Blaine County was presented Thursday with the 2004 Sawtooth National Forest Stewardship Award for conservation excellence by Forest Supervisor Ruth Monahan.
In presenting the award to the County Commission, Supervisor Monahan stated, "On behalf of the Sawtooth National Forest, it is my privilege and pleasure to recognize Blaine County as the 2004 recipient of the Sawtooth National Forest's Stewardship Award for Conservation Excellence."
According to Monahan, this prestigious award is given each year in recognition of land conservation projects and programs that demonstrate outstanding contribution toward excellence in conservation on the Sawtooth National Forest.
"We are proud to recognize Blaine County with this award," Monahan said. "In recent years there have been many county agencies and other organizations in Blaine County that have been an outstanding partner with us on a number of projects. Without their interest, support and active participation, we would not have been able to accomplish the many projects that benefit the local public and visitors."
County Commission chair Sarah Michael said the award is in recognition for county efforts like spearheading cooperative management of noxious weeds and for putting up the money to build the new Fox Creek Trailhead.
"We partnered with the Ketchum Ranger District," Michael said. "(The county and the Blaine County Recreation District) all look at the forest service as a partner."
In a county where 68 percent of the land is federally owned, the partnership is very important, she added. "We work hard all of us together."
Monahan named a number of projects on the Ketchum Ranger District and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area that have received continued support and leadership by County agencies and organizations within Blaine County. A partial list includes:
Recreation
· Support of Blaine County Recreation District as an important Forest Service partner
· Fox Creek Trailhead development
· Recreation Fee Program
· Snowmobile Trail Grooming Program in cooperation with local clubs and partners
· Public easements for recreation access
· Support of the SNRA Private Land Regulations
Noxious Weeds
· Blaine County Cooperative Weed Management Area establishment
· Noxious Weed outreach and education programs
· Spotted Knapweed treatment program
Wildland Fire
· Blaine County Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Mitigation Plan
· Adoption of FIREWISE in County Planning
· Wildland Fire Evacuation Response Plan for Sawtooth Valley
"The commitment to conservation and protection of the resources on the Sawtooth National Forests sets Blaine County apart and make you truly deserving of this award," Monahan added, "We want to personally thank the Blaine County Commissioners, county agencies, local organizations and Blaine County citizens for being our partner in Caring for the Land and Service People."
The Sawtooth National Forest Steward Award for Conservation Excellence was initiated in 1994. It is the highest award that is given by the Sawtooth NF. The annual recipient of this award is selected by the Forest Supervisor from a list of nominations submitted by Forest employees. The award is given to individuals and groups both internally to the Forest Service and externally. The award is a beautifully, hand and laser carved wooden plate with an elk in the foreground of the Boulder Mountains just north of Ketchum.
"You should see it. It is beautiful," Michael said. "It was very thoughtful of them to do that."
Past recipients of this award include Deon Wells and Kay Billington, former Sawtooth National Recreation Area Lands Program employees; former Forest Archeologist Roshanna Stone; grazing permittees from the Arimo Corporation's Malta Ranch; Mark Moulton -- SNRA Hydrologist; Black Pine Mine Environmental Engineer Crellin Scott; Pleasant Valley Grazing Association; Burley County Highway District; and the Sawtooth National Forest Construction and Maintenance Crew.
The 2004 Sawtooth National Forest Stewardship Award plaque for conservation excellence was presented Thursday to Blaine County.
