perspectives on
Land
New red-osier dogwood plantings near Croy Creek
Extreme Makeover Conservation Style:
Restoring the Croy Creek Wetlands
T he southwest end of Hailey’s
Lions Park received a facelift this
July thanks to our Croy Creek Wetland
Restoration Project. The City of Hailey
once used the area that is now Lions Park
as its landfill. Prior to its restoration, the
park’s southwest corner was full of fill and
concrete that had been dumped next to the
wetlands along Croy Creek. Because of the
area’s degradation, noxious weeds were also
abundant.
The Croy Creek Restoration Project is
creating a larger, more naturally function-
ing wetland along Croy Creek, improving
wildlife habitat and water quality in the
floodplain, and providing additional rec-
reational and educational opportunities at
A publication of Wood River Land Trust
www.woodriverlandtrust.org info@woodriverlandtrust.org
wood
river
land
trust
Wood River Land Trust
f all 2 0 0 8
Lions Park. The restoration efforts began
by removing over 1,200 tons of concrete,
glass, scrap metal, bedsprings, a hot water
heater and stove, an assortment of house-
hold waste, and fill. We then planted about
150 native shrubs, trees, and grasses such as
red-osier dogwood, black cottonwood, and
bluejoint reed grass that will improve water
quality by filtering spring runoff. The new
plantings will also provide habitat for an
array of birds and other wildlife. A tem-
porary irrigation system will water the new
plantings until their roots are established. Protecting the heart
The Croy Creek restoration site is also
adjacent to our 85-acre Draper Wood River of the valley...now and
Preserve. We plan to work with the City of for the future.
Continued on page 7
 who we are
Letter from the Board
President, Ed Cutter
I would like to share with all of our members
the thoughts I expressed when I was elected
President of Wood River Land Trust at our
Annual Meeting in early July.
Together, the staff, board, and private land-
owners with whom Wood River Land Trust has
established relationships have created a legacy of
protected land, community support for conserva-
tion, and a highly-regarded, ethical conservation
organization of which we all should be proud.
However, we must not let Wood River Land
Trust’s many past successes overwhelm our dreams
for the future or confine our future achievements.
Tomorrow’s success may well depend upon our
willingness to move away from what made us suc-
cessful in the past and start down different paths.
We should be willing to refocus in order to get it
right for the long haul. It is the long haul that is
important because the lands entrusted to us are
our responsibility in perpetuity, and there is no
longer haul than that.
I thank John Flattery and Clark Gerhardt
for the dedicated work each of them has given
to Wood River Land Trust while serving as
presidents for the past five years. Our new Vice
President, Jack Kueneman, and I have tough acts
to follow, but we know that we have an outstand-
ing staff to carry the load.
I look forward to working with the staff, the
members of the Board, our landowner partners,
and our supporters with the goal of maintaining
Wood River Land Trust’s outstanding reputation
in our community.
2
Meet Our Board
Wolf Riehle
W olf Riehle has been a res-
ident of the Wood River
Valley for 11 years, and many of
you may know him as the former
owner of Bigwood Bread. Prior
to the bakery business, where he
focused on creating great-tasting
organic breads and working with
local growers, Wolf obtained two
MBAs and had a career in prod-
uct marketing. He moved to the
Wood River Valley from Ham- Wolf Riehle
burg, Germany with his wife, Feli,
and their son, Fynn, for the area’s natural beauty and remoteness,
as well as for the casual, quiet, sophisticated, athletic, and friendly
community. Wolf is an active mountaineer, and he hopes to hike
and climb in our mountains for many years to come.
When asked to share a little about himself and his involvement
with Wood River Land Trust, Wolf writes:
I feel lucky to be able to call the Wood River Valley my home.
To this day I count my blessings for being able to raise a family
here. I firmly believe that an intact environment is important to
the physical and spiritual health of all beings.
As a resident and father I feel obligated to help protect the values
that define this special place: clean air and water, robust health,
a beautiful landscape in which to play and grow and be inspired,
intact habitats for wildlife, and a community that is passionate
about the magnificent lands that surround us.
Wood River Land Trust is working and fighting for exactly that:
They protect our natural heritage through conservation, edu-
cation, and advocacy of smart planning, and they do it profes-
sionally with dedication and passion. Having protected almost
10,000 acres for future generations right here in our backyard is
a tremendous accomplishment!
Wood River Land Trust is an inspiration for involvement, cour-
age, and community to all of us. I am looking forward to con-
tributing my energy and knowledge to a great cause, one acre at
a time!
A Special Thanks to This
Summer’s Extraordinary Interns!
F or many years now, Wood River Land Trust has been lucky
to have dedicated, hard-working summer interns. This
summer is no exception, and our interns were outstanding!
Heidi Slaymaker and Lucas Bare spent the summer helping us
care for our preserves and conservation agreement sites, and
they have been vital to accomplishing these tasks.
Heidi hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, and is
finishing up her Master’s degree in Forests and Society from
the University of British Columbia. Last summer, she worked
for the British Columbia Conservation Corps building trails
in remote areas of the province. Prior to her career in con-
servation, she was the assistant coach for the Oregon State
University women’s soccer team. A passionate mountain biker,
Heidi has been enjoying the area’s trails and biking community.
Lucas and Heidi in front of Wood River Land Trust’s
Heidi says she has enjoyed having a wide variety of projects to
historic headquarters
work on and has especially liked exploring the Church Farm
property boundaries and its habitats.
Lucas is originally from New Mexico and will begin his last
year of graduate school in the Bren School of Environmental internship, Lucas has hiked a number of back-
Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara this fall. country trails here and in the Sawtooth Valley.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Bowdoin College An avid birder, he has enjoyed living with one
in Maine, he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on of our local bird experts.
a number of genetic research projects. During his final semester We look forward to seeing Lucas and Heidi
at UCSB, Lucas will be completing a conservation manage- as conservation colleagues in the future. Good
ment plan for an area in southern California. Since starting his luck to you both—we know you’ll go far!

