2021 Year in Review

2021 Year in Review

January

Jan 3

YP Winter 2020-2021 Census = 29 people
This was counting only residents that wintered in.

Yellow Pine General Store
Please welcome Josh Jones as the new owner of the Yellow Pine General Store.

Seasonal Humor:

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Jan 10

There was a halo around the setting sun Tuesday afternoon. Jan 5

by Local Color Photography

Cougar in Yellow Pine
There has been a small cougar hanging out in the village for almost 2 weeks as of Sunday Dec 29th. Tracks up at the post office and also around residences near main street. Keep an eye on your pets.

photo provided by Nicki
Wolves
Report of lots of wolf tracks by the Yellow Pine campground reported New Year’s Eve.
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Jan 17

Chili Cook-Off Jan 16
On Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 3pm the Annual Chili Cook-Off was held at the Community Hall.
Judging:

The winners:
1st – Christy Peterson
2nd – Kat Amos
3rd – Lexi Redmond

Wednesday’s Storm Jan 13
An overnight storm with rain and wind in the early hours of Wednesday gave Yellow Pine 1/2″ of rain on top of snow and frozen ground making paths and roads icy and dangerous. It was so bad that Ray Arnold had to turn around and go back to Cascade with our mail and supplies. Our power blipped off and back on at 112pm. The temperature dropped to 8 degrees by Thursday morning. Studded tires and/or chains are needed to drive up the hill to the post office. A report that the corner by The Corner is very treacherous. Boot cleats are necessary to walk around outside. Ray made it in on Thursday, reporting that the road is a “sheet of ice all the way in from Cascade.”

RIP:
Davis Mosqueda
August 26, 2000 – December 30, 2020
Boise, Idaho – Davis was born on August 26, 2000 in Boise, Idaho. He is survived by his parents, John J. Mosqueda and Monica L. Mouw. Davis has 5 siblings, Adriana, John, Michael, Lillian, and Joseph. Davis fell in love with the outdoors at an early age while spending time in Yellow Pine, Idaho with his great-grandparent’s John and Barbra Davis, his name sake.

Diana Lynne Julian
August 23, 1952 – December 15, 2020
Diana Lynne Julian, 68, of Cascade, Idaho passed away on December 15, 2020. While her passing was unexpected, she fortunately did not suffer and was at peace.
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Jan 24

Nighttime Visitor

Photo taken Jan 18, 2021 by AP
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Jan 31

Winter Storms
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for Wednesday, but it kept snowing until early Saturday morning, giving us 13.5″ of new snow over 4 days. As of Sunday morning we have 20″ of snow on the flat down by the school house.
Webcam view of the village looking west on the afternoon of January 30th

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February

Feb 7

Happy Birthday John
John Hanson just turned 96 years old. John is a former teacher at the University of Yellow Pine and one of the founders of the Yellow Pine Country Club. The village of Yellow Pine sends Happy Birthday Greetings.
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Feb 14

It takes a village to protect a village
On Monday, Feb 8th, 21 Yellow Piners received their first shot of the Moderna Vaccine at the Community Hall thanks to the Cascade Medical Center. This project started a couple of weeks in advance, with note from Tom Reinhardt, CEO of the CMC, requesting a survey of our wintering in population. We set about making phone calls and sending emails, asking folks, “Are you interested in getting the jab?” With help from local ladies, we found 20 willing villagers (plus 1 standby) and submitted the list to Cascade. They set the date for Feb 8th at noon. Preparations were made on our end, the Community Hall was warmed up, cookies and coffee provided, and cleaned up afterwards thanks to Deb, Rhonda and Ronda, Village Council Members. And our local snow plow operator went out Sunday to clear the South Fork and East Fork roads to make sure the medical folks had a safe trip in. By 1130am, both sides of main street were parked full of an assortment of winter vehicles waiting for the ambulance to arrive. A little after noon the locals (wearing masks) started filing inside the hall to read a helpful flyer about the vaccine and fill out paperwork, and then line up for the shots. Teri Coombs, RN, and Sam Jensen, Paramedic, administered the painless jabs. Then we all sat around (spaced well apart) to enjoy coffee and cookies while we waited the allotted time to make sure no one had a reaction. A bunch of very happy locals then headed for their homes a few at a time.
The Village of Yellow Pine wishes to send a great big Thank You to Cascade Medical Center and their hardworking personnel for taking care of us old farts in the back country.

Cascade Medic 3

Sam Jensen, Paramedic

Teri Coombs, RN

Seasonal Humor:

Feb 13th Pie Contest
The annual pie contest was held at The Corner at 2pm.
Judges; Nate, Ray, Ron

1st: Christie Harris, 2nd: Deb Filler: 3rd: Teri Norell, Olivia McNeley, Liesl Constantidis

Weekend Snow Storms
The weather service put out winter storm advisories for 3 winter storms to hit our area. Storm #1 gave us 3″ new snow by Friday morning, storm #2 another 3″ new snow by Saturday morning plus another 1.25″ by Sunday morning and measured 24″ total snow on the ground. Storm #3 is due Sunday night into Monday with more snow. So far in February we have received 12″ of snowfall.
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Feb 21

From Gov Brad Little Feb 19th

The Village of Yellow Pine sends a big Thank You to Cascade Medical Center.

Snowy Week in Yellow Pine
We have received measurable snow every day this week. Monday 1.5″, Tuesday 5″, Wednesday 3.5″, Thursday .5″, Friday .8″, Saturday 2.8″ and Sunday .5″ for a total of 14.6″ new snow. The snow depth has varied from 24″ to 30″ this week. Sunday morning measured an average of 26.5″ on the ground. So far in February we have had 26.6″ of snow fall and average 22″ on the ground. Average high 36F and average low 14F.

Feb 16th University of Yellow Pine over the fence.

Internet and Phone Outage
On Thursday a report that folks were unable to call in from the outside – or out from the inside. Thank you to Marty for noticing and calling it in to MTE – the phones were working again by late afternoon. Friday evening, Feb 19, Yellow Pine internet and long distance went down. Saturday morning we also discovered that 911 was also down. We could call each other locally but could not call out to report the outage. However, Nate from MTE must have gotten the “bat signal” and managed to get our internet/phones working again by 1230pm Saturday. A report that it was ice and snow causing the outage. Yellow Pine owes Nate from MTE a big Thank You.

South Fork Bull

photo by Ray Lutz Feb 17th

Midas Gold Announces Name Change to Perpetua Resources and Approved Nasdaq Listing
News Provided By Midas Gold Corp. Feb 16, 2021
New Name Reinforces Commitment to Idaho
Restoration of Legacy Mining District and Domestic Production of Critical Mineral Antimony
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Feb 28

School Bond Ballots
A quick thinking local noticed that return postage was not included with the school bond ballots and contacted the county. The county has since made arrangements with the Yellow Pine Post Office to process the ballots without postage and be reimbursed later since we are a “vote by mail precinct.”

Avalanche Closed Road to Stibnite
The morning of Feb 23rd, we received a message there are slides on the road to Stibnite. “These slides start below Tamarack creek then up around the corner where the 2019 slides were.” They will keep us posted. Please don’t attempt to go up there to look and get in the way.
“Debris strewn along 1,500 feet of roadway and up to 30 feet deep across the road.” No timeline as to when the road will open.

Another Snowy Week in YP
Yellow Pine has received snow every day of the week, adding up to over 9″ of new snow. Saturday morning we had an average of 31″ of snow on the ground on the open flat down by the school. We received a total of 35.8″ of new snow for the month of February. We have received a total of 90″ of snow so far this winter.

YP Weather Station Feb 27th

RIP:
Tasha

Tasha was abandoned in Yellow Pine by her previous owner. Rescued and given a new home by John and Andi and taken to McCall in September of 2020 for the remaining months of her life. “She loved to catch popcorn, walk in tall weeds, and go visit a nearby cat playground dumpster, we called Kitty City. She brought us so much happiness.” She passed away Wednesday, Feb 24, 2021.
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March

March 7

March
The first week of March has been very nice in Yellow Pine, no new snow to shovel! Warmer than normal days (Friday’s high was 59 degrees) with sunshine melting the snow slow and easy, we have lost 5″ of our snowpack. Nights in the low teens early in the week, the freeze thaw cycle has started the Spring Rock Migration on both the EFSF and SF drainages (watch for rocks in the road.)

March 1, 2021 Van Meter Hill by Local Color Photography.

Avalanche Closes Road to Stibnite
The morning of Feb 23rd, we received a message there are slides on the road to Stibnite. “These slides start below Tamarack creek then up around the corner where the 2019 slides were.” -PR They will keep us posted. Please don’t attempt to go up there to look, the road is narrow and more slides could come down.

“Debris [is] strewn along 1,500 feet of roadway and up to 30 feet deep across the road” – PR. The road could be open soon, No current report.
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March 14

Second Dose March 10
On Wednesday, March 10th, the 20 locals who received the 1st dose of vaccine, received the 2nd dose from Cascade Medical Center at the Yellow Pine Community hall.

photo captured from KTVB news story, probably courtesy Sam Jensen
The Village of Yellow Pine would like to thank Cascade Medical Center, Teri Coombs RN and Sam Jensen Paramedic for coming all the way up here – again. And a big thank you to the Village Ladies for having the hall open, warm and welcoming with coffee and munchies.

Some locals that had to go out met the ambulance en route at Goat Creek to receive their 2nd shot.

photos courtesy TN

Paramedic, nurse drive 8 hours on backcountry roads to deliver vaccines to rural Idaho community
Yellow Pine, a community of 29, is about 50 miles of dirt roads into the mountains east of McCall but like many others, residents were eager to get vaccinated.
March 12, 2021 KTVB
Yellow Pine, Idaho — Over the river and through the woods they went to grandma’s house, well, kind of. Thanks to a nurse and a paramedic, a small and very rural Idaho town was able to vaccinate most of its residents, most of whom are at high-risk for COVID-19 complications.
Paramedic Sam Jensen and Cascade Medical Chief Medical Nurse Terri Coombs have taken the 50-mile journey down dirt Forest Service roads to the community of Yellow Pine.
The community of 29 seasonal residents would have made an eight-hour round-trip drive if they wanted to go to the nearest city of Cascade to get vaccinated, a trip many couldn’t or wouldn’t want to make. But for Jensen and Coombs, it was a drive through Idaho’s backcountry that they wanted to do.
“Yesterday, it felt like we were going back to see friends,” Coombs said.
For these two healthcare workers, it likely felt that way since it was their second trip to the rural community in a month. This time it was for their booster shot of vaccine.
“It’s been a godsend for them to come up here twice up here to get it done,” Rhonda, a Yellow Pine resident, said.
Coombs and Jensen vaccinated 20 people when they came to town. The few who weren’t in town were still able to get the shot along an old dirt road.
“They flashed their lights at us, we all pulled over and immunizations were given,” Coombs said.
For a community of people who don’t fancy themselves going out often, they’re finally free to go out without the worry of contracting the deadly virus.

March 12 Power Outage
Idaho Power called Friday morning, March 12th, to inform us that they had received an “alert” of a Line Down in the Johnson creek area. Shortly after the call their helicopter flew over the village at 911am looking for the problem. Idaho Power called again early afternoon and the nice fellow (didn’t get his name) remarked he was surprised our power was still on, and reported there were trees down on the line and extensive damage. Crews dispatched from Boise were en route with a probable arrival around 230pm, and he estimated it will take 5-6 hours to repair.
Our power went off at 205pm. Power restored at 737pm.
A big Thank You to Idaho Power crews and to the friendly fellow for calling us with information.

3.1 magnitude earthquake reported near Smiths Ferry
by CBS2 News Staff Sunday, March 14th 2021
The USGS on Sunday reported a 3.1 magnitude earthquake near Smiths Ferry just after about 11 a.m.
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March 21

Equinox

Sunset near the Helipad March 20 by Scott A.

Hwy 55 March 21st Update
ITD has been monitoring the rock slide throughout the weekend and determined that conditions continue to be unsafe in the area, and Idaho Highway 55 will remain closed to traffic.

Perpetua says slide shows need for new mine access
Mining company wants to build new route to Stibnite
By Drew Dodson for The Star-News March 18, 2021
Avalanches last month on Stibnite Road show why the road should not be used as the main access to a proposed gold mine at Stibnite, according to Perpetua Resources.
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April

April 4

Easter Potluck
Easter Sunday Potluck was at the Community Hall at 3pm. Around 20 locals showed up for the feast.

Photo courtesy Ray Lutz

Wind Storm Cleanup
The wind storm that blew thru Sunday night and Monday morning knocked down trees on lower Johnson Creek from Yellow Pine to Wapiti Meadow Ranch and the EFSF roads. Many thanks to Cecil and Tom for going out and cutting trees out of the road and cleaning up rocks and debris on both roads.
No reports of local damage and our power stayed on.
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April 11

Spring Elk
Watch for elk wandering around at dusk.

photo by Local Color Photography.

Hwy 55
The project resumed April 2nd, expect full road closures Monday-Thursday from 10am to 2pm in the Smith’s Ferry area.
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April 18

Apr 17 – Boil water order reissued

Rx Burning Near Yellow Pine
The helicopter flights started on Saturday, April 17th, the smoke was quite thick all afternoon, but better air quality by evening. On Sunday, April 18th the helicopter started flying over around 1030am and continued for about an hour. Here is a photo from the webcam taken at noon.

About 1pm looking west:

Update on Bald Hill Rx Burn April 16: Crews are “black lining” the Rx area today and taking advantage of perfect Rx burning conditions to accomplish some of the burning. They will be igniting the broadcast burn area Saturday through Monday via helicopter ignition with use of the “ping-pong balls.” The burn is proceeding well and exactly as desired – flame length remain below 1 foot and 1, 10 and 100 hour fuels are consuming well with fire behavior meeting all objectives. Crews will remain on site through beyond Monday to watch over the burn area.

Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233
Opened April 16, 2021

Yellow Pine General Store (208) 633-3300
New owner, plans to open this spring.
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April 25

Rx Burn Yellow Pine April 19th

Photo by Local Color Photography
After a couple of days of thick smoke during the ignition, air quality improved somewhat during the week with light smoky haze for several days. Much better by this weekend.

Yellow Pine General Store
Laundry is open. Gas Available and rooms for rent.

Yellow Pine Water Grant Presentation
Valley County Commissioner Meeting April 26, 2021, YouTube video, Yellow Pine Water starts at the 2:10:00 mark and lasts about 27 minutes.

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May

May 2

Community Cleanup at the Dump May 1
About 15-20 locals pitched in with rakes and shovels to clean up the transfer station while the Lakeshore truck was in to move (and empty) the dumpsters. Many thanks to these community spirited folks.


shared by GB

shared by TN

Kentucky Derby at the Tavern May 1
Locals enjoyed a get together, and some campers tired of sitting in their tent in the rain enjoyed the race with us. Thanks Dawn for the Kentucky Shrimp and Bourbon dip and being our inspiration.

Power Outage
Saturday night, May 1, at 1004pm the power blinked off, on, off and back on.

Road to Stibnite reopens after Feb. 23 avalanches
Perpetua crews clear 1,500 feet of roadway
By Drew Dodson for The Star-News April 29, 2021
The road to the site of Perpetua Resources’ proposed gold and antimony mine near Yellow Pine has been re-opened following a series of avalanches in February.
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May 9

Bald Hill Rx Burn
The Payette NF continues to reduce fuel near Yellow Pine. On Thursday, May 6th, they started on Units I and J in the Bald Hill project. A light haze of smoke was visible to the north east.
Rx burning was also done on the South Fork of the Salmon River.

Photo from Ray Lutz, May 6th around 1030pm between MP 12-18.

Cinco De Mayo
A power outage did not stop the fun on May 5th. Folks gathered for free Tacos at the Community Hall provided by the VYPA hall committee. Such a good time was had by all that no photos were submitted by press time.

Power Outage
Power went off at 104pm May 5th and came back on at 625pm. The Idaho Power recording said “150 customers” affected, but gave no cause.

Community Hall
The Community Hall Storage Shed project is complete!
After a six-month delay at the manufacturer, the shed was delivered on April 22nd.
A huge Thanks to both the Stibnite Foundation for funding and to YPAC Corp. for acting as our Fiscal Agent so we could get the grant.

photo provided by DF

Quail in Yellow Pine
Male showed up a few days ago and on May 7th a female.

photo courtesy LI

RIP:
John Albert Hanson
Feb 6, 1925 – March 19, 2021
John was a WWII veteran. He joined the navy in the late fall of 1942. He served in the Pacific on submarines. He was part of a special operation that is still classified today. After the war, he attended U.C. Berkley, graduating with a Masters degree in Education. He was a teacher and a principal during his career.
We first came to Yellow Pine in the summer of 1979 to visit Don and Dottie Millen and Carl Kitchen who we knew from teaching in the same school district in the past. In 1980 we learned from them that the teacher position in Yellow Pine would be open in the fall. John had just retired and we were looking for a new adventure. We decided to apply. We went to McCall for an interview in early August and were hired that day, much to our surprise. Thus began our life in Yellow Pine. We taught from the fall of 1980 through June of 1987. We taught in McCall the year of 1985-1986, as there were no students for school in Yellow Pine that year.
School days in Yellow Pine were always an adventure. As teachers and students together we were always busy learning, living and taking care of each other. As a group we camped, we hiked, we learned about our surrounds, we discovered, we sewed, we painted, we did woodcrafts, we skied, we cooked, we played baseball and basketball, we picked huckleberries, we did a Christmas play at the B&F Bar directed by Dale Johnson, we sang, we welcomed the National Geographic crew to Yellow Pine, we visited Lafe and Emma Cox at the ranch to see a Presidential Inauguration on TV. A first TV view for some. We learned to read the newspaper when we could get one. we consumed many books of all kinds, we learned games and puzzles. John and Don Millen and several students flew to McCall for a cross country ski race. We had a Christmas “Brazeer” as one student called it, where the students sold things they made so they could buy treats and things they wanted for school (like new balls, ski poles, and boots.) They wrote the University of Yellow Pine Cookbook, which was a big seller. Most all residents came to buy something. With the help of Harlow Struble and Dave McClintock and other community members the basketball court was poured. There was always something going on.
John loved the game of golf, so with the forest all around us, he decided to put in a few holes. He and neighbor Rick Boyd laid the original 9 holes with Rick throwing a baseball different directions through the forest. They drank a lot of beer, lost the baseball many times, and found it again over the time it took to establish those 9 holes. Over the years other community members and forest service became involved and supported the course including Bud Boyd who named all of the holes.
When Don Millen, Bud Boyd and John felt we needed to establish a fire district (to lower home insurance costs if you could get insurance at all,) we started golf tournaments to benefit the Fire Department. They were very popular. People came to Yellow Pine just to play golf. John was always buying clubs in thrift stores and leaving them at the store so anyone could go play a round anytime.
A relative of the Sumners (we were told) interviewed John for an article she wanted to write about the golf course. She submitted it to Golf Magazine. They printed the article in the August 2006 issue. The photographer they sent in made several errors in the captioned photos. 1) The teacherage house, where we first lived and is no longer there, was NOT a course club house and 2) John, who was 81 at the time was not the founder of Yellow Pine, but he was very proud of the course, community members and others who helped maintain it over the years. It always put a smile on his face when he saw or heard others enjoying a round of golf.
While we were active in the community for many many years, we tended to hang out at home and entertain family and friends, community members, and others from all over the United States and Canada.
John served on the Village Council many times, helped establish the Fire District, build the Fire Department building, served on the Fire District Board, the Water Board and was a Quick Responder Unit member.
As John got older it got harder for him to get around and do things that needed to be done. It was very frustrating for him. He had always been very active. He fished, hunted, snowmobiled and loved to ride the ATV. While gathering winter wood was a chore, it was one he enjoyed. He was always looking for a “good tree” as we drove in or out.
We closed the house in October 2019 and were not able to return until now.
He is survived by 4 children: Deborah, Eric, Barbara and Holly and their spouses; 8 grandchildren: Dawn, Jannelle, Joshua, John, Abby, Chloe, Rupert, Marcella and their spouses; 10 great-grandchildren: Kate, Brad, Gabriella, Alyssa, Bentley, Kayla, Elijah, Emma, Ender, and a newborn son of Marcella, myself and a very loyal English Black Lab – Shadow II – who owns him still.
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May 16

YPWUA News
Update May 14, 2021: Kerry and Dion from Idaho Rural Water were onsite yesterday along with Nicki and me for leak detection in the “downtown” Yellow Pine grid.
Utilizing their leak detection equipment, and Nicki’s knowledge of the distribution system, Kerry and Dion successfully located a number of leaks including a large leak at a fire hydrant. The fire hydrant was turned off and Tim, the fire chief, was notified that the hydrant is not operational.
Many small leaks were identified and marked, but of particular concern is the waterline that runs under the alley behind the hotel and all the way down to the community center. Numerous active leaks were located in that section. So many leaks exist along the alley that the best course of action is probably replacing the entire run of pipe.
Nicki followed up after the guys left and using her tablet and GPS program, accurately recorded the location of all the leaks identified. Now that a record of the leak locations exists, prioritization of the leaks and a plan to repair them can be developed.

Kerry and Dion were very thorough and helpful, and the work they completed will be beneficial to reducing demand on the system as a whole. Based on today’s daily system data, reported this morning by Nicki, it appears that daily demand was reduced by approximately 10,000 gallons as a result of yesterday’s work.
Regards, Warren Drake, Drake Diversified LLC
On May 13th Cecil, Tom and Ron fixed a leaking valve which resulted in saving 5000 gallons of water!
Update May 6, 2021: The Yellow Pine Water Users Association, Yellow Pine, Idaho intends to file an application with the USDA, Rural Development to obtain a drinking water system facility planning grant. If any additional information is needed please contact: Willie Sullivan, Treasurer Ypwater @ gmail.com

Preakness at the YP Tavern
On Saturday, May 15th, locals gathered at the Yellow Pine Tavern to watch Rombauer win the 146th running of the Preakness. A good time was had by all.
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May 23

Plumbers Visit Yellow Pine
Keaton and Robert from Rocky Mountain Mechanical traveled to Yellow Pine from Emmett Monday evening, and spent the night in the motel rooms behind the General Store. Then Tuesday (May 18) morning bright and early they started the first of several plumbing projects for locals. These guys are fast, efficient, clean and courteous professionals. We are lucky they are willing to travel to our remote location.

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May 30

Memorial Weekend Events
May 29, 2021 – Yellow Pine Escapade – ATV/UTV Rally at 10am
Join us on May 29th for another rally game. This year’s Rally game is – Letter Tiles! Participants ride their vehicles in the 70 miles of identified area to participate in the game. The timeframe of this event is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Participants begin and end the event at the Yellow Pine Community Hall.
Yellow Pine Tavern
Had a great turnout for our Memorial Potluck got a bit busy and missed out on Photos of the event and great food. However we made close to $500 towards our 4th of July Fireworks Fund. Great Photos to share of our Karaoke singalong late in the evening though, with our next Generation of Karaoke Junkies coming up. Bringing up memories of our old times with Vickie and Karaoke at the Corner.

The Corner
Join us on Memorial Day Weekend for some great food and live music with Hannah Wickizer! She will be playing at 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.
General Store
The General Store plans a “soft opening” Memorial Day weekend with beer, beverages, and ice. Rooms, fuel, and laundry available now.

Water News May 30
All non essential water needs to be shut off. Filter cleaning today. Those at the top of the hill, water outage expected.

Johnson Creek Road Officially Open
Report May 25th that Johnson Creek road is open at the upper end. The avalanche debris on Warm Lake road was removed by the County.
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June

June 6

Thunderstorm – Trees Down
Thursday night (June 3rd) we had quite a thunderstorm pass over Yellow Pine around 1030pm. Wind gusts, loud thunder and no measurable rain. Report of a lightning strike 4.5 miles to the southwest of Yellow Pine. The weather station at Stibnite recorded a wind gust of 25 mph. The weather station at Tea Pot Dome on the South Fork Salmon River recorded a wind gust of 52mph as the storm came thru there.
Report June 4th at 630am that big trees had come down and blocked the South Fork road at the intersection with the East Fork of the South Fork road.

courtesy AF
Trees cleared at the intersection Friday by a local

courtesy DC
Trees had also come down on Johnson Creek road Thursday night, but they had been cut out by Friday morning. Watch for debris in the road.
Gusty winds brought down a big tree on Johnson Creek road Saturday afternoon and it was cleared by locals.

Memorial Weekend Water News
Starting Thursday, May 27th, Yellow Pine water usage was between 29,000 and 35,000 gallons a day.

Road News
Lick Creek is very close to opening, adventurous OHV’rs pushed over the summit this weekend (June 6.)

Lick Creek June 6th, courtesy JB

Yellow Pine General Store (208) 633-3300
Rooms, fuel, and laundry available now. Store plans a “soft opening” Memorial Day weekend.

YPFD News
The Fire Station recently had a propane heater installed. The heater will be a great addition to the fire station. It will be more efficient at keeping the station above freezing during the winter, especially since we keep water in the engines so they are ready to roll if an emergency occurs. It will also make it more pleasant to hold meetings at the fire station. Big thanks to Fire Chief Tim Rogers for coordinating this.

Summer construction to start on Highway 55 near Smiths Ferry
by CBS2 News Staff Tuesday, June 1st 2021
Summer construction is set to begin Monday on Highway 55 between Smiths Ferry and the Rainbow Bridge.
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June 13

Yellow Pine Lodge
Opened June 12th for Summer

YPFD Meeting June 12
At 10am the YPFD tested the siren and had a meeting at the fire hall.
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June 20

Abstein Bridge June 14-15
The drillers were in June 14 and 15 to drill test holes on both ends of the bridge. The drill rig blocked the bridge for about 2 hours the first day and 3 hours the second day, although 4-wheelers could get through if necessary.
A report that the crew was very nice and ‘left no trace.’

Another Wind Storm
On Tuesday afternoon, June 15th, it was quite windy in Yellow Pine, estimate wind gusts of at least 30mph or higher. The South Fork weather station at Tea Pot Dome registered a maximum gust of 42mph and the station at Stibnite registered a maximum gust of 33mph.
No reports of trees down locally, but on Wednesday the mail truck driver reported trees had come down on Johnson Creek road – but had been cut out by the time he came through. No report on the South Fork route. Be aware there might be trees down on other back country roads.

Internet Outage
On Friday morning, June 18th around 1030am Yellow Pine internet went down for about an hour. MTE said it was part of a larger outage. It apparently affected the MTE webcam at the Johnson Creek airstrip as it seems to be “stuck.”

Johnson Creek Fly-in
The weekend of June 18-20 was busy at the Johnson Creek Airstrip.

courtesy MTE webcam

RIP:
Darrell Merlin Hathaway
Hathaway, Darrell, 66, of Meridian, passed away Monday, June 14, 2021 at his home with his family by his side.
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June 27

The Highland Games Yellow Pine
On June 26th the Bald Mountain Knuckle Draggers competed in Yellow Pine.
Thank you to Steve Holloway for donating Alpine Village Lodge for the Bald Mountain Knuckle Draggers so they could have their competition here in Yellow Pine.
This is the crew from Highland games.

courtesy Ann F.
Stone Throw

Hammer Throw

Caber Toss

Weight Over Bar

Photos courtesy of Deb F.

Power Outage and Thunderstorm
Tuesday evening Yellow Pine had a power outage 833pm-115am due to high winds damaging infrastructure down in the valley. Power was out from Kuna to Donnelly. We also experienced an intense thunderstorm with lightning striking Golden Gate Hill. About 10 minutes of intense rain, followed by light sprinkles adding up to 0.23″ total.
Link: to short time-lapse video courtesy John B.

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July

July 4

Yellow Pine Parade July 3rd
Our Annual Yellow Pine 4th of July Parade was especially good this year with the addition of Harley Goodwin’s Gonkulator put back in service by Scott Amos. As Dave Imel would say we had dolls and dogs. Also horses, fire trucks, bikes, marchers and Christie returning as Miss Yellow Pine. Margaret was this year’s Grand Marshall.

