Advocates get new board members
Ketchum attorney Elizabeth Mathieu and Hailey resident Jenny Rollerson have been elected to the board of directors of the Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Mathieu's practice focuses on trusts, estates, gifts and charitable planning, and also tax-exempt-organization law. She recently moved from New York, and is a co-founding member of Mathieu & Ranum, with offices in Ketchum and Boise.
"Preventing abuse and bullying are key issues for me," Mathieu said. "I am pleased to be able to contribute to the important work of The Advocates."
Rollerson has lived in the valley for several years with her husband and son. She worked in the fashion industry for many years and currently puts her skills to use at Panache in Sun Valley. She said she plans to put her skills in social networking and fundraising to work for the organization.
Mathieu and Rollerson join board members Joy Kasputys, Katherine Schroder, Carol Jensen, Eeva Pregitzer, Ken Brannon, Steve England, Margery Friedlander, Carol Jensen, Anna Lingbloom, and Neil Morrow.
Nonprofits piggyback on Duck Race
Valley nonprofits can participate in a Wagon Days tradition while boosting their own fundraising efforts this year.
The Ketchum-Sun Valley Rotary Club invites all Blaine County nonprofits to partner up and sell ducks for the 15th annual Great Wagon Days Duck Race. The duck race is held each year to raise money for student scholarships and to support Blaine County Search and Rescue and the Sun Valley Board of Realtors Community Foundation. Other nonprofit groups that help sell will receive $1 per duck sold.
Duck Race Co-Chair Teresa Beahen-Lipman said the race raises thousands of dollars for its nonprofit partners each year.
The 15th annual Great Wagon Days Duck Race will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4, at Rotary Park in Ketchum.
Any 501c3 nonprofit organization in Blaine County is welcome to participate in duck sales, which begin soon and continue through the day of the race. More information and a list of this year's prizes can be found on the race's website, HYPERLINK "http://greatwagondaysduckrace.com/"greatwagondaysduckrace.com.
For more information, contact Beahen-Lipman at tbeahenlipman@cox.net or Co-Chair Ben Varner at rotaryben@gmail.com.
Hailey Library awarded grant
The Hailey Public Library has been awarded $2,500 made possible by the Deer Creek Fund of the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation. The grant will be used to buy laptop computers that will enable it to provide basic computer classes to the public.
The library reports an increase in patrons using computers. Many are unemployed, seniors or Spanish-speaking.
Free kids' breakfasts end Friday
The Hunger Coalition, together with the Blaine County School District, has been serving free hot breakfasts and lunches to local kids at Woodside Elementary School this summer through The Lunch Connection.
With the help of dedicated volunteers, and help from the Environmental Resource Center and Bellevue Public Library, Blaine County kids have been fueling up in the mornings and nourishing their bodies at lunchtime. More than 2,800 meals have been served so far this summer.
With the end of the 2011 summer-school session, breakfast service ends on Friday, Aug. 12. Lunches will continue until Friday, Aug. 19.
For more information, call The Hunger Coalition at 788-0121 or email: info@thehungercoalition.org.
Habitat for Humanity offers speakers
John Flattery, chair of Habitat for Humanity of Blaine County, is available to speak to local groups about the organization's mission and future projects.
Flattery said his goal is to build or renovate three to four local homes per year in partnership with low-income families.
Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1976, has built more than 350,000 houses around the world, providing shelter for more than 1.75 million people in 3,000 communities. Homes are built partly with volunteer labor, as well as donated materials. Homebuyers are expected to invest hundreds of hours of volunteer labor, or "sweat equity." They receive a no-interest mortgage, and monthly payments are used to build additional local, affordable housing.
Anyone interested in hosting a Habitat for Humanity speaker can email Flattery at johntflattery@aol.com or call 788-8801. Donations may be sent to Box 10143, Ketchum, ID 83340. For further information or to volunteer, call 726-0160.
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Celebrate salmon
Each summer, salmon and steelhead travel from the Pacific Ocean to the high-elevation spawning habitat of central Idaho, 900 miles inland and almost 7,000 feet above sea level. The Sawtooth Salmon Festival will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20, to celebrate that incredible journey.
