News Release

NPS and FWS Invite Public to Learn About Birds and Origami at Special Event

NPS Photo

News Release Date: August 15, 2025

Contact: Kendra Kersting

HAGERMAN, Idaho – The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invite members of the public to learn about birds found in Idaho and their cultural significance throughout history, by participating in a special event that will be held at the Thousand Springs Visitor Center on Friday, August 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Visitor Center is located at 17970 U.S. Highway 30 in Hagerman.

“We are pleased to offer the public this opportunity to learn more about birds that they may already be familiar with as well those they may never have heard of before, and to create meaningful origami birds during what will be our last event of the summer,” said Michael Irving, chief of interpretation & education for the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge staff will highlight some of the approximately 430 species of birds found in Idaho and the importance of protecting their habitat. The Minidoka Wildlife Refuge, located about 12 miles northeast of Rupert, is a haven for waterbirds that supports a diversity of birds not found in most areas of Idaho. It is one link in a chain of Federal and State refuges in the Pacific Flyway that provide habitat for a variety of bird species during migration each year.

Visitors will also be able to view interpretive exhibits and view fossils of birds that existed within the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument during the Pliocene era three to four million years ago. These fossils offer valuable insight into flight, the diversification of species, and the ancient ecosystem. The Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument preserves one of the world’s richest sites for Pliocene-aged fossils, which represent hundreds of species of plants and animals. Some of the bird fossils are unlike any species living today, while others are the ancestors of species still found in the Hagerman Valley, which provides some of the best opportunities for birding in Idaho.

In addition, visitors will also have an opportunity to learn how to create origami birds from NPS staff who work at the Minidoka National Historic Site, where over 13,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Origami birds are important symbols in Japanese culture, representing hope, peace, and longevity.