Courtesy the Yellow Pine Tavern.

Community Hall Yard Sale.
The yard sale ran June 15 thru July 4 at the Community Hall, This was a self-serve yard sale to support maintenance on the Community Hall.

Infrastructure
OK Gravel worked on the lower end of Ellison Street June 30th and July 1st.

Be Mountain Lion Aware
Note: A report of a mountain lion still hanging around the upper end of the village.

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July 11

Golf Tournament July 3rd

photo courtesy Ronda and Deb

July 4 fireworks

courtesy of Yellow Pine Tavern

Gonkulator
The Gonkulator made it to the 4th of July parade in Yellow Pine. Not only did it make the parade, it led it and stole the show.

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern

General Store Update
We just ran out of fuel. With the large amount of traffic in the last few weeks, we sold out of both tanks. The store will be closed through Wednesday, July 14th.

Transfer Station cleaned up July 10th
A huge thank you to Mike Amos, Tim, Ronda and Destinee Rogers, Clayton and Rhonda Egbert, Hailey, Ron, Clint and Nicki, Joel Fields for cleaning up the dump and surrounding area. Your help was so appreciated.

Ronald “Ron or Ronnie” Lawrence Smith
March 16, 1935 ~ June 10, 2021 (age 86)
Ronald (Ron or Ronnie) Lawrence Smith went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus on June 10, 2021, after a brief bout of cancer. He was able to pass away at home with his family by his side. He was 86 years old.

Stibnite mine decision pushed back to 2023
Payette says more study needed of Perpetua Resources proposal
By Drew Dodson for The Star-News July 8, 2021
A final decision will not happen until June 2023 on Perpetua Resources’ proposed gold and antimony mine near Yellow Pine, the Payette National Forest announced.

Western Smoke Satellite Image July 10

— —

July 18

General Store Update July 15th
The store has received their fuel delivery and now also offers diesel.

Smoke in Yellow Pine
Yellow Pine, along with most of Idaho has had smoky skies and poor air quality this past week. Most of the smoke is coming from fires in California, Oregon and Washington, but some days we were getting smoke from the Dixie fire north of the main Salmon River. Our air quality was in the “Orange” range for several days, and this past weekend it has been “Yellow.”

Western Satellite Map for July 18, 2021

DEQ awards $150,000 to the Yellow Pine Water Users Association, Inc. in Valley County
Boise, June 29, 2021 — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today announced the award of a $150,000 in drinking water construction assistance to the Yellow Pine Water Users Association, Inc. in Valley County, Idaho.
The funding will be used to replace the damaged transmission and distribution water mains and install three pressure-reducing valves.

Land Management Agencies to Implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Boise and Payette Fire Restriction Areas
Campfires, Stove Use and Smoking Restricted
Boise, Idaho – July 13, 2021 – With the threat of wildfire danger increasing rapidly throughout Idaho, local land management agencies will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in the Boise Fire Restriction Area and the Payette Fire Restriction Area beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 16, 2021.
— —

July 25

July 24 – Pet Vax Clinic
Dr. Keith Ruble and crew from Cascade Vet Clinic came to Yellow Pine Saturday, July 24th, for the annual Pet Vax Clinic. Their first stop saw 5 cats and 10 well behaved dogs, who were examined, received their vaccinations, other medications as necessary including banana flavored wormer for the dogs; some even had their nails clipped. The crew headed up town for lunch and planned to see more pets in the afternoon.

Unplanned Internet and Phone Outages
Tuesday (July 20) Internet went out before 530pm for about an hour. Then Wednesday (July 21) Internet (and long distance) out around 945am for about 2 hours.
Short power outage at 1209am early Wednesday (July 21.)

Mayor Chappy’s Headstone
April 19, 1945 – March 23, 2020
Thanks to the cemetery committee for placing Mayor Chappy’s headstone July 19, 2021 at the Yellow Pine Pioneer Cemetery.

photo courtesy MF

Lick Creek Road to stay closed through July 29 for bridge work
The Star-News July 22, 2021
Lick Creek Road east of McCall will stay closed through July 29 while Valley County crews replace the bridge at Zena Creek. Closed July 19th.

July 23, 2021 Afternoon Smoke

GOES-17 Satellite Map
— — — — — — — — — —

August

Aug 1

Harmonica Festival August 5, 6, and 7

Culvert Cleaning
Sunday, August 1st, Fire Chief Tim Rogers, Tom Olson and his visitors teamed up to clear the clogged culvert at the Veterans’ memorial on the east side of Yellow Pine Ave. Assistance from the big green fire truck for a bit of a flush. Ready for the rain that fell late Sunday afternoon.

RIP:
Merle Amos
April 25, 1953 – July 25, 2021

Merle Amos, age 68, of Burkett, died Sunday, July 25, 2021 in Midland. Private family services will be held. Arrangements are entrusted to Stevens Funeral Home.

Fire in the Sugar Mt area

8am July 30th: Wildfire Developing Situation

The Sugar Cane Wildfire is under aggressive initial attack near Sugar Mountain on the Krassel Ranger District. The fire is actively burning and torching in Sub-Alpine fir and Lodgepole pine. It is estimated at 30 acres at this time, but growing larger in a southeasterly direction.
The fire is located 3 miles north-northwest of the Stibnite Gold site near Sugar Mountain – approximately 8 miles east of Yellow Pine.
Perpetua Resources has evacuated the Stibnite Gold Mine site under their emergency response plan.
— —

Aug 8

Thank You!
A big thank you to Doug Christensen for running the water truck and sprinkling local streets to keep the dust down before the festival.
And special thanks to the Sanitation Specialists for their hard work: Dion, his son Nathan, his daughter Ari, and her friend Jozzy.
And last but not least, thank you to our medical folks. There was an allergic reaction to a bee sting treated at the First Aid station. Life flight was called and patient taken to Boise.

Aug 14 – VYPA Meeting – Canceled
The August 14, 2021 VYPA meeting has been cancelled as we will not have a quorum of Council members available. The next VYPA meeting will be September 11th.

Storm, Slides and Fire updates Aug 6, 2021
The South Fork of the Salmon River Road from Warm Lake Road to the confluence with the East Fork is closed due to slides that have completely blocked the roadway.
Aug 7th: The Hogback fire is out and the airstrip is open.
Aug 7th: Sugar Cane is 100% contained.
Big Storm Aug 6th
At 230am we had a tremendous storm. Lots of thunder and lighting and hail coming down so hard it drowned out the thunder. The hail piled up nearly half an inch deep in the yard – like snow! Along with the melted hail the rain total was 0.59″ – enough to cause minor street flooding.

Piles of hail still on the ground at 9am, Aug 6th.
Power Outage Friday 1044am-109pm
We think this outage was storm related. Idaho Power didn’t have much info but did mention a fire. Have not been able to find out any information.

RIP:
Kathryn Marie Fresques Hänggi
September 5, 1953 – July 5, 2021

Kathy Hänggi passed away on July 5, 2021, at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital. She fought to live with every breath. Her courage, hope and faith never faltered.

Johnson Fire
The Johnson Fire was reported today two and half miles south of Yellow Pine, Idaho. Currently it is a tenth of an acre, ground resources are using full suppression methods to contain the blaze.
Johnson Fire update 730pm Aug 2
“According to the Boise Interagency Dispatch Center it is near the Johnson Creek Airstrip. I’ve included a screen shot from their website as well. Currently we have a crew, engine, and helicopter on scene. Hopefully we have nothing new or significant to report on it tomorrow!”

Update Aug 3: According to the Boise Interagency Dispatch Center it was called out at 8:30pm last night.

Sugar Cane Fire
The Sugar Cane fire was started by lightning on July 30, 2021, 34 miles east of McCall, Idaho in the vicinity of the Stibnite Mining District. Two Hotshot crews, 1 T1 helicopter, 1 T2 helicopter and overhead personnel are assigned to the fire. As of 8/3, the fire was still approximately 3 miles to the NE of the Stibnite Mine site. The fire received measurable precipitation between July 31 and August 1, with continued isolated showers and thunderstorms predicted through Tuesday (August 3).
— —

Aug 15

Retired
After many, many years of serving Yellow Pine, our Postmistress Paula retired July 31st. Congratulations!

South Fork Road Open
The big storm early Friday, August 6th, caused slides that closed the South Fork of the Salmon River road. FS crews brought in equipment to clear the slides. The road was opened by Tuesday morning, August 10th – with delays expected while they finished up.

Yellow Pine Life Flight at the heli-pad
A medical emergency required a life flight from Yellow Pine to Boise.

photo by Tom Moore

August 14th 12am McCall Air Monitor

Slide blocks South Fork Road for five days with dirt, rocks
The Star-News August 12, 2021
The South Fork Road reopened Tuesday morning after mudslides blocked the road about 16 miles from Warm Lake Road on Friday.
Heavy rain caused dirt, rocks and debris to block the road.
Forest Service crews with heavy machinery worked through the weekend to clear the slide.
The South Fork Road is owned and maintained by the Payette National Forest.
Valley County has an agreement to plow snow from the road in the winter.

Sugar Cane Fire near Stibnite contained by firefighters
By Max Silverson for The Star-News August 12, 2021
Crews were able to fully contain the Sugar Cane Fire about three miles northeast of the Stibnite Mine this week with the help of several days of rain, fire officials said.
The 133-acre wildfire was contained as of Sunday with crews completing fire lines around the entire perimeter.
The fire was started by lightning on July 30. Two helicopters, two hot-shot crews and a third firefighter crew were assigned.

Seasonal Humor:

— —

Aug 22

Rain, Cooler and Better Air by Weekend
Yellow Pine received measurable rain during three thunderstorms this past week for a total of 0.48″, giving us exactly 2″ of precipitation so far in August.
The air quality was in the Red during the first part of the week with temperatures in the 90s, improving to Yellow AQ mid-week with temperatures in the 70s, and finally Green AQ by the weekend (Saturday’s high was 66F.)

Yellow Pine Weather 10 Year Average

Average temperatures and precipitation over the last 10 years reported from Yellow Pine

Outdoor Burn Ban
August 13th through 17th the Idaho DEQ issued a burn ban for all outdoor burning due to the unhealthy air quality.
— —

Aug 29

YPFD Meeting Aug 28, 2021
18 people attended to hear County officials explain the legal process for becoming a Yellow Pine Fire District Commissioner.

photo courtesy LI

Buckhorn Outfitters
Getting new sets of shoes on before season starts next week. Thanks Buck Greenwood

Yellow Pine General Store
The Liquor Store is now reinstated. Store hours: 10am to 5pm, Monday – Sunday.
— — — — — — — — — —

September

Sept 5

Cut Off From The Outside
Literally cut off – on Sunday, Sept 5th, at approximately 330pm, the phone line for Yellow Pine was accidentally dug up and damaged. Our phone lines were dead and of course there was no internet. Early Monday morning, Sept 6th (Labor Day,) MTE came to the village to work on restoring the line. Phones and (slow) internet restored around 6pm.

Labor Day Golf Tournament and Potluck Sept 4th
The cannon went off at 1018am to start the annual Labor Day Golf Tournament to benefit the Fire Department.
The winners from our golf tournament fundraiser for the fire department.
First: Tera and Brian
Second: Steve and Jonathan
Third: Luna and Ryan
Closest to the pin: Peter

Prizes!
A potluck at the Yellow Pine Tavern followed at 4pm with Lasagna and Brauts provided by the Tavern, Cory’s and Sullivan’s.

Community Hall Repair Project
The first step of the Community Hall Repair Project was completed on Sept. 1st when the new service door was installed in the kitchen. This should keep varmints and weather out of the kitchen.
Before

After

New Cook at the Yellow Pine Tavern
A great Birthday Party was held at the Tavern for Jake, our new Bartender and Cook. Come by and meet him on weekend evenings.

Yellow Pine Avenue
A report that the county grader did the lower end of Yellow Pine Ave (main street) at least as far as the veteran’s memorial on Tuesday, August 31st.

Road News
Local streets are very dusty – no dust abatement this year on main street. Please slow down!

RIP:
JR VanHoover
7/27/75 – 8/27/21

Leo Edward VanHoover Jr., a true Yellow Pine native, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Mexico on Friday August 27th, 2021.
— —

Sept 12

Donation to Yellow Pine Area Coalition
First come, first served for the price of a YPAC donation of $20 minimum (see neighbor -Deb); You haul off! 230 Yellow Pine Ave.

Internet and Phone Outage update
Sunday, Sept 5th, approximately 330pm, the phone line was accidentally dug up and cut next to Yellow Pine Avenue.
Fire Chief Tim and Cecil used the radio at the Fire Hall to call dispatch to report the outage Sunday afternoon. Dispatch contacted MTE. Nate headed down from Stanley Sunday night and they had a crew and equipment ready to leave Midvale early Monday morning (Labor Day.) Slow internet and landline phones restored by around 6pm on Monday.
The slow (dial up speeds) persisted on Tuesday until around 7pm then just the internet went out – along with cell service via the internet, but our landlines still worked. MTE said the slow speeds was not due to the cable cut – it was a much wider issue.
Internet was restored by 7am Wednesday morning, Sept 9th.

JR VanHoover Celebration of Life Postponed
It is with great regret that I want to let everyone know we, as a family, have decided to err on the side of caution and postpone the celebration of life for J.R. VanHoover that was scheduled for this Saturday. Members of our own family have recently tested positive for covid and we simply cannot take the chance this gathering could in any way be responsible for further spread of Covid to any of you. We want to thank you all for the outpouring of love and support we have felt. We will schedule a gathering at a later time.

Fire Truck No. 1

Sept 8, 2021 Satellite Map

The big plume is the Boundary fire.
— —

Sept 19

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Rescinded Sept 17
Lifting the restrictions means the public is free to build a campfire, use a charcoal barbecue, or smoke outside of designated campgrounds and recreation sites.

Busy Labor Day Weekend in Yellow Pine

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern

Yellow Pine Tavern
Mushroom Steve and Brad did a great job refinishing the porch of the Tavern. After who knows how many years the old porch floor was crumbling and dangerous.

photo courtesy YP Tavern Sept 15th

Satellite Smoke Map Sept 17

— —

Sept 26

Unplanned Power Outage Saturday
Saturday, Sept. 25th, the power went off at 225pm. Idaho Power recording said that approximately 221 customers affected, cause unknown. Eventually the recording was updated with an estimated restoral time of 838pm. In the mean time, locals fired up generators. The lights came back on at 820pm, but were dim for a little while.
The land line telephone service was a bit spotty during the afternoon.

Covid in the Community
Covid has hit Yellow Pine and due to exposure though minimal by yours truly the Tavern will be closed until Thursday September 23rd. Per advise from Cascade Medical I should be clear by then. Thanks for your support and patience, Lorinne

Jim Adkins
A good turnout for Jim Adkins’ “retirement” potluck Saturday, Sept 18th, at the Yellow Pine Tavern.

(photo courtesy YP Tavern)

UTV Rally Sept 18th
Great turn out. Wonderful stories and history thanks to Sandy McRae. Terrific food. Even cutting out downed trees was part of the adventures. Was great to meet so many of the Emmett Rough Riders group.

photo courtesy DF

Flu Shots Sept 18th at the YP Tavern
About 14 folks received their fall flu shots at the potluck. Thanks Cascade Medical Center and Ann.
More Flu Shots on Sept 25th at Alpine Village

Not an Explosion

Actually just a contrail… not an explosion. I wanted a picture of the contrail in the blue sky and the sun photo bombed it. – LI (9/23/2021)

YPFD Hose Brigade
A small group worked on reclaiming the fire hoses that got used during the Buck Fire last Summer. Thanks to our Volunteers on the Fire Department.

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern
— — — — — — — — — —

October

Oct 3

Fish Fry Sept 25th
Our Annual Fish Fry Thanks to Stu for Providing the Fish and Teri also providing fish this year. Willie, Jeff and Ann cooking. Steve and Sue providing the Location. Alpine Village is a perfect place to have the Event. Also thanks for all of the great Potluck dishes. There was around 40 or 50 in attendance Residents and Friends.

Fall Colors Sept 26th

— —

Oct 10

University of Yellow Pine

October 9, 2021

October 5th Fall Fuel Delivery
The Diamond Fuel and Feed tanker truck delivered fuel on Tuesday, October 5th.
— —

Oct 17

Internet Issues
We experienced internet (and some phone) connection issues starting late Sunday night, Oct 10th, and continuing all day Monday. The internet would be OK for a few minutes then drop the connection (or phone call.) MTE said they were trouble shooting on their end. Connection problems persisted until Tuesday morning and then returned to normal.

Fall Color

Western Larch (Tamarack) Oct 17, 2021

2nd gold mine proposed near Yellow Pine
Stallion Gold project would border Perpetua mine

— —

Oct 24

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern

UTV Accident
The community’s men and women joined together to extricate an accident victim on Sunday, Oct 17th. A UTV went over the embankment on Stibnite road (Hopeless Point) resulting in a four hour rescue, an ambulance trip and a helicopter ride after dark.

Planned Power Outage Oct 20th
Power off from 1030am to 1256pm. This was for equipment maintenance scheduled for our area.

Celebrating Candy’s Birthday at the Tavern

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern

From Perpetua Resources
Last month, we hosted the Yellow Pine and Cascade Fire Departments at Stibnite to participate in a Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response (Hazwoper) Training alongside our site crews.

Photo courtesy Perpetua

Fall Colors October 24, 2021

Yellow Pine West Webcam
The local webcams were off line for a few days, but back in service as of Sunday, October 24th.

RIP:
Nicole Irving Musgrove
Nicole Irving Musgrove was born Sept. 8, 1978, to Marian Knight Irving and Thomas Irving in New Orleans, Louisiana. She moved on to her next great adventure Oct. 10, 2021, at the age of 43.
— —

Oct 31

Halloween/Salmon Bake Party at the Tavern Oct 25
Good crowd at the Salmon Bake – Halloween Party. Thanks to Tom for the Alaska Salmon and to our great local cooks for the Potluck dishes.

photo courtesy YP Tavern

Rock Migration Season
After the recent rains, rocks came down on the EFSF road.



“Gift wrapped migratory rock and many Tamaracks, East Fork of South Fork, Salmon River. 10/27/21”
Note: Local backhoe operator cleared the rocks on Thursday, Oct. 28th.
— — — — — — — — — —

November

Nov 7

Fire Training Oct 31
Winter Structure Fire Response Plan and Training was held the last two Sundays at the Fire Station at 2pm.

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern

Cascade Ranger District Rx Burns
A report that the big burn pile at the transfer station was burned this week.

Time Change Nov 7
When you set your clocks back, don’t forget to change the battery in your smoke alarm.

RIP:
John Wilford Miller
Aug. 22, 1938 – Oct.19, 2021
John W. Miller passed away suddenly and peacefully in his home near Cascade on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, of natural causes after struggling the past few years with COPD, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and breathing issues. He was 83.
— —

Nov 14

Yellow Pine Visitor

This one is making his presence known again!
photo courtesy NH

Moderna Jabs
Cascade Medical Center sent Teri (RN) and Sam (EMT) with the ambulance to Yellow Pine on Tuesday, November 9th, to jab willing arms at the Community Hall. One local met the ambulance and received her jab on the side of the EFSF road. They did one first dose, one second dose and 11 boosters, as well as 3 flu shots.
The community of Yellow Pine appreciates their time and effort.

Veteran’s Day Internet Outage
Our internet went out around 1pm on Thursday, November 11th. Phones were still working and able to contact MTE. They had the holiday off, but were called in to work on the problem. Internet service was restored before 320pm.
— —

Nov 21

Campfire Gathering
Monday evening sixteen residents of Yellow Pine area gathered together for a hot dog roast at Golden Gate campground near Yellow Pine. Ginny and Cecil arranged this fun event and provided, music, lights, firewood, bratwurst sausages along with the perfect location. It was a great opportunity to get acquainted with the new owners of The Corner, Jenny and Tim Aldrich.

Hwy 55 closed Nov 18

Smiths Ferry rockslide. (Courtesy ITD)
— —

Nov 28

Thanksgiving Potluck Nov 25
On Thursday 25 people sat down to a Thanksgiving feast in the Community Hall.

photo courtesy DF
— — — — — — — — — —

December

Dec 5

Critters on the Runway at Sunrise

Johnson Creek Airport Dec 3, 2021
— —

Dec 12

The Corner
Hey everyone, I’d like to introduce ourselves as the new owners of The Corner, I’m Tim Aldrich and my wife is Jenny Aldrich. We are officially open a few days a week this winter, as reflected in the posted hours.
Here is a little bit about us and why we are here:
Yellow Pine is a special place we happened to stumble upon while riding adventure bikes on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route in July of 2021. We were quickly enamored with the idea of living in the wilderness and surprised there were so many amenities.
Every vacation or weekend trip we make is seeking solitude in some wilderness location, we had been open to a big move for quite a while but just never found the right fit. Enter Yellow Pine, a small community of like minded individuals who love the outdoors and live within a strong community.
We are self proclaimed foodies in the sense that we both love to cook and experiment with food. Our focus is quality, fresh, home-made food that you might get from your Grandma. We plan to keep the tried and true classics from the previous owner of The Corner with their delicious smoked meats and slowly add in some home-made recipes.
We look forward to meeting all the amazing people who enjoy this area as much as we do and sharing our love of fresh and delicious food with everyone.

Snow Day
Between 5am Friday morning and 10am Saturday morning we received 8″ of snow snow (and still snowing.)

December 12, 2021 2pm Yellow Pine West webcam.

State Highway 55 near Smiths Ferry reopens to traffic on Monday [Dec 6]

Photo Courtesy: ITD
— —

Dec 19

Eagle on the South Fork just above Goat Creek

photo by Doug C December 13, 2021

December 13 Xmas Party Yellow Pine Tavern
Our Christmas party was success even though the extremely slushy roads kept some people home. Thanks to Ron and Cindy the Tri Tip was excellent, and thanks to our excellent cooks the side dishes were great.

photo courtesy YP Tavern

Blinky Power Monday
We had quite a big of snow fall early Monday morning, by 10am we had 8 1/2″ new snow and 14 1/2″ on the ground. The power blinked off and on several times. Then after midnight we had freezing rain and the lights flashed several times around 2am but stayed on.
— —

Dec 26

Main Street Dec 18, 2021

photo courtesy Scott A

Christmas Potluck
26 folks got together [at the Community Hall] for great food, company, and reindeer games.

photo courtesy DF

YP West Webcam Dec 26, 2021

RIP:
Connie Babe Longman

February 15, 1939 – December 11, 2021
Connie Babe Longman, age 82, of Newport, Washington passed away on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Connie was born February 15, 1939.
Connie lived in Yellow Pine for many years and is missed.

Donald William Bork

February 1, 1939 – November 1, 2021
Donald William Bork passed away in Tucson, Arizona, on Monday, November 1, 2021, at the age of 82.
—————-

source: The Yellow Pine Times 2021
——————–

Dec 26, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times

Dec 26, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times – Valley County, Idaho

Reminder: We are still under a boil water order.

Community Calendar:

April 17, 2020 – Boil water order in effect
Oct 27 – Transfer Station on Winter Schedule
Nov 1 – Winter Mail Delivery Starts
Dec 31 – McIntosh’s Bonfire

(details below)
———-

Local Events:

New Year’s Eve

You are all invited to McIntosh’s for their annual New Year’s Eve Bonfire at dusk.
———

Village News:

Main Street Dec 18, 2021

photo courtesy Scott A
— — — —

Christmas Potluck

26 folks got together [at the Community Hall] for great food, company, and reindeer games.

photo courtesy DF
— — — —

YP West Webcam Dec 26, 2021

— — — —

Notice – Deadline

In order to have your item posted in that week’s paper you must email it in by Noon on Sunday.

A reminder – if your group or business want an event, photo, minutes, news or advertising posted in the Yellow Pine Times, please write what you want posted in text form (for copy/paste) and send it by email. Remember to include the “who, what, when, where and why.” Images or groups of images must be under 10 megs per email.
— — — —

Road News

Hwy 55 is Open – construction suspended for winter.

Link: to current road reports.

Upper Johnson Creek road at Landmark, Profile Gap, Lick Creek, Elk Summit, Thunder Mountain and Deadwood roads are closed with snow now. These roads are not maintained. Travel at your own risk.
— — — —

Critters

Be Cougar Aware

A big cat has been hanging around the upper part of the village recently. Watch your small pets and do not leave food outside.

Bats

While bats are an important part of our ecosystem and most do not carry rabies, CDH offers the following tips to protect yourself and pets:
* Never touch a bat with your bare hands.
* If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention.
* If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. During regular business hours in Ada, Boise and Elmore Counties, call 208-327-7499 and in Valley County, call 208-634-7194. After business hours in all counties, call 1-800-632-8000.
* Always vaccinate your pets for rabies, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home.
* Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine US Mail

The 3-day a week mail delivery started November 1st. The Post Office in Yellow Pine is open six days a week year around: M-F 845am-245pm Saturday 9am-245pm. Forever Stamp: 58 cents. Support our local post office and purchase your holiday stamps here.

Attention Mail Route Customers – FedEx Ground has changed their policy, and they will no longer pay for Mail Plane or Truck freight. If you can avoid it, we strongly encourage you to use UPS or USPS to receive packages. If you do order a FedEx Ground package, you will be billed for: Air Freight @ $0.45/lb, or Mail Truck Freight @ $0.05/lb. We are truly sorry this is the case, and are working very hard to make sure you still receive your orders. – Arnold Aviation
— — — —

Yellow Pine Transfer Station

Report Dec 1st: Dumpsters are about half full. The outside is clean and burn pile gone.

Dump update October 27th: It was [last] emptied today and we are now in winter mode. When it gets fairly full we will call to have it dumped. Contact Cecil.

Locals have worked hard to clean up the area, please be respectful.

Yellow Pine Transfer Station (aka, the dump)

Please do not abuse our Transfer Station or we may lose it. Household trash must be placed in the bins, flattened cardboard boxes can also go into the bins. Do not stack trash in front of the doors. Woody yard debris only for the burn pile. No furniture, appliances, tires or construction debris allowed, those items must be hauled out to the Donnelly station by you.

The Yellow Pine Transfer Station is Valley County responsibility. If it is not kept tidy, use of the Transfer Station may be revoked. That would result in residents having to take all household trash and yard waste to the Donnelly Transfer Station.

If Dumpsters Are Full, Contact Lake Shore Disposal at: (208) 634-7176

Dump Tips

Do you know where your trash goes after it leaves Yellow Pine?

90 tons per week of Valley Co.’s solid waste comes to the Adams Co. landfill. (Valley Co. has a contract with Adams Co.) When Valley Co.’s weekly trash exceeds 90 tons, the rest is then taken to Payette. The more garbage, the more cost in transferring it further away.

Tips to reduce trash:

1. When purchasing groceries refuse plastic bags as they reek havoc at the Adams Co.’s landfill, causing problems with equipment.

2. Garbage: recyclables, compost, trash

If each household would have containers for these three categories this is the place to start.

– B. Dixon
———-

Local Groups

YPWUA News:

We are still under a Boil Order. Please conserve water.

