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8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
1/8
The Land Bulletin
Double Springs Ranch
Protecting DoubleSprings Ranch
r. Doris Tunney approached Wood
River Land Trust in the summer of2005 about permanently protecting
her working ranch in the Pahsimeroi River
Valley at the foothills of Mt. Borah. The
majority of Double Springs Ranch, approxi
mately 550 of its 640 acres, is pivot-irrigate
cropland used to grow specialty horse hay.The Ranch is also an inholdinga piece
of land surrounded on all sides by public
lands. These surrounding lands have been
designated by the BLM as winter range forelk. The voluntary agreement between
Doris and Wood River Land Trust prohibits
subdivision of the Ranch to protect the lan
for farming and wildlife habitat.
Doris recalls seeing the land for thefirst time and learning it was for sale. The
land is very unique and special, she says.
knew if I purchased it I had to protect it.
Continued on pg 7
Presidents MessageJohn Flattery, Board President
ince our founding
over 10 years ago,Wood River Land
Trust has employed the
classic conservation
tools to protect open
space and wildlife habi-
tat in the Wood RiverValley. These tools
include donations of
conservation easements, donations of land,
and donations of money with which topurchase land in need of protection. Our
challenge today, as development pressures
continue to increase, is determining how
we can play a role in the public process and
influence growth patterns so that our natu-ral areas and wildlife habitat are protected
for future generations.
MARCH 2006
D
In this Issue...Protecting Double SpringsRanch,page 1
Barbara Farm: An Organic
Oasis,page 1 & 3
Presidents Message,page 1
Your Choices Can Protectthe Big Wood River,page 2
Heart of the ValleyPhotographs and Writings,
page 4
Heart and Soul,page 5
ADOPT A PRESERVE:Connecting to Cedar Bend,page 6
Sage Grouse Strut,page 6
Protecting and restoring our natural lands and healthy waters since 1994.
Barbara Farm:An Organic Oasis
Judy harvesting
Continued on pg 3
red and Judy Brossy know how to make things
grow in the Magic Valley. After twenty-twoyears of managing Barbara Farm, Fred and
Judy successfully protected the farm in perpetuity
and made it their own.
F
S
John Flattery
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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Your Choices Can Protect
the Big Wood River!Liz MitchellBoard Member
What I love about the valley is that
no matter the time of year, there is
always an opportunity to explore
right from the back door. I felt itwas important to join Wood River
Land Trust to help preserve open
space and wildlife habitat right here
in the valley.As an environmental lawyer, Liz has been involved
with highly contentious issues. She recognizes the value of
people working collaboratively to protect their environment
and quality of life, not just for their benefit but also for the
next generation. Liz says, my 7-year old nephew is obsessedwith fishing in the Riverside Pond in Hailey and it is great
to know that he will be able to continue to fish there and in
the Big Wood River as he grows up.Liz moved to the Wood River Valley in 2000 from
Oregon, where she practiced environmental law for a non-profit firm. She currently has her own practice.
She and her husband, Mike, spend their free time nordic
and backcountry skiing, trail running, and trying to get at
least one red tomato from their garden. Liz joined our board
in February 2005.
2
Meet Our Board of Directors
These simple actions will keep our water clean and our
fish healthy.
Site new homes as far away from the river as possible to
lessen flood risks. Preserve cottonwood trees and native vegetation along the
riverbanks to stop erosion, provide shade, and preserve thecool water temperatures fish need during hot months.
Use native plants including Coyote Willow, River Birch,Redtwig Dogwood, and Chokecherry when landscap-ing along river banks. Immediately beyond the streambank use Booth, Geyers, or Whiplash Willows. Also useElderberry and Currants.
When possible, do not remove cottonwood trees that fallin the river; in-stream wood slows the erosive action ofhigh flows.
Construct paths to the river with hand tools and size themfour feet wide or less.
Use fish-friendly construction materials, such as water-per-meable asphalt for driveways, to allow water to return tothe aquifer.
Keep our water clean by using organic fertilizers and pestcontrol methods in your yard.
Pass this information along to a neighbor, friend, or land-scape company!
For more information or a complete list of recommended plantsto use in the floodplain, contact Wood River Land Trust at788-3947.
