Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Cove Springs isn?t us


We are so lucky to live in this beautiful valley and to share it with such a variety of wildlife.

The large subdivision proposed at Cove Springs in the Bellevue Triangle could change Blaine County forever. The Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game both rejected the proposal, even after revisions were made. The County Commission should do the same.

Silver Creek, the Wood River and our aquifers are precious resources that belong to everyone. We cannot allow developments to exploit our resources by overusing our aquifer, decreasing Silver Creek's water flow and degrading our clean water. There is no way to know how water use at Cove Springs will affect Silver Creek or the aquifer.

Fishing, hunting and watching wildlife are key to our way of life and an important part of our economy. Idaho Department of Fish and Game took the unusual step of unanimously rejecting the subdivision, maintaining that Cove Springs would devastate the local wildlife. The Cove Springs development would interrupt the migration routes of big game, destroy wintering habitat of elk and mule deer and disturb breeding sage grouse. In a letter to Blaine County Planning and Zoning, Sept. 4, 2007, the BLM states: "We anticipate direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to both resident and migratory wildlife populations and their attendant habitat would occur on public land adjacent to the proposed project area following project development."

Establishing residential communities throughout the rural areas of the county will increase traffic on our crowded highway and add to our tax burden.

Please attend the hearing, Thursday, Oct. 4, at 6:30 p.m., at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.

Ann Christensen

Ketchum




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