For her leadership in promoting human-powered winter recreation in the backcountry, Blaine County Commission Chairwoman Sarah Michael will be presented with the Trailbreaking Award from the Winter Wildlands Alliance on Friday, March 10, at the Stoecklein Gallery in Ketchum.
"The award is not just for what she's done for the Winter Wildlands Alliance organization, but for her efforts to promote and protect areas for winter snow sports," said Mark Menlove, executive director of Winter Wildlands. "We really wanted to come up with an award to recognize her."
Michael, who is the co-founder and former president of Winter Wildlands, has been deeply involved with human-powered winter recreation, both personally and professionally, in the Wood River Valley for several years. She and her husband, Bob Jonas, are the former owners of Ketchum-based Sun Valley Trekking Co.
She was also involved in the efforts to resolve a nasty dispute between backcountry skiers and snowmobilers in the upper Wood River Valley in the late 1990s. That conflict—which included the arson of one of Sun Valley Trekking's yurts—was resolved in 2001 with the mapping of designated areas for each user-group.
"That is still a model we hold up in other areas of the country; it's a great example of a best-case scenario," Menlove said. "The fact that both sides of that table came together in rebuilding the hut that was burned is a great demonstration and example that people can work together on both sides."
A member of the Nordic and Backcountry Skiers Alliance, formed in 1998 and based in Hailey, Michael said her experience in the Wood River Valley conflict inspired her to create Winter Wildlands in 2000.
"At that time we got together with groups in Colorado and California and I was committed to raise the funds to see if we could create a national organization," Michael said.
Today, Winter Wildlands has 900 individual members but over 20,000 members from 21 grassroots groups in 11 states. The alliance also educates about 30,000 grade-school students on winter ecology every year.
This is the first year the alliance has presented a Trailbreaking Award.
"When you're breaking trail in the backcountry you're doing all the hard work, and that's what Sarah has been doing since Winter Wildlands' inception," Menlove said, adding that while Michael's presidency has expired, she will remain on the board. "She really has been the real energy and drive behind creating Winter Wildlands as a national organization and she's worked tirelessly to help us get funding and move our efforts forward."
The party starts at 6 p.m. with the presentation to Michael at 7 p.m.
To RSVP, call (208) 344-8692.
