The Mountain West region offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. But Spanish speakers can find it tough to enjoy the trails when there are no maps or other information in their primary language.

Latino groups are looking for solutions to get more members of their community outdoors. Aspen Public Radio's Caroline Llanes reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Founded in 2015, Boise-based LED is a nonprofit organization that creates innovative and accessible artistic experiences for everyone. LED co-founders Lauren Edson, joined Idaho Matters to talk about their upcoming project.

This year marks a special time for the Boise Valley Square Dance Hall as it's celebrating its 45th anniversary.

The hall has been around since 1978 when, according to the story, a group of very determined square dancers raised money through raffles, recycling and even selling a train car load of toilet paper and used the cash to build the hall.

To celebrate this anniversary dancers will hold two days of dancing this weekend. Former caller, Roy Viken, as well as Mary Davis and Bob and Joann Andrew, all of whom helped build the hall, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the anniversary.

Every state has a point that's higher than any other spot on the map. It's called a "high point" and in Idaho it's Borah Peak at 12,662 feet.

Some high points are easier to climb than others, but very few people have climbed them all. However, Idahoan Ella Johnson will soon be one of them. She's just 15 years old and is about to climb her 49th high point.

She just climbed Mount Rainier and is about to head to Utah. But before she climbs Kings Peak we wanted to meet her and find out why she's doing this amazing thing.

Stargazers are getting quite a treat this August: a double feature of two so-called supermoons. The first of which, the sturgeon supermoon, will be visible on Tuesday, Aug. 1 and the second, the rare blue supermoon, in late August.

Morning Edition Host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Irwin Horowitz, scholar and past president of the Boise Astronomical Society, to talk about the latest star show from the cosmos, plus a coming partial eclipse this fall and an exciting total eclipse in 2024.

It's no secret that our world is getting brighter, especially at night, as more artificial light is added to our environment. And that expanding brightness is having an effect, often a negative ecological impact on wildlife.

A recent Boise State University study looked at how bats react to artificial light in Grand Teton National Park and how we humans need better understanding of how our light footprint is affecting the animal world.

Professor Jesse Barber with Boise State University's Department of Biological Sciences joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

According to the National Weather Service the average temperature this month in Boise was 97.2 degrees and the capital city had eight days over 100 degrees. In Twin Falls this month the average temp was 93.1 and in Mountain Home it was 96.3 degrees.

So by anyone’s definition it’s hot out there - for us and for all the wild animals who call Idaho home. Because they can’t pop inside for a little air conditioning animals have adapted to the heat in different ways, including splooting.

According to the Collins Dictionary definition, splooting is “the act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out,” and you’ve probably seen squirrels doing this on sidewalks and in trees.

So, how does splooting actually help squirrels cool down? And how do other animals in Idaho, like turkey vultures, cool off? To answer these wildlife questions we asked Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Education Supervisor, Victoria Runnoe to stop by Idaho Matters and help explain.

When the new musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 opened in New York, it took Broadway by storm and garnered 12 Tony nominations. But because of the pandemic, not many people outside of New York have seen the musical.

Now however, the musical is coming to Idaho and will be premiering at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival this weekend.

Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Director Victoria Bussert, Jessi Kirtley, who plays Natasha, and Alex Syiek, who plays Pierre, for a preview of the show.

In todays climate and culture, discussions of female power and autonomy are incredibly important - especially when it comes to positions of leadership.

Elizabeth Silver's newest book "The Majority" looks at these topics, drawing inspiration from history as she follows one woman's journey to becoming a Supreme Court Justice. Silver joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest book.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador requests dismissal of open primary challenge, Idahoans will receive $300 million in property tax relief, Bowe Bergdahl's conviction was vacated and an update on University of Idaho's acquisition of the University of Phoenix.

It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date on all the news that made headlines this past week.

Our journalist panel today: