Topic: Wood River Valley

The guns are running! After a light dusting of snow on the Valley floor earlier this week and a more significant accumulation (eight inches) atop Bald Mountain, the Sun Valley Company has turned on the snow guns on Bald and Dollar Mountain in an effort to meet their Thanksgiving Day opening.

It's Election Day 2008 and excitement is in the air across the Wood River Valley, and across the country. A wet morning didn't seem to keep people from the polls and Plum's own Justin Ross sent in this report and these pictures of the scenes at Ernest Hemingway Elementary and the American Legion Hall in Ketchum.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock on a distant planet for the past 22 months, you are probably aware that tomorrow, Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day. From the presidential race down to the bottom of the ticket, Blaine County has some exciting contests that are sure to have consequences for the Wood River Valley and beyond. This year’s race seems to have people more energized than any election in recent memory, and while we won’t tell you how to vote, we will certainly show you where. Find your polling place after the jump…

From the Wood River Land Trust

Howard Preserve in Bellevue

Whether it’s an afternoon dip on a hot day or a beautiful rainbow trout at your favorite fishing hole, the Big Wood River etches singular days into our collective memories. As it winds south toward Magic Reservoir and beyond, the Big Wood River plays a defining role in each community in the larger valley that bears its name.

In addition to providing recreational opportunities, the Big Wood River provides clean drinking water for people and habitat for wildlife. Because the Big Wood River is free-flowing, it is healthier than many in our area, but healthy rivers are more than simply water in a channel. Healthy rivers have functioning floodplains that contain native plants and that fill with water during spring runoff as well as in-stream wood and bugs. Without these things, a river cannot support healthy fish populations, and water quality and quantity suffer.

This is why, in 2004, Wood River Land Trust introduced its Healthy Waters, Healthy Futures project. The Healthy Waters, Healthy Future project directs Wood River Land Trust’s long-term conservation priorities on the Big Wood River to focus the organization’s efforts where they can have the greatest impact on the river’s health. Using data gathered during the project’s research phase, Wood River Land Trust identified areas where land donations and purchases, voluntary conservation agreements, restoration projects, and community involvement can protect and improve existing floodplain and river function.