Dec 11, 2021 Water Update

Water usage over the past month has increased about 12,000 gallons per day. We know that many are keeping water running to prevent their pipes from freezing, that’s understandable. Everyone please conserve water and watch your property for any unusual leaks. Thank you
– Steve H

DRINKING WATER WARNING December 9, 2021
Yellow Pine Water Users PWS 4430059 BOIL WATER ADVISORY Due to insufficient treatment
We routinely monitor the conditions in the drinking water distribution system. On 4-19-2020 we experienced a period of insufficient treatment due to extreme water demand which exceeded the capacity of the treatment system. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do?
* DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
* Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
* The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
What is being done?
Efforts are under way to curtail water use. Once water use is diminished, the water treatment system will again be operational and the boil water order can be lifted
We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 180 days.
For more information, please contact Warren at 208-573-6261 or wdrake @ drakediversified.com
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Yellow Pine Water Users Assoc.
PWS ID #: 4430059 Date distributed: 12-9-21.
—

YPWUA 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting July 4, 2021 at the Community Hall at 10am. Link: to 20210704 YPWUA minutes
YPWUA 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting held July 5, 2020 at the Community Hall 2pm. link: to 20200705 YPWUA minutes

Water Board:
Steve Holloway
Willie Sullivan
Dawn Brown
Stu Edwards
Candy Hardisty
— — — —

VYPA News:

Sept 11, 2021 – VYPA Meeting minutes link: (see document at link for attachments)
Aug 14, 2021 VYPA Meeting Canceled (lack of quorum.)
July 10, 2021 VYPA meeting minutes link:
June 12, 2021 VYPA Meeting Minutes link:

VYPA Meetings are the 2nd Saturday of June, July, August, and September at 2:00pm at the Community Hall.

Village Council members:
Deb Filler, Chairman
Josh Jones, Vice Chairman
Ronda Rogers, Treasurer
Hailey Harris, Secretary
Rhonda Egbert, Member at Large

VYPA Bylaws adopted 8/8/2020 (link)
YPAC Corp Bylaws (link)
— — — —

YPFD News:

If you have an emergency, please call 911.

Chimney cleaning brushes are available to borrow from the YPFD.

Sept 11, 2021 YPFD Budget meeting (no minutes yet.)
Aug 28, 2021 – YPFD Meeting to discuss upcoming election (no minutes yet.)
July 10, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
June 12, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
May 15, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:

Sept 30, 2020 YPFD budget meeting. (No minutes yet.)

Also if you are burning any piles of forest litter and debris – please have a connected and charged garden hose that can reach your piles. If your hose cannot reach where you are burning, follow the good advice of having a shovel, axe, and water bucket at the scene. Rake away from anything that could ignite. Stop burning if winds become an issue. Make sure your fire is out before you leave the area. Nothing like getting surprised by an escaped fire in the middle of the night!

Better yet, “Rake It and Take It” your yard waste (limbs, pine needles, brush, etc.) to the burn pile at the Transfer Station on the south end of the turn-around. Remember, keep the pile neat. Woody debris only, no nails, no cardboard and no furniture! The Boise NF will burn the pile in the fall when it is safe.

Yellow Pine Fire Protection District Community Service Notice
The purpose of this letter is to show how you as a Yellow Pine Resident can help protect your structure against a wildland fire by being “Fire Wise.” Click the link: to view 20190724 Yellow Pine Fire Protection mitigation

Valley County Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
A wildfire evacuation checklist that property owners in the Yellow Pine area might find useful. link: Valley County Evacuation Checklist – 2021

YPFD COVID19 Policy
link: YPFD Covid-19 SOP
link: Covid-19 EMS

Fire Chief: Lorinne Munn
Deputy Fire Chief: Merrill Saleen
YP Fire Commissioners:
Lorinne Munn – District 1
Phil Jensen – District 2
Merrill Saleen – District 3
Secretary/Treasurer – Nikki Saleen
——–

Biz Listings:

The Corner (208) 633-3325 Facebook Page
Open – New Owners
Winter hours:
Monday and Wednesday 10am-8pm
Fridays 5pm-10pm
Sundays 10am-6pm
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Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233 Facebook Page
Winter Hours at the Tavern
Open Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat: 9am-2pm 4pm-8pm
Open Sunday 9am-2pm
Closed Tues & Thurs
Call the Tavern 208 633-2233 or Cell 208 739-7086 for other arrangements
Full Breakfast Menu. Burgers, Pizza, Fajitas, Beer Wine and Pop
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Yellow Pine Lodge (208) 633-3377
Closed for the winter.
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Yellow Pine General Store and Motel (208) 633-3300
Website Facebook page
The Yellow Pine General Store will be observing new Winter Hours. We will be officially open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 11am-4pm. Josh or Christy are in town on the off days and will be available to open the store as needed. Their contact information is posted on the front door of the store if you need to reach either of them locally. The motel rooms and the laundry room are still available 7 days per week. Store phone: 208-633-3300 Email:
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Murph’s RV Park and Mary’s Cabins
FB page link
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Knotty Kat Crochet Works – 509-406-2221
FB page link
open Tue – Sat, 9-5
Yellow Pine eggs $3/doz
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Buck Horn Outfitters LLC 208-633-3614
Our Elk & Deer hunts are booked for our 2021 season, we do have a couple openings for our 2022 Elk & Deer hunts. We Also have a couple openings for Mountain Lion hunts December 2021 through February 2022 and Spring Bear hunts May of 2022. Please see our Website site for further details.
Tom & Sarah Lanham
156 Yellow Pine Ave, Yellow Pine Id 83677
website:
Facebook:

Wapiti Meadow Ranch – Johnson Creek (208) 633-3217
or 208-315-3554 – cabin rentals
website:

Big Creek Lodge
website:

Deadwood Outfitters
website:
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Local Fuel Suppliers

Amerigas Phone: (208) 452-4361
Ed Staub & Sons Phone: (208) 634-3833
Diamond Fuel & Feed Phone: (208) 382-4430
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Outside Biz that will service Yellow Pine:

Arnold Aviation (208) 382-4844
Watkins Pharmacy Cascade (208) 382-4204
Cascade Auto (208) 382-4224
Cascade Vet Clinic (208) 382-4590

The Star-News

click to subscribe:
A reminder that those who live in other states can subscribe to the online edition only since the mail can take days for hard copy to reach them.

Rocky Mountain Mechanical – Plumbing – Heating – Air conditioning
(208) 365-PIPE (7473), Emmett, will service Yellow Pine
Website:
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Follow The Yellow Pine Times on Facebook (updated more often than emails)
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Local Observations:

Monday (Dec 20) overnight low of 31 degrees. Snow and rain Sunday then more snow Monday morning gave a measurement of 3 1/2″ new (SWE=0.46″) and an average of 10 1/2″ snow on the ground (pillowy and hard to measure.) Squirrel tracks, hairy woodpecker calling and jays visiting. It appears to have stopped snowing at lunch time, low clouds w/foggy belts low on the hills. Overcast and slight breeze mid-afternoon, above freezing and melting, high of 35 degrees. Snowed pretty good for half an hour before sunset, put down at least a fat quarter inch. Cloudy before midnight.

Tuesday (Dec 21) overnight low of 24 degrees. Measured a fat quarter inch of snow from Monday (SWE=0.03″) and an average of 10″ on the ground, mostly hazy to partly clear sky. Solstice sunrise at 1044am. Pine squirrel visiting. Mostly hazy at lunch time, icicles dripping. High overcast and slight breeze mid-afternoon, high of 35 degrees. Overcast at dusk, feels a bit humid. Partly cloudy before midnight, bright waning moon. Snow fell early morning.

Wednesday (Dec 22) overnight low of 20 degrees. Measured a quarter inch of snow from earlier this morning (SWE=0.03″) and an average of 10″ on the ground, mostly cloudy sky. Squirrel tracks in the fresh snow, jay calling from the trees. Overcast at lunch time. Downy woodpecker visiting. Started snowing before 130pm, lasted less than 30 minutes. Mail truck was a bit late, no problems reported. Kind of a light rain/snow mix mid-afternoon that didn’t last long, above freezing and overcast, afternoon high of 35 degrees. Overcast and above freezing at dusk. Loud gun shot at 524pm. Light rain before 930pm and likely rained on and off all night, temperature rising to 37 degrees.

Thursday (Dec 23) 24 hour low of 28 degrees from Wednesday morning. Measured 0.19″ of water (rain and trace of melted snow) in the rain gauge and an average of 9″ old snow on the ground. Paths are solid ice this morning. Hairy woodpecker visiting, pine squirrel has a tunnel thru the snow. Socked in and rain/snow mix after lunch time. Socked in, breezy and rain/snow mix mid-afternoon, high of 35 degrees. At dusk low overcast, very gusty breezes and more rain than snow falling. South Fork station recorded 52mph gust. Slick paths and slushy on the street. Snowing after dark and quite breezy. Looks like half an inch before midnight, breezy and light snowfall. Probably done snowing before 4am.

Friday (Dec 24) overnight low of 21 degrees. Yesterday’s rain and snow = 0.27″ water. Measured 1 1/4″ new snow and an average of 10″ on the ground. With snow frozen to the wet ice, paths are no longer slick. Downy woodpecker and pine squirrel visiting. Started snowing just before lunch time and breezy, lasted a little over an hour and trace accumulation. Report the local plow driver is out clearing travel routes. Cold, cloudy, breezy and a few flakes of snow mid-afternoon, high of 30 degrees. Lightly flaking at dusk, overcast and cold light breeze. Snowing and stacking up after dark. Moderate snowfall before midnight, about an inch so far. At 2am partly clear and bright moon. More snow towards morning.

Saturday (Dec 25) overnight low of 21 degrees. Yesterday’s snow measured 3″ (SWE=0.17″) and 13″ total on the ground. This morning low overcast and snowing lightly. Jay calling and woodpecker drumming. Just a flake or two falling at noon, overcast and breezy. Dark-eyed junco and hairy woodpecker visiting. Overcast with occasional flakes of snow and cold gusty breezes mid-afternoon, high of 30 degrees. Low overcast and fine light snow falling at dusk, calmer. Still snowing before midnight, about an inch so far. Looks like it snowed all night.

Sunday (Dec 26) overnight low of 20 degrees. The 24 hour snow total is 3″ (SWE=0.16″) and an average of 15″ on the ground. This morning overcast, light snowfall and breezy. A small patch of blue over VanMeter hill at 1045am then the wind blew a huge plume of snow up off the mountain into the sky! Then the wind hit down here blowing snow out of the trees and total whiteout for a few minutes. Hairy woodpecker drumming, squirrel tracks in the snow. Light snowfall at lunch time, socked in low and lighter breezes. Downy woodpecker visiting. Just the peaks and ridges in the fog by mid-afternoon, light snowfall (1/4″ so far) and very cold breezes, high of 22 degrees. At dusk higher thinner clouds, light breeze and not snowing (1/2″ so far.)
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RIP:

Connie Babe Longman

February 15, 1939 – December 11, 2021

Connie Babe Longman, age 82, of Newport, Washington passed away on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Connie was born February 15, 1939.

Connie lived in Yellow Pine for many years and is missed.

source:
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Donald William Bork

February 1, 1939 – November 1, 2021

Donald William Bork passed away in Tucson, Arizona, on Monday, November 1, 2021, at the age of 82.

Don was born in La Grande, Oregon, on February 1, 1939, to Lillian Blecha Bork and William John Bork. He attended Greenwood Elementary School and graduated from La Grande High School, with the class of 1957.

While in his youth, many hours were spent hunting with his father in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Those mountains soon became Don’s passion for prospecting for gold with his childhood friend Larry Red. He was a miner in the making. In high school, every summer at harvest time, Don drove truck for Claude Anson and the Bork family ranch located in Island City, Oregon. It was these four years of harvest work that paid for Don’s college tuition.

Don attended the Montana School of Mines, in Butte, Montana. He received his B.S. in Mining Engineering in 1962. It was there that Don met and married his wife, Barbara Jean Sessions.

Starting his career, Don went to work in the Engineering Department for the Anaconda Mining Company, in Butte, Montana. In 1963 he went to work for Hecla Mining Company at the Mayflower Mine at Park City, Utah. During the Spring of 1966, Don left the U.S. with his young family to live and work in Honduras, Central America. He was employed with the New York, Honduras Rosario Mining Company, at the El Mochito Mine, Santa Barbara, Honduras. From 1966 to 1977 Don developed gold mines in Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, as well as traveling and working in Spain, Portugal and Algiers, Algeria, North Africa, where he worked with the Russians to develop Algeria’s mining industry. Returning to the U.S. in 1978, Don developed gold mines in Idaho at Stibnite, and Thunder Mountain, at the edge of the Idaho Wilderness area, until 1994. Don’s heart was always with the people of Central America where he was able to speak Spanish fluently, and he returned to Nicaragua where he worked for several Canadian mining companies before returning to the States and retirement in 1997.

While living in Idaho, Don purchased a cabin on the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River, near the little town of Yellow Pine, Idaho. The cabin is in close proximity to the gold mines he had developed in 1978. The cabin on the river remained one of the greatest joys in Don’s life and the lives of his family.

Don’s presence will be missed, but he will not be forgotten. Known as “Poppa” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he will be remembered for his “encyclopedia” brain, his razor-sharp memory, his legacy to the mining industry, and the huge impact and influence he had on his family both conservatively and politically in his outlook.

Don is preceded in death by his parents, Lillian and William Bork. He is survived by his brother, Robert L. Bork of La Grande, Oregon. Don is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara Bork; his four children, Victoria Lee (Michael), Jessyka Lavern, Jocelyn Christina, Benjamin Leslie Diego Bork (Yara), and his daughter, Patricia Eden Pauls (Edward). Although not born to Don and Barb, Patsy has always been true family. Don leaves behind eleven grandchildren, Bradley, Jordan, Kyle, Mallorie, Justin, Zane, Enzo, Nathaniel, Derek, Dryden and Olivia, and twelve great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date in the Summer of 2022. Memorial cards or messages can be sent to Barbara Bork, 9937 N. Woodstone Trail, Tucson, Arizona 85742.

source: LaGrande Observer
——————

Idaho News:

Valley County software glitch puts personal information online

Blacked out information did not get transferred to site

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 23, 2021

Valley County has sent letters to nearly 4,300 people saying their personal information on file with the county was inadvertently made public for more than a year due to a software glitch.

There is no evidence any attempt was made to misuse the personal information, Valley County Clerk Doug Miller said.

The records were available on an online search tool posted on the county’s website between January 2020 and April 2021.

To access documents, people could search by name or document number to access recorded, public documents free of charge instead of visiting the office in person, Miller said.

Title companies and banks were the most frequent users when searching for deeds and other home related documents, he said.

The search tool was used about 25,000 times, Miller said.

Documents that could be viewed on the site were supposed to not contain personal information or have personal information blacked out.

There is a feature on the software that allows personal information to be noted and redacted but an error in software removed the black-outs when the documents were posted.

Personal information that was revealed included names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and information on marriage and death certificates, Miller said.

The documents that were available on the site were those required to be formally recorded, Miller said.

They included marriage affidavits, death certificates, certificates of release or discharge from active-duty military service, mortgage documents, deeds and liens, Miller said.

Documents and official copies are recorded at the county clerk’s office to maintain a permanent record. Records recorded at the clerk’s office dating back to 1997 were accessible through the portal.

The records of about 4,620 people were available over the 16 months the site was started until the flaw was found by county employees in April, he said.

The problem was discovered when an employee showing someone how to find documents on the portal noticed that information was not blacked out, Miller said. …

“While we are unaware of any attempt or actual misuse of your information, we are providing you with information about the event, our response and steps you may take to better protect against the possibility of identity theft and fraud,” the notice said.

“Upon learning of this incident, we moved quickly to investigate and respond,” it said.

The notices included the specific records affected for each person and the county has set up a dedicated call center to assist those affected.

The center can be reached at 888-994-0269 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

full story: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County COVID-19 cases rise to 16 in past week

By Tom Grote The Star-News December 23, 2021

New cases of COVID-19 in Valley County in the past week totaled 16 as reported by the county’s two hospitals in the past week.

The 16 new cases compare to 12 new cases reported the previous week and 29 new cases the prior week.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have reported 1,687 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020.

A total of 11 deaths confirmed from COVID-19 and two probable deaths from the virus have been reported among Valley County residents, according to Central District Health.

Clinics & Tests

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine is offering the Pfizer vaccine to anyone 5 and older.

For youths age 5 to 17 and adults 18 and older wanting a booster, appointments are required. Schedule online through MyChart or call 208-381-9500.

Parents of minors should create a MyChart for eligible children and set up proxy access. Instructions are available at stlukesonline.org.

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine welcomes walk-ins for those 18 and older seeking their initial dose of the vaccine from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have take-home COVID-19 tests available. The saliva-based test offers results for COVID-19 in two to three days.

The tests can be picked up at the main entrance to St. Luke’s McCall at 1000 State St. in McCall or at the clinic at Cascade Medical Center at 402 Lake Cascade Pkwy in Cascade.

Cascade Medical Center offers a walk-in vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Moderna vaccine for those age 18 and older is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with the Moderna booster.

The Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 is available in Cascade on Wednesdays.

full story:
— — — —

COVID-19 Updates: 456 new Idaho COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths

Dec 24, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho officials reported 456 new COVID-19 cases and 2 new deaths Thursday.

That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March 2020 to 315,726.

The state said 101,810 people have received one dose of a two dose series, and 308,485 people have received an additional or booster dose. 2,122,415 total doses have been administered. 886,904 people are fully vaccinated.

The state said 13 new hospitalizations have been reported bringing the total number to 13,915, and 1 new case has been admitted to the ICU bringing the total to 2,343.

2 new deaths were reported bringing the total recorded deaths to 4,099.

full story: [Valley County 1624 cases, 13 deaths.]
— —

Second case of Omicron reported in Idaho

By Linda Larsen December 22, 2021 Local News 8

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing the Omicron variant makes up 90-percent of new covid-19 cases in the United States.

Idaho health officials are reporting two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the state. Both are in Ada county.

Maggie Man, Southeast Idaho Public Health Director, said Idaho tends to lag slightly behind national trends. But they warn, because the variant is extremely contagious, it is just a matter of time before it’s the dominant strain in Idaho as well.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County recycling center reopens after baler repaired

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 23, 2021

The Valley County Recycling Center reopened last week when a baler that broke for more than a week prior was repaired.

“This is an old and tired machine,” Valley County Commissioner Dave Bingaman said of the baler, which compresses and bales materials to be recycled in order to prepare them for transport.

The county is considering purchasing a second baler to speed up processing at the center and also to provide a backup in case of a failure,” Bingaman said

The county is also considering expanding the building that houses the baler and enclosing the recycling center, which is currently uncovered, Bingaman said.

The center, located at 48 East Lake Fork Road, was opened in December 2020 as a centralized location to replace recycling depots in Cascade, Donnelly and McCall.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Idaho 21 closed between Lowman and Stanley due to avalanche danger

The 12-mile stretch of highway from Grandjean to Banner Summit is nicknamed “avalanche alley,” as 90% of avalanches that affect Idaho highways occur there.

KTVB Staff December 23, 2021

Idaho Highway 21 is closed in both directions between the Grandjean junction and Banner Summit because of avalanche danger, the Idaho Transportation Department reported Thursday.

ITD plans to reassess the danger at 7 a.m. Friday, but the road is currently closed until further notice.

The affected area is between the towns of Lowman and Stanley, 23 to 35 miles from Stanley if heading toward Lowman, Idaho City or Boise on Highway 21.

continued:
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Public Lands:

2nd lawsuit targets large west-central Idaho forest project

By Associated Press Dec 22, 2021

A conservation group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service to stop a 105-square-mile logging and restoration project in west-central Idaho.

The Idaho Conservation League in the lawsuit filed Monday says the Forest Service violated environmental laws in approving the 20-year Sage Hen Project in the Boise National Forest. The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other groups filed a similar lawsuit last month.

Both lawsuits request a more thorough environmental study before the project goes forward. The Forest Service says the project approved in April will reduce wildfire fuel hazards, making it safe for firefighters and the public.

source:
——————-

Critter News:

Nampa firefighters, officers save puppy that got stuck in pipe

The teamwork put a smile on the face of a little boy.

KTVB Staff December 24, 2021

Credit: Nampa Fire Department

Idaho firefighters, police officers, paramedics and dispatchers go to work every day knowing they might have to respond to car crashes, house fires, crimes or a major disaster.

However, for those who stand ready to help in big emergencies, no job is too small. One example: an incident that unfolded Thursday in Nampa.

The Nampa Fire Department got a call about a puppy named Tico, accidentally trapped in a small pipe in front of a house.

With the help of Nampa Police dispatchers and an animal control officer, firefighters were able to save Tico, who they’ve dubbed “Tico the Christmas dog.”

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Shelter dogs from New Orleans transported to the Idaho Humane Society

By KIVI Staff Dec 22, 2021

It’s a busy time for travelers at the Boise Airport, both humane and canine. This week, more than 35 shelter dogs were airlifted from New Orleans to Boise.

The dogs will be adopted into homes in the City of Trees thanks to the Greater Good Charities flights program. The furry travelers will be evaluated and receive any follow-up care at the Idaho Humane Society.

“We’re hoping to get all 37 dogs adopted and give them the best chance and typically an animal is in the shelter for about 24 to 48 hours once they hit that adoption floor,” said Laurien Mavey of the Idaho Humane Society.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Make-A-Wish Idaho grants Nampa girl a horse in time for the holidays

By Isabella Bright Dec 24, 2021 KIVI

Photo by: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho. Addie Farley and her new horse Pablo

Nine-year-old Addie Farley has an immune system disorder, but that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her love of horseback riding.

Farley’s wish of having a horse of her very own came true after she showed up for her riding lesson and received her new horse Pablo. The four-year-old appaloosa comes from Montana, after a search to find her perfect match.

“We worked with a breeder, a stable, a boarder, a veterinarian, and Make-A-Wish magic happened and we were able to find the absolute perfect horse for Addie,” said Janie Best, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

UTEP research team finds evidence of COVID-19 in deer

by KFOX Staff Thursday, December 23rd 2021

A University of Texas at El Paso research team said they found evidence of COVID-19 in Texas deer.

Research conducted by Douglas Watts, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at UTEP, has found COVID-19 in white-tailed deer in Texas.

A report on the discovery was published recently in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on diseases transmitted to humans by animals.

The UTEP team found the first reported evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in deer from Texas, which widens the previously reported geographical range of COVID-19 among deer in the United States, further confirming that infection is common among the species.

continued: CBS2 Idaho
————-

Fish & Game News:

Lake Cascade and Horsethief Reservoir ice conditions – Dec. 22, 2021

By Mike Thomas, Regional Fisheries Biologist
Thursday, December 23, 2021

Update by Justin Furby, Fisheries Technician

On Wednesday, December 22nd we checked surface and ice conditions on Lake Cascade and Horsethief Reservoir. In general, Cascade is not yet safe for fishing, but Horsethief is in play. Although air temperatures will be dropping over the weekend, Valley County is forecasted to receive heavy snowfall in the coming days, which will likely result in a longer period of waiting for Cascade to build ice, and may result in unfavorable conditions at Horsethief as well. We’ll plan to issue another ice condition update next week. STAY TUNED!

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Hunt and fish 2022 worry-free by renewing your hunting and fishing license today

By Connor Liess, Public Information Specialist
Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Don’t miss out on these wintertime hunting and fishing opportunities

Don’t be caught flatfooted this January when that next fishing trip or late-winter hunting opportunity presents itself. Renewing your annual Idaho hunting and/or fishing license is quick and easy, and can be done right from your computer or cellphone. So pull the trigger on that 2022 Idaho hunting and fishing license and take advantage of these year-round opportunities.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Do your part to protect wintering wildlife by leaving animals undisturbed

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
Tuesday, December 21, 2021

For some wildlife, being left alone during winter can make a life-or-death difference

Winter is a challenging season for Idaho’s wildlife, especially for big game animals that migrate to lower elevations and spend winter closer to people than during other seasons. People can help animals by leaving them undisturbed so they have a better chance to survive winter.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

F&G Commission approves agreement with Wyoming and Montana to manage grizzly bears

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
Saturday, December 18, 2021

Grizzly population in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem met recovery goals in the early 2000s

Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Dec. 16 approved an updated “Memorandum of Agreement” between Idaho, Wyoming and Montana regarding state grizzly bear management commitments in support of delisting the bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wyoming and Montana’s commission have also approved the MOA.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

More F&G News Releases

link:
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Crazy Critter Stuff:

Troop of fat, bold squirrels force park to scale back holiday lights

by Associated Press Tuesday, December 21st 2021 (CBS2 Idaho)

The squirrels in Mears Park in St. Paul, Minn, like these on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, are fat, bold, and accustomed to being fed by people. (Scott Takushi/Pioneer Press via AP)

A troop of fat, hungry squirrels has put the kibosh on a downtown St. Paul park’s holiday lights display.

Friends of Mears Park had to forego the usual display this year because squirrels chewed through the lights’ wires last year and the vendor refused to put up with the headache and cost again this year, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday.

The wires, it turns out, were coated with polylactic acid, a derivative of corn sugar, an appealing appetizer for squirrels spoiled by park visitors who won’t stop feeding them, said Ann LaBore, co-chair of the friends group.

continued:
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Seasonal Humor:

YP Winter Solstice Sunrise at 1044am.

————

Dec 19, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times

Dec 19, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times – Valley County, Idaho

Reminder: We are still under a boil water order.
Winter Storm Advisory today-tomorrow.

Community Calendar:

April 17, 2020 – Boil water order in effect
Oct 27 – Transfer Station on Winter Schedule
Nov 1 – Winter Mail Delivery Starts
Dec 13 – YP Tavern Xmas Party
Deb 17 – 10am-2pm Craft-n-Learn Community Hall
Dec 25 – 3pm Community Hall Xmas Potluck
Dec 31 – McIntosh’s Bonfire

(details below)
———-

Local Events:

Craft-n-Learn Dec 17

From 10am to 2pm we will be opening up the Yellow Pine Community Hall to all interested folks! Bring your favorite crafts and coffee mug and join us for Craft-n-Learn.
You are welcome to bring snacks, your favorite drink mug, and a craft to work on.
Even if you don’t know any craft, come on out and enjoy learning one, or learning a new one.
ALL are welcome! Kat A.
— — — —

Christmas Potluck

Please join us at the Community Hall for the annual Christmas potluck dinner on Saturday, December 25th at 3pm. Turkey, ham and reindeer games provided. Bring a dish to share.
— — — —

New Year’s Eve

You are all invited to McIntosh’s for their annual New Year’s Eve Bonfire at dusk.
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Village News:

Eagle on the South Fork just above Goat Creek

photo by Doug C December 13, 2021
— — — —

December 13 Xmas Party Yellow Pine Tavern

Our Christmas party was success even though the extremely slushy roads kept some people home. Thanks to Ron and Cindy the Tri Tip was excellent, and thanks to our excellent cooks the side dishes were great.

photo courtesy YP Tavern
— — — —

Christmas in Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine Santa’s elves! Time to think about Christmas bags!

Update… Santa’s Yellow Pine Elves, we are going to be doing 35 bags this year!!

Update Dec 19th: The Christmas Bags are in the Community Hall waiting for the Elves to fill them!
— — — —

Blinky Power Monday

We had quite a big of snow fall early Monday morning, by 10am we had 8 1/2″ new snow and 14 1/2″ on the ground. The power blinked off and on several times. Then after midnight we had freezing rain and the lights flashed several times around 2am but stayed on.
— — — —

Notice – Deadline

In order to have your item posted in that week’s paper you must email it in by Noon on Sunday.

A reminder – if your group or business want an event, photo, minutes, news or advertising posted in the Yellow Pine Times, please write what you want posted in text form (for copy/paste) and send it by email. Remember to include the “who, what, when, where and why.” Images or groups of images must be under 10 megs per email.
— — — —

Road News

Hwy 55 is Open – construction suspended for winter.

Link: to current road reports.

Upper Johnson Creek road at Landmark, Profile Gap, Lick Creek, Elk Summit, Thunder Mountain and Deadwood roads are likely closed with snow by now. These roads are not maintained. Travel at your own risk.
— — — —

Critters

Be Cougar Aware

A big cat has been hanging around the upper part of the village recently. Watch your small pets and do not leave food outside.

