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Welcome baa-ck the goats
Weed-eating goats will be back on the Wood River Trail bike path beginning in June for about six weeks to continue a Blaine County Recreation District pilot project to manage noxious weed species along the path from Bellevue to Ketchum. Targeted species will include knapweed and leafy spurge.
In partnership with the Pesticide Action Network of Blaine County and through a generous donation from valley residents Brian Ross and Susan Reinstein, some 700 goats will work to eat up the early-season knapweed before it has a chance to go to seed. This eliminates the need to use chemical sprays.
“Using goats for weed management as an alternative to pesticides and herbicides is an example of our commitment to the sustainability and the health of our community,” said Jim Keating, BCRD executive director. “We are excited about the third year of our pilot project and look forward to reviewing the results and effectiveness of this approach to weed management.”
The district has hired contractor Prescriptive Livestock Services, based in White Bird, Idaho, and Kennewick, Wash., to do the work. Notification about specific goat locations and dates of arrival will be available through the district.
The district is encouraging everyone who uses the Wood River Trail to stop and observe but to let the goats do their work and refrain from petting them or otherwise interfering with the process.
For more information, contact Janelle Conners at 578-5453 or visit www.bcrd.org. For more information on alternatives to chemical weed control, contact Kathryn Goldman, Pesticide Action Network of Blaine County, at 721-3108 or visit www.pesticideactionnetwork.net.
Caritas Chorale goes ‘Back to the 60s’
Caritas Chorale can take you back in music history Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9, during its annual fundraising concert at the Gail Severn Gallery in Ketchum.
Sing-a-long songs will include favorites by the Beatles and Paul Simon. Accompaniment will be by R. L. Rowsey and special guests will be John and Melodie Mauldin.
The reception with finger foods and drinks will start at 5 p.m. both nights and the concert at 6 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $40 at the gallery or from Caritas singers.
This concert serves to help the chorale to present major classical concerts free to the community. Next winter will be Handel’s complete “Messiah” with orchestra and soloists.
Please contact Caritas Chorale Executive Director Linda Bergerson, with any questions at 726-4846 or lpbergerson@gmail.com.
Help retire a fence this weekend
Western Watersheds Project and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area are celebrating the permanent retirement of the Obsidian grazing allotment in the Sawtooth Valley with a “fence removal event.”
The event will be held two days, Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Volunteers interested in helping either day should meet at the red cattle guard, located on the west side of state Highway 75, one-half mile north of the former Obsidian gas station.
Volunteers are asked to bring heavy gloves, closed-toe shoes, protective eyewear, a snack and plenty of water. Tools such as pliers, claw hammers and wire snipes also may be helpful.
The SNRA staff will supervise and provide direction for volunteers. Removing fencing is believed to benefit native wildlife, including pronghorns.
Friends of green space invited for work day
The public is invited to meet at the softball field in Lion’s Park in Hailey, Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to noon to help the Friends of the Hailey Greenway with some trail and nature preserve maintenance.
Bring sunscreen, water, hat, gloves and a shovel to help spread wood chips and wetland seeds, prune and work in the area adjacent to the Draper Wood Preserve. No dogs, please.
For more information, contact Patti at plousen@woodriverlandtrust.org or call 788-3947.
Come fly with them on a birding tour
Join the Wood River Land Trust and Idaho Conservation League on a birding trip in the southern Pioneer Mountains on Saturday, June 8.
Local birding experts, including Poo Wright-Pulliam, will be leading the trip. Meet at Land Trust office in Hailey at 7 a.m. to carpool.
Bring your binoculars. No dogs please. Call the Land Trust at 788-3947 or Idaho Conservation League at 726-7485 for reservations and details.
Learn more about the Kiwanis at open house
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world through one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of Hailey and the Wood River Valley is hosting an open house and free barbecue at the Senior Connection in Hailey on Wednesday, June 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.
If you have an interest in supporting the youth of our valley, come and meet the members of Kiwanis and see what they are doing.
A few of the local activities and events they sponsor are: scholarships for Wood River High School seniors; swim lessons for Head Start kids; Winter Wonderland for kids; winter clothing (K-Koats!) for kids in need; Youth Leadership Camp; and the WRHS Key Club.
For more information, call 720-5578.
Parent’s group forming at the Y
Join other parents every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon at the Wood River YMCA in Ketchum to enjoy guest speakers, “mommy and me” swimming, group walks and more. You don’t have to be a member of the Y and it’s free.
On June 11, Tira Scott, youth and family coordinator for the Y, will offer “mommy and me” swimming. On June 18, Liz Clark, fitness director for the Y, will show some core strengthening exercises, and on June 25, Leah Van Ness Taylor, a yoga instructor, will do “mommy and me” yoga.
Everyone is welcome. Keep the little ones with you or let them enjoy Child Watch daycare for free. Infants must stay with parents.
For more information, call the YMCA at 727-9622.
