Thai Spiritual Master To Be Featured At Meditation Seminar
On Tuesday, May 28, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Light on the Mountains Spiritual Center in Ketchum will host a vipassana meditation and dhamma talk by Ajahn In-tha-wai Suntusako. This is a rare opportunity to meet a highly respected spiritual master from Thailand and the five other Monks who will accompany him.
There will be a question-and-answer period after the main presentation. This is a free event and is open to the public.
There will be a traditional food offering ceremony at Dang’s Thai Cuisine at 310 N. Main St., Hailey, on May 28 and 29 at 9 a.m. You can participate by offering three to six small food items like fruit, juice boxes, etc.
Contact Tippy Marchioro at (484) 222-9068 or tsmarchi@hotmail.com for more information.
Sawtooth Botanical Garden To Host Wildflower Walks
You can join the Sawtooth Botanical Garden (SBG) and friends for its popular spring and summer Wildflower Walk series to some of our local area’s most diverse and spectacular habitats.
The first Wildflower Walk of the season occurs on Thursday, May 23, for Birds & Botanicals: Camas Prairie and Centennial Marsh.
All trips begin at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden, 11 Gimlet Road, four miles south of Ketchum, at 9 a.m. The full schedule is posted at sbgarden.org/wildflower-walks/. Carpools start from SBG, which helps reduce the group’s environmental footprint.
Wildflower Walk destinations are to be determined by what is blooming where and when. Locations will be posted at www.sbgarden.org when they are known. Participants are encouraged to always meet at the Garden and carpool to the site. Call if you have questions: (208) 726-9358.
Wildflower Walks are led by local experts and are free; donations to the Sawtooth Botanical Garden are very much appreciated. Walks happen rain or shine, so bring appropriate outerwear, sturdy walking shoes, water, sunscreen, hat and lunch. Some walks are appropriate for children age 7 years and older accompanied by an adult, but please leave your dog at home.
Talk Business Over Sushi
The Chamber of Hailey and the Wood River Valley is inviting businesses and the public to attend this month’s Business After Hours at Mountain West Bank in Hailey. The event will be held on Thursday, May 16, from 5–7 p.m.
The community is invited to attend this free monthly event to meet local business owners and catch up on Chamber-related news and happenings. Food and beverages will be provided by Zou 75.
Don’t forget to bring your business cards to enter in the “BAH” raffle.
For more information, please contact The Chamber at Info@ValleyChamber.org, visit ValleyChamber.org or haileyidaho.com, or call (208) 788-3484.
K9 Sniff Search Leads To Felony Drug Arrest
One of Blaine County’s newest deputies has made its first drug arrest.
On Friday, May 10, deputies from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office arrested Karen M. Roscoe, age 64, of Hailey, for possession of a controlled substance—a felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia—a misdemeanor.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Blaine County Narcotics Enforcement Team and a traffic stop conducted by Blaine County Sheriff’s deputies. The traffic stop occurred on May 7 on State Highway 75 at milepost 105, south of Bellevue. During the traffic stop, Blaine County Sheriff’s Office K9 “Kimber” was deployed and conducted an exterior sniff search of Roscoe’s 2005 Subaru Outback.
K9 “Kimber” alerted on the vehicle, indicating the presence of drugs. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies found approximately 10 grams of methamphetamine, two syringes containing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office introduced its new K9 program on May 3, 2019, and this is the first K9 deployment where illegal drugs were found since the teams were put into service.
Roscoe is scheduled for arraignment on May 13, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.
Attention Sun Valley Area Drivers: Expect Closures
The City of Sun Valley is beginning construction work for the second year of the Road and Path Bond Program and is trying to let drivers know what to expect.
Focus this past week has been on Elkhorn Road and Pathway. Work on Elkhorn will include rehabilitation and paving of the roadway and bike path, raising and lowering of manholes, new curb and gutter, culverts, and ADA accessibility improvements.
Elkhorn Road has been closed to through traffic from Skyline Drive to South Village Way. Access to local traffic has remained open at all times with through traffic being detoured to Village Way. The bike path has been closed from Skyline Drive to South Village. Pedestrians and cyclists should use the Village Way bike path as a detour route.
There will brief full closures of Elkhorn Road to local traffic for culvert replacements near Blue Grouse and Horseshoe Road. Flaggers will be onsite to direct local traffic to detours.
Work is anticipated to occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Night work and weekend work is not expected. Access to residences will remain open at all times, although access points are likely to change to accommodate construction.
Next up is construction on Parker Gulch Road, Defiance Street, Keystone Street, and Independence Creek Road instead of previously planned work in the Twin Creeks area due to wet soil conditions. Improvements in the Twin Creeks area are postponed until the soil is dry enough for construction work.