Challenge Grant 2008 Year-End Challenge

Wood River Land Trust is pleased to announce its 8th
consecutive Year-End Challenge Grant. Goal:
$360,000

T his year, anonymous donors and our Board of Directors have pledged
$180,000 towards our protection of local land, water, and wildlife
habitat; to earn this amount, however, we must raise $360,000 in unre-
Amount Raised
as of 9/2:
stricted donations by December 31st. This means that every dollar you
$80,220
donate before the end of the year will be matched by an additional $0.50.
Your unrestricted donations help pay for the basic necessities - dedi-
cated professional staff, office space, and general office needs - that make Amount Needed to
our work possible. Meet Challenge:
The Year-End Challenge makes every dollar of your support go even $279,780
further in the protection of the Valley’s land, water, and wildlife habitat.
Please help us reach our goal today!

Wood River Land Trust is a tax-exempt non-profit organization; donations are tax-deductible.

3
 connecting
Tell Us Why You Love Living in the Valley!
Start preparing your submissions today for our largest Heart of the Valley Contest yet!

E ach year as the last long days of

summer draw to a close and the
first crisp hints of fall appear, we at
Wood River Land Trust start thinking
about our annual Heart of the Valley
Contest. This year marks the con-
test’s 5th anniversary as well as Wood
River Land Trust’s 15th year protecting
local land, water, and wildlife habi-
tat. Reaching these milestones has us
reflecting on our work in the Valley
and on the many things that make us
all love to live, work, and play in such
a wonderful place.
No matter one’s interests or profes-
sion, we think all would agree that the
Wood River Valley abounds with a feel-
ing of energy and possibility. Whether
you are inspired by outdoor recreation,
appreciation of the vast open and scenic
places that surround us, or regular sight-
ings of local wildlife, the Valley pulses
with vitality and vibrancy.
Last year’s contest submissions over-
whelmingly defined the distinguishing
characteristic that sets the Wood River
Valley apart from other mountain resort
towns as its sense of community. This
year we are asking you to build on this
idea to describe the ways in which the
Valley feeds, inspires, and nurtures you.
Behold this year’s challenge: Please
send us your photographs, prose, and
poetry that illustrate the ways that living
in the Wood River Valley makes your life
different than it would be anywhere else
and that describe the things that drew
you here in the first place and the things
that keep you here year after year.
Photography submissions
will be displayed and prose and
poetry submissions read at events
to be held throughout the winter.
Submission guidelines are available at
www.woodriverlandtrust.org. You can
also contact Heather Kimmel at 788-
3947 or hkimmel@woodriverlandtrust.
org for more information.
The 5th Annual Heart of the
Valley Contest is sponsored by:
Submissions Due Friday,
November 21, 2008.

