The Gateway Reserve: A Story of Geology, History, and Water in the Northern Buffer

2024 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science™ Awards Competition Winner - Honor Award in Small Projects

Webinar Summary

The Gateway Reserve (TGR) is a 12 acre project with old sacred roots, Industrial Revolution resource extraction fingerprints, and an existential threat that motivated a drive to secure the future. TGR sits within Boise Idaho, one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas, now facing development pressure on all sides.

At the edge of the largest desert in North America, lies a place called “Cop-Cop-Pa-Ala” by the indigenous Shoshone and Bannock people, who gathered along the river, traded peacefully, and lived with abundant water, plants, and wildlife. TGR was created from land intercepted from a home developer in order to protect a Northern Buffer with appropriate opportunities for humanity to enjoy this special place.

This small non-commercial project was astoundingly complex requiring cooperation of Federal, State, County, and City agencies and input from public hearings, neighborhood associations, and in-kind donations from consultants and contractors. Design considerations included surface water, groundwater, water rights, FEMA and FERC jurisdictions, and study results authored by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The remediation, cleanup, design, permitting, and construction process to recover the sublime from the mundane took about 11 years. By October of 2023 with the lower wetland and upland native xeriscape fully established, birds, raptors, mice, deer, bobcat, fox, owls, and coyote call this place home. So do the visiting humans and local artists who respectfully keep their distance and enjoy the beauty of nature’s offerings.

The Gateway Reserve is a gem that protects and contributes to the common good.

About the Presenter

Frederick William Boelter of Boelter Risk Sciences and Engineering LLC has since 1973 been professionally assessing, characterizing, communicating, designing, and resolving questions and concerns with his technical and management skills in occupational health, public health, and environmental engineering. Fred’s resume of broad experience encompasses air, water, natural resource degradation, wetland delineations, NESHAP, TSCA, RBCA, NPL, TACAO, Brownfields, product stewardship, ESG, and sustainability. Fred has traveled extensively consulting with clients throughout North, Central and South America, the UK, and Europe as well as more than 30 other countries on a wide range of risk characterization, communication, and management matters.

Fred is a member of professional organizations including AWMA, AIHA, ASHRAE, AAEES, and SRA and has served on their boards, committees and presented at numerous conferences both domestically and internationally as well as taught professional development courses and webinars. Fred has also published in peer reviewed professional journals and co‐authored a number of chapters in technical publications. Fred is certified in the Comprehensive Practice of Industrial Hygiene, a licensed Professional Engineer, and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. Fred is also a Fellow of the AIHA and a recipient of national awards including the Edward J. Baier, the Henry F. Smyth, and the Donald E. Cummings.

Webinar Format

This webinar will include a moderated Q and A session following the speaker’s presentation. The session is open to environmental engineering and science professionals across all sectors and career stages. Our objective is to offer special insights on leading edge solutions for graduate and undergraduate students as well as early to mid-career environmental professionals who are considering specialty certification.

AAEES Board Certified Individuals: Attend this event and earn 1.5 PDHs towards your PDH requirements for maintaining your specialty certification.

Click here to register for this event.