wood river land trust spring newsletter 2011

8/6/2019 Wood River Land Trust Spring Newsletter 2011

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Spring 2011 Protecting the heart of the valley...now and for the futur

Unique Wetlands Protected

in te Camas Prairie generous donation o a conservation easement to the Wood River

Land Trust was made in December, 2010, by Dr. Ralph Campanale

protecting 1620 acres encompassing ½ mile o Camas Creek.

The property is east o Faireld in the Camas Prairie and also contains Kelly

Reservoir, which provides over 150 acres o wetland habitat or waterowl.

Dr. Campanale’s property is in the vicinity o other public lands, several vol-

untary conservation agreements, and Idaho Department o Fish and Game’sCentennial Marsh Wildlie Management Area.

Dr. Campanale approached Wood River Land Trust two years ago to ex-

plore ways o permanently protecting his property. He said, “There are two

reasons why I originally purchased the property: To preserve it rom devel-

opment by keeping it under single ownership, and to develop a relationship

with this incredible piece o land as payback or all my years o outdoor recre-

ation and enjoyment in nature.” Dr. Campanale’s property provides essential

habitat to numerous species o waterowl, migratory birds, sage grouse, and

pronghorn.

Cinnamon Teal at wetlands

Photo by Larry Barnes

A

Continued on page 7



wo we areScott Boettger, Executive Director

ebecca andher hus-

band, Tom

Goodrich, rst vis-

ited the Sawtooth

Valley in the late

1980s. Avid hik-

ers, they ell in love

with the rugged and

pristine landscape.

When they returned

in the early 1990s, they came to the Wood Rive

Valley. Although most o their hiking experiencehad been in the Sierras and the Alps, they were

drawn to the beauty o the sagebrush steppe

ecology and the Big Wood River. They kept com-

ing back to experience the unique character o

each season.

It was during a rainy June vacation that they

ound themselves looking at real estate rather

than hiking, and ended up purchasing a home

seven years ago in Greenhorn Gulch. They are

still working on spending more time here across

the seasons.

As she learned more about the Land TrustRebecca was impressed with our commitment to

preserve the unique combination o open space

agriculture, scenic vistas, and water resources

that makes the valley so special.

As she notes, “The Land Trust has played –

and will continue to play – a vital role in helping

to preserve the character o this valley, given its

ocus on working with private landowners and

its broad-based local support.”

Elected to the Land Trust Board o Directors

in September, 2010, Rebecca says she is pleased

to have the opportunity to join the BoardHaving spent 20 years in the private sector with

Silicon Valley companies and eight years as an

executive or The Nature Conservancy, she

hopes to bring the benet o her skills and expe-

rience to the Land Trust as it seeks to expand its

scope in the valley and surrounding areas. The

next several years, she believes, will present

unique opportunities or conservation and, she

says, “I eel ortunate to be a part o dening this

uture.” m

R

Meet Our BoardRebecca Patton

any o you know that my ather lost his three-year battle

with cancer late this all, although he would never have

called it a battle. He loved lie more than anyone I ever

knew; he cherished every moment and never complained when

things didn’t go as planned. I see his enthusiasm live on in my chil-

dren.

He was one o the Land Trust’s earliest and biggest ans. When

I moved here to take the job o Executive Director in 1997, he

was my irst visitor that snowy March. We ished every moment

we could, rom postholing to the Big Wood at Sheep’s Bridge, to

Sunnyside Campground below Redish Lake in search o steelhead,and to Bear Tracks Williams in the desert above Richield. What I

remember most rom his trip then was the joy on his ace when I

picked him up at the end o the day rom Hulen Meadows. What

struck us both, being rom the crowded east, was that some o the

best ishing we had had was to be ound right in town.

My amily had deep roots and a strong connection to Pennsylvania,

that part o the country where I grew up, and my grandmother

(Dad’s mom) never understood why I let. But I saw this beloved

landscape eaten up by suburban sprawl, and my ather would oten

say that Idaho recalled or him the Pennsylvania o his youth.

I like to think we all share that kind o appreciation o the land,

and that may be why the Land Trust has such support in our eorts to protect what is best about our valley. We cannot turn the clock

back on what has been lost in many parts o this country, but we can

make a dierence here. We need to do more than just look back and

remember when. Now is the time to protect those places that bring

joy to each o us and will bring joy to our children’s children.

My ather’s last wish was that, in lieu o lowers, donations be

made in his name or our Croy Creek Wetlands Boardwalk. I look

orward to seeing the Boardwalk completed this sum-

mer, not just to honor my ather, but to honor what he

loved about the Land Trust and our eorts to protect

and share the wonders o the natural world. m

Newest Board Member, Re

Patton and husband Tom Go

Scott Boettger, his son Gunner, and his ather Doug Boettger

M



Land Trust Gains NationalRecognition

n December, 2010, ater anintensive year-long project

involving Land Trust sta

and Board members, the Wood

River Land Trust was awarded accredited status

rom the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an

independent program o the Land Trust Alliance.

