Beaver Dams Assist With Post-Fire Restoration
Trout Unlimited announced it has begun building some manmade beaver dams to help restore the watershed compromised by last summer’s Sharps Fire.
The organization said in a press release the goal is to build over 100 “large woody-debris structures” along five miles of Baugh Creek east of Hailey.
Beaver dams have proven to be very helpful for improving water quality as well as increasing groundwater quantity.
Evidence of the benefit of beaver dam complexes can be seen in the upper sections of Baugh Creek. There, the creek and riparian vegetation were wet enough to escape burning during the fire. That habitat is now an oasis for the area’s wild inhabitants and a source of seed and nutrients for regeneration. The woody-debris structures in a waterway encourage desirable erosion and stream sinuosity, help the river reach the floodplain during high runoff, recharge groundwater and assist in sediment transport and deposition.
Several agencies and organizations rallied to plan and construct these instream features to help with erosion control that is expected when spring runoff inundates the watershed. Agencies with an interest in fish, wildlife, rangelands and water quality partnered to get the work done. Contributors included Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, private landowners and volunteers. From the private sector, Anabranch Solutions, from Logan, Utah, was hired to design and help implement the restoration project.
Idaho Power Warns Against Utility Scams
In a recent press release from Idaho Power, the company wants to remind customers to be vigilant of scams year-round, but especially at the holidays. The busiest shopping time of the year is often the busiest time for consumer scams, including those involving Idaho Power.
Be aware of these common scams:
Scammers call customers demanding immediate payment to prevent shutoff. They ask for payment using Green Dot Cards, or other prepaid methods. Idaho Power does not request payment through prepaid cards.
Scammers ask for up-front cash payments for Smart Meter installation. Idaho Power does not bill customers for meters of any kind.
Scammers posing as Idaho Power inspectors request access to customers’ homes to check on wiring, heating units, meters, etc. They claim the item needs to be fixed and paid for right away.
Scammers post shutoff notices on customers’ front doors and demand immediate payment over the phone to prevent a disconnect. Idaho Power will always attempt to contact you via phone and mail before posting shutoff notices and never demands immediate payment over the phone.
Always ask to see Idaho Power identification and, when in doubt, close the door or hang up, and call Idaho Power Customer Service immediately at (208) 388-2323.
Zions Bank Giving Tree Supports Blaine County Families
Zions Bank has teamed up with Sun Valley Realtors’ Give Foundation to collect holiday toy donations for children. According to a press release from Zions Bank, these gifts will support the Holiday Baskets program, which provides donations to Blaine County families in need during the holidays.
A Giving Tree is now up at Zions Bank’s branch at 311 N. Main St. in Ketchum and is covered with angel tags that list toy requests for children. The public is invited to select tags, shop for the listed items and return the new, unwrapped gifts to Zions Bank by Friday, Dec. 7.
In past years, hundreds of families have been served by the Holiday Baskets program, thanks to the local community’s generosity.
Girls On The Run, The Hunger Coalition And NAMI Awarded Grants From SelectHealth
Three local nonprofits were awarded grants from SelectHealth for their work in the Wood River Valley, according to a press release from NAMI [National Alliance on Mental Illness]-Wood River Valley.
The Select 25 grant program supports organizations that promote health and wellness, assist individuals with special needs, create safe environments, and build strong communities.
Each year, grants are awarded for $2,500 to 25 deserving organizations. To further their missions, these organizations are also provided a public service announcement (PSA) to share on their important work. These grants help organizations make a healthy difference in their communities.
For Girls on the Run, the SelectHealth grant will be used to make sure all girls have access to the Girls on the Run program, regardless of financial need. Each year Girls on the Run provides nearly 50 percent of the program participants with scholarships to take part in this life-changing program. The Girls on the Run PSA highlighted the ways the program makes an impact and prepares girls to pursue their limitless potential.
As part of their StigmaFree campaign, NAMI-WRV used their PSA to highlight the important contributions of the Blue Birds Support Groups for middle and high school students. The teen support groups allow for peer-led discussions on everyday challenges, and seek to address the stigma and shame of sharing about the trials and tribulations we all face.
The Hunter Coalition’s SelectHealth grant will be used to ensure continued access to good food for all by providing essential tools and food needed to fuel innovative programs. The Hunger Coalition’s PSA highlighted several of their programs designed to expand access to healthy food, including the Bloom Mobile Market and children’s Bloom Truck.
Fly Sun Valley Alliance Announces New Winter Flight Schedule
Fly Sun Valley Alliance announced several new additions to the winter flight schedule.Daily flights to Seattle will start Dec. 13 and the full winter flight schedule kicks in on Dec. 19.
The daily Los Angeles flight will now be offered by United Airlines this year instead of Alaska Airlines. Delta will have three daily flights to Salt Lake City all winter with additional nonstop flights to Los Angeles daily during holidays and Saturdays from January through March.
Delta’s Salt Lake City morning flight departure time has changed to 6:50 a.m.