Google Pays Visit To Blaine County Schools
Since 2016, students in Blaine County have learned about the world from the comfort of their classrooms through Google Expeditions. Using recycled cellphones and an app, students can travel back in time, experience the Seven Wonders of the World, and even tour their own community, thanks to a collaborative project with Google that enabled schools to create their own expeditions and then share them with students across the country.
“For the past three years, BCSD has been integrating virtual reality into the classroom. By using Google Expeditions, teachers are able to enhance their curriculum in entirely new ways,” said technology integration specialist Paul Zimmerman. “Our success caught the attention of the Google Expeditions team who flew in from New York to spend a day talking to staff, experience two AR and VR sessions, and see our approach to innovative learning firsthand.”
With Expeditions AR, teachers can bring 3D objects, like one of Michelangelo’s statues, to the students’ desks so that everyone can examine the object together at the same time. The 3D objects are accompanied by text information that only the teacher can view. The objects are designed as a supplement to a teacher’s existing lesson plan to help bring the subject to life.
Lawsuit Targets Trump Administration Renewal Of Oregon Ranchers’ Grazing Permit
Conservationist groups filed suit last week challenging former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order to renew grazing permits for Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond.
Zinke’s January 2019 order, one of his last official acts, came despite the Bureau of Land Management’s 2014 decision to cancel the Hammonds’ privilege to graze on public lands following a series of arson fires. Today’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Portland, Oregon, says Zinke’s order violates federal rules that require permittees to have a “satisfactory record of performance” in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grazing permit. The permit renewal also waived environmental review, violating federal laws that require such analysis before permits can be issued.
“Secretary Zinke hijacked the public process for political reasons and ordered the local land managers to go against their own judgment and renew the grazing permit for public land permittees who had violated federal regulations,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. “The American public deserves better than management-by-decree, and we’re asking the court to order the agency back to the drawing board to ensure the decision complies with federal law.”
Zinke said his order was based in part on President Trump’s July 2018 pardon of the father and son. The lawsuit says that Zinke misinterpreted the effect of the presidential pardon, which did not change the facts underlying the Hammonds’ convictions. The pardon does not negate evidence that the Hammonds’ conduct violated federal regulations and the terms of their permit, which makes them ineligible to renew their permit.
The BLM canceled the Hammonds’ grazing permit in 2014 after the agency determined they did not qualify for a renewal based on a lack of “satisfactory record of performance.” Among other things, the permittees were found to have set a series of fires on federal lands without authorization and interfered with firefighters, leading to federal court convictions in 2012.
As an administrative appeal was wending its way through the Interior Department, Zinke ordered the decision be transferred to his jurisdiction. On January 2, during the government shutdown, Zinke reversed the BLM’s 2014 decision and decided to renew the Hammonds’ grazing permit.
“This was political interference at the highest levels of government,” said Judi Brawer, wild places program director at WildEarth Guardians. “There are no legal grounds for renewing the permit without a public environmental review. Letting a Trump appointee arbitrarily determine who does and doesn’t get the privilege of grazing on our public lands is an insult to public lands users.”
Fuelwood Permits On Sale At Local Vendors
Personal-use fuelwood permits for the Sawtooth National Forest are on sale starting May 15. Fuelwood permits are $6.25 per cord with a four-cord minimum and a 10-cord maximum per household.
Permits will be available at Sawtooth National Forest Ranger District offices, the Sawtooth Supervisor’s Office at 370 American Ave. in Jerome, and private vendors in southern Idaho. The 2019 fuelwood season goes through Nov. 30.
Cutting fuelwood within a closure area is prohibited. Check this year’s fuelwood brochure and current Motor Vehicle Use Maps to make sure you are cutting in an area open to fuelwood gathering and pay special attention to closed areas and roads with restoration activities.
“Remember, the forest has regulations prohibiting the cutting of dead or living whitebark pine trees which are declining and are critically important to several wildlife species,” said Sawtooth National Forest Timber Program Manager, Scott Wagner.
Fuelwood permits are valid within the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth National Forests. All motorized travel related to fuelwood gathering must be in full accordance with Forest Service travel regulations. Once the snow melts, permit holders are encouraged to cut fuelwood early in the year because fire restrictions may impact the cutting season later in the summer. Early-season fuelwood cutters are asked to use caution, avoiding wet muddy roads, where travel may cause resource damage. Fuelwood cutting is not allowed within riparian areas (adjacent to creeks and rivers).
- Sawtooth National Forest vendors include:
- Camas Creek Country Store, Fairfield 208-764-2211
- Sawtooth Wood Products, Bellevue 208-788-4705
- Idaho Lumber, Hailey 208-788-3333
- Lower Stanley Country Store 208-774-3566
Free Art Therapy Available For Sufferers Of Alzheimer’s
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is offering a new, free, museum-based art therapy program, “Stepping Out of the Frame,” designed especially for adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
During the six-week program, which will be held 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays between July 23 and Aug. 29, participants will explore The Center’s summer visual arts exhibition, Mirage: Energy and Water in the Great Basin, through therapeutic art experiences both inside and outside the museum. The program builds upon The Center’s mission of enriching the community through transformational arts and educational experiences.
