Ketchum offers events sponsorships
The city of Ketchum has established a fund in the amount of $30,000 for the remainder of fiscal 2013 for the sponsorship of new and emerging special events that are in the first three years of production and benefit the Ketchum economy. Two funding cycles will be established. An application is available on the City’s website at http://ketchumidaho.org/index.aspx?nid=369.
The application outlines criteria that will guide the funding of events. The deadline for summer event applications (June through September) is Feb. 28. The deadline for winter event applications (November through May) is July 31.
All applications will be reviewed by the Ketchum Events Commission, which will make a recommendation to the city regarding the level of funding. Requests over $7,000 (including any necessary city services) will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval.
Questions on the application process should be directed to Sharon Arms, Ketchum events and park reservations coordinator, at sarms@ketchumidaho.org or 726-7820, ext. 106.
Comp plan committee gets chair
Sun Valley Mayor Dewayne Briscoe has appointed longtime Sun Valley resident Lisa Stelck as chair of the city’s Comprehensive Plan Update Steering Committee. Briscoe announced the appointment at a City Council meeting Thursday.
Stelck is a sales associate with Sun Valley Real Estate and, according to the Sun Valley Real Estate website, has lived in the city since 1995. The website also states that she has an undergraduate degree from UCLA and an MBA from Stanford University.
Briscoe said Stelck was the only volunteer for the position, but that she is also the most qualified of the committee’s members to sit in the big chair. He said she’s one of only two current committee members who also served on the committee during the city’s previous comprehensive plan update in 2005. He added that several committee members communicated to him their support for Stelck’s appointment.
The committee held its first meeting on Jan. 30, which Briscoe said at the Thursday council meeting was a “productive” start to the update process. The committee’s next meeting will be on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. at Sun Valley City Hall.
Elk, deer numbers look good
Winter deer composition surveys and Unit 49 elk population counts offer a bright outlook for the 2013 hunting season, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced last week.
Unit 49 is a hunting zone located east of state Highway 75, south of Trail Creek Road and north of U.S. Highway 20. Game managers said the overall elk numbers have increased by 32 percent since the last survey in 2008, mostly due to a 90 percent increase in bull numbers following 2008 changes to elk hunting rules.
“Our surveys this winter have given us a useful snapshot of the status of our big game herds in relation to our management objectives,” said Randy Smith, Magic Valley wildlife manager. “We are very pleased with the increasing numbers and will be looking for opportunities this fall for hunters to be able to reap the benefit of a growing elk population.”
During December, biologists were also able to conduct aerial mule deer surveys in portions of five units in south-central Idaho to determine herd composition. Fawn-to-doe ratios were lower than expected in some areas, which Smith said could be a concern.
However, he said, during mild winters such as this one, most deer are likely to survive until spring.
“Lower-than-average fawn-to-doe ratios are of greater concern during hard winters, as we know those ratios are likely to drop substantially when deer have limited access to food and high energy demands due to deep snow,” he said.
The Central Mountains area (which includes Unit 49) showed a high fawn-to-doe ratio (78 fawns to 100 does) and a buck-to-doe ratio that is meeting objectives (15 bucks to 100 does).
Federal grazing fees announced
Federal grazing fees for 2013 remain unchanged from last year—$1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the BLM and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
An AUM or HM is the occupancy and use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse or five sheep or goats for a month. The newly calculated grazing fee, determined by a congressional formula and effective March 1, applies to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and more than 8,000 permits administered by the Forest Service.
The annually determined grazing fee is calculated according to three factors: current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices and the cost of livestock production. The fee rises, falls or stays the same based on market conditions.
Film on media sexism to be shown
Girls on the Run will host a free screening of the film “Miss Representation” on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Community Campus in Hailey. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with an opportunity to visit with other community organizations also concerned about the issues the film raises. The film will be shown at 6 p.m., followed by a panel discussion.
Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, “Miss Representation” addresses the mainstream media’s contribution to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America. According to a press release from Girls on the Run, the film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls.
