ITD EXPLAINS ‘NON-TRADTIONAL’ WILDLIFE SIGNAGE
The Idaho Transportation Department has installed several non-traditional wildlife warning signs along State Highway 75 in the Wood River Valley to increase driver awareness to the possibility of large animals, mainly deer and elk, suddenly darting onto the roadway.
The signs show the outline of a crashed vehicle and a bull elk and have been installed to supplement the traditional wildlife warning sign of a jumping deer. ITD explained the purpose of the non-traditional signs in an April 5 press release:
“In some areas, wildlife crossing a highway is predictable or frequent enough that a driver may lose the urgency to watch for animals crossing a highway. When this happens, traditional methods to alert drivers lose effectiveness. Other, non-traditional methods are then required.”
ITD reported that the new signs will hopefully reduce the number of animal-vehicle collisions. The agency reported that there have been 94 animal-vehicle collisions between Timmerman Junction and Ketchum in the past five years.
The new signs were recommended to ITD by the Blaine County Regional Transportation Committee and its Wildlife Crossing Subcommittee.
“Our hope is that these signs are attention-grabbing to drivers and raise awareness of the wildlife on the roads,” said Blaine County Commissioner Angenie McCleary, who chairs both the transportation committee and its subcommittee.
Other recent measures taken to reduce the number of animal-vehicle collisions are the implementation of a reduced nighttime speed limit on SH-75 north of Hailey and the provision for wildlife crossing pathways under the new bridge that is being constructed across the Big Wood River south of Ketchum.
COMMUNITY SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HONORED
Community School Athletic Director Richard Whitelaw has been named the state’s 1A-D2 Athletic Director of the Year by the Idaho Athletic Administrators Association. The award was presented at the recent association conference in Boise and is based on nomination and votes from association members.
“I am humbled by this honor,” Whitelaw said. “This is great exposure for our school and athletes. It is truly a team effort. I have received great support from the school, and am surrounded by excellent, caring and dedicated administrators, coaches and faculty. Above all, I work with talented student-athletes, and in the end, I am just doing my job.”
“On behalf of Community School, we congratulate Richard on the award, said Head of School Ben Pettit. “It is well earned.”
Whitelaw has been Community School athletic director for five years and has been the school’s varsity soccer coach for 24 years, accumulating an overall record of 278-120-38.
AMBER LARNA NAMED HEAD OF DRUG COALITION
The board of directors of the Blaine County Community Drug Coalition has selected Amber Larna is the organization’s new executive director.
Larna is a Wood River Valley native who has been working with the coalition since May of 2015.
The coalition reported in a press release that Larna is “well suited” to the position and that her “determination to prevent substance abuse and unwavering support has enabled the drug coalition to expand their reach and build strong partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals.”
Additional information on the drug coalition is available at www.thedrugcoalition.com.\
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SEEK HALT TO SELWAY LOGGING
Two environmental groups filed for an emergency preliminary injunction in federal court on April 6 to stop logging operations in the Selway River area of North Idaho.
The injunction request, alleging “imminent and irreparable” environmental harm, was filed by the law firm Advocates of the West on behalf of Boise-based Idaho Rivers United and Moscow-based Friends of the Clearwater.
The groups accuse the U.S. Forest Service of infractions of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, National Forest Management Act, Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. The injunction request is intended to stop logging of 34 million board feet of timber on more than 2,000 acres of national forest land.
“Contrary to the Forest Service’s assertions, this huge clearcutting proposal is irresponsible and poses serious risk to water quality and endangered fish habitat,” said Friends of the Clearwater Executive Director Gary McFarlane. “Moreover, the Forest Service’s wild and scenic management plan, which is grossly outdated and in dire need of revision, expressly prohibits commercial logging.”
Advocates for the West Executive Director Laird Lucas, lead attorney in the case, said the “Forest Service is guilty of systematically breaching its legal duties to protect the Selway and Middle Fork Clearwater wild and scenic rivers.”
- LUKE’S FOUNDATION RECEIVES CANCER GRANT
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Idaho Montana Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, a grassroots network committed to fighting breast cancer.
The foundation was one of 15 recipients of affiliate grants, totaling $157,500 for the 2016-2017 grant slate. Grants were awarded to specifically address screening and diagnostic services.
St. Luke’s Foundation reported that its grant money will be used for its project “Breast Cancer Screening for the Uninsured and Underinsured Women in the Greater Wood River Region.” The funding will bolster the foundation’s efforts to improve access to advanced breast imaging technology in the Wood River Valley and will “make possible 3-D mammography scholarships for uninsured and underinsured women 25 years and older who are in need of screening and diagnostic” services.
For more information on the scholarships call (800) 720-1478.
RESORT HOLDS POST-SKI SEASON CELEBRATIONS
Sun Valley Resort is celebrating the end of what it calls an “exceptional” ski season with parties this weekend in Warm Springs.
“We had an exceptional winter,” said Jack Sibbach, the resort’s director of public relations and marketing. “We invite everybody to come out and enjoy the festivities.”