Horse show at Swiftsure Ranch in Bellevue
Swiftsure Ranch Therapeutic Equestrian Center will host an Idaho Hunter Jumper Association show on Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9, at the ranch south of Bellevue.
Equestrians from all over Idaho will compete. Spectators are encouraged to watch the classes, which start at 8:30 a.m. and run through the afternoon both days. Classes range from 18-inch crossrail classes to 3-foot, 6-inch jumper classes.
There will also be a tack sale with items from the Swiftsure therapy riding program to benefit the program. There will be an exhibition Saturday on the use of adaptive equipment and a reservation-only, Dutch-oven dinner prepared by Gayle Selisch, author of the new cookbook “Middle Fork Magic.”
Seating is limited, so call to reserve at 578-0111 for a $20 ticket.
Swiftsure Ranch offers the benefits of therapeutic riding to as many as 300 individuals annually, age 2 to 80, living in the Wood River Valley and as far away as Boise and Stanley. Students participate in weekly riding sessions focused on learning horsemanship skills that promote independence, build strength and coordination, improve cognitive processing and foster social skills. Students build skills and work toward practical goals such as trail riding, competing in a horse show, learning to jump or learning to herd cows.
In addition to its weekly sessions, Swiftsure Ranch collaborates with other organizations such as Camp Rainbow Gold, the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, Higher Ground, the Hunger Coalition, Sage School, Senior Connection and Blaine Manor. All services are provided free of charge thanks to donors, grants and community support.
Art on Fourth installed once again
The city of Ketchum has unveiled its annual Art on Fourth exhibition featuring five outdoor sculptures lining the Fourth Street Heritage Corridor, from Washington Avenue to Walnut Street. The exhibit will remain in place until October 2013.
The Ketchum Arts Commission curates and organizes the exhibition. This year, the commission decided to feature fewer pieces in order to increase the compensation for each participating artist. All of this year’s artists are new to the exhibition and are represented by local galleries.
Printed brochures with detailed information on each exhibit are available at the Visitor Center and the Town Square kiosk.
The work and artists featured are: “Totem #33,” a bronze totem by Rod Kagan, a Wood River Valley resident who passed away in 2010 (Washington and Fourth Street); “LADYPANTS!” an enamel on metalized steel piece by Molly Larkey, who lives in Los Angeles (Town Square); “The Tattooed Lady and the Dinosaur” (Blue rose and love), a large bronze of a tattooed woman by Marilyn Lysohir, of Moscow, Idaho (Town Square); “Haziel,” a bronze and bluestone sculpture of a kneeling person by Boaz Vaadia, (Main and Fourth streets); and “Triangulated Venus,” a stainless-steel sculpture of a woman by Julian Voss-Andreae, a former physicist who lives in Portland, Ore., (Fourth Street between East and Walnut).
Registration open for performing arts camps
Registration is still ongoing for two popular performing arts camps for children and teens. Company B day camp for children ages 4-13 runs from Monday, June 10, to Saturday, June 22.
The campers will be in acting, singing and dancing rotations in preparation for their big show, Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.”
From June 24-29, youths from ages 10-18 can attend the Summer Performing Arts Conservatory Camp (SPACC) at Camp Perkins near Alturas Lake, north of Ketchum.
This unique, six-day destination camp offers education in drama/acting; singing/music theory; all forms of dance; film; rock band; stage combat and movement.
Besides the professional local instructors, three national guest artists will educate the campers.
In addition, there will be time for outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, and fun evening activities. For more information or to register, call Sara at 726-5349, ext. 16. Both camps are programs of St. Thomas Playhouse, a performing arts organization for the community.
ERC Wildflower Walks are on
The Environmental Resource Center will launch weekly wildflower walks on Thursday, June 6, through July 25, with the exception of July 4.
Meet at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden south of Ketchum. Walks last from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring a lunch, water and sunscreen. Please, no dogs.
Registration is required by calling the ERC at 726-4333 or contacting allison@ercsv.org.
There is a suggested ERC member donation of $10 and a non-member donation of $15.
Clowning around at school’s end.
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Kids carnival celebrates summer
The end of the school year is Friday, June 7, and the annual Summerfest carnival in Hailey is scheduled from
2-5 p.m.
Families are invited to First Avenue downtown to enjoy amusements, live music, refreshments and activities that include: slide and bounce, face painting, jumbo slide, rock climbing wall, bungee run, obstacle course, monster boxing, the carousel swing and more. Food and drink will be offered by local restaurants at the food court. There will be live music by local bands and youth groups.
For more information, call 788-3484.
Wake Up with the Hailey Chamber
Join the Hailey Chamber of Commerce for Wake up Hailey! on Tuesday, June 11, from 9 -10 a.m. at the Barkin’ Basement thrift store, located at 111 S. Main St.
Get updates on what is happening at the Barkin’ Basement and the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley while networking with community members and enjoying refreshments and light breakfast fare.
For more information, call the Hailey Chamber of Commerce at 788-3484.
