For the week of March 5 - 11, 2003

The right stuff

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Life is going on in America even as the debate over war in Iraq goes on.

Kids are going to school, people are going to work and public-minded citizens are doing good. Optimism hasn’t gone out of style in this post-9/11 world.

For example, Rotarun, the community ski area west of Hailey, has a new fence that has transformed skiing there by keeping snow from blowing off the run. The fence was built by volunteers and paid for by local and national businesses.

The fence improved skiing and boarding for everyone at the little hill. Along with an army of volunteers, it ensured that conditions were right for last week’s uproarious Snow Box Derby.

Other ambitious efforts may soon benefit Bellevue and Hailey as well.

The city of Bellevue and the non-profit Wood River Land Trust are pursuing the purchase of a 13-acre parcel of riverside property for an open space and streamside restoration project.

In Hailey, the Land Trust is working to acquire land to create the Big Wood River Greenway Project. The trust is also working with the city to establish a new freshwater pond and wetland at the site of the decommissioned Riverside Treatment Plant near Heagle Park.

The projects are the first of their kind in Hailey and Bellevue.

The public-private endeavors would help rescue the Big Wood River from a future as an abused afterthought, overwhelmed by growth.

Hailey and Bellevue are offering up just the right stuff for our times—leadership and hope for making the world a better place—starting in our own backyards.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.