A city of trees, all scraping thesky, line the river that rushes by like
calmness on a busy day.Tessa Barrow
GIVE A GIFTT H A T W I L L L A S
FOREVER
PLANNED GIFTS TO
WOOD RIVER LAND TRUST
Cash Contributions
Will or Living Trust
IRA or SEP IRA
401 K
Life Insurance Policies
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYSTO MAKE A PLANNED GIFTTO WOOD RIVER LAND TRUST.
Planned gifts enable future generations to enjoy the
natural areas that make this valley special.
You may wish to consult your tax advisor to deter-mine which types of donationscash, land, stock
transfers, or a combination thereofare best suitedto your estate plan.
For more information, contact Jan Pepplerat (208) 788-3947 [email protected].
Cash Contributions
Land Contributions
Voluntary ConservationAgreements
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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Barbara Farm: An Organic Oasis, continued from page 1The 1800-acre Barbara Farm three miles west of Shoshone on thenorthern edge of the Snake River Plain contains 300 acres of irrigatedfarmland surrounded by sagebrush and basalt outcrops.
The Little Wood River bisects the farm, creating a river corridorthat provides a home for many species that otherwise would not exist.Because the farm is managed organically, no synthetic chemicals or fer-
tilizers are used, so the farm is a safe haven for wildlife including deer,elk, beaver, fox, owls, and songbirds.
Thanks to a partnership two years in the making, the Brossys wereable to protect Barbara Farm by collaborating with Wood River LandTrust, the Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program (FRPP) throughthe Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the landsformer owner, Ernest A. Bryant III. This partnership resulted in a396-acre conservation agreement that forever protects 297 acres ofirrigated farmland and 99 acres of riparian area from future subdivisionand development to ensure the land will remain in cultivation and thewildlife habitat will be protected for all time.
Making the Farm Our Own by Fred Brossyespite its neglected appearance, when Judy and I first drove down the lane at Barbara Farm with a local realtor in May of 198
I knew it was a special place. The next month, when I showed the farm to my employer as a prospective acquisition for a
ranching operation, he had the same impression and immediately decided to purchase it. Over the next twenty-three years i
my official capacity as Manager, and my self-appointed role of land steward, I have become intimately connected with many different
facets of the farm, and have grown to love it as if it were my own.
Initially, our relationship with the land was like that of a new bride with her first homewe worked hard to clean
up the effects of years of inattention by the former owners and to make the farm our own. At the same time, we were
making the farm more farmable, with improvements to the irrigation systems and buildings. During those early years
on the farm, there was also the challenge of figuring out how to make it work as a farm in the commodified world of
modern agriculture. Due to its small and irregular-shaped fields, Barbara Farm does not lend itself well to the econo-mies of scale necessary to survive in conventional agriculture today. After eventually facing this reality, we moved towards a 100-
percent irrigated pasture and livestock operation. Several years into this venture, it became apparent that the farm lacked sufficient
irrigation delivery systems to keep 300 acres of grass adequately irrigated during the heat of the summer. This realization came at the
same time I was seriously considering farming organically.
Part of the uniqueness of Barbara Farm is how well it fits within the wildness of th
desert surrounding it and the river flowing through it. Our challenge was to farm in a
manner that minimized, as much as possible, disruptions to the surrounding ecosystem
An obvious first step in this direction was to avoid using chemicals such as herbicides
and insecticides that are harmful to the farms flora and fauna, so adopting organic met
ods seemed to make sense. Moreover, the grass and legume pastures we had used for
raising livestock had increased the soils fertility over the years, which made growing o
first organic row crops more feasible. For the last ten years, Barbara Farm has been cerfied organic. Today we grow potatoes, beans, wheat, asparagus, and vegetable seed cro
which are marketed under the Ernies Organics label, as well as hay and pasture to mai
tain soil fertility. Our plans for the future include marketing more of our crops locally and producing our own energy right on the far
Farming organically can be particularly challenging, but it is extremely rewarding as well. As a farmer, I am very gratified
to be able to grow not only healthy and nutritious food, but also to be part of the miraculous process of growing and select-
ing seedthe most important part of sustainability. Because we have been able to create a sustainable farming operation
at Barbara Farm, when the opportunity arose to purchase it, we were ready to take the next step and move from manager/
stewards to become owner/stewards. We are very proud to have been part of the conservation agreement process that
ensures that this land will remain a farm forever, and we are very grateful to the NRCS and Wood River Land Trust and
the generous donors who made this possible.
