What's New
Wood River Land Trust Completes Construction of New Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk
In September, 2011, the construction of a 550-foot boardwalk along the riparian area adjacent to Lions Park was completed by the Wood River Land Trust. Visitors can now enjoy an up-close wildlife experience with minimal impact to the wetland habitat.
In 2008, the Land Trust, working with the City of Hailey and the Draper Wood River Preserve adjacent to Lions Park. Twelve-hundred tons of debris was removed from the site - an area used as a city dump for many years. In 2009, volunteers and Wood River Land Trust staff planted native trees, shrubs, and grasses to improve the health of the wetlands and restore fish and wildlife habitat. The new vegetation filters sediments and absorbs excess nutrients, improving the quality of water in the area as it drains into the Big Wood River.
As part of its long-term strategy, the Land Trust seeks to balance the public benefits of experiencing nature with the benefits of healthy riparian and wildlife habitat. The wetlands area has already become an outdoor classroom for Wood River Valley high school students.
In the early morning and evenings, visitors might see the resident moose, a plethora of ducks including the brilliantly colored Wood Ducks, herons wading in the water, red-winged blackbirds on their grass perches, and throughout the spring and summer visitors can hear an orchestra of bird calls in the willows and trees.
The Wood River Land Trust is investing in our Valley, not only as part of its mission to protect and restore land, water,
and wildlife habitat in the Wood River Valley and its surrounding areas, but also to economically aid the local economy in the Valley.
In 2006 a research study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce found that bird watchers, "birders", spent $36 billion dollars to watch these feathered creatures. The study found that the higher the income and education level the more likely a person is to be a birder and more birders are women comprising 54% of those who participated in the activity. Birders spent an estimated $12 billion on trip expenditures and $24 billion on equipment expenditures in 2006. For trip expenditures, 57% was allocated for food and lodging, 35% was spent on transportation, and 7% was spent on other costs, such as guide fees, user fees, and equipment rental. Equipment expenditures were relatively evenly distributed among wildlife watching equipment (29%), special equipment (35%), and other items (33%). Auxiliary equipment accounted for only 3% of all equipment expenditures.
The best thing about this economic "bird in the hand" is that it is provided by nature with minimal expense and huge potential in return for all in the Valley. Expenditures associated with wildlife watching can ripple through the local economy by impacting tourism, retail sales, tax revenue, employment, and household income. It can help real estate sales as just over 10% of real estate sold nationwide is due to the property's wildlife watching opportunities and also greatly influences retail sales as 21% of national retail sales are correlated with wildlife watching.
Directions to the Boardwalk: Locate on the west side of the Big Wood River at Lions Park in Hailey. From downtown Hailey, turn west onto Bullion St.; continue over Bullion Bridge, turn south to enter Lions Park, and continue beyond the softball field to the parking area next to the pavilion.
Big Wood River Greenway Boardwalk Open
This article appeared in the Mt. Express News on Friday, May 11, 2012, click link to read:
Read this article>>
By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer  The long-awaited Big Wood River Greenway Boardwalk, above, opened to the public on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Photo by Trey Spaulding | | Wildlife lovers will have a one-month window to explore nature in the middle of Hailey when the Draper Preserve opens its boardwalk this Saturday, May 12. It will close June 15 for construction of a new entryway bridge. The Draper Preserve is an 80-acre parcel of land behind Lion's Park in Hailey. The site of a former city dump, the area was acquired by the Wood River Land Trust in 2007, and is now an accessible wetlands area that nature enthusiasts can explore via a floating boardwalk. Wood River Land Trust Executive Director Scott Boettger said the project was a long time coming. Before the boardwalk could even be started, he said, 600 cubic yards of waste had to be removed, boosting project costs to $200,000. "It was much more than we ever thought." And instead of simply moving all the waste material to another landfill, the organization took a different approach, filtering the waste to separate usable soil and gravel from the metal and other non-decomposing materials. "We reduced the waste to one-tenth of what it was," Boettger said. "It cost more, but in the long run, it's better." The soil has been stockpiled for use in future land trust restoration projects, and the gravel will be used in the roadbed leading to the Draper Preserve bridge and boardwalk, Boettger said. When completed, the entire trail and boardwalk will cover nearly a quarter of a mile, part of which actually travels over the wetlands near the park. Boettger said that when the organization had cleaned up the area, they realized they didn't want to further damage the existing wetlands. "You could almost see the [wetlands]," he said. "But we didn't want it just trampled."