A street party is set for 12-6 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Warm Springs base area and Picabo Street. Harry Lee & The Back Alley Blues Band, along with the Emily Stanton Band, will provide live music. Food and beverage specials will be available.
The ski season ends on the Warm Springs side of the mountain on Sunday, April 17. The last day of skiing on the River Run side was Sunday, April 10.
Parties were also held last weekend at both the River Run and Warm Springs lodges.
FLIGHT SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR SUMMER AND FALL
Fly Sun Valley Alliance reports that “traveling to Sun Valley this summer and fall will continue to be more convenient with a 17 percent increase in airline seat capacity on nonstop flights from five major cities.”
The schedule for the fall and summer is now available for online booking. Additional information can be found at www.flysunvalleyalliance.com.
According to the schedule, United Airlines will offer service between Denver and San Francisco and Sun Valley from June 24 through Sept. 18.
Alaska Airlines will provide service between Los Angeles and Sun Valley from June 10 through Oct. 2. Service between Seattle and Sun Valley will be provided from June 10 through Oct. 16.
Delta Airlines will offer three daily year-around flights from Salt Lake City to Sun Valley for most of the summer and fall seasons and will offer nonstop flights from Los Angeles on Saturdays and Sundays during peak summer season.
“We are continuing to work with our airline partners to strategically increase our air service access and the marketing of that service, a strategy which has proven successful to date,” said Eric Seder, Fly Sun Valley board president. “For example, this past winter season we increased our contract air seats by 16 percent and the bookings for those seats increased by 15 percent.”
KETCHUM SEEKS FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS
The City of Ketchum is seeking applicants for its new fellowship program to help the city with four specific issues. Applicants are being asked to submit proposals to address one of the following:
-–Solution for the Effects of the Short-Term Rental Market on Affordable Housing,
-–Achieving Net Zero Energy Use by City Departments,
-–Interactive Website Enhancements to Simplify Public Access to Useful Information,
-–Furthering the City’s Strategy on a Real Estate Transfer Fee to Fund Community Housing.
“The goal is to get valuable assistance on city initiatives, inject the city with fresh perspectives and introduce Ketchum to a new audience,” said Ketchum Mayor Nina Jonas.
City council has appropriated $10,000 for stipends for the program.
Additional information can be obtained by writing to participate@ketchumidaho.org or on the city’s website at ketchumidaho.org/fellowship.
ARTS CENTER ANNOUNCES CONCERTS AND PLAYS
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has announced its summer concert schedule and upcoming Company of Fools presentations.
Tickets are now on sale for Center members and will go on sale May 2 to the general public. Additional information is available at sunvalleycenter.org.
Concerts for the summer include Mavis Staples & The James Hunter Six on July 29 and Lake Street Dive & Gregory Alan Isakov on Aug. 17. Both concerts will be held at River Run Lodge in south Ketchum. Concerts feature open seating on grass, blankets or low-backed chairs. Picnics are allowed but no alcohol can be brought to the concerts per Sun Valley Co. policy.
Company of Fools presentations include “Grey Gardens” June 28 through July 20, “Art” Aug. 9-13, “Grounded” Sept 28 through Oct. 15 and “A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine” Dec. 14-30.
Company of Fools will present “Constellations” from Feb.15 through March 4 in 2017.
HAILEY STUDENTS SWEEP FICTION WRITING CONTEST
Budding fourth- and fifth-grade writers from Hailey Elementary School won all four top awards in the youth category of the 2016 fiction writing contest at Idaho Magazine.
Korbin Heitzman won first place with his story “The Troll and the Giant Hamster.” Lucy Pietsch took second place with “The Trip.”
Third place was a tie between Lella Aicher with “The Elephant’s Feet” and Gina Greenberg with “Strayed from the Herd.”
The students’ stories can be found under the “Contests” tab at the Idaho Magazine website at www.idahomagazine.com.
MUSICAL FUNDRAISER
SET FOR BELLEVUE GIRL
A musical talent showcase is set for Sunday, April 17, to raise funds to help Devon Peterson, a 12-year-old Bellevue girl who has leukemia.
The event starts at 4 p.m. at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus in Hailey. Admission, payable at the door, is $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The event, entitled “Paper Hearts,” was organized by singer-songwriter Tyia Wilson, who describes her music as a “spiritual offering.”
“As a mentor for other musicians, I want to infuse the idea of using musical entertainment for the benefit of others, as well as ourselves,” Wilson said.
Performing in addition to Wilson will be musicians Keith Waller, Leyla Ba, Chloe Vogel, and Deva Burns.
“My daughter Leyla and I will perform a duet to an Alicia Keys song; Keith is paying tribute to David Bowie, among others; Chloe is going to sing a classic song while Leyla accompanies her on piano; and Deva is going to bring some dance music to the scene,” Wilson said. “I also like to focus on songwriting development, so Leyla and Keith will present original material. Many more surprises await.”
Devon Peterson is the daughter of Bellevue residents Tyler and Jennifer Peterson.