Bats

While bats are an important part of our ecosystem and most do not carry rabies, CDH offers the following tips to protect yourself and pets:
* Never touch a bat with your bare hands.
* If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention.
* If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. During regular business hours in Ada, Boise and Elmore Counties, call 208-327-7499 and in Valley County, call 208-634-7194. After business hours in all counties, call 1-800-632-8000.
* Always vaccinate your pets for rabies, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home.
* Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter.
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Yellow Pine US Mail

The 3-day a week mail delivery started November 1st. The Post Office in Yellow Pine is open six days a week year around: M-F 845am-245pm Saturday 9am-245pm. Forever Stamp: 58 cents. Support our local post office and purchase your holiday stamps here.

Attention Mail Route Customers – FedEx Ground has changed their policy, and they will no longer pay for Mail Plane or Truck freight. If you can avoid it, we strongly encourage you to use UPS or USPS to receive packages. If you do order a FedEx Ground package, you will be billed for: Air Freight @ $0.45/lb, or Mail Truck Freight @ $0.05/lb. We are truly sorry this is the case, and are working very hard to make sure you still receive your orders. – Arnold Aviation
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Yellow Pine Transfer Station

Report Dec 1st: Dumpsters are about half full. The outside is clean and burn pile gone.

Dump update October 27th: It was [last] emptied today and we are now in winter mode. When it gets fairly full we will call to have it dumped. Contact Cecil.

Locals have worked hard to clean up the area, please be respectful.

Yellow Pine Transfer Station (aka, the dump)

Please do not abuse our Transfer Station or we may lose it. Household trash must be placed in the bins, flattened cardboard boxes can also go into the bins. Do not stack trash in front of the doors. Woody yard debris only for the burn pile. No furniture, appliances, tires or construction debris allowed, those items must be hauled out to the Donnelly station by you.

The Yellow Pine Transfer Station is Valley County responsibility. If it is not kept tidy, use of the Transfer Station may be revoked. That would result in residents having to take all household trash and yard waste to the Donnelly Transfer Station.

If Dumpsters Are Full, Contact Lake Shore Disposal at: (208) 634-7176

Dump Tips

Do you know where your trash goes after it leaves Yellow Pine?

90 tons per week of Valley Co.’s solid waste comes to the Adams Co. landfill. (Valley Co. has a contract with Adams Co.) When Valley Co.’s weekly trash exceeds 90 tons, the rest is then taken to Payette. The more garbage, the more cost in transferring it further away.

Tips to reduce trash:

1. When purchasing groceries refuse plastic bags as they reek havoc at the Adams Co.’s landfill, causing problems with equipment.

2. Garbage: recyclables, compost, trash

If each household would have containers for these three categories this is the place to start.

– B. Dixon
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Local Groups

YPWUA News:

We are still under a Boil Order. Please conserve water.

Dec 11, 2021 Water Update

Water usage over the past month has increased about 12,000 gallons per day. We know that many are keeping water running to prevent their pipes from freezing, that’s understandable. Everyone please conserve water and watch your property for any unusual leaks. Thank you
– Steve H

DRINKING WATER WARNING December 9, 2021
Yellow Pine Water Users PWS 4430059 BOIL WATER ADVISORY Due to insufficient treatment
We routinely monitor the conditions in the drinking water distribution system. On 4-19-2020 we experienced a period of insufficient treatment due to extreme water demand which exceeded the capacity of the treatment system. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do?
* DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
* Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
* The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
What is being done?
Efforts are under way to curtail water use. Once water use is diminished, the water treatment system will again be operational and the boil water order can be lifted
We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 180 days.
For more information, please contact Warren at 208-573-6261 or wdrake @ drakediversified.com
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Yellow Pine Water Users Assoc.
PWS ID #: 4430059 Date distributed: 12-9-21.
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YPWUA 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting July 4, 2021 at the Community Hall at 10am. Link: to 20210704 YPWUA minutes
YPWUA 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting held July 5, 2020 at the Community Hall 2pm. link: to 20200705 YPWUA minutes

Water Board:
Steve Holloway
Willie Sullivan
Dawn Brown
Stu Edwards
Candy Hardisty
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VYPA News:

Sept 11, 2021 – VYPA Meeting minutes link: (see document at link for attachments)
Aug 14, 2021 VYPA Meeting Canceled (lack of quorum.)
July 10, 2021 VYPA meeting minutes link:
June 12, 2021 VYPA Meeting Minutes link:

VYPA Meetings are the 2nd Saturday of June, July, August, and September at 2:00pm at the Community Hall.

Village Council members:
Deb Filler, Chairman
Josh Jones, Vice Chairman
Ronda Rogers, Treasurer
Hailey Harris, Secretary
Rhonda Egbert, Member at Large

VYPA Bylaws adopted 8/8/2020 (link)
YPAC Corp Bylaws (link)
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YPFD News:

If you have an emergency, please call 911.

Chimney cleaning brushes are available to borrow from the YPFD.

Sept 11, 2021 YPFD Budget meeting (no minutes yet.)
Aug 28, 2021 – YPFD Meeting to discuss upcoming election (no minutes yet.)
July 10, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
June 12, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
May 15, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:

Sept 30, 2020 YPFD budget meeting. (No minutes yet.)

Also if you are burning any piles of forest litter and debris – please have a connected and charged garden hose that can reach your piles. If your hose cannot reach where you are burning, follow the good advice of having a shovel, axe, and water bucket at the scene. Rake away from anything that could ignite. Stop burning if winds become an issue. Make sure your fire is out before you leave the area. Nothing like getting surprised by an escaped fire in the middle of the night!

Better yet, “Rake It and Take It” your yard waste (limbs, pine needles, brush, etc.) to the burn pile at the Transfer Station on the south end of the turn-around. Remember, keep the pile neat. Woody debris only, no nails, no cardboard and no furniture! The Boise NF will burn the pile in the fall when it is safe.

Yellow Pine Fire Protection District Community Service Notice
The purpose of this letter is to show how you as a Yellow Pine Resident can help protect your structure against a wildland fire by being “Fire Wise.” Click the link: to view 20190724 Yellow Pine Fire Protection mitigation

Valley County Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
A wildfire evacuation checklist that property owners in the Yellow Pine area might find useful. link: Valley County Evacuation Checklist – 2021

YPFD COVID19 Policy
link: YPFD Covid-19 SOP
link: Covid-19 EMS

Fire Chief: Lorinne Munn
Deputy Fire Chief: Merrill Saleen
YP Fire Commissioners:
Lorinne Munn – District 1
Phil Jensen – District 2
Merrill Saleen – District 3
Secretary/Treasurer – Nikki Saleen
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Biz Listings:

The Corner (208) 633-3325 Facebook Page
Open – New Owners
Winter hours:
Monday and Wednesday 10am-8pm
Fridays 5pm-10pm
Sundays 10am-6pm
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Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233 Facebook Page
Winter Hours at the Tavern
Open Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat: 9am-2pm 4pm-8pm
Open Sunday 9am-2pm
Closed Tues & Thurs
Call the Tavern 208 633-2233 or Cell 208 739-7086 for other arrangements
Full Breakfast Menu. Burgers, Pizza, Fajitas, Beer Wine and Pop
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Yellow Pine Lodge (208) 633-3377
Closed for the winter.
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Yellow Pine General Store and Motel (208) 633-3300
New Facebook page
The Yellow Pine General Store will be observing new Winter Hours. We will be officially open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 11am-4pm. Josh or Christy are in town on the off days and will be available to open the store as needed. Their contact information is posted on the front door of the store if you need to reach either of them locally. The motel rooms and the laundry room are still available 7 days per week. Store phone: 208-633-3300 Email:
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Murph’s RV Park and Mary’s Cabins
FB page link
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Knotty Kat Crochet Works – 509-406-2221
FB page link
open Tue – Sat, 9-5
Yellow Pine eggs $3/doz
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Buck Horn Outfitters LLC 208-633-3614
Our Elk & Deer hunts are booked for our 2021 season, we do have a couple openings for our 2022 Elk & Deer hunts. We Also have a couple openings for Mountain Lion hunts December 2021 through February 2022 and Spring Bear hunts May of 2022. Please see our Website site for further details.
Tom & Sarah Lanham
156 Yellow Pine Ave, Yellow Pine Id 83677
website:
Facebook:

Wapiti Meadow Ranch – Johnson Creek (208) 633-3217
or 208-315-3554 – cabin rentals
website:

Big Creek Lodge
website:

Deadwood Outfitters
website:
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Local Fuel Suppliers

Amerigas Phone: (208) 452-4361
Ed Staub & Sons Phone: (208) 634-3833
Diamond Fuel & Feed Phone: (208) 382-4430
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Outside Biz that will service Yellow Pine:

Arnold Aviation (208) 382-4844
Watkins Pharmacy Cascade (208) 382-4204
Cascade Auto (208) 382-4224
Cascade Vet Clinic (208) 382-4590

The Star-News

click to subscribe:
A reminder that those who live in other states can subscribe to the online edition only since the mail can take days for hard copy to reach them.

Rocky Mountain Mechanical – Plumbing – Heating – Air conditioning
(208) 365-PIPE (7473), Emmett, will service Yellow Pine
Website:

Garden Mountain Contractors
We would like to extend our services into the Yellow Pine area if there may be a need. We dig a lot of dirt! If you need this give us a shout on our FB page below. – Larry Williamson Garden Valley, Idaho FB Page:
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Follow The Yellow Pine Times on Facebook (updated more often than emails)
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Local Observations:

Monday (Dec 13) heavy wet snow all night ending just after 930am, in 24 hours 8 3/4″ new snow (SWE=0.70″), total snow on the ground 14 1/2″. This morning overcast, breezy and misting rain for a short while. The power has been flickering off and on since early morning, went out 1052am-1055am. Idaho Power is aware there is a problem in our area and Warm Lake. A jay swooped through the yard. Message that the South Fk and EFSF roads were plowed this morning. Overcast and a bit breezy at lunch time. Low overcast and light rain on and off early to mid-afternoon, lighter breezes and above freezing, high of 36 degrees. Snow sliding off steeper roofs. Light rain and low overcast at dusk, still above freezing. Light rain all evening and still raining before midnight, and light breezes. Freezing rain and lights flickering around 2am. Rain changed to snow early morning.

Tuesday (Dec 14) rain, then freezing rain, then snow overnight, low of 30F. This morning measured 0.70″ of water, 1 3/4″ new snow and 8″ total snow. Pine squirrel visited, hairy woodpecker squeaking. A break in the snow around lunch time, clouds lifting but peaks still socked in. Hairy woodpecker visited. Snowing lightly early afternoon. Low overcast, cold breeze and lightly flaking mid-afternoon, high of 30 degrees. Loud gun shot around 515pm. Overcast, below freezing, light cold breeze and not snowing at dusk, about 1/4″ accumulation so far. Light snow for a little while around 7pm. Higher thinner clouds and filtered moonlight before midnight.

Wednesday (Dec 15) overnight low of 5 degrees. Measured a scant 1/2″ new snow (SWE=0.04″), the old snow is very lumpy and pockmarked from the rain, average 7″ total on the ground. This morning mostly high thin hazy clouds and light cold breeze. Solid overcast by lunch time. Mail truck was a bit late today, no problems to report. At 130pm it was 15 degrees and flaking snow, didn’t last long. Cold light breeze, overcast and not snowing mid-afternoon. The high for the day (so far) was 22 degrees at dusk, overcast and stronger breezes. Overcast and lighter breezes before midnight. Snow early morning, guessing it started around 4am.

Thursday (Dec 16) 24 hour low of 6 degrees from Wednesday morning. This morning it was 23 degrees at 10am and was the high for the last 24 hours. Measured 1 1/4″ new snow (SWE=0.04″) and 8″ total on the ground, overcast and snowing lightly. Low overcast and flaking snow at lunch time. Overcast and flaking snow mid-afternoon, high of 31.5 degrees. Not snowing at dusk. Started snowing some time after dark, about 1/2″ by 10pm. Did not look like it was snowing around midnight.

Friday (Dec 17) overnight low of 22 degrees. This morning measured a fat 1/2″ of new now (SWE=0.03″) and 8″ average on the ground, partly clear sky and light breeze. Pine squirrel and hairy woodpecker visiting. Partly clear/cloudy and light breeze at lunch time. Mostly hazy sky and cold mid-afternoon, high of 32 degrees. Partly clear and temperature dropping quickly at dusk. Clear and cold before midnight, bright almost full moon. Started snowing before 930am.

Saturday (Dec 18) overnight low of 8 degrees. This morning a Trace of new snow and 8″ total snow on the ground, overcast and snowing very lightly. Raven calling, pine squirrel visiting. Overcast, light breeze and not snowing at lunch time, no accumulation. A few flakes falling early afternoon and light breeze. Gusty breezes, overcast and not snowing mid-afternoon, high of 33 degrees. Cold breeze and overcast at dusk. A few “cracks” in the overcast showing filtered moonlight before midnight.

Sunday (Dec 19) 24 hour low of 20 degrees from Saturday morning. Started snowing this morning before 9am, by 10am 1/4″ new snow (SWE=0.01″) and 8″ total on the ground, socked in low and moderate snowfall. Pine squirrel tracks and hairy woodpecker visiting. Distant snowmobiles. Low clouds and steady snow at lunch time. Still snowing mid-afternoon, hovering at the freezing point, 3 1/2″ new snow so far and between 10 to 11″ on the ground, high of 32 degrees. Light rain falling at dusk, getting slick.
————————

RIP:

Connie Longman – December 12, 2021

Connie and Big Rock in 2010 on the EFSF
— — — —

Don Bork – November 1, 2021
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Idaho News:

Highway 55 Open

from ITD

Construction on ID-55 near Smiths Ferry has been suspended for the winter. Crews have winterized the work zone and removed equipment from the area for the season. All lanes on ID-55 are now open and will stay completely open until construction resumes mid-March 2022.

Project link:
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County COVID-19 cases drop to 12 in past week

By Tom Grote The Star-News December 16, 2021

A total of 12 new cases of COVID-19 in Valley County were reported by the county’s two hospitals in the past week.

The 12 new cases compares to 29 new cases reported the previous week and 14 new cases the prior week.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have reported 1,671 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020.

A total of 11 deaths confirmed from COVID-19 and two probable deaths from the virus have been reported among Valley County residents, according to Central District Health.

Clinics & Tests

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine is offering the Pfizer vaccine to anyone 5 and older.

For youths age 5 to 17 and adults 18 and older wanting a booster, appointments are required. Schedule online through MyChart or call 208-381-9500.

Parents of minors should create a MyChart for eligible children and set up proxy access. Instructions are available at stlukesonline.org.

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine welcomes walk-ins for those 18 and older seeking their initial dose of the vaccine from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have take-home COVID-19 tests available. The saliva-based test offers results for COVID-19 in two to three days.

The tests can be picked up at the main entrance to St. Luke’s McCall at 1000 State St. in McCall or at the clinic at Cascade Medical Center at 402 Lake Cascade Pkwy in Cascade.

Cascade Medical Center offers a walk-in vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Moderna vaccine for those age 18 and older is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with the Moderna booster.

The Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 is available in Cascade on Wednesdays.

full story: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
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COVID-19 Updates: 389 new Idaho COVID-19 cases, 8 new deaths

December 17, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho officials reported 389 new COVID-19 cases and 8 new deaths Friday.

That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March 2020 to 313,812.

The state said 100,245 people have received one dose of a two dose series, and 288,620 people have received an additional or booster dose. 2,088,860 total doses have been administered. 881,270 people are fully vaccinated.

The state said 14 new hospitalizations have been reported bringing the total number to 13,822, and 5 new cases have been admitted to the ICU bringing the total to 2,327.

8 new deaths were reported bringing the total recorded deaths to 4,068.

full story: [Valley County 1618 cases, 13 deaths.]
— — — — — — — — — —

Notice of Privacy Incident

From Valley County December 10, 2021

Valley County writes to inform you of an incident that may affect the security of some of your personal information. While we are unaware of any actual misuse of your information, we want to provide you with information about the incident, our response, and resources available to you to help protect your information from possible misuse, should you feel it necessary to do so.

On or around April 6, 2021, Valley County became aware of a potential configuration issue relating to an online portal used for public record searches. The portal utilized a software licensed from a third-party vendor to house documents online, allowing county residents to search for copies of their recorded documents, including marriage licenses, death certificates, and other court records. We discovered some of these documents were not properly redacted by the software and that personal information in these documents could have potentially been accessible to the public via the portal between January of 2020 and April of 2021. Though we have no evidence of attempted or actual misuse of this information, as a precautionary measure, the documents available on the online portal were taken down and then reviewed to determine what, if any, personal information may have been contained within the records. On August 11, 2021, this extensive review identified certain personal information was present within the records. Since then, Valley County has been undertaking efforts to locate address information for those individuals whose information was present in the records at the time of this event and began providing notice once it was confident that it had the correct contact information.

We take this incident and the security of personal information in our care seriously. Upon learning of this incident, we moved quickly to investigate and respond to this incident, assess the security of the relevant portal, and notify potentially affected individuals. Our response included reviewing the contents of the information available on the online portal to determine whether it contained personal information and reviewing internal systems to identify contact information for purposes of providing notice to potentially affected individuals. As part of our ongoing commitment to the security of information, we are also reviewing and enhancing existing policies and procedures to reduce the likelihood of a similar future event.

In an abundance of caution, we are providing you with notice of this incident along with complimentary access to credit monitoring and identity restoration services for affected individuals, and information on what you can do to better protect against the possibility of identity theft and fraud. Information on how to enroll in the credit monitoring services will be included in the letter sent to those whose information may have been accessible. You can also review the information below for guidance on how to protect personal information.

Valley County understands you may have questions that are not addressed here. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this incident, or inquiries regarding the credit monitoring services being offered, please call our dedicated, toll-free number at (888) 994-0269 from the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday – Friday CST and Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. CST.

Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Monday deadline noted for Valley, Adams property taxes

The deadline for the first half of the year’s property taxes for Valley and Adams counties will be Monday.

Payments will be accepted through 5 p.m. Monday at county courthouses in Cascade and Council. The treasurer offices in both counties are staffed Monday through Friday, including the lunch hour.

Late charges begin on Tuesday, and interest begins on Jan. 1, so mailed payments must be postmarked by Monday.

Valley County property owners can also pay their taxes with credit cards or electronic checks at (link).

For more information, contact the treasurer’s office at 208-382-7110 or treasurer@co.valley.id.us.

Online credit card payments are available in Adams County at (link). For questions, call 208-253-4263 extension 6 or write to christy.roach@co.adams.id.us.

Payments also can be left in the payment drop box just outside the main courthouse entrance in Council.

source: The Star-News December 16, 2021
— — — — — — — — — —

Public Hearing – Title 10 Subdivision Regulations – Jan. 18, 2022

Valley County Board of County Commissioners Invites You to Participate in a PUBLIC HEARING

PUBLIC HEARING
January 18, 2022 1:00 p.m.
Courthouse Building 2nd Floor
219 North Main Street Cascade, Idaho

Written comments must be received by mail, fax, or email no later than 5:00 p.m., January 11, 2022.

The meeting is in-person but is also teleconference and web-based. However, we cannot guarantee reliability of the phone system or the internet.

To listen to the hearing, please go to (link) and click on link labeled “Watch Commissioner Meetings Live”

Direct questions and written comments to:
Cynda Herrick, AICP, CFM Planning & Zoning Director
PO Box 1350
Cascade, ID 83611
208-382-7115 (phone)
208-382-7119 (fax)
cherrick@co.valley.id.us

To comment telephonically or in-person, call Doug Miller at 208-382-7100 prior to 5:00 p.m. January 14, 2022 OR email dmiller@co.valley.id.us until testimony is opened.

Ordinance Amendment Revision to Title 10 Subdivision Regulations

The plan and subdivision plat review required by the Valley County Subdivision Ordinance, determines, among other things, that the parcel(s) subject to the proposed subdivision has sufficient depth to groundwater to support septic systems, power is available to provide service to future dwellings, road rights of way exist, and roads are constructed to sufficient standards to provide emergency vehicle access to subdivided parcels.

This proposed ordinance would remove 10-1-3.C Exceptions 5. Lots would be created through the subdivision process.

10-1-3: SCOPE:

A. The regulations of this title shall apply to the subdivision of all land within the unincorporated territory of Valley County, except for land within impact areas for which different ordinances have been adopted, as defined by the definition of a “subdivision”.

B. It shall be unlawful hereafter to make a subdivision of land, unless it is qualified as an exception in the scope, until plans and a subdivision plat thereof are submitted to and approved by the administrator or the county planning and zoning commission, and by the board of county commissioners.

C. Exceptions: The following division of land shall not be deemed a subdivision for land use purposes, but must comply with Title 11 of the Valley County Code – Flood Control: 5. A division of land into parcels (containing) one-hundred sixty (160) acres or more. [Exception #5 would be removed]

10-1-6: DEFINITIONS:

ORIGINAL PARCEL: A lot in a platted subdivision or a tract of land of record at the time of the adoption of the subdivision regulations on April 29, 1970, as evidenced by a parcel number having been assigned by the Valley County assessor, or each one-fourth (¼) of a section held in one ownership. [The last portion would be removed.]

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval on October 14, 2021. Previous written and emailed comments will be included in the record and sent to the Board of County Commissioners.

The Staff Report will be posted online at: (link)

The Valley County Code is available online: (link)
— — — — — — — — — —

Fire S. of Cascade leaves family homeless

Colyer family not at home when blaze breaks out

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 16, 2021

Dathan Colyer and his family were visiting Colyer’s sister in Cascade on Sunday afternoon when his neighbor called to tell him that his house was on fire.

The neighbor was able to save his family’s four dogs that were in the house at 10556 Skunk Creek Road about 11 miles south of Cascade,

But the fire destroyed the house and all of the family’s belongings as well as an attached garage containing the family’s SUV.

Colyer, 44, a carpenter, lived in the home with his wife, Karen, 31, and the couple’s four children ages 9, 7, 6 and 4.

A Go Fund Me account was set up to benefit the family. To donate, visit (link) and search for “Colyer family home burned down.”

A donation account has been set up in the family’s name at Umpqua Bank. To contribute, visit Umpqua bank in Cascade at 101 S. Main Street or in McCall at 900 N. Second Street. The donation account ends in 0530.

The Cascade Golf Course at 117 Lakeshore Drive in Cascade will host a snow golf event starting at 1 p.m. Saturday with all proceeds donated to the family.

full story:
— — — — — — — — — —

Granite Excavation ranked 2nd in top workplaces in Idaho

The Star-News December 16, 2021

The Idaho Press recently ranked Granite Excavation, Inc., second in mid-sized places to work in the Treasure Valley.

The ranking was based on employee feedback to an independent third-party survey completed in June.

The survey identified how employees feel about Granite’s workplace culture, including company values, cooperation, effective communication, successful management, employee development, productivity, retention, recruiting and confidence in company leadership and more.

Granite Excavation currently has more than 150 employees located throughout Valley County and the Treasure Valley.

continued:
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Public Lands:

Idaho backcountry experts talk safety as storm brings heavy snow, avalanche danger

The Sawtooth Avalanche Center warns of “very dangerous” avalanche conditions.

Tristan Lewis December 14, 2021 KTVB

The 2020-2021 avalanche season was the deadliest season in the U.S. since 2013. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 33 people were killed in avalanches last winter.

An avalanche has killed at least one person in the 2021-2022 winter season. It occurred Saturday on Crystal Mountain in Washington.

Avalanche and backcountry ski experts in Idaho want to remind people of what to do when heading into avalanche-prone conditions.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Payette forest to seek state grants for trail projects

The McCall and New Meadows ranger districts of the Payette National Forest are applying for grant funding from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to support trail projects.

The districts are planning to submit an application for about $75,000 through the state’s Off-Road Motor Vehicle fund to support replacement of the Jenkins Crossing Bridge. The bridge is located on French Creek Trail between the Elk Meadow Trail and North Creek Trail.

A second application for about $83,000 through the Recreation Trails Program would pay for heavy trail maintenance on the two districts.

The project would also include the replacement of two trail bridges on the New Meadows Ranger District, as well as supporting trail crew members and conservation corps crews to complete the work.

The other two bridges slated for replacement are the bridge at the start of the Granite Mountain Trail at the Twin Lakes Trailhead just north of Goose Lake and the Big Hazard ATV trail bridge located between Hazard Lake and Big Hazard Lake.

If received, implementation of the grants would begin in the late summer of 2022 and continue into the summer of 2023.

Comments or requests for more information should be submitted to Will Smith, McCall Ranger District, 102 West Lake Street, McCall, ID 83638, or by calling 208-634-0440.

source: The Star-News December 16, 2021
—————-

Critter News:

Holidays can be stressful for dogs. Here’s how to tackle it

December 14, 2021 Local News 8

All those holiday greetings and happy meetings are part of the fun of December, but it might not be so fun for your dog.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays can cause stress and anxiety for pets, especially if you have a household full of guests or new faces. Unfamiliar people, loud noises and new environments can cause fear-related anxiety in dogs, according to The American Kennel Club.

Dogs can also experience anxiety from being separated from their family members, being left alone or moving into a new home. That’s good to keep in mind if your holiday plans involve traveling or adopting a new pet.

“It’s normal to expect a change in our dogs or cats behavior during this time of the year,” said Dr. Jose Arce, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “And it’s important that we recognize some of the signs of anxiety so that we can do something about it.”

continued:
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Fish & Game News:

North Idaho man’s close call with a bull moose is a reminder of the dangers of wild animals

By T.J. Ross, Regional Communications Manager
Tuesday, December 14, 2021

A man in North Idaho was recently attacked by a bull moose in his barn just outside of Coeur d’Alene

Staff with Idaho Fish and Game received a phone call from a man in North Idaho on Dec. 8 reporting that he had been attacked by a bull moose. The encounter occurred at his property just outside of Coeur d’Alene.

The man’s step-daughter went into their barn to gather hay for their horse. Upon entering the barn, she saw the moose eating hay, noticeably unafraid of her. It proceeded to charge toward her, forcing her to rush out of the barn for her own safety.

Her step-dad soon arrived on the scene, and despite multiple attempts to get the moose to leave, it remained in the barn.

As the man continued to try to get the moose out, it turned and charged toward him, ramming into the man’s chest and knocking him to the ground. While the man was on the ground, the moose attempted to trample him.

In an effort to stop the attack, the man repeatedly fired his sidearm near the moose. None of the shots were aimed at or hit the moose. After the shots were fired, the moose eventually left the barn unharmed. Thankfully the man was not seriously injured during the encounter.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

F&G partners with landowners in the Teton Canyon area to protect wintering big game

By Jacob Locke, Regional Wildlife Biologist
Thursday, December 16, 2021

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has partnered with multiple private landowners in the Hog Hollow area on the north side of Teton Canyon to limit winter disturbance to wildlife by reducing unauthorized snowmobile traffic on private lands. Approximately 17,000 acres of private land will be signed closed to unauthorized snowmobile use from December 1st to May 1st.

Human activity during the winter months has increased in the Teton Canyon area over time, raising concerns for wildlife wintering in the area. Fish and Game urges people to recreate responsibly this winter and abide by all signage and private property closures. Individuals are responsible for making sure that they have permission to be on private lands regardless of the activity and time of year.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game would like to thank the partnering landowners for trying to find solutions to wintering wildlife issues.

source:
— — — — — — — — — —

Wolf trapper education classes coming to many regions in Idaho this winter

By T.J. Ross, Regional Communications Manager
Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Classes fill quickly and start soon, so sign up before it’s too late

Wolf trapper education classes are being offered by Idaho Fish and Game in the Panhandle, Clearwater, Southwest (Nampa and McCall) and Southeast regions in Dec. and Jan. Online registration is now open!

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

More F&G News Releases

link:
———————————-

Crazy Critter Stuff:

Holiday Pets Compilation

—————–

Seasonal Humor:

[h/t MC]
— — — — — —

A Covid Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, but Covid was here,
So we all had to stay extra cautious this year.
Our masks were all hung by the chimney with care
In case Santa forgot his and needed a spare.
With Covid, we couldn’t leave cookies or cake
So we left Santa hand sanitizer to take.

