With recreational use on public lands south of Ketchum increasing, the Bureau of Land Management and Blaine County Commission are in the process of creating a Recreation and Travel Plan for the Wood River Valley.
In order to formulate the plan, they need public input.
Growth and development is on the rise in the southern areas of the Wood River Valley. With that has come more widespread use of public lands—and conflicts.
The planning area covers land south of Ketchum to U.S. Highway 20, and from Willow Creek east to the Little Wood Reservoir. It consists of public, private and state land.
"We are looking for individuals that participate in activities such as hiking, mountain biking, trail running, hunting, horseback riding and ATV, four-wheel drive and motorcycle travel," John Kurtz, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM's field office in Shoshone, said in a news release. "These individuals should be willing to spend two hours participating in a focus group representing their key interest."
The focus group meetings will be held from May 15 to May 19 and will address spring, summer and fall recreation. The BLM hosted winter recreation focus groups in February.
According to Kurtz, 10 to 15 people will be selected to represent each activity, and they'll receive a formal written invitation to the meeting.
The plan seeks to balance user interests and resolve conflicts, such as the one that has developed in Croy Canyon, west of Hailey.
Several Croy Canyon residents claim snowmobilers regularly trespass on private property and have left the land littered with garbage and even human waste.
Croy Canyon is surrounded by BLM land and has long been a hub for snowmobilers and other motorized users.
Representatives from four separate Croy Canyon homeowner groups met with the county commissioners in March to discuss potential solutions to the problem.
Ted Angle, who lives in Croy Canyon, said the abuse has come from "a minority" of the snowmobilers. He said most motorized users respect private property, follow the rules, and do not litter the land.
Those who do abuse the laws cannot be identified because their faces are shielded by helmets and their snowmobile identification tags are too small to read. Angle believes a solution can be reached by working with the majority of snowmobilers who do abide by the laws. He believes an education campaign may also help since some snowmobilers may not be aware that they're trespassing.
"We need to get everybody together working on this," Angle said.
A similar conflict between snowmobilers and backcountry skiers in the northern sections of the Wood River Valley was resolved in the fall of 2000.
To get involved, contact Lily Simpson, project coordinator, by April 27. She can be reached at 720-3666, or via e-mail at lilisimpso@aol.com.
To get involved
Contact Lily Simpson, project coordinator, by April 27. She can be reached at 720-3666, or via e-mail at lilisimpso@aol.com.
Focus group meetings will be held from May 15 to 19.