“Accredited land trusts meet national quality

standards or protecting important natural places

and working lands orever,” said Commission

Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn.

“We proudly display the accreditation seal,”

said Scott Boettger, Executive Director. “Having

achieved accredited status demonstrates our com-

mitment to permanent land conservation.”

Accredited land trusts display a seal indicating

that they meet national standards or excellence.

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conserva-

tion group based in Washington, D.C. More inor-

mation on the accreditation program is available

on the Commission’s website, www.landtrustac-

creditation.org, and inormation on the Alliance is

available at www.landtrustalliance.org. m

I

he longest serving member o the Wood River Land Tr

Board o Directors, Clark Gerhardt stepped down in J

2010. To honor his service and extraordinary eorts

behal o the Land Trust, his nomination was unanimously approv

or the 2010 Founders’ Award at the January meeting o the Boa

The Founders’ Award is earned by individuals who h

advanced the mission o the Land Trust and demonstrated a lo

term commitment to preserving and protecting open space.

Clark began his tenure in 1999 and held the oice o Presiden

2006 and 2007, and was long-time chair o the undraising committ

His orte was attracting new board members with the skills, exp

ence, and proessionalism to beneit the Land Trust. He broughmore vibrant approach to undraising, and the donor appreciat

party he initiated has become an anticipated annual event. With

help, the organization developed its ocus on the big picture.

As he noted in his resignation letter, “WRLT is in excellent sh

with the best non-proit Board in the valley, a balance sheet tha

inancially very sound, and an image in the valley that is second

none. I will continue to support WRLT as a donor and enthusiast a

o course, wish you all good luck in meeting your goals. Aim h

onward, and upward!”

An avid mountain climber, Clark joined the Board o

American Alpine Club in early 2011. m

Clark ater climbing 18,800-oot Saqsha in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

CLARk GERhARDT

EARNS

FOUNDERS’

AWARD

T

ast October, the Wood River Land Trust lost a

good, longtime riend with the death o state

Senator Clint Stennett. As an Idaho arm boy,he knew his Idaho well and had a great love or all its

diverse landscapes.

In 2000, Clint and his wie Michelle donated a

small parcel o land along the Big Lost River near

Mackay to the Land Trust to acilitate its transer to

Idaho Fish and Game, which occurred two years later.

Stennett Public Access, as the gited land is called,

creates an access point to the Big Lost speciically or

recreational and ishing use.

Clint was a true sportsman and conservationist.

His git o land on the Big Lost River, protected in

perpetuity, is another gem in his bright legacy. m

L

CLINT’S LEGACy



wat we do

Coote hill:

Living a

Western DreamIn 1998, Dennis and Lee Higman worked with the Wood

River Land Trust to place a conservation easement on

their land along Twin Bridges Creek. Their story:

e were city people when we bought our 80

acres in the high mountain desert 14 years ago

and built a home there. Attracted by the beauty,

spectacular mountain views, privacy, wildlie, and the creek

that ran through the property, we knew nothing about water

tables, erosion, native ground cover, or what a healthy stream

should look like. All we saw initially was a living-in-the-old-

West dream come true where we could ride, hike, or ski out

our back door, and sit on the porch at night with a glass o

wine and see nothing but stars and listen to the silence.

In act, as we soon learned, the property itsel was in

bad shape and the creek, in the words o an expert we hired

to survey it, was “an ecological disaster.” Over-grazed or

decades by cattle, what should have been pastureland was

now rock hard dirt beret o grass by late summer, and the

eroded creek, supporting no discernible lie, was a muddy

trickle by all.

While the tax advantages o putting our land into a con-

servation easement with the Wood River Land Trust were

attractive, and the idea o keeping it intact and undeveloped

in perpetuity was a great idea, the real benet over the years

was learning rsthand about the amazing power o nature to

heal itsel.

We began this process by encing out cattle, slowing

the creek with rock and woody debris, eliminating noxious

weeds, and rotating our horses around the property. Then,

we watched and learned about what good things can happen

when you simply leave the land alone.

W

Grasses began to grow again in the sagebrush on the steep

hillsides. Along the creek, aspens and willows grew, not only

providing shade or the tiny trout that had survived, but attract-

ing beaver as well, one o God’s most accomplished engineers.

Soon our little stream lled behind the beaver dams which

ltered the water, held o spring runo, and maintained even

fows in the all. The surace water table came up and the sur-

rounding pastures turned green.

