The Idaho Library makes outdoor activity kits with a federal grant

Library users in the Lewiston area will soon have the chance to try gold panning, birdwatching and other outdoor activities for free.

The Lewiston City Library recently won a grant from the National Forest Community Recreation Fund to create outdoor activity kits that its users can check out starting next month. The Idaho Capital Sun first reported this story.

“We are excited to partner with the Lewiston City Library to support new ways for people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with public lands, learn about conservation, and inspire them to take an active role in stewardship,” said Angela Edwards, a partnership coordinator with the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.

Kits include equipment needed for goldfishing, birding, hiking and camping. A dutch oven will also be available for those who want to experience outdoor cooking.

They sit on top of fishing poles that the library has loaned out for years, according to library director Lynn Johnson.

“I thought it was a good way to give the audience things that are a little bit out of the ordinary,” Johnson said in a press release.

“Libraries are about opportunity. Whether you have limited means or a lot of access and wealth, we want to help people of all means try something,” she said.

These new outdoor activity kits will be available for Valnet library card holders to check out, which includes a group of 48 school and public libraries in north central Idaho, stretching from Elk City to Potlatch.

It’s unclear how much the Lewiston City Library will receive. It will share the $225,000 grant with six other groups across the country, including:

· Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington

· Boat Bus, which operates in the Midwest and Northeast

· Georgia Refugee Women’s Network

· Piikani Lodge Health Institute of Montana

· Seeds braided in Washington

· Southeast Alaska Independent Living

Kits will be available for first check from December onwards.