Wednesday, February 20, 2008

River restoration group dips toes back in the water

Whitewater park would benefit fish, children and kayakers


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Photo by Chad Berardo Andy Post, of Evergreen, Colo., plays on a man-made wave at a whitewater park in Lyons, Colo., north of Boulder.

In its first attempt to organize construction of a community recreation asset on the Big Wood River in Hailey, the Wood River Whitewater Park Committee encountered difficult-to-navigate rapids.

Now, a year and a half later, members of the committee are reinvigorated, have hired a new design consultant and are touting the project's potential to improve fish habitat. But that doesn't mean there aren't more rapids ahead.

"I think it's a good thing to put out there our potential challenges, potential deal breakers," said committee member Macleod Sawyer. "And we need to let people know there are a lot of things that need to happen to make this work."

The Wood River Whitewater Park Committee formed three years ago in an effort to build a river asset that would benefit an array of area residents. Although the committee is comprised of whitewater kayakers and rafters, the name "whitewater park" can be something of a misnomer, said committee Chairman Guy Robins.

Photo by Guy Robins
A whitewater park on the Truckee River in Reno, Nev., has helped boost business and improve fish habitat.

"We're talking about improving habitat for trout and the native Wood River Sculpin. We're talking about creating a place for kids to play in the water. We're talking about building a green belt along the river," Robins said. "The vision is for a park, a whitewater park and green space. The vision is for good fishing and good kayaking. There's so much more to it than kayaking, and we need people to understand that it's not going to hurt fish habitat but, rather, improve it."

The intention is to use the existing natural waterways for small sections of whitewater features with waves and hydraulics where kayakers, inner-tubers and boogie boarders can enjoy a short ride through whitewater, while adding shore-based attractions such as a greenbelt and picnic tables.

But it is, as well, kayaking.

One of Idaho's monikers may well be "The Whitewater State," but it has arrived late to a concept that has invigorated riverside communities throughout the country in the past five to six years. Golden, Colo., Reno, Nev., and dozens of other communities throughout the West are enjoying enhanced recreation, business and park-like atmospheres from these river enhancements.

And Idaho is finally catching on.

Though communities throughout state are designing and implementing whitewater parks, this several-years-long effort to build whitewater features at Lyon's Park in Hailey stalled due to funding and approval hurdles.

"Where we're at as a project is we have identified a new engineering firm," Sawyer said. "We feel optimistic about the new plan. And at this point we're looking to get some excitement and encouragement from the community before the next big step, which is to raise $50,000 for the next major engineering effort."

Sawyer, however, qualified his comments.

After the group's initial efforts fell through, he and his fellow committee members want to make sure the community at large understands the hurdles they are facing. The Army Corps of Engineers will have to sign off. As will the city of Hailey, the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality.

And the effort will require money.

In the first go-around it cost the group $12,000 to contract with a firm for initial design concepts. This time, with designer Nick Turner on board, it will require $50,000.

"We were shaking people upside down to get some spare change," Robins said. "There were a lot of $100 donations that made that happen, and those donations came from all parts of the valley, from Ketchum to Bellevue."

The group members said the initial engineering plans were not fully embraced by the Army Corps of Engineers because grout was planned to seal together boulders in the drop structures that were designed to create pools and waves in the stretch of the Big Wood River beside Lion's Park.

"It's important to note," Sawyer said, "that the plans weren't actually rejected, and the project wasn't killed. We saw the problems, backed out and went out to find a different engineer. We're much happier with the new approach. It's much better for fish migration and habitat in general."

Elsewhere in Idaho, Cascade, Riggins and Boise are in various stages of making water parks available within the next few years, as is the South Fork Landing housing development along the South Fork of the Payette River.

The city of Cascade is deep into initiating its water park. It will run two miles on the North Fork of the Payette River between the bridges to the north and south of Cascade on state Highway 55. It will include a 1,800-foot-long whitewater section within the water park. The whitewater portion will be twice the size of the whitewater park on the Truckee River in Reno.

Mayor Dick Carter told the Idaho Statesman last fall he wants visitors to come to Cascade to enjoy the new park as well as the fishing, hiking and "all the stuff we have up here in the valley."

The whitewater segment and the water park will be open to the community and travelers. Volleyball courts, a skateboard park, an amphitheater and other recreation amenities could be included in the plan.

The Cascade water park is anticipated to cost between $330,000 and $350,000.

"We are going to do as much of this on our own as we can," Carter said.

People in the area have volunteered their heavy construction equipment, time, money and expertise. The city will own and operate the park. No user fees are anticipated, except for kayak rentals or lessons that private vendors provide. Carter said he is pushing to have the water park open by this April or May.

Continuing north of Cascade, a water park adventure seeker will eventually encounter Riggins.

Riggins is conducting a feasibility study to consider a whitewater play park located along a stretch of the Little Salmon River above its confluence with the Salmon River by the Salmon River Bridge. There, too, the emphasis will be on a broad focus that serves locals and tourists.

On another branch of Idaho's pristine rivers, plans are under way for a new twist on the whitewater park concept. South Fork Landing housing development and Cascade Raft and Kayak are building the first whitewater park in the United States that is located in a residential development. It will be near Alder Creek Bridge near the left bank of the South Fork of the Payette River.

Another project in western Idaho is the upcoming river recreation park in Boise. In conjunction with the Esther Simplot Park, the whitewater park is being developed on the Boise River from near 36th Street to Veterans Memorial Park. People will be able to enjoy being on and beside the river.

Tom Governale, superintendent of parks for the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, said there are several reasons for building whitewater parks and river parks. The new park adds other recreation opportunities that enhance quality of life. Gasoline consumption, and its impact on air quality, is reduced as residents stay in town to exercise.

Plus, the river environment is improved as well.

"We are cleaning up a section of the river that isn't very user-friendly presently," Governale told the Idaho Statesman.

Additionally, whitewater parks built in cities such as Vail and Golden, Colo., and Green River, Wyo., have generated a favorable economic impact on the local communities. Idaho cities are hoping for similar benefits. In Golden, the whitewater park is part of a larger community park that includes softball fields, tennis courts, community art and pedestrian pathways.

But in Blaine County, the ongoing hurdles persist. Approvals must be obtained from key agencies and municipalities, and backing must be sought from groups like the Wood River Land Trust, which has been undertaking a years-long restoration project in Lyon's Park.

"I still love the concept," said Scott Boettger, executive director of the Wood River Land Trust. "I still love the idea if we can create a restoration plan, particularly in that degraded section of stream, if we can create an enhanced recreation component."

But success, particularly of the whitewater park component, hinges at the most fundamental level on community support.

"We just want to make sure people know that if this is something they support, get involved now," Sawyer said. "Make your voices heard because this isn't a done deal."




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