The children were sleeping, the brave little tots
The ones over 5 had just had their first shots.
And mom in her kerchief and me in my cap,
Had just settled in for a long winter’s nap.
But we tossed and we turned all night in our beds,
As visions of variants danced in our heads.

Gamma and Delta and now Omicron,
These Covid mutations that go on and on.
I thought to myself, “If this doesn’t get better,
I’ll soon be familiar with every Greek letter.”

Then just as I started to drift off and doze,
A clatter of noise from the front lawn arose.
I leapt from my bed and ran straight down the stair,
I opened the door, and an old gent stood there.

His N 95 made him look pretty weird,
But I knew who he was by his red suit and beard.
I kept six feet away but blurted out quick
“What are you doing here, jolly Saint Nick?”

Then I said, “Where’s your presents, your reindeer and sleigh?
Don’t you know that tomorrow will be Christmas Day?”
And Santa stood there looking sad in the snow,
As he started to tell me a long tale of woe.

He said he’d been stuck at the North Pole alone,
All his white collar elves had been working from home.
And most of the others said “Santa, don’t hire us!
We can live off the CERB now, thanks to the virus.”

Those left in the toy shop had little to do,
With supply chain disruptions, they could make nothing new.
And as for the reindeer, they’d all gone away,
None of them left to pull on his sleigh.

He said Dasher and Dancer were in quarantine,
Prancer and Vixen refused the vaccine.
Comet and Cupid were in ICU,
So were Donner and Blitzen, they may not pull through.

And Rudolph’s career can’t be resurrected,
With his shiny red nose, they all think he’s infected.
Even with his old sleigh, Santa couldn’t go far,
Every border to cross needs a new PCR.

Santa sighed as he told me how nice it would be,
If children could once again sit on his knee.
He couldn’t care less if they’re naughty or nice,
But they’d have to show proof that they’d had their shot twice.

But then the old twinkle returned to his eyes,
And he said that he’d brought me a Christmas surprise.
When I unwrapped the box and opened it wide,
Starlight and rainbows streamed out from inside.

Some letters whirled round and flew up to the sky,
And they spelled out a word that was 40 feet high.
There first was an H, then an O, then a P,
Then I saw it spelled HOPE when it added the E.

“Christmas magic,” said Santa as he smiled through his beard,
Then suddenly all of the reindeer appeared.
He jumped into his sleigh and he waved me good-bye,
Then he soared o’er the rooftops and into the sky.

I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
“Get your vaccines my friends, Merry Christmas, good-night.”
Then I went back to bed and a sweet Christmas dream,
Of a world when we’d finished with Covid 19.

(Author unknown, from Canada.)
——————–

Dec 12, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times

Dec 12, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times – Valley County, Idaho

Reminder: We are still under a boil water order.
YP had 8″ snow on the ground Sunday morning, Winter Storm watch continues until Dec 14th.

Community Calendar:

April 17, 2020 – Boil water order in effect
May 15 – Nov 30 – Firewood Season
Oct 27 – Transfer Station on Winter Schedule
Nov 1 – Winter Mail Delivery Starts
Dec 4 – The Corner opened
Dec 13 – YP Tavern Xmas Party
Deb 17 – 10am-2pm Craft-n-Learn Community Hall

(details below)
———-

Local Events:

December 13 Xmas Party Yellow Pine Tavern

Christmas Party at the Tavern. Monday, December 13, 2021 630pm Potluck at the Tavern, Tri Tip provided by Teri, Cindy, Lynn and Lorinne, please bring your favorite Christmas dish for us to sample.

— — — —

Craft-n-Learn Dec 17

From 10am to 2pm we will be opening up the Yellow Pine Community Hall to all interested folks! Bring your favorite crafts and coffee mug and join us for Craft-n-Learn.
You are welcome to bring snacks, your favorite drink mug, and a craft to work on.
Even if you don’t know any craft, come on out and enjoy learning one, or learning a new one.
ALL are welcome! Kat A.
———

Village News:

The Corner

Hey everyone, I’d like to introduce ourselves as the new owners of The Corner, I’m Tim Aldrich and my wife is Jenny Aldrich. We are officially open a few days a week this winter, as reflected in the posted hours.
Here is a little bit about us and why we are here:
Yellow Pine is a special place we happened to stumble upon while riding adventure bikes on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route in July of 2021. We were quickly enamored with the idea of living in the wilderness and surprised there were so many amenities.
Every vacation or weekend trip we make is seeking solitude in some wilderness location, we had been open to a big move for quite a while but just never found the right fit. Enter Yellow Pine, a small community of like minded individuals who love the outdoors and live within a strong community.
We are self proclaimed foodies in the sense that we both love to cook and experiment with food. Our focus is quality, fresh, home-made food that you might get from your Grandma. We plan to keep the tried and true classics from the previous owner of The Corner with their delicious smoked meats and slowly add in some home-made recipes.
We look forward to meeting all the amazing people who enjoy this area as much as we do and sharing our love of fresh and delicious food with everyone.
— — — —

Yellow Pine Store and Motel

Check out their new Facebook page (see link in ad below.)
— — — —

Snow Day

Between 5am Friday morning and 10am Saturday morning we received 8″ of snow snow (and still snowing.)

December 12, 2021 2pm Yellow Pine West webcam.
— — — —

Christmas in Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine Santa’s elves! Time to think about Christmas bags!

– Nik
— — — —

Notice – Deadline

In order to have your item posted in that week’s paper you must email it in by Noon on Sunday.

A reminder – if your group or business want an event, photo, minutes, news or advertising posted in the Yellow Pine Times, please write what you want posted in text form (for copy/paste) and send it by email. Remember to include the “who, what, when, where and why.” Images or groups of images must be under 10 megs per email.
— — — —

Road News

Hwy 55 Open – Check road reports for updates.

Link: to current road reports.

Upper Johnson Creek road at Landmark, Profile Gap, Lick Creek, Elk Summit, Thunder Mountain and Deadwood roads are probably closed with snow by now. These roads are not maintained. Travel at your own risk.
— — — —

Critters

Be Cougar Aware

A big cat has been hanging around the upper part of the village recently. Watch your small pets and do not leave food outside.

Bats

While bats are an important part of our ecosystem and most do not carry rabies, CDH offers the following tips to protect yourself and pets:
* Never touch a bat with your bare hands.
* If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention.
* If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. During regular business hours in Ada, Boise and Elmore Counties, call 208-327-7499 and in Valley County, call 208-634-7194. After business hours in all counties, call 1-800-632-8000.
* Always vaccinate your pets for rabies, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home.
* Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine US Mail

The 3-day a week mail delivery started November 1st. The Post Office in Yellow Pine is open six days a week year around: M-F 845am-245pm Saturday 9am-245pm. Forever Stamp: 58 cents. Support our local post office and purchase your holiday stamps here.

Attention Mail Route Customers – FedEx Ground has changed their policy, and they will no longer pay for Mail Plane or Truck freight. If you can avoid it, we strongly encourage you to use UPS or USPS to receive packages. If you do order a FedEx Ground package, you will be billed for: Air Freight @ $0.45/lb, or Mail Truck Freight @ $0.05/lb. We are truly sorry this is the case, and are working very hard to make sure you still receive your orders. – Arnold Aviation
— — — —

Yellow Pine Transfer Station

Report Dec 1st: Dumpsters are about half full. The outside is clean and burn pile gone.

Dump update October 27th: It was [last] emptied today and we are now in winter mode. When it gets fairly full we will call to have it dumped. Contact Cecil.

Locals have worked hard to clean up the area, please be respectful.

Yellow Pine Transfer Station (aka, the dump)

Please do not abuse our Transfer Station or we may lose it. Household trash must be placed in the bins, flattened cardboard boxes can also go into the bins. Do not stack trash in front of the doors. Woody yard debris only for the burn pile. No furniture, appliances, tires or construction debris allowed, those items must be hauled out to the Donnelly station by you.

The Yellow Pine Transfer Station is Valley County responsibility. If it is not kept tidy, use of the Transfer Station may be revoked. That would result in residents having to take all household trash and yard waste to the Donnelly Transfer Station.

If Dumpsters Are Full, Contact Lake Shore Disposal at: (208) 634-7176

Dump Tips

Do you know where your trash goes after it leaves Yellow Pine?

90 tons per week of Valley Co.’s solid waste comes to the Adams Co. landfill. (Valley Co. has a contract with Adams Co.) When Valley Co.’s weekly trash exceeds 90 tons, the rest is then taken to Payette. The more garbage, the more cost in transferring it further away.

Tips to reduce trash:

1. When purchasing groceries refuse plastic bags as they reek havoc at the Adams Co.’s landfill, causing problems with equipment.

2. Garbage: recyclables, compost, trash

If each household would have containers for these three categories this is the place to start.

– B. Dixon
———-

Local Groups

YPWUA News:

We are still under a Boil Order. Please conserve water.

Dec 11, 2021 Water Update

Water usage over the past month has increased about 12,000 gallons per day. We know that many are keeping water running to prevent their pipes from freezing, that’s understandable. Everyone please conserve water and watch your property for any unusual leaks. Thank you
– Steve H

DRINKING WATER WARNING December 9, 2021
Yellow Pine Water Users PWS 4430059 BOIL WATER ADVISORY Due to insufficient treatment
We routinely monitor the conditions in the drinking water distribution system. On 4-19-2020 we experienced a period of insufficient treatment due to extreme water demand which exceeded the capacity of the treatment system. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do?
* DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
* Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
* The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
What is being done?
Efforts are under way to curtail water use. Once water use is diminished, the water treatment system will again be operational and the boil water order can be lifted
We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 180 days.
For more information, please contact Warren at 208-573-6261 or wdrake @ drakediversified.com
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Yellow Pine Water Users Assoc.
PWS ID #: 4430059 Date distributed: 12-9-21.
—

YPWUA 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting July 4, 2021 at the Community Hall at 10am. Link: to 20210704 YPWUA minutes
YPWUA 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting held July 5, 2020 at the Community Hall 2pm. link: to 20200705 YPWUA minutes

Water Board:
Steve Holloway
Willie Sullivan
Dawn Brown
Stu Edwards
Candy Hardisty
— — — —

VYPA News:

Sept 11, 2021 – VYPA Meeting minutes link: (see document at link for attachments)
Aug 14, 2021 VYPA Meeting Canceled (lack of quorum.)
July 10, 2021 VYPA meeting minutes link:
June 12, 2021 VYPA Meeting Minutes link:

VYPA Meetings are the 2nd Saturday of June, July, August, and September at 2:00pm at the Community Hall.

Village Council members:
Deb Filler, Chairman
Josh Jones, Vice Chairman
Ronda Rogers, Treasurer
Hailey Harris, Secretary
Rhonda Egbert, Member at Large

VYPA Bylaws adopted 8/8/2020 (link)
YPAC Corp Bylaws (link)
— — — —

YPFD News:

If you have an emergency, please call 911.

Chimney cleaning brushes are available to borrow from the YPFD.

Sept 11, 2021 YPFD Budget meeting (no minutes yet.)
Aug 28, 2021 – YPFD Meeting to discuss upcoming election (no minutes yet.)
July 10, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
June 12, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
May 15, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:

Sept 30, 2020 YPFD budget meeting. (No minutes yet.)

Also if you are burning any piles of forest litter and debris – please have a connected and charged garden hose that can reach your piles. If your hose cannot reach where you are burning, follow the good advice of having a shovel, axe, and water bucket at the scene. Rake away from anything that could ignite. Stop burning if winds become an issue. Make sure your fire is out before you leave the area. Nothing like getting surprised by an escaped fire in the middle of the night!

Better yet, “Rake It and Take It” your yard waste (limbs, pine needles, brush, etc.) to the burn pile at the Transfer Station on the south end of the turn-around. Remember, keep the pile neat. Woody debris only, no nails, no cardboard and no furniture! The Boise NF will burn the pile in the fall when it is safe.

Yellow Pine Fire Protection District Community Service Notice
The purpose of this letter is to show how you as a Yellow Pine Resident can help protect your structure against a wildland fire by being “Fire Wise.” Click the link: to view 20190724 Yellow Pine Fire Protection mitigation

Valley County Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
A wildfire evacuation checklist that property owners in the Yellow Pine area might find useful. link: Valley County Evacuation Checklist – 2021

YPFD COVID19 Policy
link: YPFD Covid-19 SOP
link: Covid-19 EMS

Fire Chief: Lorinne Munn
Deputy Fire Chief: Merrill Saleen
YP Fire Commissioners:
Lorinne Munn – District 1
Phil Jensen – District 2
Merrill Saleen – District 3
Secretary/Treasurer – Nikki Saleen
——–

Biz Listings:

The Corner (208) 633-3325
Open – New Owners
Winter hours:
Monday and Wednesday 10am-8pm
Fridays 5pm-10pm
Sundays 10am-6pm
— — — —

Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233
Winter Hours at the Tavern
Open Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat: 9am-2pm 4pm-8pm
Open Sunday 9am-2pm
Closed Tues & Thurs
Call the Tavern 208 633-2233 or Cell 208 739-7086 for other arrangements
Full Breakfast Menu. Burgers, Pizza, Fajitas, Beer Wine and Pop
— — — —

Yellow Pine Lodge (208) 633-3377
Closed for the winter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine General Store and Motel (208) 633-3300
New Facebook page
The Yellow Pine General Store will be observing new Winter Hours. We will be officially open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 11am-4pm. Josh or Christy are in town on the off days and will be available to open the store as needed. Their contact information is posted on the front door of the store if you need to reach either of them locally. The motel rooms and the laundry room are still available 7 days per week. Store phone: 208-633-3300 Email:
— — — —

Murph’s RV Park and Mary’s Cabins
FB page link
— — — —

Knotty Kat Crochet Works – 509-406-2221
FB page link
open Tue – Sat, 9-5
Yellow Pine eggs $3/doz
— — — —

Buck Horn Outfitters LLC 208-633-3614
Our Elk & Deer hunts are booked for our 2021 season, we do have a couple openings for our 2022 Elk & Deer hunts. We Also have a couple openings for Mountain Lion hunts December 2021 through February 2022 and Spring Bear hunts May of 2022. Please see our Website site for further details.
Tom & Sarah Lanham
156 Yellow Pine Ave, Yellow Pine Id 83677
website:
Facebook:

Wapiti Meadow Ranch – Johnson Creek (208) 633-3217
or 208-315-3554 – cabin rentals
website:

Big Creek Lodge
website:

Deadwood Outfitters
website:
— — — —

Local Fuel Suppliers

Amerigas Phone: (208) 452-4361
Ed Staub & Sons Phone: (208) 634-3833
Diamond Fuel & Feed Phone: (208) 382-4430
— — — —

Outside Biz that will service Yellow Pine:

Arnold Aviation (208) 382-4844
Watkins Pharmacy Cascade (208) 382-4204
Cascade Auto (208) 382-4224
Cascade Vet Clinic (208) 382-4590

The Star-News

click to subscribe:
A reminder that those who live in other states can subscribe to the online edition only since the mail can take days for hard copy to reach them.

Rocky Mountain Mechanical – Plumbing – Heating – Air conditioning
(208) 365-PIPE (7473), Emmett, will service Yellow Pine
Website:

Garden Mountain Contractors
We would like to extend our services into the Yellow Pine area if there may be a need. We dig a lot of dirt! If you need this give us a shout on our FB page below. – Larry Williamson Garden Valley, Idaho FB Page:
— — — —

Follow The Yellow Pine Times on Facebook (updated more often than emails)
———————–

Local Observations:

Monday (Dec 6) overnight low of 21 degrees. This morning low overcast, breezy and starting to snow. Hairy woodpecker and jay calling, pine squirrel hanging out. Dark overcast and still snowing at lunch time, looks like about half an inch. A break in the snow for about an hour early afternoon. Snowing again mid-afternoon and just below freezing, dark overcast and calmer, high of 32 degrees. Not snowing at dusk, dark overcast and just below freezing. Looked cloudy before midnight. No snowfall during the night.

Tuesday (Dec 7) overnight low of 26 degrees. Yesterday’s snow total settled down to 1/2″, melted = 0.03″ (may be under catch due to breezy conditions.) This morning low dark overcast, light breezes and ground white with snow. Pine squirrel visiting. Cracks in the overcast by lunch time, bits of sunshine. Mostly cloudy and slight breeze mid-afternoon, most of the snow on the ground has melted, high of 41 degrees. Overcast at dusk and still above freezing. Cloudy and gusty breezes before midnight.

Wednesday (Dec 8) 24 hour low of 30 degrees from Tuesday morning, this morning it warmed up to a few tenths of a degree warmer than the previous afternoon high. This morning overcast, breezy and sprinkling rain. Low foggy clouds and light rain still falling at lunch time. Mail truck came in via Johnson Creek. Rain changing over to graupel (little icy snowballs) and cooler than this morning by mid-afternoon, dark low foggy clouds to the south and east, and bits of blue sky to the north and west, high of 40 degrees (from 10am.) Partly clear at dusk, beautiful crescent moon high to the south. Looked partly clear at 1130pm. Snow during the night.

Thursday (Dec 9) overnight low of 19 degrees. This morning overcast and light snow until around 1030am, measured 1/2″ snow + yesterday’s rain = 0.11″ of water. Hairy woodpecker, jay and pine squirrel visiting. Overcast at lunch time. Possible helicopter in the area around 1230pm. Broken overcast and below freezing mid-afternoon, high of 28 degrees. The helicopter was back. Mostly cloudy and 25 degrees at dusk. Cloudy before midnight, snowing after midnight.

Friday (Dec 10) overnight low of 15 degrees. Early morning snow measures 1″, snow water = 0.05″, total snow 1.5″. This morning partly then mostly clear and cold. Overcast by lunch time. Pine squirrel visiting. Overcast with light cold breeze mid-afternoon, high of 28 degrees. Overcast and cold at dusk. Cloudy before midnight. Probably started snowing lightly around 5am, skiff by 7am.

Saturday (Dec 11) overnight low of 16 degrees. By 10am we had 3/8″ new snow (SWE=0.02″) clouds nearly to the valley floor, breezy and continuing to snow lightly. Pine squirrel and hairy woodpecker calling. Snowing a little harder and breezy at lunch time, socked in nearly to the valley floor. By early afternoon lighter snow and the clouds have lifted above the base of Golden Gate hill. Gusty breezes and light snow falling at an angle, with low overcast and below freezing mid-afternoon, less than 1/2″ new snow since last measurement, high of 30 degrees. At dusk still snowing small light flakes, low overcast and breezy, probably less than an inch has fallen since 10am. Over 3″ new snow before midnight. Snowed all night.

Sunday (Dec 12) 24 hour low of 27 degrees, this morning warmed up to 32 degrees. After 24 hours of snow measured 7″ new snow and 8″ total snow, socked in low, breezy and still snowing. Low clouds and flakes of snow at lunch time. Hairy woodpecker visiting. Gray overcast mid-afternoon, only the peaks socked in now, light snow falling with a few rain drops mixed in, above freezing and lighter breezes, high of 34 degrees. Steady snow at dusk, overcast and slight breeze.
————–

Idaho News:

State Highway 55 near Smiths Ferry reopens to traffic on Monday

by Sarah Jacobsen Sunday, December 5th 2021 CBS2

State Highway 55 near Smiths Ferry reopens to traffic on Monday (Photo Courtesy: ITD)

After a prolonged closure of 17 days due to a rockslide. Idaho State Highway 55 north of Smiths Ferry will reopen at noon on Monday, December 6.

ITD tells CBS2 News that travelers should be prepared for around 15 minute delays, while crews continue additional construction activities for the rest of the week to prepare the work zone for winter.

Stabilization work has now been completed to fortify the hillside after more than 50,000 cubic yards of large boulders and dirt slid onto the roadway on November 18th, according to ITD.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County sees 29 new COVID-19 cases in past week

By Tom Grote The Star-News December 9, 2021

A total of 29 new cases of COVID-19 in Valley County were reported by the county’s two hospitals in the past week.

The 29 new cases compares to 14 new cases reported the previous week and 27 new cases the prior week.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have reported 1,666 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020.

A total of 58% of Valley County residents age 5 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the Idaho Division of Public Health of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

A total of 67% of McCall-area residents have been vaccinated, 46% of Cascade-area residents have been vaccinated and 72% of Donnelly-area residents have been vaccinated, according to state figures posted this week.

A total of 11 deaths confirmed from COVID-19 and two probable deaths from the virus have been reported among Valley County residents, according to Central District Health.

Clinics & Tests

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine is offering the Pfizer vaccine to anyone 5 and older.

For youths age 5 to 17 and adults 18 and older wanting a booster, appointments are required. Schedule online through MyChart or call 208-381-9500.

Parents of minors should create a MyChart for eligible children and set up proxy access. Instructions are available at stlukesonline.org.

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine welcomes walk-ins for those 18 and older seeking their initial dose of the vaccine from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have take-home COVID-19 tests available. The saliva-based test offers results for COVID-19 in two to three days.

The tests can be picked up at the main entrance to St. Luke’s McCall at 1000 State St. in McCall or at the clinic at Cascade Medical Center at 402 Lake Cascade Pkwy in Cascade.

Cascade Medical Center offers a walk-in vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Moderna vaccine for those age 18 and older is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with the Moderna booster.

The Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 is available on Wednesdays.

full story: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
— — —

COVID-19 Updates: 371 new Idaho COVID-19 cases, 15 new deaths

December 10, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho officials reported 371 new COVID-19 cases and 15 new deaths Friday.

That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March 2020 to 311,521.

The state said 101,356 people have received one dose of a two dose series, and 266,460 people have received an additional or booster dose. 2,048,606 total doses have been administered. 872,788 people are fully vaccinated.

The state said 36 new hospitalizations have been reported bringing the total number to 13,711, and 4 new cases have been admitted to the ICU bringing the total to 2,307.

15 new deaths were reported bringing the total recorded deaths to 4,028.

full story: [Valley County 1600 cases, 13 deaths.]
— — —

COVID-19 omicron variant confirmed in Idaho

KTVB Staff December 10, 2021

Central District Health announced Friday that it has confirmed Idaho’s first COVID-19 case with the omicron variant.

The variant was found in a clinical lab sample from an Ada County resident who recently reported out-of-state travel.

Central District Health said in a news release that the infected person is over the age of 50 and experienced “very mild symptoms, likely due to being fully vaccinated.”

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Dec. 20 deadline noted for Valley, Adams property taxes

The Star-News December 9, 2021

The deadline for the first half of the year’s property taxes for Valley and Adams counties will be Monday, Dec. 20.

Payments will be accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 20 at county courthouses in Cascade and Council. The treasurer offices in both counties are staffed Monday through Friday, including the lunch hour.

Late charges begin on Dec. 21, and interest begins on Jan. 1, so mailed payments must be postmarked by Dec. 20.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

State sells Payette Lake lots for $8.4 million

Pilgrim Cove parcels fetch $5 million over appraisal

By Drew Dodson The Star-News December 9, 2021

Six parcels of state land near Pilgrim Cove Subdivision in McCall sold for about $5 million over appraised value last week at an auction held by the Idaho Department of Lands in Eagle.

The auction earned a total of about $8.4 million for the six vacant lots, which were appraised at $3.4 million and totaled about 2.3 acres.

“On a per acre basis, these six lots sold for nearly $3.7 million per acre,” IDL Director Dustin Miller said.

Two properties fronting Payette Lake sold for about $5.8 million, or about 70% of the money earned at last week’s auction.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County seeks interest in fiber internet leases

Results will help compare cost of leasing, new lines

By Drew Dodson The Star-News December 9, 2021

Valley County is seeking leases on existing fiber internet lines that would link Cascade, McCall and other parts of the county to fiber internet in Boise.

The leases would help the county determine how much new fiber infrastructure would need to be built to bring high-speed internet to users across the county, Valley County Commissioner Sherry Maupin said.

If leases are offered to the county by its Jan. 3 deadline, the cost of leasing would be compared to installing new fiber lines to link the county to fiber connections in Boise, Maupin said.

“The county is seeking the best cost solution for the benefit of all citizens,” she said.

continued:
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Valley County Recycling Center Temporarily Closed

December 7, 2021 from Valley County FB

Lake Fork, Idaho – The Valley County recycling center will be temporarily closed as of Wed., December 8th due to a mechanical failure on the bailing machine used to process recyclables. At this time, the County does not have a reopen date estimated. A more thorough assessment of the bailer’s condition and repair status will be forthcoming on Thursday.

The bailer is a critical piece of equipment at the Valley County recycling center and without it, the facility does not have the capacity to store the collected recyclables before they are shipped to the processing facility. Replacement parts have been difficult to order, and it is not clear when they may arrive to complete the repairs.

“We know this is an inconvenience and appreciate our community’s dedication to recycling,” says Commissioner Dave Bingaman. “We ask that, if possible, you hold on to your recycling materials for now as we work to make repairs and reopen as soon as possible.”

Valley County is currently in the process of exploring options to expand the bailing facility to increase capacity and limit interruptions in service if mechanical issues occur in the future.

The recycling center is located at 48 E. Lake Fork Road and typically open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Wednesday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
— —

Recycling Center Update

December 10, 2021 from Valley County FB

After a comprehensive inspection, it appears the baler needs a hydraulic pump replaced. The parts have been ordered and we expect to have that in hand by the end of next week. That means our tentative reopen date will be the week of December 20th.
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Mining News:

Stibnite Advisory Council Progress Report through 2021

In late 2018, eight communities from across the West Central Mountains came together to sign a Community Agreement with Perpetua Resources (then Midas Gold). A key component of the Community Agreement was the creation of the Stibnite Advisory Council. This report highlights the work of the Stibnite Advisory Council since the Community Agreement was signed.

Formation & Role of the Council

The Stibnite Advisory Council is made up of a representative appointed annually from Adams County, Cascade, Council, Donnelly, Idaho County, New Meadows, Riggins, Yellow Pine, Perpetua Resources Idaho and Perpetua Resources Corp. The Council meets monthly and serves as the communities’ principal forum for communication regarding the Stibnite Gold Project with management of Perpetua Resources, now and throughout the life of the Project. Representatives are tasked with the responsibility of working through shared issues with Perpetua Resources, providing key information back to the communities they serve and overseeing the implementation of the Community Agreement.

As outlined in the Community Agreement, the Council’s primary job is to take reasonable steps to understand and educate themselves on the Stibnite Gold Project by asking Perpetua Resources for information on various elements of the project. Reasonable steps may include information sharing, discussion and potential resolution of matters related to the project by participating in the meetings of the Stibnite Advisory Council. The Stibnite Advisory Council does its best to work in an efficient, solution-oriented and cooperative manner.

Creating the Framework

By mid-2019, the Council created bylaws, established a monthly meeting schedule, elected officers, formed working groups to focus on specific areas of interest and launched a website which houses all documents. (link) was created so the Council could easily share information with residents of the region.

Currently, the Stibnite Advisory Council has four active working groups:
• Environmental
• Supporting Industry
• Transportation
• Workforce

The working groups were established based on priorities and areas of concern identified by Council members. In the future, new working groups may be added as priorities evolve.

Council Activities

The Stibnite Advisory Council has taken its role to become educated on the Stibnite Gold Project. Council members have asked Perpetua Resources for presentations on topics related to the project. Monthly meetings feature in-depth presentations from the company’s technical experts.

To date the Stibnite Advisory Council has received presentations and updates on the following topics:
• Project Updates
• Economic Study
• Refinements to Alterative
• Antimony
• Fish Tunnel
• Safety Programs Now and Into the Future
• Feasibility Study
• Transportation, Traffic and Access
• Powerline Upgrades
• On-site Infrastructure
• ASAOC
• Reclamation and Closure Plan
• Site Visit
• Water Management Now and Into the Future
• Alternative Winter Access and Partnership with the Valley County Snowmobile Advisory Council

In addition, the Stibnite Advisory Council has invited local leaders to present on issues that impact the region. Those presentations included:

• Housing & projected growth from Andrew Mentzer, Executive Director West Central Mountains Economic Development Council
• Cascade Medical Center Strategic Plan from Tom Reinhart, CEO Cascade Medical Center
• St. Luke’s Update from Amber Green, Chief Operating and Nursing Officer

Informed Comments

As part of fulfilling the Community Agreement, each entity provided an informed comment letter to the U.S. Forest Service during the Draft EIS comment period in August 2020. Members of the Stibnite Advisory Council had been sharing the information they learned with their respective cities and counties from the outset. This information was shared through press releases, public open houses in some communities, city council and county commissioner meetings, allowing community feedback in the comment letters.

