ITD announces highway detour
The Idaho Transportation Department reported Thursday that southbound drivers on state Highway 75 should expect to detour starting next week in the vicinity of St. Luke’s Wood River hospital.
The detour is expected to start on Monday, Sept. 16, and last throughout the week. Southbound traffic will be diverted onto Hospital Drive while pipes for a storm water system are installed in the area.
ITD stated in a news release that the detour will be in effect each day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southbound traffic will be returned to the highway for afternoon rush-hour traffic.
Northbound traffic will not be affected by the detour, ITD said.
Kelley Fire almost contained
The Kelley Fire northwest of Fairfield was declared 97 percent contained Tuesday after burning 17,346 acres. According to the Inciweb fire information website, planned actions are to continue to mop up and patrol the burn area. Growth potential was described as low.
The fire was ignited by lightning Aug. 24 on the Fairfield Ranger District seven miles southeast of Featherville.
Coaches needed for Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run of the Wood River Valley is actively looking for volunteers to be mentors of the program for girls grades 3 through 8. The fall season will begin Sept. 23, with a new coach training scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 14.
Interested individuals should contact Mary Fauth at mary@girlsontherunwrv.org, or 788-7863. Information about coaching can be found on the organization’s website, www.girlsontherunwrv.org.
Homeowners ask ‘lookers’ to refrain
The Greenhorn Homeowners Association is requesting that people refrain from using Greenhorn Road while repairs to the neighborhood are made in the wake of the Beaver Creek Fire.
In a prepared statement, the organization said: “Greenhorn Road is a private road that offers access to National Forest trails. Those trails have been closed for the season due to the Beaver Creek Fire. Because Greenhorn Road dead-ends at these now-closed National Forest accesses, visitors have to turn around either in private driveways or in the road itself, and this is disrupting the work of the heavy equipment that is needed to clean up the neighborhood.”
Jo Lowe, president of the Greenhorn Homeowners Association, said, “We have been experiencing a significant increase in car, truck and bike activity down Greenhorn, as folks want to see the incredible damage that has occurred. While that is understandable, it also poses a dangerous situation for everyone.”
Free health fair set for Sept. 21
St. Luke’s annual Community Health Fair is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Community Campus in Hailey.
The free, family friendly event will offer walks through a giant inflatable digestive system, skin cancer screenings, information about the upcoming Idaho Health Insurance Exchange, fitness demonstrations, blood pressure checks, healthy cooking demonstrations and samples, prenatal and parenting information, “Heart Health” information, car seat safety inspections, and raffle prizes, giveaways and healthy snacks.
Democrats plan meeting in Ketchum
The Blaine County Democrats will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the meeting room of Ketchum City Hall.
The agenda will include discussing plans for the upcoming Oktoberfest, planned for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 in Ketchum Forest Service Park, upcoming local elections and general business.
As an open meeting, all interested citizens are invited to attend.
Hatchery won’t recover wild salmon
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s new $13.5 million sockeye salmon hatchery may be necessary in the short term, but much more work will be needed to restore Idaho’s iconic sockeye salmon, salmon advocates said this week.
The Bonneville Power Administration and Fish and Game are scheduled to unveil the new hatchery in Springfield, Idaho, at 11 a.m. today, Sept. 13.
“Fish and Game scientists deserve an enormous amount of credit for rescuing sockeye from the brink of extinction over the past 20 years, but this new facility won’t recover sockeye,” said Idaho River United salmon program manager Greg Stahl. “Recovery will only occur when sockeye start surviving at much higher rates after they leave Idaho en route to the Pacific. This new hatchery may be necessary now, but it won’t restore our sockeye by itself.”
IRU board member Tom Stuart said the Endangered Species Act requires a salmon management program that restores wild, natural-origin fish.
“The bottleneck in salmon survival is created by too many dams on the Columbia and Snake,” Stuart said. “No matter how many baby salmon hatch in Redfish Lake, or how many more hatchery fish are released, too many still die because of the effects of downriver dams and reservoirs.”
