Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Wood River Land Trust staff members meet with John and Janet Barton at Bellevue’s Howard Preserve, where the land trust worked to help orchestrate preservation of the 13-acre riverside property. Left to right, Kate Giese, Stef Frenzl, John Barton, Janet Barton, Joy Allen, Dan Gilmore. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Wood River Land Trust marks 10 years

Valley organization seeks to diversify with age

---

By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

The Wood River Land Trust has come a long way since its executive director did the organization’s day-to-day work from his Hailey bedroom.

In December 1996, Scott Boettger arrived in Hailey as the first Wood River Land Trust staff member. The land trust’s office bounced through several of Hailey’s low-cost office spaces and eventually landed in Boettger’s home.

Looking at the land trust’s refurbished historic east Hailey home, remodeled as a neat and clean two-story office, it’s difficult to imagine the non-profit organization’s early days.

Since the mid-1990s, the land trust has grown in every respect.

It has gone from zero to eight staff members and has protected 3,934 acres of open space. Its membership has grown from 14 to 1,100, and its annual budget has ballooned from $60,000 to $500,000.

"It went by fast," Boettger said. "I always make a joke that for the first 11 months, the phone didn’t ring, but after that, it hasn’t stopped. The need, the niche that we fill in this valley, is the catalyst."

 

Evolution

The Wood River Land Trust was created in 1993—10 years ago this month—by a group of local residents who were concerned about the loss of open space as residential development continued to boom.

Now it owns or holds easements to properties throughout Central Idaho, with the Wood River Valley serving as its hub. Its success and growth appears to mirror a growing environmental awareness that has blossomed in the Sun Valley area.

Lake Creek preserve was the first property the Wood River Land Trust protected in 1996. Wood River Land Trust photo

The land trust’s mission is threefold: protect open space, preserve wildlife habitat and restore degraded lands.

After the organization protected its first property in 1996, momentum quickly began to steam roll. By January 1997, the land trust protected 9 acres. A year later, the total was up to 1,000 acres.

"Now we have more business than we know what to do with," said land trust Community Outreach Director Dan Gilmore. "We’ve completed more projects in the last two and a half years than in the previous seven."

The land trust’s tool of choice for land protection is the conservation easement. According to Boettger, a conservation easement is a voluntary restriction placed on property that limits one or more uses of that property.

It is a recorded deed restriction that runs in perpetuity with the property. The restrictions remain in place even if the property is transferred, inherited or sold.

"A conservation easement protects a property from future development, yet allows for continued current uses such as residential, recreational, agricultural or ranching," Boettger said. "The goal is to protect some important conservation quality, such as a sensitive wildlife habitat, prime agricultural land, a public trail or scenic view."

The land trust has put that philosophy to work in several respects. It has protected some of the Wood River Valley’s most prominent undeveloped or partially developed properties and has restored components of crumbling ecosystems in others.

Its 17-acre Lake Creek Preserve north of Ketchum was the first property the organization protected. The 7-acre Boxcar Bend Preserve on the banks of the Big Wood River, north of the East Fork, is one its most prominent mid-valley properties, which was set aside in 1996 to provide for public access and wildlife habitat.

The recently protected Howard Property in Bellevue is 13 acres of riverside land dominated by a mature cottonwood forest. The city of Bellevue and the state of Idaho, along with dedicated efforts from several local residents, helped set the property aside.

The land trust orchestrated the city’s ownership of the property.

"I’m really happy that this riverside property, which has been used by generations of Bellevue citizens, is now preserved and can be enjoyed by ongoing generations of Bellevue citizens," said Bellevue Mayor John Barton. "We couldn’t have done this project without the land trust. Their administrative expertise and motivated staff have helped get this where it is today."

 

Common ties and a vision

The land trust’s board of directors, which fluctuates between nine and 15 volunteers, is "a broad-based paintbrush of the valley," Boettger said.

Aside from living in the same place, land trust representatives contend that the board just might be the one thing everyone who lives in the Wood River Valley has in common.

"I would argue that the desire to protect open space crosses ideological and political boundaries," Gilmore said. "It’s the one thing everyone in the valley has in common."

With such widespread support, the challenge is not necessarily looking for people to side with open space protection from a philosophical perspective. It’s finding enough money in an environment where land costs are shooting skyward and people view their properties as part of their investment portfolios.

"In this kind of community, where so many people view their property as an investment, this community is unique that way," Boettger said. "It’s a major hurdle to overcome here."

Growth in the Wood River Valley is well established.

From 1990 to 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau noted that Blaine County grew by 40 percent. From 2000 to 2002, the county grew an additional 7 percent to 20,378. Meanwhile, land costs have outpaced the exorbitant population growth.

"As the population and the land prices continue to escalate, the development pressure continues to increase," Gilmore said. "The need to protect the remaining open space before it is lost is urgent."

 

Down the road

There’s still a lot the land trust has its sights set on.

Ongoing work will include a focus on planning and zoning, riparian corridors and a new fisheries assessment, to name a few. Increasingly, the group will work in the realm of legislation and regulation.

"We’re going to look at the long-term resources we’re trying to protect," Boettger said.

But that’s not to say it is caught up in what will happen 10 years down the road.

"There are some really unique opportunities right now," Boettger said. "Everything we can protect today is preserving something for the future."

He pointed to Ketchum. "Look at the lack of connectivity" among open spaces and riparian corridors, he said. "As development pressure travels south, there’s going to be greater and greater demand. It’s going to be more and more important."

Bruce Tidwell, the longest standing land trust board member, said the northern Wood River Valley is moving toward build-out.

"More and more houses are being uprooted and sent south," he said. "Now is the time for us to take action. It’s only going to get tougher."

For his part, Gilmore said the land trust will become more of a household name.

"I see a network of preserves throughout the area that are protecting wildlife habitat and access points," he said.

---

Open house:

The Wood River Land Trust will celebrate its 10-year anniversary this weekend at an open house on July 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The land trust office is at 119 East Bullion St. in Hailey.

For information, call 788-3947.

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.