Board of Directors WRLT Staff Advisory Committee

Ed Cutter, President
Jack Kueneman, Vice President
Joan Swift, Treasurer
Robin Garwood, Secretary
David Anderson
Jerry Bashaw
We facilitate the reuse or John Flattery
recycling of homes, building Clark Gerhardt
materials, and larger household Trent Jones
items. Proceeds from the sale Heather King
of materials are dedicated to Liz Mitchell
Wood River Land Trust’s Wolf Riehle
John Fell Stevenson
preservation of land, water,
Steve Strandberg
and wildlife habitat throughout
Barbara Thrasher
the Wood River Valley. Doris Tunney
Liz Warrick
(208) 788-0014
buildingmaterialthriftstore.org
Scott Boettger Peter Becker
Executive Director
Ranney Draper
Morgan Buckert Rebekah Helzel
Membership Assistant Dave Parrish
Melanie Dahl Larry Schoen
Executive Assistant John Seiller
Kate Giese Tom Swift
Director of Conservation Bruce Tidwell
Kathryn Goldman
Project Coordinator This newsletter is published by:
Diane Kahm Wood River Land Trust
Development Assistant
119 East Bullion Street
Heather Kimmel Hailey, Idaho 83333
Program & Membership
208.788.3947 (telephone)
Coordinator
208.788.5991 (fax)
Robyn Watson info@woodriverlandtrust.org
Major Gifts Officer
www.woodriverlandtrust.org
Nathan Welch Tax ID# 82-0474191
Planning Coordinator
Keri York
Stewardship Coordinator

4
to the land Identifying

Another Sizzling wildflowers at

Lake Creek
Preserve
Summer at Wood
River Land Trust
L and Trust staffers stayed busy throughout
the summer with a long list of events.
Our summer event series kicked off with our
3rd Annual Mushroom Walk in May. Held
at the Draper Wood River Preserve in Hailey,
the Mushroom Walk was attended by almost
a hundred people. Kathy Richmond, Simba
Springs Conservation Agreement donor and
member of the Southern Idaho Mycological Kathy Richmond shares her
Association, led the walk once again and knowledge of mushrooms at
shared her enthusiasm and knowledge with our annual mushroom walk
all of the attendees. A variety of mushrooms
were found, including a handful of morels—our
favorite!
Our Wildflower Walk was led by Carol
Blackburn, our favorite botanist, on a cold and
Collecting Seeds for Sowing
rainy day at our Lake Creek Preserve. Though
halted by a cold spring, we found plenty of
flowers to identify and caught the beginning of
L ast fall, with the help of Ed Papenberg from the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game, we collected sagebrush seed to aid in fire rehabilitation efforts. We had
so much fun we plan on going out again this year to Cowcatcher Ridge—one of our
the epic Arrowleaf Balsamroot season. protected areas in Bellevue. Look for details in November!
Wood River Land Trust also participated
in the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival
in June by highlighting local morels at sev-
eral events: A vintner dinner was held at
Riccabona’s to benefit the Land Trust, cooking
demonstrations featured morels, and a second
mushroom walk took fungus seekers on another
expedition in search of the tasty morel.
We are also indebted to the many vol-
unteers who spent their weekends helping
us spruce up our preserves for summer. The
Hemingway Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sun
Valley Adaptive Sports, Friends of Howard,
and dozens of individuals helped us pick up
trash, pull weeds, and build trails at our pre-
serves.
Despite a busy season of summer events,
we’re looking forward to rolling out a new
series of winter events as well . . . stay tuned
for more!