People can join educational tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association on state Highway 75 in Stanley to witness wild salmon spawning in the streams of their birth. Information and vendor booths will be available for perusal.
A wild Alaskan salmon dinner will be held from 6-8 p.m. Charge for the dinner is $15 for adults and $10 for kids, but all other activities are free.
Deter wolves—peacefully
Conservation group Defenders of Wildlife will hold a demonstration Wednesday morning on how to keep wolves away from livestock without killing the predators.
Wildlife and livestock experts, including former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Carter Niemeyer and former USDA Wildlife Services agent Rick Williamson, will be on hand to demonstrate and discuss nonlethal deterrents that help prevent wolf and other native carnivore predation on livestock. These methods include barriers and fencing, lighting, guard dogs and other guarding animals, noise making ammunitions, reducing attractants and range riders.
The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. until noon today, Aug. 10, at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Carey. The event is free and open to the public.
Hunt in Hagerman?
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking public input on a limited waterfowl hunt proposed for a portion of the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area.
Currently, the department offers a mentored waterfowl hunt in November limited to first-time license holders. The newly proposed waterfowl hunt would offer additional limited hunting opportunity for the general public.
For more information, visit the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website, http://fishandgame.idaho.gov. Anyone interested should provide comments to the department's Magic Valley Regional Office by no later than Aug. 19 by calling 208-324-4359 or emailing kelton.hatch@idfg.idaho.gov.
Chinook season closes statewide
The spring and summer chinook salmon seasons across Idaho close at the end of fishing hours today, Aug. 10.
The closure affects the upper Salmon River, among others.
Some tribal fisheries will remain open, and those fisheries are managed by the tribes.
Salmon anglers are reminded that the fall chinook season opens Sept. 1 on the Snake River downstream of Hells Canyon Dam and part of the lower Clearwater River.
Nominations open for horse board
The BLM is requesting public nominations to fill three positions set to expire on Jan. 8 on the national Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The positions are for a term of three years and are needed to represent the following categories of interest: wild horse and burro advocacy, veterinary medicine and general public interest (with special knowledge of wild horses and burros, wildlife, animal husbandry or natural resource management).
The nine members on the advisory board, whose members serve three-year terms on a staggered-term basis, represent a balance of interests.
People may nominate themselves. Federal and state government employees are not eligible.
The board meets at least two times a year. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per-diem expenses.
The BLM is accepting nomination letters plus résumés that include the nominee's name, address, profession, relevant biographical information, references, endorsements and specific category of interest. Nominations should be sent by Sept. 22 to the National Wild Horse and Burro Program, Bureau of Land Management, 20 M Street S.E., Room 2134LM, Washington, D.C. 20003, Attn: Sharon Kipping. Or people may send a fax to Kipping at 202-912-7182 or e-mail her at skipping@blm.gov. For more information, call Kipping at 202-912-7263.
Woman missing after rafting accident
BOISE, Idaho (AP)—Gem County officials have recovered the body of an 18-year-old woman who went missing after a weekend rafting accident on the Payette River north of Emmett.
A dispatcher says the body of Keysa Fenton of Horseshoe Bend was found shortly before 1 p.m. Monday.
Seven adults and a child were floating the river Sunday evening with three rafts that were tied together when one of the rafts hit a log and overturned.
Two of the rafters swam to one side of the river while the others went to the banks on the opposite side. It was when the group met up again that they realized the 18-year-old was missing. Fenton was reported missing at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Only the child was wearing a life jacket.
Friends remember Olympic skier
BOISE, Idaho (AP)—Friends, family and former teammates of freestyle skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson have gathered in his hometown of Boise to remember the Olympic medalist, who police say shot himself late last month in a Utah canyon.
The Idaho Statesman reported that speakers at a service Saturday included U.S. Ski Team members and former Boise State University kicker Kyle Brotzman, who recalled how Peterson offered comfort after the football team's loss last year to Nevada.
The 29-year-old Peterson won the silver medal in freestyle aerials at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Until then, his career was filled with successes on smaller stages but clouded by a moment at the Turin Olympics when he was sent home after a minor scuffle in the street.
Peterson was arrested in Idaho for drunken driving three days before his death. He had pleaded not guilty.