For more information, visit flysunvalleyalliance.com.
Sun Valley Summer Symphony Releases Upcoming Winter Festival Details
The Sun Valley Summer Symphony announced its first-ever Winter Festival, Feb. 19-23 at the new Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum.
The Festival begins with an invitation-only “Friends and Family Night” on Thursday, Feb. 21. Public performances will be presented on Friday and Saturday night. The same program will be performed each evening.
Aside from the performances, the Festival will also include several educational events. Musicians and guest artists will spend time with students from the Symphony’s School of Music throughout the week, including classroom visits in Hailey. Additional student events on Friday and Saturday afternoons include a private concert and discussion, and a session focused on the technology behind the Festival.
While admission is free for the public performances, capacity will be limited; reservations are therefore strongly encouraged. Reservations may be made online at svsummersymphony.org beginning at 10 a.m., Monday, Dec.17. There is a limit of two seats per household.
Georgetown University Report Finds No Significant Improvement In Idaho Kids Coverage
In a press release from Idahoans For Healthcare, it was announced that the number of uninsured children nationwide increased by about 276,000 children last year, the first significant increase in a decade, according to a new report released by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
An estimated 3.9 million children were uninsured nationwide in 2017. Three-quarters of the children who lost coverage between 2016 and 2017 live in states that have not expanded Medicaid. In Idaho, an estimated 22,000, or 4.6 percent, of kids are uninsured.
Medicaid expansion helps to get health insurance to more parents who had no coverage options before. When parents have health coverage, kids are more likely to, as well. Access to health coverage helps kids get and stay healthy so they can enter school ready to learn and succeed in life.
This is the eighth annual report on uninsured children published by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
St. Luke’s Family Medicine Increases Same-Day Appointment Availability
In order to accommodate more same-day appointments, St. Luke’s Wood River’s Family Medicine Clinic announced new hours.
New clinic hours for the Wood River Family Medicine Clinic in Hailey will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday.
Bebe Yoder, manager of St. Luke’s Clinic Family Medicine, explains, “The change allows the clinic to significantly increase same-day appointment availability.”
In addition, Dr. Katie Quayle, who recently joined as a full-time pediatrician, will offer evening appointments until 7 p.m. on Mondays, and Dr. J.P. Prouty, family medicine and OB physician, will offer evening appointments until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.
On Saturdays, a walk-in clinic for urgent-care needs is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Ketchum at 100 Hospital Drive, Suite 201.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact the St. Luke’s Wood River Family Medicine Clinic at (208) 788-3434.
Warm Springs Side Of Bald Mountain And Dollar Mountain To Open This Weekend
Sun Valley Resort announced that the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain is opening with the Challenger lift running at 9 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 8.
Skiers and riders can expect fresh tracks that morning on Flying Squirrel, Lower Picabo and Lower Warm Springs. Restrooms and ticketing services will be available until the Warm Springs Day Lodge reopens at 8 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 15.
The public is invited to attend the official grand reopening celebration of the Warm Springs Day Lodge at 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 22, for the ribbon-cutting and chocolate chip cookies.
Improvements include expanded seating, an enhanced layout, and a mountain-view bar with 18 stools and regional craft beers on tap. A new Konditorei Warm Springs will serve the organically-grown, locally-roasted coffee and house-made pastries that are local favorites.
Dollar Mountain is also opening for the season at 9 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, with the three terrain parks, three lifts and seven runs. Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge opens at 8 a.m. with breakfast, snacks, lunch and beverages.
Sun Valley Center For The Arts To Present LED Dance Performance & Workshops
Sun Valley Center for the Arts will present a performance by LED, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum.
LED is a ground-breaking, Boise-based arts nonprofit that combines dance, original music and film into cinematic experiences. LED’s performance at The Argyros will feature three Sun Valley premieres: “Flight Instructions,” “Intergalactic Mixtape” and “Artificial Flowers.”
“Flight Instructions” is a long-form solo featuring Nell Josephine that is set to a brand-new original composition by creative director and composer Andrew Stensaas. This piece had its world premiere at Boise’s Egyptian Theatre in September 2018.
While LED is in the Valley, the company will teach two dance workshops at Footlight Dance Centre in Hailey on Friday, Dec. 28. From 4-5:15 p.m., LED will teach contemporary dance for students ages 12-18. The class is suited for intermediate and advanced dance students and will focus on learning excerpts from LED repertoire and improvisation.
The second class, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., will be a movement-focused class for adults 18 and over of all ability levels. There will be a simple warmup and exercises that encourage discovery and improvisation.
Each class is $10, and preregistration through the Sun Valley Center is encouraged. Depending on space, walk-ins may be accepted.
To sign up, contact The Center. Tickets for LED’s performance on Dec. 29 are $40 regular seating/$50 premium seating for members; $65 regular seating/$75 premium seating for nonmembers; and $20 regular seating/$32.50 premium seating for students 18 and under.