With reestablished ground cover and improved stream

fow, ducks, red-winged black birds and songbirds began

to appear along the banks. To the delight o our fy-shing

grandchildren, trout wintered over and grew to pan size. In

the uplands, sightings o grouse became a daily event on our

horseback rides; we saw an increasing number o elk, antelope,

moose, deer, rabbits, ground squirrels and our personal avor-

ite, the tiny least chipmunk. To keep the numbers o these ani-

mals in check, predators arrived – otter, skunks, golden eagles,

alcons, hawks, cougar, coyotes and wolves.

Dennis Higman and his beautiul

paint horse, Keith Richards

“Te eect o placing

te easement on te land

as enriced our lives

immeasurabl.”

Continued on page 6



he completion date or construction o the Boardwalk

is this summer. Winter halted our eorts in 2010, but

our contractor, K&M Construction, has all the necessary

building materials and is ready to go. What a great community

benet this will be!

In October, we held a hal-way-there celebration on theBoardwalk, with a bonre, music, and rereshments.

Other plans: At the naturally landscaped entrance, we are

planning a log welcome center that will display a donor board

and interpretive signage. Smaller signage will be installed along

the Boardwalk to describe the wetlands, birds, and other animals

seen in the area. Fun amenities are on our wish list, like tele-

scopic binoculars or bird watching. m

The Boardwalk Agparty in October gathered a c

T

Cro Cree Wetlands Boardwal On Trac

We thank all of you who have donated to this

exciting project! A young moose takes a stroll on the Boardwalk

Terry Ring, the owner of Silver Creek Outfitters, again donated a percentage of sales to support the work

of Wood River Land Trust during Share the Spirit weekend December 10 - 12. Homemade winter soups

and wine were served during the festive Friday reception.

Over $5,900 was raised to support our land conservation efforts. We are deeply grateful for Terry’s

generosity and continued support, and a big thank you goes to the helpful Silver Creek staff.

Share the Spirit with

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you Can help! Donations for the Boardwalk are stillneeded: $25 for an inch a $300 for a foot a $1000 for a yard. We are close

to our goal but ou can elp us reac te

fnis. Please mail a donation or go online at

www.woodriverlandtrust.org.



received a call recently rom a longtime riend in Ketchum who told me he had just sol

his house o 35 years to someone who bought it or the lot and planned to demolish th

house. He told me, “I hadn’t even considered that I was living in a teardown.”

His biggest concern was seeing his amily’s home knocked down and hauled away t the landll. Unortunately, due to a narrow driveway and extensive landscaping, the hous

could not be picked up and moved to a new site. However, the buyer’s Realtor had explaine

to his client the value, such as the tax benet, o recycling the unwanted home.

My riend wanted to make sure the Building Material Thrit Store had as much time a

needed to careully salvage all the usable material such as appliances, granite countertops, an

even a custom spiral staircase. The general contractor called to say he would make sure w

would have time to complete our work.

Thanks to my riend’s concern and persistence, a signicant amount o material rom h

ormer house will be used again. Visit www.buildingmaterialthritstore.org m

BMTS recycles building materials, larger household items, furniture, applianceand even homes through deconstruction or relocation. The Building Material Thrif

Store, 3930 S. Woodside Blvd. in Hailey, has an ever-changing inventory. Proceed from sales help fund the work of the Wood River Land Trust.

Building Material Trit Store A Note rom Bruce Tidwell, Owner/Manager

I

6

hulen Meadows River Restoration Upd

n 2008, the Bureau o Land Management oered the Wood River Land Trust a the City o Ketchum the opportunity to apply or a Recreation and Public Purpo

lease on public land along the Big Wood River north o Ketchum. We expect

lease will be nalized and issued to the City o Ketchum late this year. In cooperat

with the Land Trust, Ketchum will manage 205 acres o land along the river enco

passing Sun Peak to the Hulen Meadows river access area.

The Land Trust’s goals are to improve riparian and sh habitat along this stre

o the river, and restore the food control unctions o the foodplain and sedim

catchment pond. We have completed hydrologic surveys and geomorphic mappin

the site, thanks to unds provided by private donors. Our next step is to participat

Ketchum’s master planning or the site and evaluate all potential recreational enhan

ments to ensure there is no impact on the shery and wildlie. This year, we will s

our planning and engineering in preparation or on-the-ground restoration workbegin in 2012. m