Martha Hale and Nathan Welch gather sagebrush seed at Cowcatcher Ridge
5
 thank you
for helping us achieve our goals
Thanks to All Our Volunteers Kids Rule!
We Couldn’t Do It Without You!
Jeff Adams Madeline M. Cordovano Richard Kahn
B rother and sister Michael and
Amelia Madsen made the most of
Earth Day in April to benefit Wood River
Elizabeth Albrecht Iris Correa Bruce Kaplan Land Trust. Working with their buddies
Joy and Eric Allen Jenny Emery Davidson Jenna Kavanagh Asher and Isaac Loomis, they sold home-
Ken Anderson Madison L. Deffe Bruce Kremer
made baked goodies at Hailey Elementary
Devan Annan Jonathan Diem Lyndsey R. Lascheck
Ben Bainbridge Laura A. Elgee Bob Law
with the goal of donating the profits. After
Dick Barker Samantha K. Engel John Lowe school, their mom, Tori, brought them by
A.J. Beesley Carl Evenson Juan Martinez the Land Trust office, and they generously
Tom Bergin Jill C. Feldhusen Kim Mazik gave us their coffee can full of the day’s
Heather J. Black Daralene and John Finnell Misha R. McGonigal earnings—$45.45!
Carol Blackburn Woody Friedlander Paddy McIlvoy Michael is 9 and going into the 4th
Florence and Tom Blanchard Spencer W. Fullmer Larry Meyers grade and is quite adept at such financial
Gay and Donald Boecker Brita A. Gaeddert Gerry Morrison matters. Amelia is 6 and is entering 1st
Jerry Boesel Janice Gillette Layna M. Nelson
grade this year; her greatest joy is playing
Karen Bossick Nicole L. Gillette Megan Stevenson
Bobbie Boyer Kathy Grotto Carmen and Ed Northen outdoors, something all of us at the Land
Elizabeth Breen Lars Guy Transito Padilla Trust love to do, too.
Erin C. Burbank James Z. Hague Alex C. Palmer Thank you for thinking of us, Michael,
Rose Burbank Haleigh-Mykel Hall Ed Papenberg Amelia, Asher, and Isaac!
M.J. Burns Dick Hay Jack Peters
Cinda Caine Sarah Hedrick Mary Ann Peters
Kyle Callaghan Jeff Hobart Tori J. Pfaeffle
Chase H. Caulkins Mike Howard Maria Pollan
Mark Caywood Scott Howard Mal J. Prior
Michael E. Coiner Patricia Hull Lauren Reutter
Taylor L. Coiner Liv Jensen Kathy Richmond
Irene and Jim Robinson
Lara Rozzell
Nathan, Heidi,
and Larry Schiers
Tammy and Jazzy Schofield
Glen, Vicki, Renee,
and Alexis Shapiro
Ashleigh Share
Brittany Shipley
Brenda Smith
Jesse J. Souligny
Greg Stahl
Eddie Svidgal
Erika Swanger
Bruce Tidwell
Kahli D. Steenstra Toussaint
Pamela and Dick Tucker
Stephanie B. Turner
Gordon Wait
Diana Wilde

Renee and Alexis Shapiro volunteer for a day

of work and fun at Boxcar Bend Preserve
6
 Hailey
Extreme Makeover
Conservation Style: Restoring

Ma
Bi

the Croy Creek Wetlands

gW

in
d.
ood

St
R Continued from cover
ek

.
Riv

e
Cr
oy
er

Cr

Lions Park
Draper Wood River Preserve
Croy Wetland Restoration

Location of Wood River Land Trust extreme makeover shown in red Native plants awaiting their new home
near Croy Creek
Hailey to connect the restored wetland area

Hulen Meadows Floodplain to the Draper Wood River Preserve with a

trail, boardwalk, and overlook system along

Management Project
W ood River Land Trust is working with the City of
Ketchum and the BLM to create a Recreation and
Public Purpose (RPP) agreement that will allow the City of
Ketchum and Wood River Land Trust to share management
of 217 acres near Hulen Meadows just north of Ketchum.
This partnership will give the City of Ketchum a permanent
lease on the land and create a recreational asset for the com-
munity. As part of the cooperative management plan, Wood
River Land Trust will improve the health of the floodplain
and associated fish and wildlife habitat along this stretch of
the Big Wood River. Depending on the outcome of hydro-
logic studies and the availability of water rights, management
activities may include restoration of the Hulen Meadows site,
enhancement of the riparian habitat to the north along the
river, and construction of a permanent river oxbow.
To learn more about this project and how you can con-
tribute, please contact Kathryn Goldman at (208) 788-3947
or kgoldman@woodriverlandtrust.org.
An evening bike ride near Hulen Meadows
the west side of the Big Wood River near
the area’s beaver ponds. Interpretive sig-
nage along the trail will provide information
about the ways wetland areas benefit water
quality and wildlife.
This project was funded by a grant from
the Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) and local partners. The
DEQ grant covered 60% of the project
costs, and local sources provided the balance
of the project’s $165,750 budget. Financial
and in-kind support for the Croy Creek
Restoration Project was provided by Blaine
County Flood District, Blaine County,
City of Hailey, Idaho Association of Soil
Conservation Districts, Rinker Foundation,
Sawtooth Environmental Consulting, and
Webb, Inc. Wood River Land Trust com-
pleted the project with help from the City
of Hailey Public Works Department, Erwin
Excavation, Big Wood Landscaping, and
over 15 volunteers.

7
 NON-PROFIT
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 21
83333
119 East Bullion Street
Hailey, Idaho 83333
www.woodriverlandtrust.org

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Printed on recycled paper

using soy-based ink

fall 2008 Acres Permanently Protected

In This issue: With Your Support: 9,649

Extreme Makeover
Conservation Style:
Restoring the Croy
Creek Wetlands,
Page 1

Tell Us Why You Love

Living in the Valley,
Page 4

Hulen Meadows
Floodplain Management
Project, Page 7

August at Lower Board Ranch,

permanently protected in 2007