The Barber Pool Conservation Area

There is a hidden treasure in the Barber Valley located in Southeast Boise. The Barber Pool Conservation Area is a wildlife refuge teeming with more than 300 species of animals and birds.  It covers more than 700 acres along the Boise River, roughly between the Harris Ranch residential development and the Highway 21 bridge.

Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands owns more than half of the Pool, most of it gifted by Boise Cascade almost four decades ago (see History).  The Pool includes a large amount of riparian habitat, so rare and precious in the arid West.

The area is particularly important because it serves as critical winter habitat for deer as well as an important stop for birds migrating between North and South America.  In addition, the black cottonwood forest provides a rare sanctuary in our busy city for bald eagles to roost and perch.

As the owner and steward of the Barber Pool Conservation Area, IFPL’s mission is to restore and protect this precious resource for the benefit of the wildlife.  Frequent or even occasional human and domestic animal trespass can have negative impacts, degrading the quality of wildlife habitat.  It is our hope that by helping you understand our mission, we can enlist your support in protecting this amazing resource for future generations of Boiseans to appreciate.

Time is of the essence. You can help protect this unique wildlife refuge