“Miss Representation” premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival where it caught the eye of the Oprah Winfrey Network. It made its television debut as part of the network’s documentary film club in October 2011, with more than 1.3 million people tuning in to its multiple airings.
BLM changes wild-horse polices
The BLM announced last week that it has changed some of its national Wild Horse and Burro Program policies to improve treatment of animals.
“These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to ensure the humane treatment of animals that are gathered from our public rangelands,” said BLM Acting Director Mike Pool.
According to a news release from the agency, the new policies establish protocol for gathers that strengthens communications, provide safe access for the public and the media, and increase communications during gathers. They were formed through public input.
A policy was put in place last month that prevents wild horses and burros from being sold or sent to slaughter. The policy set new restrictions on horse sales, including limiting the number of horses that can be sold to a single buyer in a six-month period.
The new polices can be found at HYPERLINK "http://on.doi.gov/2013BLMPolicy" http://on.doi.gov/2013BLMPolicy.
Magazine honors financial advisor
William Campbell, a corporate retirement director in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management office in Hailey, was recently recognized by Planadviser magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers.”
“I’m honored to be recognized by the Planadvisor Top 100,” Campbell stated in a press release from Morgan Stanley. “Over the past 20 years, it’s incredible how much has changed in our industry. We have so much more to offer plan sponsors now in terms of resources and technology. On the other hand, participants still need to talk to someone they trust, instead of just an 800 line.”
Campbell is part of the Campbell Group of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. From two locations in Idaho (Hailey and Boise), the Campbell Group serves as advisors to more than 35 retirement plan sponsors and their participants located throughout the Intermountain West.
Judge: Feds can regulate megaloads
A federal judge ruled last week that the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration “acted unlawfully” in claiming they could not regulate megaloads within the Wild and Scenic Lochsa and Clearwater river corridor of northern Idaho.
Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued the decision Feb. 7, stating that federal laws apply to Forest Service lands on which the state of Idaho holds an easement for operation and maintenance of Highway 12.
The Forest Service had previously argued that due to the easement, it had no authority to regulate those lands.
The river corridor is protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and Winmill said the agencies have the authority to oversee megaload permits and actions such as tree trimming and restriction of the public’s access to recreation along the corridor.
The lawsuit in question was filed by Idaho Rivers United, and was the only federal action to challenge the transport of megaloads up Highway 12 and through the Lochsa and Clearwater Wild and Scenic river corridor.
Hunters, anglers have $1 billion impact on state economy
Data from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation released Friday show that outdoorsmen and women spent $1.02 billion in Idaho in 2011, with a potential ripple effect of $1.4 billion.
The study was commissioned to document sportsmen’s and sportswomen’s activities in Idaho and across the nation. According to the study, more than 534,000 people hunted or fished in Idaho in 2011. Nationwide, hunters and anglers spent $90 billion on hunting and fishing in 2011. Hunters and anglers also donated $3 billion to conservation and restoration.
ERC turns up the heat on Bingo night
The Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum urges residents to dig out their Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts for a tropical fundraiser next month.
The Bingo Goes Hawaiian benefit for the ERC will take place Friday, March 1, at the nexStage Theatre at 6:30 p.m., and will help support the organization’s educational programs.
Pu-pu platters, Spam sliders and beer and wine will be available for purchase throughout the evening.
A special presentation of winners from the Community School’s Green Week Challenge will start the evening. Students were asked by the ERC to track daily sustainable actions for two weeks and to find a new word for “green.” Winners will receive cash prizes, a portion of which will be donated to their favorite nonprofits.
Bingo cards are $10 each or four for $30, available at the door. There will also be a raffle to win a paddleboard and paddle valued at about $1,100. Raffle tickets are $10 each or five for $40.
Tickets will be sold at Backwoods Mountain Sports, the ERC at 471 N. Washington St. in Ketchum and at Atkinsons’ Market on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through Feb. 22.
For more information about Bingo Goes Hawaiian, contact the ERC at 726-4333.
