Collaboration for Survival

Boren Family working their ranch near Oreana, ID

I finished my trek across the High Desert with an early rise in Twin Falls, ID, which is where Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River canyon in a steam powered rocket. Three interviews in three towns filled my day.

Starting with an interview of my own with Garrett Hottle of KMTV news station, I then interviewed Liyah Babyan and her son Dominic. She came to America at 10 years old with her family who were resettled from Azerbaijan to escape the ethnic cleansing and war. Her family owns Ooh La Lal Boutique and she is a community leader helping those in the refugee and immigrant community.

After a brief photo stop at Perrine Bridge, I made my way to near Oreana, ID along the banks of the Snake River to spend time with Steve Boren and four of his six children as they tended to their cows and calves. Personal freedom and responsibility are important to them, which is a survival strategy living in a place filled with things able to kill you.

Driving along the Birds of Prey National Refuge, I made my way into Boise to interview Laura Kendall, who leads the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts at Boise State University. The pandemic has shown how vulnerable this sector is and led to more local collaborations with artists.

I grabbed dinner and a beer with one of our 118 producers, Dr. John McGuire, and his friend Mel before continuing along the Oregon Trail and then on the cut thru to Bend, Oregon. Tracing along the final stretch of the High Desert, I entered into logging country in time for a late check-in. My nose detected the shift from sage and lush irrigated farmland to the pine scented mountains.

Falling asleep, I reflected on the different ways people living in the High Desert work together to overcome the adversity of their environment. Just like every human who has inhabited this vast stretch of North America.

How are you collaborating in your community?