Ongoing Work

At the request of the Stibnite Advisory Council, Perpetua Resources has started a number of on-going projects.

• In March 2020 an on-going workforce survey was launched for anyone interested in working for Perpetua Resources (link)
. Over 200 people have responded and the information collected from the survey is consistent with an economic study on the Stibnite Gold Project conducted in 2016.

• The Council created a FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS document (link) to provide information for interested community members. The document covers a variety of topics and continues to be updated as new questions are answered. Questions in the document have come from Councilmembers as well as community members.

• In April of 2021, the Independent Water Monitoring Program was launched to bring increased transparency to water testing surrounding the Stibnite Gold Project. The Independent Water Monitoring Program (IWMP) was created in response to comments from community members and city officials to provide third party transparency. Here is a link to the release announcing the IWMP: (link)

Looking Ahead

Meetings continue to be held on a monthly basis via Zoom or in person and are open to the public for observation only.

The Council will continue to ask questions, add to on-line documents, and continue to receive information on the project and its effects on the region.

The public is invited to attend a meeting, ask questions of your local representative and take time to review the website at, (link) for additional information and to review the FAQ document.
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Public Lands:

Payette forest seeks comments on three recreation projects

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 9, 2021

The Payette National Forest is seeking comments on three recreation projects including lighting improvements at the Little Ski Hill, mountain bike trails at Bear Basin and an extension of the Payette Lake Trail mountain bike route.

All three projects are located on the McCall Ranger District. Comments are requested by Jan. 3 and can be submitted on each project’s webpage.

To locate each webpage, visit (link) and search for “Bear Basin Area Trails,” “Payette Lake Trail – East Side” or “Little Ski Hill Lighting Improvements.”

Bear Basin

Proposed changes at the Bear Basin trails could see about five and a half miles of unauthorized trails added to the official National Forest Trail system and two small reroutes.

Additionally, between three to eight miles of unauthorized trail could be returned to their natural state.

The current proposal would add portions of Too Short, Rising Sun, Payette Rim, Westy and Mac’s Connector Trails.

Trails proposed to be eliminated include a different portion of Rising Sun and trails that connect from there to Forest Service roads.

Payette Lake Trail

A request from the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association would construct about three miles of non-motorized trail on the east side of Payette Lake.

Less than a mile of that trail would be on the Payette forest, with the remainder on state endowment lands managed by the Idaho Department of Lands.

The trail would connect the Silver Gate Road with the Fall Creek Loop Trail by singletrack mountain bike trail accessible to cyclists and other non-motorized users. The proposed timeline would see the trail constructed in 2023.

The mountain bike association is working to build a contiguous mountain bike trail around Payette Lake. The west side of the Payette Lake Trail was opened in 2019.

Little Ski Hill

The Payette Lakes Ski Club has requested approval to install new nighttime lighting at the Little Ski Hill.

The additions would double the area currently available for night skiing at the ski hill to 30 acres by lighting the Outback and Race Run trails, which also includes a terrain park.

In total, 40 new 25-foot light poles and 65 light fixtures would be installed.

source: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
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McCall and New Meadows Ranger Districts Seek Grants for Recreation Projects

McCall, Idaho, December 7, 2021 – The McCall & New Meadows Ranger Districts of the Payette National Forest are applying for grant funding from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) to support trail projects.

The districts are planning to submit one application through IDPR’s Off-Road Motor Vehicle (ORMV) fund to support replacement of the Jenkins Crossing Bridge on the McCall Ranger District.

The Forest will submit a second application through the Recreation Trails Program (RTP) for heavy trail maintenance on the two districts. The trail maintenance project would also include the construction of two trail bridges on the New Meadows Ranger District, as well as supporting trail crew members and conservation corps crews to complete the work.

If received, implementation of the grants would begin in the late summer of 2022 and continue into the summer of 2023.

Comments or requests for more information should be submitted to Will Smith, McCall Ranger District, 102 West Lake Street, McCall, ID 83638, or by calling 208-634-0440.

Brian Harris
Public Affairs Officer
Tribal Liaison
DFO – Southwest Idaho RAC
Payette National Forest
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Payette seeks comments on 30,000-acre restoration project

The Payette National Forest is seeking comments on an environmental assessment of the 30,000-acre Cold July Forest Restoration Project.

The project is located on the New Meadows Ranger District about five miles west of New Meadows. The official comment period ends on Dec. 31.

Comments will be accepted at any time, but must be made before the deadline in order to have official standing for further objections to the project, Payette Public Information Officer Brian Harris said.

The project seeks to increase resistance to disease and insects as well as thin trees to reduce the threat of intense wildfires, according to the Payette.

The project is also intended to improve forest habitat for the northern Idaho ground squirrel and white-headed woodpecker.

Work within the project includes commercial logging, tree thinning, prescribed burns and other brush reduction projects as well as tree planting.

“The district has worked hard to develop a project that not only addresses key forest health issues and reduces the risk of severe wildfires, but also enhances wildlife habitat for two important species,” Acting New Meadows District Ranger Jeffery Kincaid said.

To comment or access additional information about the project visit and search for the project name.

For additional information, contact Jeffery Kincaid, Acting District Ranger, at 865-924-2476 or jeffery.kincaid@usda.gov, or Rita Bennett, District Environmental Coordinator, at 208-271-6296 or rita.l.bennett@usda.gov.

source: The Star-News December 9, 2021 Thursday, December 9, 2021
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News Release: Mountain Home Ranger District applies for IDPR grants

Boise, Idaho, December 6, 2021 — The Mountain Home Ranger District is applying for three grants from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) that would provide additional funding to maintain trail crew equipment, improve trails and replace deteriorating trail bridges. The grants are being funded through IDPR’s Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) registration stickers and through the Recreation Trails Program. All of the grant proposals will improve the trail system and enhance visitor experiences. The funds will be used:

* To address deferred maintenance needs within the Rainbow Basin area within the Trinity recreation area, known for high alpine lakes. Work to be done includes clearing the trail of downfall, brushing, performing erosion control measures, installing new signs and replacing six, deteriorated foot bridges. The work will be done by the Mountain Home Trail crew, with help from Idaho Conservation Corps. Work is expected to be completed within two seasons and enhance user experience as well as provide a safer means to cross waterways within the trail network.

* To open up and re-establish the trail #606 within the Wilson Flats Trail network. The Wilson Trail system provides ATV users with exceptional recreational opportunities, scenic views, and trails that can be ridden by novice level riders. Work to be done includes clearing the trail of blowdown, as well as removing the vegetation that has been steadily encroaching on the trail corridor. The work will be done by the mountain home trail crew and possibly other partner groups. It is expected to take 2 maybe 3 field seasons to complete the work because the vegetation is so thick on the 6-mile trail.

* To maintain and repair trail equipment to improve crew safety and efficiency by providing reliable transportation and quicker access to trail maintenance locations. Repairs to be done include new tires, seat covers and mechanical maintenance including brakes for multiple ATVS. These repairs will have a positive effects for trail users as crew members will be able to maintain and improve trails at a quicker pace.

Comments or requests for more information should be submitted to Jessup Wyman by email at: jessup.wyman@usda.gov or by calling, 208-587-7835.

Venetia Gempler
Public Affairs Staff Officer
Boise National Forest
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Bureau of Land Management seeks input on proposed Boise foothills land acquisition

Date: December 10, 2021
Contact: Mike Williamson mwilliamson@blm.gov 208-384-3393

Boise, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comments on a proposed land acquisition of 275-acres located 5 miles east of downtown Boise. The parcel has been offered to the BLM by a private landowner and its purchase would help maintain open space in the Boise Foothills, preserve intact big game winter range and enhance protection of wildlife habitat and recreational values. Purchasing funds would come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

This scoping period allows the public, organizations and other interested parties to identify potential issues that the BLM may consider in the environmental assessment. Comments are most helpful if they provide specific actions, resources or issues to be considered and analyzed. The BLM will accept comments throughout the scoping period: Dec. 10 – Jan. 7, 2022.

“The scoping process is an essential part of our planning process and ensures public involvement in the decision making process,” said BLM Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston.

Maps and information about the project are available at: (link) (case sensitive).

Comments will be accepted through the following means:
* Email: BLM_ID_FourRiversOffice@blm.gov
* Fax: (208) 384-3326
* Surface mail: Brent Ralston, Four Rivers Field Manager, 3948 Development Ave, Boise, ID 83705

Please note that before including their personal identifying information (address, email, phone number), commenters should be aware that their entire comment – including their personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to withhold this information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.

For more information, contact the BLM Four Rivers Field Office at 208-384-3300.
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Critter News:

Lawsuit seeks to stop wolf trapping and snaring in Idaho

By Associated Press Dec 06, 2021 (KIVI)

More than a dozen environmental groups are asking a federal court to block Idaho’s recently expanded wolf trapping and snaring regulations.

The Center for Biological Diversity and others in the lawsuit filed Monday against Republican Gov. Brad Little. State wildlife officials say the new regulations violate the Endangered Species Act because federally protected grizzly bears and lynx could be killed.

The groups want wolf trapping and snaring banned until the case is decided on its merits.

For lynx, the area would cover most of Idaho except for the southwestern portion of the state. For grizzly bears, the areas would include portions of northern, central and eastern Idaho.

source:
— — — — — — — — — —

Teton County proposes updates to Wildlife Feeding restrictions, Bear Conflict Area standards

Dec 10, 2021 Local News 8

The Teton County Planning & Building Services Department has developed and released amended draft regulations related to Wildlife Feeding restrictions and Bear Conflict Area standards including requirements for bear resistant trash cans countywide.

This update is one component of a series of Natural Resource Land Development Regulation updates within Article 5 of the Teton County Land Development Regulations outlined in the Teton County Workplan.

The updated regulations aim to reduce human and wildlife conflicts within developed neighborhoods and residences as well as protect the health and safety of both residents and wildlife. Included are requirements for the keeping of food bearing gardens, compost piles, apiaries, bird feeders and others. In addition, bear resistant trash containers will be required countywide.

continued:
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Good Samaritan rescues Boise River duck tangled in fishing line

by CBS2 News Staff Wednesday, December 8th 2021 CBS2

Amanda’s team worked to untangle the duck (Courtesy Ada County Parks & Waterways)

A good Samaritan stopped to rescue a Boise River duck that was tangled in some fishing line.

Amanda was walking through Barber Park when she saw a duck struggling to swim. She stopped to help.

An Ada County Parks & Waterways employee and a local fisherman helped Amanda reel the duck in. She’s had experience with raptors, and she was able to gently unwind the duck.

“Once they got the fishing wire off, the group set him back in the river and he swam off like nothing happened!” Ada County Parks & Waterways said.

source:
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Fish & Game News:

Fish and Game announces closure of Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance hunts 1904 and 1955 on Sunday, Dec. 12

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
Friday, December 10, 2021

Closure announcement means hunts 1904 and 1955 will close at the end of shooting hours Sunday, Dec. 12

Idaho Fish and Game staff has informed the Fish and Game Director that CWD sample targets have been met, or will soon be met, for CWD surveillance hunts 1904 and 1955. These hunts are on private and public land in Hunt Area 14 for antlered white-tailed deer and will close at the end of official shooting hours (1/2 hour after sunset) on Dec.12, 2021.

Fish and Game set 35 CWD surveillance hunts to gather samples for CWD testing, and individual hunts will be closed when sample targets are reached and 48 hours advance notice is provided to hunters.

continued:
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Give someone the gift of the outdoors this holiday season

By Connor Liess, Public Information Specialist
Friday, December 10, 2021

2022 resident licenses are now on sale

Share your love for the outdoors by buying an Idaho resident hunting license, fishing license or Sportsman’s Package for friends and family this holiday season. 2022 licenses are now on sale.

Fishing and hunting provide a good excuse to get outside, see the beauty of Idaho’s wildlife and spend quality time with family and friends. For outdoor enthusiasts, there is a fishing or hunting season open throughout the year.

continued:
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Watch your step: Here’s how to stay safe out on the ice this year

By Jordan Messner, Fisheries Regional Manager
Friday, December 10, 2021

Glenna Gomez/Idaho Fish and Game

Just because a lake or reservoir is frozen doesn’t mean the ice is safe

Folks are chomping at the bit to get out and ice fish this winter. During December last year, you may have been ice fishing your favorite places already, but mild temperatures so far this winter have kept the lakes from freezing as of yet. With the new year fast approaching, you’ll be fishing the hardwater before you know it. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to fish the early season ice.

continued:
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More F&G News Releases

link:
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Crazy Critter Stuff:

Maryland homeowners burned down their home while attempting to rid the house of snakes

By Sara Smart, CNN Dec 3, 2021 (Local News 8)

What started as an attempt to get rid of pesky creatures ended with an entire house going up in flames.

A house of nearly 10,000 square feet in Dickerson, Maryland, an hour west of Baltimore, was engulfed in flames on November 23 when the homeowner tried to smoke out a snake infestation on the property, Pete Piringer, chief spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, told CNN.

The damages will cost more than $1 million, Piringer said. The house was recently purchased for $1.8 million, according to public records.

The status of the snakes is unknown, but as the home was left in rubble, it’s assumed they no longer live there.

full story:
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Seasonal Humor:

[h/t PLH]
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Dec 5, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times

Dec 5, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times – Valley County, Idaho

Reminder: We are still under a boil water order.
Valley County Sheriff’s office put out an update that Hwy 55 will reopen Monday Dec 6th – regular construction closures will continue.

Community Calendar:

April 17, 2020 – Boil water order in effect
May 15 – Nov 30 – Firewood Season
Oct 27 – Transfer Station on Winter Schedule
Nov 1 – Winter Mail Delivery Starts
Dec 4 – The Corner open 5pm-10pm
Dec 7 – McIntosh’s Xmas Party
Dec 13 – YP Tavern Xmas Party
Deb 17 – 10am-2pm Craft-n-Learn Community Hall

(details below)
———-

Local Events:

McIntosh’s Xmas Party December 7th

Bill and Loraine will have their annual gathering from 5pm to 7pm. Ham will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
— — — —

Craft-n-Learn Dec 17

From 10am to 2pm we will be opening up the Yellow Pine Community Hall to all interested folks! Bring your favorite crafts and coffee mug and join us for Craft-n-Learn.
You are welcome to bring snacks, your favorite drink mug, and a craft to work on.
Even if you don’t know any craft, come on out and enjoy learning one, or learning a new one.
ALL are welcome! Kat A.
— — — —

December 13 Xmas Party Yellow Pine Tavern

Christmas Party at the Tavern. Monday, December 13, 2021 630pm Potluck at the Tavern, Tri Tip provided by Teri, Cindy, Lynn and Lorinne, please bring your favorite Christmas dish for us to sample.

photo courtesy Yellow Pine Tavern
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Village News:

The Corner

Please welcome Tim and Jenny Aldrich, the new owners of The Corner. They are open with winter hours. (See below under Biz Listings.)
— — — —

Critters on the Runway at Sunrise

Johnson Creek Airport Dec 3, 2021
— — — —

Christmas in Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine Santa’s elves! Time to think about Christmas bags!

– Nik
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Notice – Deadline

In order to have your item posted in that week’s paper you must email it in by Noon on Sunday.

A reminder – if your group or business want an event, photo, minutes, news or advertising posted in the Yellow Pine Times, please write what you want posted in text form (for copy/paste) and send it by email. Remember to include the “who, what, when, where and why.” Images or groups of images must be under 10 megs per email.
— — — —

Road News

Valley County Sheriff’s office put out an update that Hwy 55 will reopen Monday Dec 6th – regular construction closures will continue.

photo courtesy Cougar Mountain Lodge (Smiths Ferry)

Link: to current road reports.

Profile Gap, Lick Creek, Elk Summit, Thunder Mountain and Deadwood roads have snow and are likely closed by now. Upper Johnson Creek will probably close after the next series of storm. These roads have not been bladed and are rough. Travel at your own risk.
— — — —

Critters

Be Cougar Aware

A big cat has been hanging around the upper part of the village recently. Watch your small pets and do not leave food outside.

Be Bear Aware

* Do not feed them human food
* Secure your trash
* Feed domestic pets indoors
* Make sure your pets are updated on Rabies vaccines
* Small pets could become a snack

Bats

While bats are an important part of our ecosystem and most do not carry rabies, CDH offers the following tips to protect yourself and pets:
* Never touch a bat with your bare hands.
* If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention.
* If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. During regular business hours in Ada, Boise and Elmore Counties, call 208-327-7499 and in Valley County, call 208-634-7194. After business hours in all counties, call 1-800-632-8000.
* Always vaccinate your pets for rabies, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home.
* Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine US Mail

The 3-day a week mail delivery started November 1st. The Post Office in Yellow Pine is open six days a week year around: M-F 845am-245pm Saturday 9am-245pm. Forever Stamp: 58 cents. Support our local post office and purchase your holiday stamps here.

Attention Mail Route Customers – FedEx Ground has changed their policy, and they will no longer pay for Mail Plane or Truck freight. If you can avoid it, we strongly encourage you to use UPS or USPS to receive packages. If you do order a FedEx Ground package, you will be billed for: Air Freight @ $0.45/lb, or Mail Truck Freight @ $0.05/lb. We are truly sorry this is the case, and are working very hard to make sure you still receive your orders. – Arnold Aviation
— — — —

Yellow Pine Transfer Station

Report Dec 1st: Dumpsters are about half full. The outside is clean and burn pile gone.

Dump update October 27th: It was [last] emptied today and we are now in winter mode. When it gets fairly full we will call to have it dumped. Contact Cecil.

Locals have worked hard to clean up the area, please be respectful.

Yellow Pine Transfer Station (aka, the dump)

Please do not abuse our Transfer Station or we may lose it. Household trash must be placed in the bins, flattened cardboard boxes can also go into the bins. Do not stack trash in front of the doors. Woody yard debris only for the burn pile. No furniture, appliances, tires or construction debris allowed, those items must be hauled out to the Donnelly station by you.

The Yellow Pine Transfer Station is Valley County responsibility. If it is not kept tidy, use of the Transfer Station may be revoked. That would result in residents having to take all household trash and yard waste to the Donnelly Transfer Station.

If Dumpsters Are Full, Contact Lake Shore Disposal at: (208) 634-7176

Dump Tips

Do you know where your trash goes after it leaves Yellow Pine?

90 tons per week of Valley Co.’s solid waste comes to the Adams Co. landfill. (Valley Co. has a contract with Adams Co.) When Valley Co.’s weekly trash exceeds 90 tons, the rest is then taken to Payette. The more garbage, the more cost in transferring it further away.

Tips to reduce trash:

1. When purchasing groceries refuse plastic bags as they reek havoc at the Adams Co.’s landfill, causing problems with equipment.

2. Garbage: recyclables, compost, trash

If each household would have containers for these three categories this is the place to start.

– B. Dixon
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Local Groups

YPWUA News:

We are still under a Boil Order. Please conserve water.

November Water Usage

date	flow	used	hours	gph	gpm	dow	more	less
11/01/21	16383134	28462	22	1157	19	M		1565
11/02/21	16410511	27377	24	1141	19	T		1085
11/03/21	16438241	27730	24	1155	19	W	353
11/04/21	16464796	26555	24	1106	18	T		1175
11/05/21	16491376	26580	24	1108	18	F	25
11/06/21	16519407	28031	24	1168	19	S	1451
11/07/21	16547194	27787	24	1158	19	S		10
11/08/21	16576316	29122	24	1213	20	M	1335
11/09/21	16603270	26954	24	1123	19	T		2168
11/10/21	16630381	27111	24	1130	19	W	157
11/11/21	16657905	27524	24	1147	19	T	413
11/12/21	16683667	25762	24	1073	18	F		1762
11/13/21	16711717	28050	24	1169	19	S	2288
11/14/21	16737845	26128	24	1089	18	S		1922
11/15/21	16765894	28049	24	1169	19	M	1921
11/16/21	16792702	26808	24	1117	19	T		1241
11/17/21	16819144	26442	24	1102	18	W		366
11/18/21	16845625	26481	24	1103	18	T	39
11/19/21	16874226	28601	24	1192	20	F	2120
11/20/21	16901676	27450	24	1144	19	S		1151
11/21/21	16930012	28336	24.5	1157	19	S	886
11/22/21	16956399	26387	23.5	1123	19	M		1949
11/23/21	16984633	28234	24	1176	20	T	1847
11/24/21	17012240	27607	24	1150	19	W		627
11/25/21	17040932	28692	25	1148	19	T	1085
11/26/21	17068437	27505	23	1196	20	F		1187
11/27/21	17096758	28321	24	1180	20	S	816
11/28/21	17123757	26999	24.5	1102	18	S		1322
11/29/21	17150334	26557	23.5	1130	19	M		442
11/30/21	17177938	27604	24	1150	19	T	1047

—

Oct 11, 2021 Water Update

Warren Drake has been in this week and shut down the summer tank, took samples, and spent time on the winter drip points. He built a small, insulated box from pressure treated wood, around each [trickle] point that will allow better winter access, make it so [he] can use each point for sampling, and also ensure that things don’t freeze.

DRINKING WATER WARNING October 11, 2021
Yellow Pine Water Users PWS 4430059 BOIL WATER ADVISORY Due to insufficient treatment
We routinely monitor the conditions in the drinking water distribution system. On 4-19-2020 we experienced a period of insufficient treatment due to extreme water demand which exceeded the capacity of the treatment system. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do?
* DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
* Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
* The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
What is being done?
Efforts are under way to curtail water use. Once water use is diminished, the water treatment system will again be operational and the boil water order can be lifted
We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 180 days.
For more information, please contact Warren at 208-573-6261 or wdrake @ drakediversified.com
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Yellow Pine Water Users Assoc.
PWS ID #: 4430059 Date distributed: 10-11-21.
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YPWUA 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting July 4, 2021 at the Community Hall at 10am. Link: to 20210704 YPWUA minutes
YPWUA 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting held July 5, 2020 at the Community Hall 2pm. link: to 20200705 YPWUA minutes

Water Board:
Steve Holloway
Willie Sullivan
Dawn Brown
Stu Edwards
Candy Hardisty
— — — —

VYPA News:

Sept 11, 2021 – VYPA Meeting minutes link: (see document at link for attachments)
Aug 14, 2021 VYPA Meeting Canceled (lack of quorum.)
July 10, 2021 VYPA meeting minutes link:
June 12, 2021 VYPA Meeting Minutes link:

VYPA Meetings are the 2nd Saturday of June, July, August, and September at 2:00pm at the Community Hall.

Village Council members:
Deb Filler, Chairman
Josh Jones, Vice Chairman
Ronda Rogers, Treasurer
Hailey Harris, Secretary
Rhonda Egbert, Member at Large

VYPA Bylaws adopted 8/8/2020 (link)
YPAC Corp Bylaws (link)
— — — —

YPFD News:

If you have an emergency, please call 911.
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To Yellow Pine Residents and Visitors,

November 28, 2021

Should you need to reach the Fire Chief please call my cell 208 738-7986 or the Tavern 208 633-2233 or 911.

If I am out of town, please notify any of those folks who have attended one of our Winter Structure Fire Response Plan Training Sessions held Oct. 17 and Oct 31. Specifically Mike or Cindy Fortin 208 633-2371, Josh Jones 208 633-3300 or Clint Limbaugh 208 685-9589. They will give the appropriate response in my absence.

For liability reasons, specifically if a non-registered and trained volunteer gets injured or causes an injury, or damages any equipment, our insurance will be null and void and the individual will be held personally and financially responsible. So anyone who is not a registered volunteer, and has not attended our training session must not use the Fire Department equipment. You will be trespassing if you do. Cascade Fire Department is also qualified and authorized to use the equipment. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and you have a valid drivers license you may fill out an application for the “Yellow Pine Fire District Volunteer Firefighter“ located at the Tavern or the Store and see if Mike or Cindy or Josh or Clint could familiarize you to the current location and use of the Fire Department Equipment. Thanks for your understanding.

Your Fire Chief,
Lorinne N. Munn
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Hopeless Point After Action Report

Date 11/08/21 Version 1.0 YPFPD Distribution

This After-Action Report (AAR) was created by interviewing volunteers and professional LEO’s that were on site, to capture their experiences and observations. I did not interview Tim Rogers, Ron Basabe, Josh Jones and Hailey Harris as this had already been done by Deb Filler. The people I interviewed for this AAR include the following:

Marshall Haynes, IDFG LEO
Dean Hickman, USFS LEO
Willie Sullivan, YPFPD Responder
Merrill Saleen, YPFPD Deputy Fire Chief
Nikki Saleen, Logistics Expert
Jeff Forster, Rescue Response Expert
Cindy Fortin, Experienced Fire and Rescue Background

Their input has been captured and integrated with Deb Filler’s report to recreate the approximate timeline and the actions that took place during the rescue response.

Phil Jensen
District 2 Fire Commissioner
Yellow Pine Fire Protection District
Link: to full AAR report 20211108YPFD Hopeless Point Consolidated AAR Draft.docx

Chimney cleaning brushes are available to borrow from the YPFD.

Sept 11, 2021 YPFD Budget meeting (no minutes yet.)
Aug 28, 2021 – YPFD Meeting to discuss upcoming election (no minutes yet.)
July 10, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
June 12, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
May 15, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:

Sept 30, 2020 YPFD budget meeting. (No minutes yet.)

Also if you are burning any piles of forest litter and debris – please have a connected and charged garden hose that can reach your piles. If your hose cannot reach where you are burning, follow the good advice of having a shovel, axe, and water bucket at the scene. Rake away from anything that could ignite. Stop burning if winds become an issue. Make sure your fire is out before you leave the area. Nothing like getting surprised by an escaped fire in the middle of the night!

Better yet, “Rake It and Take It” your yard waste (limbs, pine needles, brush, etc.) to the burn pile at the Transfer Station on the south end of the turn-around. Remember, keep the pile neat. Woody debris only, no nails, no cardboard and no furniture! The Boise NF will burn the pile in the fall when it is safe.

