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Just west of Hailey, a large cottonwood forest along both sides of the Big Wood River provides a welcome respite for humans and wild critters alike.
Visitors to the extensive natural area, which is backed up against the steep, eroded slopes of Della Mountain, are treated to the delightful sights and sounds of a mature forest, something that's become increasingly rare in the Wood River Valley. Noticeably missing from the scene are the overbearing traffic sounds common in many modern cities.
Instead, the sounds of an intact riparian area—the singing of songbirds, rustle of leaves and rhythmic flow of the Big Wood River—are what one hears when traipsing through the beautiful area. Always possible when walking through the intact forest is the chance to spot moose, deer, elk, river otters, bald eagles and other species of wildlife that call the area home at various times throughout the year.
Regular visitors to the area—the two-legged, upright human kind—will be happy to know that as of last Wednesday, the forest to the north and west of the Wood River Land Trust's existing 4.5-acre Cedar Bend Preserve was forever removed as a developable area. On that day, the land trust officially took ownership of the 80-acre property from the Idaho Department of Lands in exchange for it trading to the state agency a smaller, private parcel in the Hailey area.
Walking through the newly preserved area on Monday with his two children—son, Gunner, and daughter, Emily—land trust Executive Director Scott Boettger said the acquisition is the 13-year-old organization's most significant accomplishment to date.
"This is the biggest story of the decade," Boettger said.
The exchange between the department of lands and the land trust didn't just bring into the organization's ownership the 80-acre parcel. Also included in the deal was another 40-acre piece of property located about a quarter-mile south of the 80-acre parcel on the west side of the Big Wood River and just north of Colorado Gulch. The additional 40 acres was added to the exchange after an appraisal by the department of lands indicated the value of the 80-acre parcel was not comparable to the 4.6-acre Indian Creek lot, land trust Program and Membership Coordinator Heather Kimmel said Monday.
The exchange will permanently preserve from future development a one-half acre stretch of the Big Wood River and the adjacent stands of cottonwood trees between Cedar Bend and Lions Park in Hailey. The riparian area covers approximately 26 acres of the larger 80-acre property, Kimmel said. The remaining land drapes the lower east-facing slopes of Della Mountain.
The acquisition moves forward by leaps and bounds the land trust's goal to protect a continuous greenway along the Big Wood River, Boettger said. "Slowly you start to fill in over time."
The newly enlarged preserve, which will be renamed the Draper Wood River Preserve, includes several undesignated trails that wind through the cottonwood forest on the east side of the river. The land trust's plans for the preserve include establishing signage for the area along these trails, Kimmel said.
The new name of the preserve recognizes the significant monetary gift that Wood River Valley residents Priscilla and Ranney Draper gave to the land trust making the purchase of the Indian Creek lot possible, she said. Further making the exchange possible was the sale of the Indian Creek lot at a bargain rate by Bruce Smith, owner of Alpine Enterprises, she said.
Aspects of the preserve known only to area residents include the "heart tree," Kimmel said.
The heart tree is one of the largest cottonwood trees in the forest, at least four feet in diameter. Lining the base of the tree and perched in its various nooks and crannies are numerous heart-shaped rocks, Kimmel pointed out Monday.
"The idea just caught on," she said. "It's just this cool community thing."
Kimmel said the land trust has plans to build pedestrian bridges in some of the wetter areas within the preserve. She said they also have plans to build a new entrance to the preserve in the China Gardens neighborhood, as well as to build an informational kiosk and bench area somewhere within the forest.
Wood River Land Trust Program and Membership Coordinator Heather Kimmel stands beside a stretch of the Big Wood River preserved through a complex land swap the organization has just finalized with the Idaho Department of Lands. The 80-acre area shown in the map Kimmel is holding will be called the Draper Wood River Preserve. Photo by Willy Cook