3
A handfull of carrot seed
This is Fred and Judys story .
D
Cooper Brossy on the tractor
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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his fall, Wood River Land Trust asked com-
munity members to send their photographs
and writings that captured their favoriteplaces in the Valley. The response was inspiring, as
was the array of special places that were chronicled.
Entries featured runs on Baldy, secluded spots along
the Big Wood River, a playgrounds furthest reaches,
and our cottonwood forests to name a few.We received a number of beautiful photographs
and eloquent writings this year, and the public
response to these works has been great. Dozens of
people made a special trip to the Images of Nature
Gallery during the December Gallery Walk just tosee these photographs.
Participants were honored and winners
announced at a reception on January 17th at the Sun
Valley Center, Hailey, where all submitted photo-
graphs and writings were displayed for the public.
T
Photographs & Writings Honor the Heart of the Wood River Valley
Winners of Wood River Land Trusts 2005 Heart of the Valley Multi-Media Contes
PHOTOGRAPHY:
1st Place: Less is More by Joshua Wells
2nd Place: First Snow, from Dollar Mountain by Beverly Robertson
3rd Place: The Fall Trailing of the Sheep by Jennifer Montgomery
Honorable mentions:
Gods Perfect Fall Day for Jim Agnew by Sheri HodgeGrandkids Searching for the Pot of Gold by Jim HodgeStaff Favorite: Little Fall Creek by Wayne R. Clayton.SHORT WRITING:
1st Place: Heart and Soul by Sky Smith
2nd Place: The Woods by Tessa Barrow
3rd Place: Mountain of My Dreams by Tom Marron
Honorable Mentions:
My Own Private Kitty Hawk by Hunter ScarboroughOlympic by Brad Thomas
Staff Favorite: My Own Private Kitty Hawk by Hunter Scarborough
above right, Ms. Michel Polass10th grade WRHS writing classwho submitted entries to thisyears contest.
above left, 3rd Place:The Fall Trailing of the Sheepby Jennifer Montgomery
1st Place: Less is Moreby Joshua WellsAbout his photograph Joshuawrites, Less is More is symbo
of one of the many successesenvironmental organizations havhad in preserving the prolific ecological and environmental attri-butes of the Wood River Valley.Unlike other resort destinations,the Wood River Valley remainsa place where residents and visi-tors can still escape the crowdsand find peace and solitude innature.
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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ADOPT-A-PRESERVE: Connecting toOur Cedar Bend Preserve
f you visit the trails along the Big Wood River in Hailey, youre bound to find
people out enjoying the landwalking after work, enjoying swimming holes in
the summer, catching a trout, or checking out the birds and wildlife. These trailsare part of Wood River Land Trusts 4.5- acre Cedar Bend Preserve as well as lands
owned by the State of Idaho.
Youre also bound to see the neighborhood moose when visiting the Cedar Bendarea. Moose sightings are common these days on and near the protected habitat of thePreserve. Next time youre at Cedar Bend be sure to look for the moose tracks!
I
above, Enjoying the Cedar Bend trails on asunny winter morning
above right, Moose mom with her twins atCedar Bend
See the Sage Grouse Strut Their Stuff!ood River Land Trusts 320-acre Square LakePreserve south of Bellevue contains a sagegrouse mating ground known as a lek. On the
lek, males spread their plumage, strut, and inflate air sacson their chests to create loud plopping sounds duringelaborate rituals to attract females.
Depending on the weather, this ritual is performedearly in the morning before the sun rises throughout themonth of April. If you are interested in viewing thisamazing performance, please contact Heather at 788-3947 or [email protected]. Groups willbe small and dates may be flexible.
Sage grouse populations have declined drastically inthe Intermountain West due to the loss of critical sage-brush habitat. Wood River Land Trust works to protectimportant wildlife habitat like this so our future genera-tions can enjoy the same magnificent displays of natureas we enjoy today!
A male sage grouses mating display.
P h t
t
f R
b
t M
G i f t h
WE MET OUR CHALLENGE!
Thank you to everyone whohelped us reach and exceed our2005 year-end challenge goal of$300,000! This was our most
ambitious challenge to date, and
your response was generous andoverwhelming.
This inspiring support resultedin a $150,000 gift from ananonymous donor and our
Board of Directors, effectivelymatching every dollar donatedwith an additional fifty cents.