Yellow Pine Fire Protection District Community Service Notice
The purpose of this letter is to show how you as a Yellow Pine Resident can help protect your structure against a wildland fire by being “Fire Wise.” Click the link: to view 20190724 Yellow Pine Fire Protection mitigation

Valley County Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
A wildfire evacuation checklist that property owners in the Yellow Pine area might find useful. link: Valley County Evacuation Checklist – 2021

YPFD COVID19 Policy
link: YPFD Covid-19 SOP
link: Covid-19 EMS

Fire Chief: Lorinne Munn
Deputy Fire Chief: Merrill Saleen
YP Fire Commissioners:
Lorinne Munn – District 1
Phil Jensen – District 2
Merrill Saleen – District 3
Secretary/Treasurer – Nikki Saleen
——–

Biz Listings:

The Corner (208) 633-3325
Open – New Owners
Winter hours:
Monday and Wednesday 10am-8pm
Fridays 5pm-10pm
Sundays 10am-6pm
— — — —

Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233
Winter Hours at the Tavern
Open Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat: 9am-2pm 4pm-8pm
Open Sunday 9am-2pm
Closed Tues & Thurs
Call the Tavern 208 633-2233 or Cell 208 739-7086 for other arrangements
Full Breakfast Menu. Burgers, Pizza, Fajitas, Beer Wine and Pop
— — — —

Yellow Pine Lodge (208) 633-3377
Closed for the winter.
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Yellow Pine General Store (208) 633-3300
The Yellow Pine General Store will be observing new Winter Hours. We will be officially open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 11am-4pm. Josh or Christy are in town on the off days and will be available to open the store as needed. Their contact information is posted on the front door of the store if you need to reach either of them locally. The motel rooms and the laundry room are still available 7 days per week. Store phone: 208-633-3300 Email:
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Murph’s RV Park and Mary’s Cabins
FB page link
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Knotty Kat Crochet Works – 509-406-2221
FB page link
open Tue – Sat, 9-5
Yellow Pine eggs $3/doz
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Buck Horn Outfitters LLC 208-633-3614
Our Elk & Deer hunts are booked for our 2021 season, we do have a couple openings for our 2022 Elk & Deer hunts. We Also have a couple openings for Mountain Lion hunts December 2021 through February 2022 and Spring Bear hunts May of 2022. Please see our Website site for further details.
Tom & Sarah Lanham
156 Yellow Pine Ave, Yellow Pine Id 83677
website:
Facebook:

Wapiti Meadow Ranch – Johnson Creek (208) 633-3217
or 208-315-3554 – cabin rentals
website:

Big Creek Lodge
website:

Deadwood Outfitters
website:
— — — —

Local Fuel Suppliers

Amerigas Phone: (208) 452-4361
Ed Staub & Sons Phone: (208) 634-3833
Diamond Fuel & Feed Phone: (208) 382-4430
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Outside Biz that will service Yellow Pine:

Arnold Aviation (208) 382-4844
Watkins Pharmacy Cascade (208) 382-4204
Cascade Auto (208) 382-4224
Cascade Vet Clinic (208) 382-4590

The Star-News

click to subscribe:
A reminder that those who live in other states can subscribe to the online edition only since the mail can take days for hard copy to reach them.

Rocky Mountain Mechanical – Plumbing – Heating – Air conditioning
(208) 365-PIPE (7473), Emmett, will service Yellow Pine
Website:

Garden Mountain Contractors
We would like to extend our services into the Yellow Pine area if there may be a need. We dig a lot of dirt! If you need this give us a shout on our FB page below. – Larry Williamson Garden Valley, Idaho FB Page:
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Follow The Yellow Pine Times on Facebook (updated more often than emails)
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Local Observations:

Monday (Nov 29) overnight low of 29 degrees. This morning nearly overcast, light breeze and roofs wet with melting frost and dew. Raven and hairy woodpecker calling, jays, pine squirrel and downy woodpecker visiting. Warming up by lunch time, some breaks in the gray overcast. Low overcast and steady light rain early afternoon. Still raining mid-afternoon, temperature dropping and light breezes. Not raining at sunset. At dusk dark low clouds sitting down on VanMeter but thinner clouds to the west, light breeze and above freezing. Gunshot at 833pm. Looked mostly cloudy before midnight.

Tuesday (Nov 30) overnight low of 27 degrees, yesterday’s rain was frozen in the gauge, measured 0.05″ after melting. This morning flat gray overcast, light breeze and frosty. Pine squirrel visiting. Sounds of chainsaw cutting firewood in the distance. Gray overcast at lunch time. Dark overcast and chilly (feels and looks like rain) mid-afternoon, high of 38 degrees. Cloudy at dusk and above freezing. Appeared cloudy before midnight.

Wednesday (Dec 1) 24 hour low of 29 degrees from Tuesday morning, likely did not go below freezing. This morning it is warmer than Tuesday’s high, almost overcast with a few cracks. Mostly cloudy and warm at lunch time. Mail truck came in via Johnson Creek. Warm and partly cloudy mid-afternoon, high of 56 degrees. No bird visitors today, just a pine squirrel. Still fairly warm and partly cloudy at dusk. Mostly clear before midnight, lots of stars.

Thursday (Dec 2) overnight low of 30 degrees. This morning mostly cloudy, a bit of a breeze and above freezing. Jays and a pine squirrel visiting. Thinner higher and smaller clouds letting in sunshine at lunch time and a bit breezy. Mostly cloudy mid-afternoon, warm and lighter breezes, high of 55 degrees. Two quick loud gun shots at 507pm. Partly cloudy and above freezing at dusk. Looked cloudy before midnight.

Friday (Dec 3) overnight low of 26 degrees. This morning mostly high thin haze across the sky and frost on the ground and metal roofs. Mostly hazy at lunch time. Flat high thin overcast and light chilly breeze mid-afternoon, high of 53 degrees. No bird or squirrel visitors. Partly cloudy (small and pink) and chilly breezes at dusk. Lots of stars out before midnight.

Saturday (Dec 4) overnight low of 27 degrees. This morning overcast, light breeze and light frost. Overcast and a bit breezy at lunch time. Pine squirrel visiting. Overcast, cooler and blustery mid-afternoon, high of 48 degrees. Overcast and breezy at dusk. Cloudy and breezy before midnight, no precipitation. Gusty after midnight, estimate up to 20mph.

Sunday (Dec 5) 24 hour low of 31 degrees from Saturday morning. This morning mostly hazy and breezy. Pine squirrel visiting, no sign of jays again. Mostly cloudy and breezy at lunch time. Mostly cloudy and breezy mid-afternoon, high of 42 degrees. High thin haze and lighter breezes at dusk.
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Idaho News:

Valley County sees 14 new COVID-19 cases in past week

By Tom Grote The Star-News December 2, 2021

Fourteen new cases of COVID-19 in Valley County were reported by the county’s two hospitals in the past week.

The 14 new cases compares to 27 new cases reported the previous week and 11 new cases the prior week.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have reported 1,631 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Clinics & Tests

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine is offering the Pfizer vaccine to anyone 5 and older.

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine welcomes walk-ins for those 18 and older seeking their initial dose of the vaccine from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have take-home COVID-19 tests available. The saliva-based test offers results for COVID-19 in two to three days.

The tests can be picked up at the main entrance to St. Luke’s McCall at 1000 State St. in McCall or at the clinic at Cascade Medical Center at 402 Lake Cascade Pkwy in Cascade.

Cascade Medical Center offers a walk-in vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Moderna vaccine for those age 18 and older is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with the Moderna booster.

The Pfizer vaccine for those age 12 and older, is available on Wednesdays as well as the Pfizer booster.

full story:
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COVID-19 Updates: 514 new Idaho COVID-19 cases, 20 new deaths

December 3, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho officials reported 514 new COVID-19 cases and 20 new deaths Friday.

That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March 2020 to 308,669.

The state said 88,047 people have received one dose of a two dose series, and 229,198 people have received an additional or booster dose. 1,733,437 total doses have been administered. 858,814 people are fully vaccinated.

The age group with the most cases is 18-29 with 71,338 cases.

The state said 24 new hospitalizations have been reported bringing the total number to 13,532, and 4 new cases have been admitted to the ICU bringing the total to 2,285.

20 new deaths were reported bringing the total recorded deaths to 3,969.

full story: [Valley County 1579 cases, 13 deaths.]
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Slide cleanup to keep ID55 closed through weekend

Rock wall built to keep future slides off roadway

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 2, 2021

Idaho 55 will remain closed through the weekend as crews work to clear debris from a large rockslide on Nov. 18 and construct a retaining wall to protect the roadway.

Depending on weather, the highway between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road will remain closed until Monday at the earliest, Idaho Transportation Department Chief Communication Officer Vince Trimboli said.

“Construction crews made significant progress” in removing debris and securing the slope, Trimboli said.

To prevent further slides in the same place, a rock buttress 400 feet long and 20 feet tall was constructed at the base of the slide.

“The next step is to remove slide debris, install drainage systems above the buttress and widen the roadway to two lanes before the winter,” Trimboli said.

“We have made very good progress and stabilized the slide area. This allows crews to remove excess rock from the hillside and begin building a two-way road around the slide area,” ITD District 3 Engineering Manager Jason Brinkman said.

The goal is to finish the work as quickly as possible while focusing on the safety of the construction team and the public once the road opens, Brinkman said.

The rockslide has kept the highway closed for two weeks. A section of excavated hillside about 250 feet long and 200 feet high gave way during the scheduled 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. closure of the road on Nov. 18.

The slide consisted of between 30,000 and 50,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt.

There was no work taking place in the vicinity of the slide and the hillside was considered finished, ITD officials said. No one was hurt.

Officials have not determined what caused the slide, but said the area that slid was a less stable mix of sand, dirt, cobblestones, boulders and decomposed granite.

Drivers must use U.S. 95 as an alternate route until the project area reopens.

The two-year project focuses on straightening and improving about a mile of road between Smiths Ferry and the Rainbow Bridge.

The slide occurred on a hillside just south of the site of a rockslide that closed the same section of road for 10 days in March. That slide was caused by a large rock that broke loose.

Last week’s slide was larger and on a less stable hillside made up of sand, dirt, cobblestones, boulders and decomposed granite.

The area where the March rockslide came down has since been secured with dozens of anchors drilled into the rock face.

The section where the Nov 18 slide occurred is too loose to effectively secure anchors or install protective metal netting, the ITD said.

Anchors and protective netting have been installed where possible throughout the project and rocks and boulders that could tumble onto the roadway were removed.

About 178,000 cubic yards of rock has been excavated in the project so far.

Trimboli was confident that the slide would not delay the project’s scheduled completion in the fall of 2022.

The project is about 60% completed with seven of nine cliffside excavations almost completed.

Construction had been scheduled to be suspended for the winter this month depending on weather.

source: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
— — — — — — — — — —

Federal funds renewed for Valley County roads

Nearly $1 million per year for three years authorized

By Max Silverson The Star-News December 2, 2021

Valley County is set to receive almost $1 million per year for the next three years for county roads as part of the newly passed $1.2 trillion federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The act reauthorized payments from the Secure Rural Schools and Self Determination Act of 2000, which funds the road department, school districts, search and rescue and firewise projects.

Funding will be granted based on 2017 payments, Valley County Clerk Douglas Miller said.

The 2017 funds, which were received by the county in 2018, totaled about $972,000 for the road and bridge department.

The funds would be used to pay for road projects that do not fit within the annual budget of the road department, Valley County Commissioner Sherry Maupin said.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County Board of County Commissioners Invites You to Participate in a Public Hearing

Redistricting Commissioner Districts in Valley County

Valley County Board of Commissioners Re-Districting The Valley County Board of County Commissioners will hold public hearings on the re-districting of Commissioner Districts based upon changes in population as determined by the 2020 Census.

A map is attached. Additional maps and information can be seen on the Valley County website: (link) or story map (link).

December 13, 2021 3:00 p.m. Valley County Courthouse Commissioner’s Room 219 N Main Street Cascade, Idaho

December 14, 2021 6:00 p.m. American Legion Hall 216 E Park Street McCall, Idaho

Written comments must be received by mail, fax, or email no later than 5:00 p.m., December 9, 2021. Send comments to: dmiller@co.valley.id.us

The December 13, 2021, public hearing is in-person as well as teleconference and web-based. To listen to this hearing, please go to http://www.co.valley.id.us and click on link labeled “Watch Commissioner Meetings Live”.

Contact Doug Miller, Valley County Clerk, for the public hearing weblink for Dec. 14, 2021.

Contact Doug Miller, Valley County Clerk, prior to 5:00 p.m., December 9, 2021, to participate in either public hearing: 208-382-7100 or dmiller@co.valley.id.us

Direct questions and written comments to: Douglas Miller Valley County Clerk PO Box 1350 Cascade, ID 83611 208-382-7110 (phone) 208-382-7107 (fax) dmiller@co.valley.id.us

Lori Hunter
Valley County Planning & Zoning Assistant Planner
— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County Board of County Commissioners Invites You to Participate in a Public Hearing

Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendment – Building Regulations

January 3, 2022 2:00 p.m. Courthouse Building 2nd Floor 219 North Main Street Cascade, Idaho

Written comments must be received by mail, fax, or email no later than 5:00 p.m., December 27, 2021.
The meeting is in-person but is also teleconference and web-based. However, we cannot guarantee reliability of the phone system or the internet.
To listen to the hearing, please go to (link) and click on link labeled “Watch Commissioner Meetings Live”
To comment telephonically or in-person, call Doug Miller at 208-382-7100 prior to 5:00 p.m. December 30, 2021 OR email dmiller@co.valley.id.us until testimony is opened.

Direct questions and written comments to:
Cynda Herrick, AICP, CFM Planning & Zoning Director PO Box 1350 Cascade, ID 83611 208-382-7115 (phone) 208-382-7119 (fax) cherrick@co.valley.id.us

Ordinance Amendment Revision to Title 6 Building Regulations Agricultural Category Change and Prohibition of Treeforts for Human Habitation
The purpose of this ordinance amendment is to:
• Limit agricultural building permits to parcels larger than 5 acres and classed in land use categories 1-5 by the Valley County Assessor.
• Prohibit tree houses for human habitation.
6-1-2: SCOPE; EXEMPTIONS
B. Exemptions:
4. Farm Outbuildings:
a. Farm outbuildings on a “farm” as defined herein shall be exempt from this chapter, except as provided in subsection 6-1-8A of this chapter. Buildings for the purpose of human habitation, which are located on said farm are not exempt from this chapter.
b. “Farm” shall mean a tract of land in excess of five (5) acres wholly or in part classed in any of the land use categories 1 through 5 for appraisal and taxing purposes by the Valley County assessor. [Categories 6 and 7 would be removed.]
6. Tree Houses and Other Natural Structures: Tree houses, tree forts or treesheds for use by children that will not be slept in and are under 30-sqft shall be exempt from this code. No building permit will be issued for structures for human habitation or storage that incorporate natural vegetation such as trees, boulders, streams, straw, mud etc. This does not include masonry that is part of the engineered structure.
6-1-3 DEFINITIONS:
Tree house, tree fort or treeshed is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground. The Staff Report will be posted online at: (link)
*** The Valley County Code is available online: (link)
— — — — — — — — — —

Father-daughter duo revitalize Cascade building

By Don NelsonNov 29, 2021 KIVI

Idaho News 6

A California family found the mountain town of Cascade by chance.

“This will always be the Chief if I tore that sign down, it would be the Chief Hotel that sign is beautiful and that’s not going anywhere,” said Jeff Tyler, owner of the Palooza Basecamp and Eatery.

“I was on Google looking for a restaurant with a residence above it, and this one popped up on the market,” Jeff said.

Jeff said he had never been to Cascade.

full story:
— — — — — — — — — —

Famous Pancake House in McCall to close after 43 years: ‘What a journey’

by CBS2 News Staff Thursday, December 2nd 2021

The Pancake House in McCall. (Google Maps)

The pancakes will be flipped for the last time on Sunday.

The Pancake House, known for its fluffy, plate-size pancakes, cinnamon rolls that can feed a family and so much more, is closing after more than 40 years in McCall.

Sunday will be the last day.

“We had hoped to find a buyer that would carry on the business, but after four long years working with several brokerages each with different marketing approaches that buyer has eluded us,” a note to customers states.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Highway 55 closure leads to increased business along Highway 95

Andrew Baertlein November 30, 2021 KTVB

The Idaho Transportation Department estimates Highway 55 will be closed for another week after a rockslide south of Cascade originally closed the highway on Nov. 18.

This has led convoys of holiday travelers onto Highway 95, which comes with no complaints from Weiser Classic Candy store owner Pat Nauman. He told KTVB on Monday that the increased traffic doubled his business’s expected sales on Saturday.

“This is always a good uptick in time for us around the holidays anyway. We have a fair amount that travels from the Boise valley to come shop with us anyway,” Nauman said. “But most definitely, as things pick up at Tamarack and at Brundage, we know that traffic will do more and more good for us. I’m not complaining if it takes an extra few days for them to get it finished over on Highway 55.”

The detour comes as a burden for some travelers. Those heading up to the panhandle may only add minutes, but anyone headed to McCall or Cascade is looking at more than an hour of extra time in the car.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

IDPR makes changes to snowmobile/OHV sticker programs

Dec 3, 2021 Local News 8

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) has recently made adjustments to the way it sells snowmobile and off-highway vehicle stickers.

These changes came as a result of House Bill 86, which was passed in the previous legislative session.

The changes include:

* Two-year sticker options are now available.
* Vehicle-specific information is no longer required. Minor statistical information is still collected in order to properly manage use.
* New fees have been implemented for snowmobile stickers:
. — Resident stickers are now $45.50 per year
. — Non-resident stickers are now $59.50 per year
. — Rental stickers are now $75.50

continued:
————–

Scam Alert:

Officials warn of mailers appearing to originate from financial institutions

December 2, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho Department of Finance Director Patricia Perkins is warning consumers to look closely at incoming mail that may appear to be correspondence from their financial institution but are really third-party advertisements or even scams.

The Department has observed a substantial uptick of consumer complaints regarding mailers from businesses and organizations falsely referencing an association with their financial institutions or current or former mortgage lenders. Consumers are more likely to pay attention to correspondence when it appears to come from a familiar or legitimate source, and it can be difficult to differentiate.

Perkins urges Idahoans to review all solicitations and communications carefully before taking any action.

continued:
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Public Lands:

Cold July Forest Restoration Project Environmental Assessment 30 Day Comment Period

December 1, 2021

The Payette National Forest announces the availability of the Cold July Forest Restoration Project’s environmental assessment (EA). The EA and other project documents area available online at (link)
The forest has also developed a story map of the project (link)
to provide an interactive opportunity to learn about the project.

The project proposes vegetation activities across approximately 30,000 acres to improve the health of forest stands; increase insect and disease resiliency; reduce tree densities and fuel loadings to result in less intense fire behavior and facilitate effective wildland fire response; and enhance habitat for the northern Idaho ground squirrel and white-headed woodpecker. The project is located approximately five miles west of the town of New Meadows, Idaho in Adams County. The responsible official is Forest Supervisor, Linda L. Jackson.

Public comments will be accepted for thirty days following the publication of the legal notice in the newspaper of record, the Idaho Statesman (36 CFR 218.25(a)(1)(i)). The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. A copy of the legal notice will be posted on the project webpage.

Comments may be submitted electronically through the project webpage (link above), by clicking on “Comment/Object on Project”. Uploaded comments must be submitted in Word (.doc or .docx), pdf, or rich text (.rtf) format. Comments may also be mailed to: New Meadows Ranger District, Attn: Cold July Forest Restoration Project, PO Box J, New Meadows, ID 83654. Comments must be postmarked by the end of the comment period (36 CFR 218.25(a)(4)(i)). You may also fax comments to 208-347-0309 with “Cold July Forest Restoration Project” in the subject line. We are not accepting hand delivered comments due to COVID-19 precautions. Comments, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record and will be available for public inspection.

For additional information, you may contact Rita Bennett, District Environmental Coordinator, at 208-271-6296 or rita.l.bennett@usda.gov or Jeffery Kincaid, Acting District Ranger, at 865-924-2476 or jeffery.kincaid@usda.gov
— — — — — — — — — —

USDA Forest Service Bear Basin Area Trails Update

December 1, 2021

The Forest is reviewing existing unauthorized trails in the Bear Basin area and plans to designate a sustainable trail system approximately 3 miles west of McCall in Valley County, Idaho. Additionally, unauthorized routes, not identified to become part of the National Forest Service Trail system, would be decommissioned. Between approximately 3 and 8 miles of unauthorized routes could be decommissioned. Planned additions to the NFS trail system include 5.6 miles of trail. Two reroutes totaling approximately 0.3 mile would also be completed.

This project would be categorically excluded from documentation under 36 CFR 220.6(e)(1) and (e)(20). As a categorical exclusion, there are no additional designated public comment periods so this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. Comments are requested by January 3, 2022. More information, including a map of the proposal and webform comment link, can be found on the project website: (link)
— — — — — — — — — —

Woodhead South – Decision Memo signed

December 1, 2021

The Woodhead South Decision Memo has been signed by Payette National Forest, Forest Supervisor, Linda Jackson on November 30, 2021. Implementation may begin immediately as it is not subject to the administrative review process (Agriculture Act of 2014 [Pub. L. No. 113-79], Subtitle A, Sec. 8006) but will likely begin spring or summer of 2022.

The Project area is approximately 5,150 acres in size, and located approximately 15 miles northwest of Cambridge, Idaho in Washington County. The Project is within the boundary of the Weiser Ranger District on the Payette National Forest, within the Upper Pine Creek and Brownlee Creek subwatershsds.

The Project authorizes commercial and noncommercial vegetation treatments, including some fire salvage, prescribed fire, road maintenance, road reconstruction, road storage, road decommissioning, temporary road construction and effective closure of some unauthorized routes.

The Decision Memo and Categorical Exclusion Review Form, along with all other pertinent project documents, are posted on the Project webpage. (link)

Additional information regarding this project can be obtained from: Mark Fox (project lead), 2092 Highway 95, Council, Idaho, 83612, (208) 253-0164, mark.fox@usda.gov.

Thank you for your continued interest in management activities on the Payette National Forest.
— — — — — — — — — —

BLM News: BLM protects upper 8th Street in foothills with annual winter road closure

Boise, Idaho – (November 29, 2021) The Bureau of Land Management would like to remind the public of the annual seasonal road closure of upper 8th Street in the Boise Foothills to prevent road damage during wet conditions.

This seasonal closure pertains only to full-sized vehicles and is in effect from Dec. 1 to May 15. The closure begins 2.8 miles from the Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center. The route remains open year-round for off-highway vehicles 50 inches or less in width, motorcycles, mountain bikes and all other non-motorized use.

“The purpose of this seasonal road closure has always been to prevent road damage from full-size vehicle use when the roadbed is wet and easily rutted,” said David Draheim, BLM outdoor recreation planner. “This annual closure has gone a long way toward minimizing erosion and road maintenance costs and preventing other resource damage from occurring each year.”

The BLM appreciates the public’s cooperation in respecting the road closure and helping to protect resources while maintaining access for recreational users. For more information, please contact the BLM Boise District Office at 208-384-3300.
————–

Critter News:

3 mountain lion cubs euthanized in eastern Idaho

by Associated Press Wednesday, December 1st 2021 (CBS2 Idaho)

State wildlife officials have euthanized three lion cubs in southeastern Idaho.

Officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game captured and euthanized the cubs on Friday after they appeared in the backyards of homes in the small town of Sugar City.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman James Brower told the East Idaho News that the mother was nowhere to be found, and the cubs were in poor health.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

Idaho’s first ever Electronic Storage Detection K-9 is here

By Isabella Bright Dec 03, 2021 KIVI

Photo by: Isabella Bright

The Rupert Police Department has welcomed its newest officer and he has four paws and can sniff out even the most difficult criminals.

The 2-year-old black Labrador Retriever, K-9 Newton, reported for duty on November 17, and became Idaho’s first ever Electronic Storage Detection K-9 (ESD).

He is only one of 66 ESD K-9s across the country.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

1,527 deer tags to be issued for chronic wasting disease hunts

Only Idaho residents may purchase the tags, which will be divided between public and private land hunts.

KTVB Staff December 2, 2021

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is issuing 1,527 deer hunting tags to Idaho residents as part of an effort to understand the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, which was found in the state for the first time last month.

The tags will be sold for $10 each on a first-come, first-serve basis at Idaho Fish and Game regional offices only beginning at 10 a.m. Dec. 7. Only state residents may purchase the tags, which will be divided between public and private land hunts.

“All harvested deer taken during the CWD surveillance hunts must be tested for CWD with no exceptions,” IDFG officials wrote in a Thursday press release. “Fish and Game will take samples from deer heads at Lewiston and McCall regional offices and at designated check stations near the hunt locations.”

continued:

see also IDFG link:
————-

Fish & Game News:

Southwest Region rainbow trout stocking schedule – December

By Brian Pearson, Regional Communications Manager
Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Fish and Game staff will be stocking more than 10,500 catchable-size (10 to 12 inch) trout at the following locations across the Southwest Region in December. All stocked fish are rainbow trout. All stocking dates and numbers of fish are approximate and may change without notice due to water or weather conditions.

continued:
— — — — — — — — — —

More F&G News Releases

link:
———————————-

Crazy Critter Stuff:

A leopard snatched this mother’s child. She chased it down and rescued him

By Esha Mitra and Lianne Kolirin, CNN Dec 3, 2021

A boy snatched by a leopard is lucky to be alive after the animal let go of him when his mother gave chase.

The unnamed child, believed to be around 5 years old, was sitting in his hut with his mother and siblings when the big cat approached, according to local authorities.

The woman, who has been named locally as Kiran Baiga, jumped up and chased the animal while screaming, according to Y P Singh, field director of the Sanjay-Dubri National Park and Tiger Reserve in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

continued: (Local News 8)
—————–

Seasonal Humor:

[h/t PLH] 
————

Nov 28, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times

Nov 28, 2021 The Yellow Pine Times – Valley County, Idaho

Reminder: We are still under a boil water order.

Community Calendar:

April 17, 2020 – Boil water order in effect
May 15 – Nov 30 – Firewood Season
Oct 27 – Transfer Station on Winter Schedule
Nov 1 – Winter Mail Delivery Starts
Dec 3 – 10am-2pm Craft-n-Learn Community Hall
Dec 7 – McIntosh’s Xmas Party
Deb 17 – 10am-2pm Craft-n-Learn Community Hall
(details below)
———-

Local Events:

McIntosh’s Xmas Party December 7th

Bill and Loraine will have their annual gathering from 5pm to 7pm. Ham will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
— — — —

Craft-n-Learn Dec 3 and 17

From 10am to 2pm we will be opening up the Yellow Pine Community Hall to all interested folks! Bring your favorite crafts and coffee mug and join us for Craft-n-Learn.
You are welcome to bring snacks, your favorite drink mug, and a craft to work on.
Even if you don’t know any craft, come on out and enjoy learning one, or learning a new one.
ALL are welcome! Kat A.
———

Village News:

Thanksgiving Potluck Nov 25

On Thursday 25 people sat down to a Thanksgiving feast in the Community Hall.

photo courtesy DF
— — — —

Christmas in Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine Santa’s elves! Time to think about Christmas bags!

– Nik
— — — —

Notice – Deadline

In order to have your item posted in that week’s paper you must email it in by Noon on Sunday.

A reminder – if your group or business want an event, photo, minutes, news or advertising posted in the Yellow Pine Times, please write what you want posted in text form (for copy/paste) and send it by email. Remember to include the “who, what, when, where and why.” Images or groups of images must be under 10 megs per email.
— — — —

Road News

Hwy 55 closed until at least Dec 5th

photo courtesy Cougar Mountain Lodge (Smiths Ferry)

Link: to current road reports.

Profile Gap, Lick Creek, Elk Summit, Thunder Mountain and Deadwood roads may have snow. These roads have not been bladed and are rough. Travel at your own risk.
— — — —

Critters

Be Cougar Aware

A big cat has been hanging around the upper part of the village recently. Watch your small pets and do not leave food outside.

Be Bear Aware

* Do not feed them human food
* Secure your trash
* Feed domestic pets indoors
* Make sure your pets are updated on Rabies vaccines
* Small pets could become a snack

Bats

While bats are an important part of our ecosystem and most do not carry rabies, CDH offers the following tips to protect yourself and pets:
* Never touch a bat with your bare hands.
* If you have had an encounter with a bat, seek medical attention.
* If you come in contact with a bat, save the bat in a container without touching it and contact your health department to arrange testing for rabies. Whenever possible, the bat should be tested to rule out an exposure to rabies. During regular business hours in Ada, Boise and Elmore Counties, call 208-327-7499 and in Valley County, call 208-634-7194. After business hours in all counties, call 1-800-632-8000.
* Always vaccinate your pets for rabies, including horses. Pets may encounter bats outdoors or in the home.
* Bat-proof your home or cabin by plugging all holes in the siding and maintaining tight-fitting screens on windows. Bats can enter through holes the size of a quarter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine US Mail

The 3-day a week mail delivery started November 1st. The Post Office in Yellow Pine is open six days a week year around: M-F 845am-245pm Saturday 9am-245pm. Forever Stamp: 58 cents. Support our local post office and purchase your holiday stamps here.