Art therapy is an integrative practice that enriches the lives of individuals, families and communities through active art-making. Activities are facilitated by a professional art therapist and are designed to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, and reduce and resolve internal and external conflicts.
“I became interested in the profound possibilities that museum-based art therapy has to offer as a first-year graduate student, and I have since dedicated much of my academic research and professional development to designing and promoting those benefits with a wide range of populations,” said Jordyn Dooley, Art Enrichment coordinator at The Center, who holds a master’s degree in art therapy from Florida State University. “I have seen firsthand how the power of placing a handmade image on the wall of a museum offered the opportunity for an adolescent boy, who had never been into a museum, the chance to claim the space as his own and elevate his art to that of a professional artist. I have listened to women in their eighties with dementia discuss and appreciate abstract and controversial student artwork, demonstrating that no one is too old to broaden their scope and communicate their opinions.”
Pre-registration for The Center’s museum-based art therapy program is required, but there is no fee to participate. Participants should plan to commit to all weekly sessions in order to gain the maximum educational and therapeutic benefit. To reserve a space in the program and for more information, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org or call (208) 726-9491.
Your Garden Improvements Can Help Cultivate Kids
The annual Papoose Club Webb Plant Extravaganza will be held Saturday, June 1. The event is a fundraiser for a variety of children’s programs and takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at both Webb Garden Center locations in Bellevue and Ketchum.
Webb will donate a percentage of the day’s sales on everything except rocks and pavers to the Papoose Club. This is an ideal time to shop for all your garden and outdoor living needs, and at the same time contribute to a great local nonprofit.
The Papoose Club—whose mission is to promote and assist educational, cultural, and athletic growth for local children—relies on several key fundraising events, including the Plant Extravaganza at Webb Garden Center. The club’s other major fundraisers include the Wagon Days Pancake Breakfast and the Holiday Bazaar at Hemingway Elementary School in December.
Papoose Club members and the expert staff at Webb Garden Center will be on hand to help. Papoose Club members will also be available to greet you and offer refreshments.
Senator Risch Applauds Trump’s OK Of Shooting Range Safety Law
Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is praising President Donald Trump’s signing of the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act into law. The bill was co-sponsored by Risch and passed by both the House and Senate earlier this year.
“This law will better equip states to build and maintain public shooting ranges to safely and effectively train the next generation of sportsmen and recreational shooters to take part in one of Idaho’s most treasured pastimes, contribute to our recreational economy, and conserve wildlife,” said Sen. Risch. “I have worked to advance this legislation since my first year in the Senate, and I applaud President Trump signing it into law.”
This law will:
• Increase the amount of money states can contribute from their allotted Pittman-Robertson funds to 90 percent of the cost to improve or construct a public target range from the current limit of 75 percent
• Reduce local and state matching requirements from 25 percent to 10 percent
• Allow the Pittman-Robertson funds allotted to a state to remain available and accrue for five fiscal years for use in acquiring land for expanding or constructing a public target range, and
• Encourage the federal land management agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain target ranges on federal land so as to encourage their continued use
Zions Bank Backs 2019 Trailing Of The Sheep Festival
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival says that Zions Bank has committed to being the Presenting Sponsor for the 2019 Festival.
“We are grateful to be the beneficiary of this wonderful gift from Zions Bank,” shared Laura Musbach Drake, executive director for the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. “As a nonprofit festival, it is only through the ongoing support of companies like Zions Bank, as well as all of our individual, corporate and grant supporters, that we can continue to put on an amazing festival with many free or low-cost events for 25,000 people each year.”
The annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival is celebrating its 23rd year October 9–13, 2019. Each fall, the sheep are the stars as the festival celebrates the 150-plus-year tradition of moving sheep (trailing) from high mountain summer pastures down through the Valley to traditional winter grazing and lambing areas in the south.
This annual migration is Idaho living history and an extended weekend and family-friendly festival that highlights the people, arts, cultures and traditions of sheep ranching in Idaho and the West.
The five-day festival includes activities in multiple venues, such as a Sheep Folklife Fair, a Wool Festival with classes and workshops, music, dance, storytelling, Championship Sheepdog Trials and, the always entertaining Big Sheep Parade with 1,500 sheep hoofing it down Main Street in Ketchum.
For information and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.trailingofthesheep.org.
River Street Open House
The City of Hailey is making plans to improve River Street downtown between Walnut and Galena streets, and it wants the community to chime in—specifically, to review and comment on a range of potential improvements at an open house event May 16 at Hailey City Hall. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The range of River Street improvements could include:
• Reconstructing pavement on River Street
• Placing curbs and gutters
• Addressing parking and bike lanes
• Adding and widening sidewalks, including a pathway to
Hop Porter Park
• Improving landscaping and lighting