I

Each spring a cow moose gives

birth in our lower pasture, and each

all we watch or the great blue heron

that appears year ater year to sh in

the lower creek. We listen or the

cry o the cougar and the call o the

solitary buck antelope. We keep our

eyes peeled or the wolverine we

were privileged to see one time, and

one time only. Occasionally we see

the track o a solitary wol and pray he

will survive. All these wonderul things are

the unexpected and surprising con-

sequences o the simple act o put-

ting our property in a conservation

easement with the Land Trust. The

easement agreement requires us to

do certain things and abide by cer-

tain guidelines, but in the process o

becoming good stewards o Coyote

Hill, the eect o placing the easement

on the land has enriched our lives

immeasurably. m

Coote hill:Living a WesternDream, continued

rom page 4



connectionsUnique Wetlands

Protected in te Cama

Prairie, continued rom cover

Land Trust Stewardship Coordinator Keri York

noted, “This conservation agreement is signi-

cant because it protects agricultural lands, open

space, and large expanses o sagebrush and wet-

land habitat. There are ew protected wetlands

comparable in size to Kelly Reservoir within the

Camas Prairie other than Centennial Marsh, and

we are very excited to have worked with Dr.

Campanale to achieve his conservation goals.”

Maintaining large tracts o sagebrush-steppe

habitat is important or migration o large game

animals and nesting sage grouse. In addition, theconservation easement protects 300 acres o

working agricultural land rom development.

A conservation easement is a voluntary lega

agreement between a landowner and the Land

Trust. This agreement denes a property’s uses

to protect its conservation values, such as wildlie

habitat, native plants, or productive agriculture,

and some o the rights associated with owning

the land are oreited in order to protect those

values. The easement agreement is binding in

perpetuity. m

Board o Directors

Jac kueneman, President

Trent Jones, Vice President

Jon Frenc, Treasurer

Robin Garwood,

Secretary

David Anderson

Ed Cutter

Jon Flatter

heater king

Jane Mason

Liz Mitcell

Rebecca Patton

Wol Riele

Jon Fell Stevenson

Megan Stevenson

Steve Strandberg

Joan Swit

Barbara Traser

Sta Scott Boettger

Executive Director

Melanie Dal

Executive Assistant

Eria PillipsSenior Project Coordinator

Tre Spaulding

Director of Operations

Natalie Spencer Director of Development

Asle Wells

Development Assistant

keri yor Stewardship Coordinator

Advisory Committee

Fred Bross

Ranne Draper

Larr Scoen

Jon Seiller

Tom Swit

Bruce Tidwell

Liz Warric

This newsletter is published by:

Wood River Land Trust

119 East Bullion Street

haile, Idao 83333

208.788.3947 (telepone)

208.788.5991 (ax)

[email protected]


Tax ID# 82-0474191

Protecting the Heart of the Valley Now and for the Future

wood river land trust

Protecting tis la

“is pabac or all m e

o enjoment in nature— Ralp Campan

7t Annual heart o te VallePoto Winners

he awards reception was eld on

Frida, Feb. 18 rom 6 to 7:30 p.m. atTull ’s in ketcum. To view te top-place

inisers in te poto and writing categories,

go to our website, www.woodriverlandtrust.org.

Tans to all wo entered!

I moved here over 30 years ago. I skied

every day and worked the swing shit at

the Scott Ski Boot plant. One night I saw

something amazing as I walked out the ac- tory door at 2 a.m.. There were the snow

covered slopes o our mountains, gleaming

like liquid silver, bathed bright in the light

o the ull moon….

I was at my brother’s spring baseball game

when my dad let me lay hands on his good

camera or the rst time. Out o the corner

o my eye I saw a red ox dashing over a

hill. I ollowed it silently. The ox was not

scared o me and made me eel like I was

a part o nature. Just then, I realized howlucky I was to live here.

T

1st Place Student: Red Fox in Spring, Brooke Beckwith

1st Place Adult: Moon Over Della, Doug Brown

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Acres permanently protected with

your support: 13,549

Croy Creek Wetlands Boardwalk

Fall sunset, 2010

NON-PRO

STANDAR

U.S. POSTA

PAID

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83333

119 East Bullion StreetHailey, Idaho 83333


ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Printed locally on 50% recycled paper

using soy-based inks

Protecting the Heart of the Valley Now and for the Future

wood river l and trust

woodriverlandtrust

spring 2011Unique Wetlands Protected

the Camas Prairie, cover and 7A Note From Scott Boettger,

Executive Director , page 2

Wood River Land Trust Gains

National Recognition, page 3

Coyote Hill – Living a Western

Dream, page 4 and 6

roy Creek Wetlands Boardwalk

on Track , page 5

7th Annual Heart o the Valley

Photo Winners, page 7

Wood River Land Trust protects and restores land, water, and wildlie habitat in the W

River Valley and its surrounding areas. We work cooperatively with private landowner

local communities to ensure these areas are protected now and or uture generation

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wood river land trust spring newsletter 2011

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