Raptor Fest 2020

panel discussion: outdoor recreation in the time of covid-19

Thursday, June 4th at 4pm - Panelists Steve Stuebner, Larry Ridenhour and Brandon Atkins discuss best practices for recreating in the outdoors during these unusual times.

panelist: Steve stuebner

Steve Stuebner has a hearty appetite for exploring the mountains and rivers of Idaho. His interests include hiking, biking, whitewater boating, canoeing, fishing, climbing peaks, camping, skiing, hockey, and most of all, being a Dad. He’s the author of numerous best-selling guidebooks, including Boise Trail Guide, The Owyhee Canyonlands, Mountain Biking in McCall, Boise Road Cycling Guide, Mountain Biking in Boise, and Paddling the Payette. Beyond guidebooks, Steve penned an award-winning biography on Morley Nelson, a widely acclaimed national champion for birds of prey, titled Cool North Wind (Caxton Press), and wrote the essays for Idaho Impressions, a coffee table book about Idaho's beauty and cultural landscapes with the ever-talented Mark Lisk.

panelist: larry ridenhour

Larry Ridenhour has been an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Bureau of Land Management for almost 30 years and has worked in the recreation field for over 39 years. Larry started his BLM career in the Shoshone Field Office in Idaho and has spent a majority of his career in field offices in southwest Idaho. He was the first “official” employee assigned to the Birds of Prey NCA in 1994 and developed the outreach and education programs that continue today – including using live raptors for presentations. Larry moved to the BLM’s Headquarters Office in Washington DC several years ago and served in a variety of capacities including the national accessibility coordinator. Larry recently moved back to Boise but continues to work for the BLM’s headquarters office as the national shooting sports coordinator and oversees the BLM’s recreation management information database. In his limited free time, Larry enjoys being outdoors birdwatching, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, rafting, bicycling, and photographing nature.

panelist: brandon atkins

Brandon currently serves as a program manager in the Family and Clinic Services Division at Central District Health where he oversees clinic operations for Ada, Boise, Elmore, and Valley county. He has been with Central District Health since 2012 and transitioned into a management role after several years as a staff Epidemiologist working with the district Communicable Disease team.  Brandon has a Master of Science degree in Microbiology and has spent much of his career as both a Disease Investigation Specialist and an Epidemiologist for Southern Nevada Health District, in the greater Las Vegas area, and here in Idaho, respectively. Brandon’s subject matter expertise in communicable disease has recently been observed in the Public Health response to the COVID-19 pandemic where he remains actively engaged.