Boettger said that the construction process of the boardwalk did cause some initial disturbance to the area, but the area has already mainly recovered. "You can't even tell anything has happened," he said. The boardwalk itself is constructed to intrude only minimally on the riparian habitat, he added. The platform is suspended from posts anchored on concrete piers, with water flowing freely under the boardwalk. The best part, Boettger said, is that the boardwalk provides a unique opportunity for nature lovers to explore the wetlands with ease. "You don't have to put on waders to experience it," Boettger said with a laugh. "And since there are no bugs right now, it's the perfect time to see it." The preserve is home to wood ducks, mallards and other duck species as well as muskrats, brook trout and the occasional freshwater shrimp and riparian insect. "You can't help but notice them when you stop and look, because you're walking right over the top of them," Boettger said. A resident started using the boardwalk, Boettger said, when deep snow made the boardwalk an easy way to traverse the wetlands. Boettger said people should take advantage of the boardwalk while it's open, but to refrain from fishing or from letting dogs chase the wildlife—though well-controlled or leashed dogs are always welcome.
Anderson House Receives the Orchids & Onion Award from Preservation Idaho
The Wood River Land Trust has received notification that it has won an ORCHID Award in the category of Contribution to Historic Preservation by Preservation for Idaho, a program of the Idaho Historic Preservation Council. The Land Trust completed renovation of the Anderson House at 119 N. Second, in Hailey, in 2009. The award identifies excellence and a contribution to historic and cultural preservation, and preservation-sensitive new construction as recognition fo r the award. The Land Trust is doubly proud of being named a Distinguished Preservationist and Friend of Preservation. The Anderson House adjacent to the Land Trust’s office at 119 E. Bullion in Hailey, was purchased and then renovated for staff housing, thanks to the generosity of Lyn and David Anderson. Its restoration was recognized by the Idaho Historic Preservation Council as a contribution to the preservation of Idaho’s historic and cultural resources and pays homage to Hailey’s mining town era past. According to Sanborn Fire Maps, earliest structures on the lot date to 1885. A newspaper found behind some planks in the main room was dated 1884. The Land Trust is proud to continue to foster and support the need to preserve and protect historic landmarks in our valley. The Land Trust office at 119 E. Bullion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 after an extensive and historically accurate restoration in 2001, and we welcome the public to visit our beautiful home. We are able to provide proof that workable alternatives to removal or tear downs of existing structures can and do exist. The ORCHID awards ceremony is scheduled for May 19 at the Masonic Temple in Boise from 11 to 2 p.m. For more information, please call us or the Idaho Historic Preservation Council at 424-5111. The Wood River Land Trust is a local nonprofit organization that protects and restores land, water, and wildlife habitat in the Wood River Valley and surrounding areas. Working cooperatively with private landowners and local communities, the Land Trust ensures that these areas are protected now and for generations to come.
Wood River Land Trust's 8th Annual Heart of the Valley Contest Featured
in the Weekly Sun
By Karen Bossick - Weekly Sun  It's only fitting that a photograph of a dog would win first place in a photo contest in dog-happy Sun Valley. Beverley Robertson took first place in the Adult Non-professional Photography portion of the Wood River Land Trust's 8th Ann ual Heart of the Valley contest for her picture of a Lab bounding down the cross-countr y ski trails, its body language oozing with the joy at being out and about. Her "Dog in Perpetual Motion" fit this year's contest theme "Our Valley in Motion". Dozens of people turned out Thursday night for the awards reception at the Sun Valley/Ketchum Visitor Center Bureau. The contest photographs will be on display at KB's Burritos through April. You can also see the entries at www.heartofthevalley.net. Other winners: Glen Shapiro's "Brown Drake #1" received Honorable Mention in Adult Non-professional Photography; and Kathi Wagner's "Snowshoe Out Goodale Cutoff" took Staff Favorite. Rose Rumball-Petre won first place in Adult Prose and Poetry for her "Seasons in Motion" poem and Honorable Mention and Staff Favorite for her prose "Our Lives Together". In the Student Photography category, Brooke Beckwith won first place for her picture of a red-tailed hawk flying over a small grove of yellow aspen on Proctor Mountain. Ryan Sandoz won Honorable Mention and Staff Favorite for his photograph "Dancing Shadows", which depicts three shadows joined hand-in-hand at the Quigley sledding hill. Callie Weber won first place in Student Prose and Poetry and Abigail Barton, Honorable Mention. Addy Gage won Staff Favorite for her poem "A Valley Sonnet".
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| Wood River Land Trust Office Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Wood River Land Trust has received notice that its historic Hailey office has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a program administered by the National Park Service.