Meeting this challenge helpsus continue to protect the
natural areas, wildlife habitat, andhealthy waters that make this
valley special. With your help,we have now permanentlyprotected 4,628 acres in the
Wood River Valley andsurrounding area.
THANK YOU!
W
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
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As Blaine County and its municipalities
search for creative ways to protect theBig Wood River and its wetlands as well
as local hillsides and wildlife areas, they
have recognized Wood River Land Trust
as a valuable resource and partner. We,
in turn, recognize this as an opportunityto become the go to non-governmenta
agency for land protection and conserva
tion advice. We believe that we have
already made a significant impact and
can do more.
Staff has recently:
Provided scientific data to the City
of Ketchum showing the importanc
of protecting sensitive areas near thriver and has proposed using incen-
tives that encourage landowners to
protect these areas; Testified at the City of Sun Valleys
comprehensive plan hearings to urgthe City to protect land along Sun
Valley Road for open space; and
Participated in discussions about
Blaine Countys Vision 2025 and
other planning and zoning issues.
Looking to the future, I see many addi-
tional opportunities to be involved in th
process.
Opportunities include: Identifying habitat areas that should
be off limits to development;
Cataloging wetland and other envi-
ronmentally sensitive areas; and Identifying scenic corridors and ope
areas that are environmentally sens
tive and in need of protection.
Our expertise can help protect the sensi
tive areas we all have come to cherish.
Your support and participation in this
process is vital to its success.
Presidents MessageContinued from page 1
208-788-0014www.buildingmaterialthriftstore.org
We facilitate the reuse or
recycling of homes, building
materials, and larger household
items. Proceeds from the sale
of materials are dedicated to
Wood River Land Trusts pres-
ervation of natural areas and
healthy waters throughout the
Wood River Valley.
Alpine Tree Service, Pat Rainey
Atkinsons Markets
Backwoods Mountain Sports
Bigwood Bread
Blue Ice Vodka
Boise State Radio
Brooks Welding
Calera Wine Company
Catering by Ric Lum
Cowboy Coffee Company
Flolos One Hour Photos & Portraits
Guffys
Iconoclast Books
Images of Nature Gallery
Janes Paper Place
THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORTERS!
KD Excavation
Lava Lake Land and Livestock, LLC
Mama Inez and The Bank Bar
Oak Street Take Out & Catering
Phoenix Quality Framing
River Bend Brewing
Saintsbury Vineyard
Silver Creek Distillers
Silver Creek Outtters
Silverstream Information Technology,
Sarah Gray
Sun Valley Brewing Company
Thats Entertainment
The Real Estate Magazine
White Otter Outdoor Adventures
Board of DirectorsJohn Flattery, PresidentClark Gerhardt, Vice PresidentEd Cutter, TreasurerRobin Garwood,SecretaryJerry BashawTom BentleyWilliam BurnhamHeather KingPatricia Klahr
Jack KuenemanBill LehmanLiz MitchellSteve StrandbergJoan SwiftTom SwiftChris ThompsonBarbara ThrasherBruce TidwellDoris TunneyLiz Warrick
WRLT StaffScott BoettgerExecutive Director
Melanie DahlExecutive Assistant
Kate GieseStewardship Coordinator
Kathryn GoldmanProject Coordinator
Diane KahmData Manager
Allison KennedyPlanning Coordinator
Heather KimmelProgram & MembershipCoordinator
Jan PepplerMajor Gifts Officer
This newsletter is published by:
Wood River Land Trust119 East Bullion StreetHailey, Idaho 83333
208-788-3947 (telephone)208-788-5991 (fax)
[email protected] (email)www.woodriverlandtrust.org (web)
Tax ID# 82-0474191
Advisory CommitteeDavid AndersonPeter BeckerJulie GallagherLarry SchoenJohn Seiller
The sun peeked over the tips
of the surrounding mountains,
and the chair lift glided through
a strip of cleared trees with
moist snow drizzled over
their pine needles.
Natalie Hague
8/8/2019 Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Spring 2006
8/8
119 East Bullion Street
Hailey, Idaho 83333
www.woodriverlandtrust.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Acres Permanently Protected to Date: 4,628Printed on recycled pape
Honorable Mention: Gods Perfect Fall Day for Jim Agnew by Sheri Hodge
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