Chinook salmon surge toward Idaho
Fisheries managers are optimistic about a strong chinook salmon season in Idaho after recent increases in the number of fish being counted in the Columbia River, including more than 30,000 counted passing Bonneville Dam in two days, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game reported this week.
Although current counts of the upriver 2014 spring chinook run at Bonneville are only reflective of the front half of the run, Idaho’s fisheries managers are confident these returns will provide robust fisheries to Idaho anglers, the department said. Thousands of salmon are passing Bonneville Dam each day, including Wednesday, April 30, when workers counted 17,409 chinook (the 17th highest single-day count on record). By May 2, the total count at Bonneville had surpassed 100,000.
Most of the Idaho-bound salmon counted in the front half of the run are headed to the Clearwater River basin, the Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River and the Rapid River Hatchery in the Salmon River basin near Riggins. Anglers fishing the lower Clearwater River experienced some success during the first weekend of May, and fishable numbers of chinook salmon should start arriving in the lower Salmon River in about a week, Fish and Game reported.
Anglers should check the regulations for details including fishing area descriptions and bag limits. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will consider fishery proposals for the South Fork Salmon River and areas in the upper Salmon River on May 15.
Wood River Trail work on track
Work to resurface the Wood River Trail, the special multi-use recreational path visited by over 300,000 residents and visitors each year in Blaine County, will commence this summer, the Blaine County Recreation District confirmed this week.
Phase 1 of the two year reconstruction project will begin in June south of Bellevue and end in September at East Fork Road. For weekly updates on section closures and construction progress reports, visit bcrd.org, like the BCRD on Facebook or call the BCRD trail hotline at (208) 578-9754.
Indian Creek airstrip closed next week
The Indian Creek airstrip will be closed from May 12-16 while the Salmon-Challis National Forest trail crew grades the airstrip. The backcountry airstrip is located in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, southwest of Salmon.
The trail crew will be using a mule team and a grader to perform routine maintenance on the remote strip. The Forest Service is working with the Idaho Division of Aeronautics to warn pilots of the closure. The airstrip will be re-opened as soon as the maintenance is completed.
The Indian Creek airstrip is one of three backcountry airstrips maintained by the Forest Service along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
For further information, contact Mike Bennett at (208) 756-5100.
Learn to improve shoulder health
St. Luke’s Center for Community Health will present a Brown Bag Health Talk called “Improving Shoulder Health with Feldenkrais” today, May 7, from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in the Carbonate Rooms of the St. Luke’s Hailey Clinic.
“Feldenkrais is a form of somatic education that uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve mobility and enhance human functioning. Mary Kay Foley, physical therapist and guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner, will lead participants through movements specifically to address the shoulder.
All Brown Bag lectures are free and no pre-registration is required. Call St. Luke’s Center for Community Health for information on this or other educational programs: 727-8733.
Memorial Day Committee seeks sponsors for singer
The Hailey Memorial Day Committee is looking for sponsors to help pay the booking fees and costs to help them bring country star Nathan Osmond to Hailey to perform his song “21 Guns” at this year’s Memorial Day ceremony.
Osmond has lowered his booking fee down to $1,000 to help make his appearance possible. There is also the potential need for assistance with his traveling costs.
Nathan Osmond is the nephew of Donny and Marie Osmond. His four latest singles have all hit No. 1 on several country charts for up to four weeks in a row.
The theme for this year’s ceremony is “Heaven Was Needing a Hero” and will be focused on the Korean War era.
Those interested in being a sponsor should contact Maggie Springer for more information at 309-1959. The deadline to sponsor Osmond’s appearance is Friday, May 9.
See drought-tolerant landscaping
The first in a series of four events on landscaping to conserve water will be held on Thursday, May 15, at the Wood River Land Trust office in Hailey.
The series is a collaboration among the Land Trust and the cities of Hailey and Ketchum.
The May 15 event is titled “How To Convert to a Drought-Tolerant Lawn Using Seed or Sod.”
According to the Land Trust, native or drought-tolerant lawns can save 50 to 67 percent on water use, and save on maintenance and fertilizer.
The discussion will be held from 7–8:30 p.m. at 119 E. Bullion St.
Further events will consist of home tours to demonstrate successful implementations of conservation-minded landscaping. They will be held on May 28, June 12 and June 24.
Student to host screening of global-warming documentary
Elle Mann, a sixth-grader a Pioneer Montessori School in Ketchum, will host a local screening of “Do the Math,” a global-warming documentary by Bill McKibben and 350.org at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 9, at the nexstage Theatre in Ketchum.
The screening is free. Doors open at 6 p.m. Snacks and refreshments and information on 350.org and its campaigns against global warming will be available in the lobby.
“Our planet is seriously going downhill and it’s going to be up to my generation to fix the mess we’re in,” said Mann, who is promoting awareness of global warming as a school project. “You know how our parents are always telling us to clean up our mess. Well, this movie shows why it’s time we told them to clean up the mess they’re leaving us.”
According to a news release, McKibben claims that global warming needs to be controlled but that the fossil-fuel industry continues to explore for new sources of energy that emit carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming when it reaches the atmosphere. The news release states that the film “makes it clear why the fossil-fuel industry is so determined to block progress.”
For more information, contact Bill Mann, Elle Mann’s father, at (208) 720-4624. More information on the movie is available at math.350.org.
‘Do the Right Thing’ nominees sought
“Do the Right Thing,” a newly formed program in the Wood River Valley to recognize youth who do positive things in the community, is accepting nominations at the city of Hailey website, www.haileycityhall.org, until May 19.
The program was recently jointly launched by the Hailey Fire Department, the Hailey Police Department and the Blaine County School District to recognize and reinforce positive behavior by young people.
Nominations can come from anyone in the community.
“You can do the right thing both inside of school and outside of school,” said Hailey Fire Department Chief Craig Aberbach. “We want to involve everyone in the effort to recognize youth for doing the right thing.”
Recognition plans for students include a presentation at end of the year school assemblies and at a June Hailey City Council meeting. Students will also be featured on KMVT/KSVT news, which donated $500 to the program to be used for awards.
The Bible as a story
Over the next 30 Sundays, the public is invited to a group exploration of “The Story,” a book-length narrative based on the Bible, with members of Valley of Peace Lutheran Church. The church is on the corner of Woodside Boulevard and Wintergreen Drive in Hailey.
Chapters of “The Story: The Bible as one continuing story of god and his people” will be told every Sunday at 9 a.m. with discussion to follow.
“’The Story’ is full of heroes and villains, love and war, colorful characters and common people. Each Sunday’s chapter will tell a portion of the story of war between good and evil and of God’s revelation of himself,” wrote Valley of Peace spokesman Richard Stahl.
The readings and attendant discussions are geared separately to adults, teens and children. Participants will be encouraged to discuss the featured chapter and to ask questions.
“The Story” will cover the major themes of the Bible in a way that is designed to engage, excite and inspire those who hear it, said Stahl.
For more information, visit www.haileyvop.org or call (208) 221-4114.
‘Wake up Hailey’ set for May 13
The Hailey Chamber of Commerce will host the monthly “Wake up Hailey” networking event on Tuesday, May 13, from 9-10 a.m. at KB’s restaurant in Hailey, with the owner, Rodolpho, and the rest of the family. KB’s of Hailey is located at 121 N. Main St, in Hailey.
Visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee, sample breakfast burritos and catch up on the latest Chamber chatter.
For more information, call the Hailey Chamber at 788-3484.
