Outdoor Idaho tackles state's crazy geology

In what its producers are calling the most complicated show they have ever attempted, Outdoor Idaho devotes an entire hour to the state's unusual and complicated geological features.

"For my money, it's the most complex show we've ever attempted in our 29 year history," says Bruce Reichert, host of the popular, long-running PBS series.

Those tapes go back to the explosion of Mount St. Helen's in 1980 and the Borah earthquake in 1983. The oldest footage is of a miner panning for gold in 1926 on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

The show also features recent aerial helicopter footage shot a few months ago and footage of a scuba diving trip to Blue Heart Springs near Hagerman and a visit to the sculpture garden inside the Big Wood River channel near Shoshone.

"More than anything, we want to make 'Idaho Geology' accessible to every Idahoan," said Reichert, "so we stayed away from 'geology-speak' whenever possible. We want this to appeal to the highly educated as well as those just learning about how their world works."

"Idaho Geology, a Convergence of Wonders" airs Sunday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m.