The home was nominated under the name of the Fox-Worswick House and dates of historical significance are 1880-1910. The original lot was purchased by C.B. Fox from John Hailey for $25, and ownership changed hands six times between 1885 and 1919. It was purchased by the Land Trust in 2001 from the Hunter Nelson estate. The exterior and interior were carefully restored to a turn of the century appearance, and Land Trust staff moved into the offices in 2003.
Now that the Land Trust building is listed on the National Register, the intersection of Bullion Street and Second Avenue is a Hailey historic crossroads. Each building on the four corners of the intersection (Episcopal Church, Masonic Lodge, Burke residence, in addition to the Land Trust building) is listed. A pamphlet called Hailey Historic Crossroads has been produced and is available at the Land Trust office and the Hailey Chamber.
Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of1966, the National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. The Register includes on its list districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, archeology, engineering and culture.
Wood River Land Trust is a local nonprofit organization that protects and restores land, water, and wildlife habitat in the Wood River Valley and its surrounding areas by working cooperatively with private landowners and local communities to ensure these areas are protected now and for generations to come. | | Land Trust Accreditation Received December 2010!
Wood River Land Trust is pleased to announce that it received accreditation by the national Land Trust Alliance in December 2010. The Commission conducted an extensive review of the Land Trust’s policies and programs and invited public input. The accreditation process recognizes land trusts that meet national standards for their practices and policies. For a full list of these standards, see: www.landtrustaccreditation.org/getting-accredited/are-you-ready
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| New Project!! Big Wood River Below Magic Dam
We’re excited about our newest project, which would restore and enhance a tailwater trout fishery in the Big Wood River below Magic Reservoir. Currently, the river channel below Magic Dam has only minimal flows for much of the year. During the spring/summer irrigation season, the Big Wood Canal Company releases water from the reservoir into the river for diversion into the Richfield Canal system. Once the irrigation season ends, no water is released. With the exception of runoff and groundwater seepage, water recharge to the lower Big Wood River is non-existent for much of the year.
The seasonal dewatering of the river below Magic Dam has significant impacts on survival and reproduction of the wild rainbow and brown trout populations.
The Land Trust is working with the canal company to find innovative ways to conserve water in the irrigation system below Magic Reservoir. In exchange for our participation in this process, we hope to acquire “shares” of water to bank in the reservoir and release into the river during times of low flow, creating sufficient year-round flows for fish and the river ecosystem. The conserved water will provide mutual benefits to the fishery and agricultural users.
Currently, we are conducting a study of stream flows in this section of the Big Wood River to provide a clear picture of how much water needs to be conserved in order to accomplish our fishery enhancement goals. We plan to enter into a formal agreement with the canal company to refine plans for water conservation, complete an environmental analysis, secure permits, implement conservation measures, and begin releasing water into the river for fish.
For more information, contact Keri York, Senior Conservation Coordinator, at
kyork@woodriverlandtrust.org
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| Access Yes!
Four Wood River Land Trust properties are now part of the Access Yes! program managed by Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG), which is designed to increase the public’s access for hunting and fishing. Land Trust properties that currently have hunting and/or fishing access through the Access Yes! Program are Sheep Bridge Canyon, Square Lake, Draper Wood River Preserve, and Cowcatcher Ridge. Sign-in boxes are located at the entrances to these lands just to help IDFG track public use. To view properties around the state that are part of the Access Yes! program, go to http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/huntplanner/accessyesguide.aspx. |  | Partnerships for the Pioneer Mountains: Pioneers Alliance
The Land Trust has been involved with the Alliance since its inception. Scott Boettger, Executive Director of the Land Trust, believes the Alliance is a great opportunity to use long-term local knowledge to work collaboratively on big-picture, regional conservation. “It’s an effort,” he notes, “that brings small organizations like the Land Trust together with larger groups to represent local values and interests.” Our 2009 acquisition of the Porcupine Creek property east of Hailey is a response - and commitment - to local interest in public access to and protection of the Pioneer Mountains. For more information about the Pioneers Alliance, contact Scott Boettger, sboettger@woodriverlandtrust.org or Mike Stevens at Lava Lake Institute for Science and Conservation www.lavalakeinstitute.org, click on Pioneers Alliance.
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| Wood River Land Trust Sponsors Pronghorn Antelope Study
As a sponsor, Wood River Land Trust is proud to be part of this important ongoing research. Key partners in the project include Lava Lake Institute, WCS, IDFG, the National Park Service, Kim Murray, and the Pioneers Alliance. For more information and a full list of sponsors, go to www.lavalakeinstitute.org. Also see the pronghorn study online at National Geographic and Discovery News.
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