Boise Idaho open space foothills property conservation at Avimor community near Eagle Idaho

Conservation is at the heart of the vision for Avimor. To bring it to life, Avimor employs a fresh combination of smart ideas and strategies, many of them new to Idaho homebuyers.

Preserving open space and public access.
Nearly 60% of the 840 acres in Village One is retained as preserved open space for the benefit of residents, wildlife and the general public. Huge tracts of open space will be preserved over the course of the development, and trails will be open to the public for non-motorized use.

Reducing average water consumption by 30%.
Avimor is designed to reduce typical residential indoor/outdoor water usage by a minimum of 30% through:

Water conservation practices in all homes – Use of low-flow plumbing fixtures in every home; recirculation pumps for hot water delivery; and low-water-use appliances.
Water conservation by residents and businesses using water rates that encourage conservation; metering of all treated-water usage; and educational material for residents xeriscaping and water conservation.
Reduction in the use of potable water for irrigation by using treated effluent from the Avimor state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant.
Water-wise landscaping requirements – Encouraging landscaping with xeric plants through covenants, deed restrictions and permitted plant lists; limited use of turf in private yard landscaping; use of drip irrigation for all shrubs and trees; and centralized, time-controlled irrigation systems linked to a weather station for the watering of common area landscapes.

Increasing energy efficiency by up to 30%.
Avimor makes energy consumption reductions through innovation in design, technology, materials and landscaping. Some of these tactics include:

Energy reductions in buildings – Energy Star certification for all homes (signifying up to 30% greater efficiency than homes only built to code) and the use of engineered wood products and recycled materials where appropriate.
Use of solar orientation and natural features – Where possible, orientation of buildings along an east-west axis to maximize passive solar heating; use of appropriate overhangs, porches and other appropriate features to shade south-facing walls in summer; and siting of homes to allow for low angle winter sun.
Landscaping to shade buildings in the summer and allow solar heating in winter.
Construction- and household-recycling programs.
Community design and amenties that reduce the need for car travel outside the community.
Educational materials to help Avimor residents make energy-wise choices in their daily lives.

A new approach to wildlife conservation for Idaho.
Used for the first time in Idaho, the No Net Loss Concept is a way to quantify and mitigate impacts on habitat, regardless of site location or key wildlife species.

Standard wildlife mitigation plans normally work from a wildlife-down approach. Only impacts to key wildlife species such as big game, for example, are identified and mitigated. Such plans generally do not take into consideration the vast majority of the existing species such as plants, insects, rodents, and birds. The No Net Loss Concept is designed to compensate for this by working up from the soils and vegetation. The Concept assumes that restoring these components, rather than key habitat characteristics for a single species, will benefit the most species in an area.

By managing for functional plant communities rather than species-specific needs, the No Net Loss Concept centers on the habitat and limits subjectivity and political pressures that have historically overemphasized key species needs, while under-emphasizing structural and functional components of the plant communities, and less known plant and wildlife species. This process creates a standard approach that encourages development of more degraded areas while protecting areas in better condition. It also gives SunCor the incentive to enhance and restore areas outside the development footprint or project boundary to mitigate for on-site impacts.

This ambitious plan was developed with assistance and input from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Ada County Development Services, Bureau of Land Management, Ada County Parks and Recreation, and private interest groups. A total of 138,000 acres of land was broadly studied in the Boise Foothills, including the Avimor site and adjacent areas where development has been proposed, followed by a detailed assessment of the 840-acre Avimor site.

Highlights of the plan include:

Secondary Impacts Conservation Easement – A 400-acre conservation area is set aside outside the project boundary to permanently protect foothills habitat from future development. This area is in addition to 60 percent of the Avimor site already protected as open space.
Neighborhood Conservation Director – A conservation director oversees conservation issues including resident and public wildlife education, promotion of public open spaces and recreation, and management of habitat enhancement programs. The director also manages an advisory committee comprised of public agency representatives and community home owners to ensure the progress is made toward the No Net Loss requirements. The plan is designed to be adaptive over time based on recommendations from the conservation director and advisory committee. View Avimor Guide to Living with Wildlife.
Enhanced wildlife habitat located away from the community – The plan enhances and re-establishes vegetation and habitat in the open space areas surrounding the Avimor homesites.
Recreation Planning – Recreation has been identified as a significant factor impacting wildlife in the area. The plan stipulates that recreation within the area must be managed aggressively and restricted to non-motorized use, and that identified trails may be closed during certain times of year (December through April) to limit impacts to wintering big game populations.
Increased nesting opportunities for birds – Live cottonwood trees will be planted along Spring Valley Creek and other habitat enhancements will be added for birds such as woodpeckers, owls, nuthatches and chickadees.
Planting native plant species of local genetic stock – Native plant species of local genetic stock are used in restoration of natural open space. The use of local genetic stock will increase the probability of success and benefit native wildlife species, while reducing the potential of establishing an invasive species.
Landscape design to reduce wildlife damage – Private properties and community areas incorporate specific native species in landscaping that discourage large ungulates like elk. The idea is to reduce wildlife-human interactions that can result in harm to the wildlife or damage caused by foraging deer and elk.
Landscaping to prevent or control potential wildfires – Potential impacts to residents from wildfires can be reduced by firescaping and creating defensive spaces. These techniques are used adjacent to roads and around homes to break up large blocks of flammable vegetation, and to reduce the probability of wildfire.
Invasive and noxious weed control – Medusahead, cheatgrass, poison hemlock, thistle and other invasive and noxious weeds are monitored and controlled in riparian and upland habitats as an on-going program. Avimor is, and will continue to be an active partner in the newly established Ada County Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) committee, which encompasses the Boise Foothills.
Support for Idaho Department of Fish & Game big game surveys – The Conservation Director monitors big game winter use on the open space at Avimor, where vegetation enhancement activities are planned as well as the off-site conservation easement lands. The director subsequently provides that information to the Department.

For more information about conservation at Avimor, please contact the Avimor sales team at 208-939-5360, toll-free 866-611-6673 or email sales@Avimor.com.