowens said. “So it’s a good deal to get it out there and get it in the community.”

To help change that, the committee uses money raised through its events to fund 5 scholarships for local high school seniors, who write essays about what Juneteenth means to them.

Charlotte Cowens, who hosts the Mountain Home Juneteenth 5K, said understanding history is essential.

“It’s nice to know history because you got to know your history to know where you’re going. So if you don’t know where you came from, you never know where you’re going,” Charlotte Cowens said.

Reed said the scholarship has already made a meaningful impact.

“This was a young Caucasian gentleman, and he won, and he said when he did the research for his essay, he found out so many things he absolutely just never knew. And that’s all we want,” Reed said.

The committee said these events and the scholarship funds wouldn’t be possible without their sponsors, including Freer Foundation, Mountain Home Black History Committee, St. Luke’s, A Taste of Texas, and many more local businesses and churches.

To learn more about the Mountain Home Juneteenth Committee and this weekend’s events, click here.

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POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho agriculture officials are taking aggressive action after five Japanese beetles, a highly destructive invasive pest, were detected in Acequia near Rupert, according to information provided by the Idaho Farm Bureau Foundation.

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation reports the Japanese beetle, a non-native insect that feeds on more than 300 species of agricultural and ornamental plants, poses a significant threat to Idaho agriculture. In response to the discovery, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has deployed about 800 traps in the Rupert area to determine the extent of the infestation.

“We take an aggressive approach to make sure we don’t see those numbers boom before we can actually handle the situation,” said Vene Stewart, an ISDA pest survey and detection specialist helping lead eradication efforts.

Stewart said Japanese beetles are not selective feeders.

“They eat about 300 different types of flowering plants. Pretty much anything that flowers, they would love to demolish,” Stewart said.

The ISDA is also conducting eradication efforts in Caldwell and Pocatello. Last year, the department detected 160 Japanese beetles in Caldwell and 12 in Pocatello. Residents in those areas, as well as Acequia, may notice the yellow traps used to monitor the pest’s presence.

“We will be treating all three of those areas this year,” Stewart said.

Caldwell, like Acequia, is located in a major agricultural region. About 700 traps have been placed throughout the Caldwell area.

“The Caldwell infestation isn’t moving at all,” Stewart said. “In fact, where we are finding the beetles is getting to be a smaller and smaller area. You like to see that.”

The department has also placed approximately 550 traps in the Pocatello area.

Stewart said eradication efforts require ongoing monitoring and treatment.

“It’s unfortunately not something that we can just treat one time and assume everything’s going to be (OK) the following year,” she said. “It’s something we’re going to have to keep up on.”

According to a recent University of Idaho study, agriculture accounts for one in every nine jobs in Idaho, 17% of total sales and 12% of the state’s gross domestic product.

ISDA officials have worked to eliminate Japanese beetles wherever they appear in Idaho. About 15 years ago, large numbers of the beetles were detected in the Boise area. Officials say the state’s eradication campaign there resulted in no detections in Boise for several years. According to ISDA officials, the effort became the largest documented Japanese beetle eradication in U.S. history.

“We definitely want to protect our agriculture, especially in Caldwell where it is such an agriculture-(rich) area,” Stewart said. “It’s definitely important to the residents and the farmers out there to make sure that we keep our eye on it and make some progress.”

Stewart said the department’s eradication efforts have received support from farmers, local residents and city officials.

Adult Japanese beetles are about a half-inch long with metallic green bodies and copper-colored wing covers. The insects can skeletonize leaves and leave holes in plants while feeding.

Officials warn that if the beetle were to establish a permanent presence in Idaho, it could lead to reduced crop production, increased pesticide use and potential market restrictions through quarantine measures.

Native to Japan, the beetle was first detected in the United States in 1916 and is now found throughout most states east of the Mississippi River.

Although Idaho has preventative measures in place to reduce the risk of introduction from infested states, ISDA officials believe the beetles still arrive by hitchhiking with people moving from affected areas.