Attention Mail Route Customers – FedEx Ground has changed their policy, and they will no longer pay for Mail Plane or Truck freight. If you can avoid it, we strongly encourage you to use UPS or USPS to receive packages. If you do order a FedEx Ground package, you will be billed for: Air Freight @ $0.45/lb, or Mail Truck Freight @ $0.05/lb. We are truly sorry this is the case, and are working very hard to make sure you still receive your orders. – Arnold Aviation
— — — —

Yellow Pine Transfer Station

Dump emptied Wednesday, Nov 17th.

Dump update October 27th: It was [last] emptied today and we are now in winter mode. When it gets fairly full we will call to have it dumped. Contact Cecil.

Locals have worked hard to clean up the area, please be respectful.

Yellow Pine Transfer Station (aka, the dump)

Please do not abuse our Transfer Station or we may lose it. Household trash must be placed in the bins, flattened cardboard boxes can also go into the bins. Do not stack trash in front of the doors. Woody yard debris only for the burn pile. No furniture, appliances, tires or construction debris allowed, those items must be hauled out to the Donnelly station by you.

The Yellow Pine Transfer Station is Valley County responsibility. If it is not kept tidy, use of the Transfer Station may be revoked. That would result in residents having to take all household trash and yard waste to the Donnelly Transfer Station.

If Dumpsters Are Full, Contact Lake Shore Disposal at: (208) 634-7176

Dump Tips

Do you know where your trash goes after it leaves Yellow Pine?

90 tons per week of Valley Co.’s solid waste comes to the Adams Co. landfill. (Valley Co. has a contract with Adams Co.) When Valley Co.’s weekly trash exceeds 90 tons, the rest is then taken to Payette. The more garbage, the more cost in transferring it further away.

Tips to reduce trash:

1. When purchasing groceries refuse plastic bags as they reek havoc at the Adams Co.’s landfill, causing problems with equipment.

2. Garbage: recyclables, compost, trash

If each household would have containers for these three categories this is the place to start.

– B. Dixon
———-

Local Groups

YPWUA News:

We are still under a Boil Order. Please conserve water.

Oct 11, 2021 Water Update

Warren Drake has been in this week and shut down the summer tank, took samples, and spent time on the winter drip points. He built a small, insulated box from pressure treated wood, around each [trickle] point that will allow better winter access, make it so [he] can use each point for sampling, and also ensure that things don’t freeze.

DRINKING WATER WARNING October 11, 2021
Yellow Pine Water Users PWS 4430059 BOIL WATER ADVISORY Due to insufficient treatment
We routinely monitor the conditions in the drinking water distribution system. On 4-19-2020 we experienced a period of insufficient treatment due to extreme water demand which exceeded the capacity of the treatment system. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do?
* DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
* Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
* The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
What is being done?
Efforts are under way to curtail water use. Once water use is diminished, the water treatment system will again be operational and the boil water order can be lifted
We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 180 days.
For more information, please contact Warren at 208-573-6261 or wdrake @ drakediversified.com
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Yellow Pine Water Users Assoc.
PWS ID #: 4430059 Date distributed: 10-11-21.
—

YPWUA 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting July 4, 2021 at the Community Hall at 10am. Link: to 20210704 YPWUA minutes
YPWUA 2020 Annual Shareholder Meeting held July 5, 2020 at the Community Hall 2pm. link: to 20200705 YPWUA minutes

Water Board:
Steve Holloway
Willie Sullivan
Dawn Brown
Stu Edwards
Candy Hardisty
— — — —

VYPA News:

Sept 11, 2021 – VYPA Meeting minutes link: (see document at link for attachments)
Aug 14, 2021 VYPA Meeting Canceled (lack of quorum.)
July 10, 2021 VYPA meeting minutes link:
June 12, 2021 VYPA Meeting Minutes link:

VYPA Meetings are the 2nd Saturday of June, July, August, and September at 2:00pm at the Community Hall.

Village Council members:
Deb Filler, Chairman
Josh Jones, Vice Chairman
Ronda Rogers, Treasurer
Hailey Harris, Secretary
Rhonda Egbert, Member at Large

VYPA Bylaws adopted 8/8/2020 (link)
YPAC Corp Bylaws (link)
— — — —

YPFD News:

If you have an emergency, please call 911.
—

To Yellow Pine Residents and Visitors,

November 28, 2021

Should you need to reach the Fire Chief please call my cell 208 738-7986 or the Tavern 208 633-2233 or 911.

If I am out of town, please notify any of those folks who have attended one of our Winter Structure Fire Response Plan Training Sessions held Oct. 17 and Oct 31. Specifically Mike or Cindy Fortin 208 633-2371, Josh Jones 208 633-3300 or Clint Limbaugh 208 685-9589. They will give the appropriate response in my absence.

For liability reasons, specifically if a non-registered and trained volunteer gets injured or causes an injury, or damages any equipment, our insurance will be null and void and the individual will be held personally and financially responsible. So anyone who is not a registered volunteer, and has not attended our training session must not use the Fire Department equipment. You will be trespassing if you do. Cascade Fire Department is also qualified and authorized to use the equipment. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer and you have a valid drivers license you may fill out an application for the “Yellow Pine Fire District Volunteer Firefighter“ located at the Tavern or the Store and see if Mike or Cindy or Josh or Clint could familiarize you to the current location and use of the Fire Department Equipment. Thanks for your understanding.

Your Fire Chief,
Lorinne N. Munn
—

Hopeless Point After Action Report

Date 11/08/21 Version 1.0 YPFPD Distribution

This After-Action Report (AAR) was created by interviewing volunteers and professional LEO’s that were on site, to capture their experiences and observations. I did not interview Tim Rogers, Ron Basabe, Josh Jones and Hailey Harris as this had already been done by Deb Filler. The people I interviewed for this AAR include the following:

Marshall Haynes, IDFG LEO
Dean Hickman, USFS LEO
Willie Sullivan, YPFPD Responder
Merrill Saleen, YPFPD Deputy Fire Chief
Nikki Saleen, Logistics Expert
Jeff Forster, Rescue Response Expert
Cindy Fortin, Experienced Fire and Rescue Background

Their input has been captured and integrated with Deb Filler’s report to recreate the approximate timeline and the actions that took place during the rescue response.

Phil Jensen
District 2 Fire Commissioner
Yellow Pine Fire Protection District
Link: to full report “Hopeless Point Consolidated AAR Draft.docx”
—

Chimney cleaning brushes are available to borrow from the YPFD.

Sept 11, 2021 YPFD Budget meeting (no minutes yet.)
Aug 28, 2021 – YPFD Meeting to discuss upcoming election (no minutes yet.)
July 10, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
June 12, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:
May 15, 2021 – YPFD Meeting Minutes. Link:

Sept 30, 2020 YPFD budget meeting. (No minutes yet.)

Also if you are burning any piles of forest litter and debris – please have a connected and charged garden hose that can reach your piles. If your hose cannot reach where you are burning, follow the good advice of having a shovel, axe, and water bucket at the scene. Rake away from anything that could ignite. Stop burning if winds become an issue. Make sure your fire is out before you leave the area. Nothing like getting surprised by an escaped fire in the middle of the night!

Better yet, “Rake It and Take It” your yard waste (limbs, pine needles, brush, etc.) to the burn pile at the Transfer Station on the south end of the turn-around. Remember, keep the pile neat. Woody debris only, no nails, no cardboard and no furniture! The Boise NF will burn the pile in the fall when it is safe.

Yellow Pine Fire Protection District Community Service Notice
The purpose of this letter is to show how you as a Yellow Pine Resident can help protect your structure against a wildland fire by being “Fire Wise.” Click the link: to view 20190724 Yellow Pine Fire Protection mitigation

Valley County Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
A wildfire evacuation checklist that property owners in the Yellow Pine area might find useful. link: Valley County Evacuation Checklist – 2021

YPFD COVID19 Policy
link: YPFD Covid-19 SOP
link: Covid-19 EMS

Fire Chief: Lorinne Munn
Deputy Fire Chief: Merrill Saleen
YP Fire Commissioners:
Lorinne Munn – District 1
Phil Jensen – District 2
Merrill Saleen – District 3
Secretary/Treasurer – Nikki Saleen
——–

Biz Listings:

The Corner (208) 633-3325
Closed
— — — —

Yellow Pine Tavern (208) 633-2233
Winter Hours at the Tavern
Open Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat: 9am-2pm 4pm-8pm
Open Sunday 9am-2pm
Closed Tues & Thurs
Call the Tavern 208 633-2233 or Cell 208 739-7086 for other arrangements
Full Breakfast Menu. Burgers, Pizza, Fajitas, Beer Wine and Pop
— — — —

Yellow Pine Lodge (208) 633-3377
Closed for the winter.
— — — —

Yellow Pine General Store (208) 633-3300
Store hours: 10am to 5pm, Monday – Sunday. Gas and Diesel now available. The Liquor Store is now reinstated. Now Selling Black Rifle Coffee.
The store is stocked with basic convenience store items such as food, fuel, liquor, beer, wine, tobacco, ice, non alcoholic beverages, snacks, ice cream. New Yellow Pine branded shirts, hats and koozies have arrived. We are going through the process of installing a propane dispenser and bottle exchange service.
For any particular store item requests, please call 208-633-3300 or Email
For room reservations, please call 208-633-3300 or Email for reservations
— — — —

Murph’s RV Park and Mary’s Cabins
FB page link
— — — —

Knotty Kat Crochet Works – 509-406-2221
FB page link
open Tue – Sat, 9-5
Yellow Pine eggs $3/doz
— — — —

Buck Horn Outfitters LLC 208-633-3614
Our Elk & Deer hunts are booked for our 2021 season, we do have a couple openings for our 2022 Elk & Deer hunts. We Also have a couple openings for Mountain Lion hunts December 2021 through February 2022 and Spring Bear hunts May of 2022. Please see our Website site for further details.
Tom & Sarah Lanham
156 Yellow Pine Ave, Yellow Pine Id 83677
website:
Facebook:

Wapiti Meadow Ranch – Johnson Creek (208) 633-3217
or 208-315-3554 – cabin rentals
website:

Big Creek Lodge
website:

Deadwood Outfitters
website:
— — — —

Local Fuel Suppliers

Amerigas Phone: (208) 452-4361
Ed Staub & Sons Phone: (208) 634-3833
Diamond Fuel & Feed Phone: (208) 382-4430
— — — —

Outside Biz that will service Yellow Pine:

Arnold Aviation (208) 382-4844
Watkins Pharmacy Cascade (208) 382-4204
Cascade Auto (208) 382-4224
Cascade Vet Clinic (208) 382-4590

The Star-News

click to subscribe:
A reminder that those who live in other states can subscribe to the online edition only since the mail can take days for hard copy to reach them.

Rocky Mountain Mechanical – Plumbing – Heating – Air conditioning
(208) 365-PIPE (7473), Emmett, will service Yellow Pine
Website:

Garden Mountain Contractors
We would like to extend our services into the Yellow Pine area if there may be a need. We dig a lot of dirt! If you need this give us a shout on our FB page below. – Larry Williamson Garden Valley, Idaho FB Page:
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Follow The Yellow Pine Times on Facebook (updated more often than emails)
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Local Observations:

Monday (Nov 22) overnight low of 18 degrees. This morning almost clear, cold and frosty. Jays and pine squirrel visiting. Mostly clear at lunch time and warming up. Warm, mostly clear and light breeze mid-afternoon, high of 51 degrees. Rosy glow to the west at dusk, mostly clear and calm. Looked mostly clear before midnight.

Tuesday (Nov 23) 24 hour low of 18 degrees from Monday morning. This morning big fat flakes of snow falling and low foggy overcast. Pine squirrel, downy woodpecker and a goldfinch in winter plumage visiting. Rain/snow mix after lunch time for a short while, then back to snow. Low foggy overcast (socked in) mid-afternoon and light snow falling (3/8″ so far) and high of 33 degrees. Still snowing at dusk. Not snowing before midnight. Broken clouds after midnight.

Wednesday (Nov 24) overnight low of 17 degrees, yesterday’s snow total 1.5″ (SWE=0.09″). This morning mostly clear sky. Pine squirrel and jays visiting. Mail truck was a little late (came in via South Fork.) Mostly clear and above freezing after lunch time. Mostly clear sky (some haze and a few clouds) mid-afternoon with a chilly breeze and temperature dropping quickly, high of 39 degrees. Likely mostly clear just before full dark. Looked clear before midnight.

Thursday (Nov 25) overnight low of 13 degrees. This morning partly hazy sky, snow depth ranges from 0″ to 1.5″. Heard a flicker calling, pine squirrel and jays visiting. Mostly cloudy by lunch time. Overcast and above freezing mid-afternoon, high of 43 degrees. Looked mostly clear before dusk, cold breeze and just above freezing.

Friday (Nov 26) 24 hour low of 19 degrees from Thursday morning. This morning above freezing and overcast. Pine squirrel yelling from the trees, jays visiting. Light snow fell around 11am for a short time, no accumulation. Gray overcast and light chilly breeze mid-afternoon, high of 39 degrees. Looked mostly clear at dusk, still above freezing. Looked cloudy before midnight.

Saturday (Nov 27) overnight low of 27 degrees. This morning above freezing, overcast and patches of old snow on the ground. Pine squirrel, a hairy and a downy woodpecker and jays visiting. Mostly cloudy at lunch time. Broken overcast mid-afternoon and snow melting, high of 44 degrees. Cloudy and not too cold yet by dusk. Looked cloudy and still above freezing before midnight. Rain during the night.

Sunday (Nov 28) 24 hour low of 33 degrees. Trace of rain in the gauge. This morning mostly cloudy. Pine squirrel chasing a hairy woodpecker, jays and a downy woodpecker visiting. Mostly cloudy at lunch time. Warm with chilly breezes and broken overcast mid-afternoon, high of 54 degrees. Mostly cloudy at dusk (lots of pink), and light breeze.
——————-

Idaho News:

ID55 slide was in finished section

Highway at Smith Ferry closed at least through Monday

By Max Silverson The Star-News November 24, 2021

The rockslide that closed Idaho 55 at Smith Ferry was on a section of a construction project that had been finished, the Idaho Transportation Department said.

The highway at the slide will remain closed at least through Monday at the project, which is straightening curves on a section of Idaho 55 north of Smith Ferry.

On Sunday, crews began work to remove boulders and mud from the hillside and build a temporary rock wall about 20 feet tall and 500 feet long, Idaho Transportation Department Chief Communication Officer Vince Trimboli said.

“Once the wall is built to reinforce the slope, a temporary road will be constructed around the slide to safely allow traffic,” Trimboli said.

The goal is to clear the road as soon as possible while ensuring the safety of construction workers and the public, he said.

A scheduled closure from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. last Thursday was in effect when the slide came down, Trimboli said.

Crews were not working in the area when the slide occurred and no one was injured, he said.

The slide was about 250 feet long and extended about 200 feet up the slope from the road and was estimated to be contain between 30,000 and 50,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt, Trimboli said.

No trigger for the rockslide had been identified as of this week.

“It was ready to go,” Trimboli said of the completed section. “Obviously Mother Nature had other ideas.”

U.S. 95 is the only alternate route around the slide area until the temporary road is built.

The two-year project focuses on straightening and improving about a mile of road between Smiths Ferry and the Rainbow Bridge.

The slide occurred on a hillside just south of the site of a rockslide that closed the same section of road for 10 days in March. That slide was caused by a large rock that broke loose.

Last week’s slide was larger and on a less stable hillside made up of sand, dirt, cobblestones, boulders and decomposed granite, Trimboli said.

The area where the March rockslide came down has since been secured with dozens of anchors drilled into the rock face.

The section where last week’s slide occurred is too loose to effectively secure anchors or install protective metal netting, he said.

Anchors and protective netting have been installed where possible throughout the project and rocks and boulders that could tumble onto the roadway were removed.

About 178,000 cubic yards of rock has been excavated in the project so far.

Trimboli was confident that the slide would not delay the project’s scheduled completion in Fall 2022.

The project is about 60% completed with seven of nine cliffside excavations almost completed.

Construction had been scheduled to be suspended for the winter in December.

source: © Copyright 2009-2021 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. All rights reserved (used with permission.)
— — — —

Highway 55 closure impacting nearby businesses: ‘It’s basically shut our businesses down’

After a rockslide near Smiths Ferry, Highway 55 is closed through at least November 29.

Shirah Matsuzawa November 24, 2021

As many people hit the road to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones — or just get away for a long weekend — here’s a reminder: because of a recent rockslide near Smiths Ferry, Highway 55 will remain closed through at least Monday, November 29.

“It’s an inconvenience for travelers from the valley to come up to Cascade or McCall,” said Patrick Willis, the owner of Cougar Mountain Lodge.

Willis told KTVB it’s a lot more than just an inconvenience for the people who live or work in the area, like himself. To get to Smiths Ferry from Cascade, he has to go north on 55 instead of south, then head down U.S. 95 from New Meadows toward the Treasure Valley before heading back up 55 to Smiths Ferry.

“For me to come to work, it adds 200 miles onto my commute that would normally be 17 miles,” Willis said.

continued:
— —

Hwy 55 Update #7: 3:30 P.M. 11/28/2021

Idaho State Highway 55 between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road will remain closed another seven to 10 days depending on weather. Construction crews made significant progress today (November 29) shoring up the rockslide area near the Rainbow Bridge about 20 miles south of Cascade, Idaho.

The crews completed construction of a rock structure, known as a buttress, approximately 20 feet tall and 400 feet long to stabilize the base of the slide. The next step is to remove slide debris, install drainage systems above the buttress and widen the roadway to two lanes before the winter.

“We have made very good progress and stabilized the slide area. This allows crews to remove excess rock from the hillside and begin building a two way road around the slide area,” said Jason Brinkman, ITD District 3 Engineering Manager. “Our goal is to finish the work as quickly as possible while also focusing on both the safety of the construction team and the public once the road reopens.”

Until the highway is reopened, travelers can use U.S. Highway 95 as an alternate route.

The public can receive direct project updates by signing up for text or email alerts on the project website, (link), or visit Idaho 511 before leaving on a trip to learn the latest highway conditions.

— — — — — — — — — —

Valley County sees new cases increase to 27 in week

By Tom Grote The Star-News November 24, 2021

New cases of COVID-19 in Valley County increased in the last week as reported by the county’s two hospitals.

A total of 27 new cases were reported for the week by St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center. That compares to 11 new cases reported the previous week and nine new cases the prior week.

The two hospitals have reported 1,616 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020. That is a reduction from the total reported last week due to a change in reporting methods by St. Luke’s McCall.

A total of 11 deaths confirmed from COVID-19 and two probable deaths from the virus have been reported among Valley County residents, according to Central District Health.

Clinics & Tests

Cascade Medical Center will hold a vaccination event from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Cascade American Legion Hall.

The clinic will provide the Moderna vaccine as well as booster shots for those over age 18 who received their second dose of the Moderna vaccine more than six months ago.

Also offered will be the Pfizer vaccine for youths age 5 to 11.

St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine is offering the Pfizer vaccine for youths age 5 to 11 by appointments through MyChart.

Parents should create a MyChart for eligible children and set up proxy access. Instructions are available at stlukesonline.org.

Appointments also can be made by calling St. Luke’s Connect at 208-381-9500.

St. Luke’s McCall and Cascade Medical Center have take-home COVID-19 tests available. The saliva-based test offers results for COVID-19 in two to three days.

The tests can be picked up at the main entrance to St. Luke’s McCall at 1000 State St. in McCall or at the clinic at Cascade Medical Center at 402 Lake Cascade Pkwy in Cascade.

St. Luke’s McCall offers walk-in COVID-19 vaccines for adults age 18 and older for initial doses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at St. Luke’s Clinics – Payette Lakes Family Medicine, 211 Forest Street, McCall.

Appointments also can be scheduled online through St. Luke’s myChart or by calling 208-381-9500 or 208-634-2225.

Booster shots only for the Pfizer vaccine are available by appointment through Payette Lakes Clinic to those who have a compromised immune system. Patients should schedule the booster shots through their MyChart account.

Cascade Medical Center offers a walk-in vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Moderna vaccine for those age 18 and older is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with the Moderna booster.

The Pfizer vaccine for those age 12 and older, is available on Wednesdays as well as the Pfizer booster.

full story:
— — — —

COVID-19 Updates: 570 new Idaho COVID-19 cases, 8 new deaths

November 24, 2021 Local News 8

Idaho officials reported 570 new COVID-19 cases and 8 new deaths Wednesday.

That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March 2020 to 305,133.

The state said 86,216 people have received one dose of a two dose series, and 206,021 people have received an additional or booster dose. 1,723,127 total doses have been administered. 854,178 people are fully vaccinated.

The age group with the most cases is 18-29 with 70,684 cases.

The state said 33 new hospitalizations have been reported bringing the total number to 13,376, and 5 new cases have been admitted to the ICU bringing the total to 2,256.

8 new deaths were reported bringing the total recorded deaths to 3,891.

full story: [Valley County 1558 cases, 13 deaths.]
— — — — — — — — — —

Cascade Medical Center Begins Planning for New Hospital

Press Release November 19, 2021 from CMC

At its November 17, 2021 board meeting, the Cascade Medical Center Trustees voted to begin planning a new healthcare campus. The existing hospital, built in 1974, is out of room, out of date, and can no longer keep up with the growing health care needs of the community. “This building has served Valley County well for half a century, but it’s too small and out-dated to take us any farther” says George Greenfield, Chairman of the CMC Board of Trustees. “The communities we serve are growing and our patients deserve a health care facility that meets the current standard of care” commented Medical Director, Dr. Ron Ellsworth.

CMC serves several thousand local residents and visitors each year. Its current facility is approximately 12,000 square feet – about half the size needed to care for its patients by today’s standards. Plans for the new facility call for a 30,000 square foot building.

Over the next few months, the hospital will work on details of the expansion. Those details will be presented to the public in various forums to obtain more input. Ultimately voters in the tax district will decide whether or not to support funding the $33 million project. If approved, the new hospital could be ready in 2025.

Until we have a new facility, our staff will continue to provide great care for our patients and community at our current Lake Cascade Parkway location.
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Cascade Medical Center – New Hospital FAQs

Why does Cascade need a new hospital?
We’re out of room. Given our current patient base and volumes – we have half the space we need to provide the medical care according to current care standards.

The existing facility is nearly 50 years old and lacks certain expected hospital features, such as in-wall medical gasses, ADA bathrooms, and a safe room. The building has electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems that cannot be readily repaired or replaced. In some cases, parts can no longer be found to fix certain issues. This creates a less-than-comfortable environment for patients and staff and makes adding new or updated medical equipment and technology much more difficult and expensive. Several areas do not have adequate ventilation, heating and cooling, making climate control a frustration for patients and staff alike.

Why not do a renovation and small expansion at the current hospital now?
Renovation and expansion in a hospital setting is expensive and disruptive to patient care. A hospital must be able to maintain 24×7 operations to serve its community, honor its license granted by CMS and the State of Idaho, and meet its mission. Closing during construction is not an option. Any money spent prolonging the life of the current hospital hampers our ability to prepare a new campus that will serve our community for future generations.

Why can’t the current hospital be renovated?
Much of the current facility was constructed in such a way that replacing critical infrastructure simply cannot be done, short of demolition. Known asbestos content makes demolition more difficult. The cost and disruption of renovating the existing buildings make a new facility, in a new location, a much better option for our community.

Adding a new building on the same site is not feasible due to our limited space (2.6 acres split down the middle by a public road). With required set-backs, there is simply not enough space to expand or build a hospital large enough to meet the community’s needs beyond 10 years. Even parking is a problem, with only 40 spaces which are further reduced when snow piles up.

What are the biggest problems with the current facility?
CMC simply does not have enough space to meet the needs and demand for medical services at current health care standards. CMC operates in a space that is approximately HALF of what is needed to meet patient needs – and that doesn’t even consider future growth which our community is already experiencing. Climate control in each season is a big frustration. Even concrete is beginning to break down. Basic accessibility requirements are not met, including public stair and ramp slope and ADA bathroom requirements. There are other issues with plumbing and electrical systems that are simply not sustainable. The use of multiple outbuildings is inefficient.

Why do we have to move the location of the hospital?
In 2020, CMC hired Wipfli to assess the ability of our existing hospital to meet the community’s needs. (Wipfli is an independent company with expertise in strategic planning and financial auditing of rural hospitals.) Over several months they conducted detailed audits and interviews to reach an opinion in a 76 page report. In summary, Wipfli concluded that “The existing site is extremely constrained and expansion zones are limited by topography and the public street; any growth will displace parking which is already tight on campus. The existing site cannot accommodate needed expansion to serve the hospital over the next 10+ years.”

The existing hospital seems just fine, why change it?
Our incredible hospital and clinic staff has done a great job providing high quality medical care in this building for several decades. They continue to do so today but it is becoming more and more difficult as health care changes and our community grows. In its facility assessment, Wipfli stated that there are “major facility and operational issues.” Departmental space issues and challenges were documented in every single department. Even with renovation, we are simply bursting at the seams.

How much space is needed to build a new hospital?
The existing hospital sits on 1.6 acres, with an adjacent helipad and empty lot of 0.6 acres separated by a public street (Lefever Drive). Wipfli recommends at least 10-15 acres for new Critical Access Hospitals to allow for growth and expansion. Currently at 12,000 square feet, the new hospital needs to be roughly double that size to meet TODAY’s needs, with the ability to expand further to meet the future needs of our community and support the growing retirement and tourism activity.

Where will the new hospital be located?
We are still finalizing that decision. The new location will be in or near the City of Cascade so that we can continue to serve our current community while positioning ourselves to care for an ever growing population who desire to receive health care close to home.

Why do we have to do this now?
The process for planning, funding, and building a new hospital takes years. By starting now, we can open the new hospital in 2025. The current facility will be over 50 years old by then and its mechanical systems will be at their limit. Waiting will require further renovation and replacement of equipment and systems which will nickel and dime the health district and its tax payers while only postponing the inevitable replacement of the medical center. We are already seeing accelerating growth in the area and new residential developments are coming on line from Clear Creek to Donnelly and from Cascade to Tamarack. Improved access to the area once the canyon’s road construction is complete will create even more interest in our area by the time the new hospital opens in 4 years.

Why not sell out to one of the large health systems and have them pay for expansion?
In 2020, Cascade Medical Center polled its community and received over 400 responses. Two-thirds of those surveyed asked that we remain independent. While we enjoy excellent relationships with other health providers, including St. Luke’s, Saint Al’s, and the University of Utah, independence has its advantages. As an autonomous provider owned by the taxpayers, we can be laser-focused on the needs of the people who live in our area. We get to make decisions and invest in resources that make the most sense for people living in the west central mountains. Our local control allows us to move quickly and make decisions locally.

Why not simply rely on the medical facilities in McCall?
Having local access to health care is an important quality of a vibrant community. Without Cascade Medical Center, many of our patients would need to drive another 15 to 30 miles to see a provider or receive physical therapy. For time sensitive emergencies, having a local hospital with 24×7 ER service is literally a life saver. Our patients enjoy receiving care close to home and continuing their care relationship with our providers to maintain wellness and improve their quality of life.

Will the new hospital offer additional services?
The primary goal is to assure continuity of existing services: primary care, family medicine, 24×7 emergency care, inpatient and rehabilitative services, mental health, and physical therapy. A larger footprint will allow us to consider new services, including specialties like cardiology, eye care, foot care, dermatology, urology, ENT, and digestive health. We will continue to look for ways to serve our local communities so they can receive as much health care locally as possible.

What is the current financial status of the hospital?
The hospital has achieved a positive bottom line each year for the past 5 years. This is the result of prudent financial management, public support of the medical center through property taxes, and partnership with the hospital’s Foundation and Auxiliary. This solid financial standing will help CMC secure bond or loan funding at attractive interest rates to support construction of the new hospital and clinic.

How many people are seen in the Clinic annually, and where do they come from?
Our volumes have been growing steadily. From 2018 through 2020, the family medicine clinic saw an average of 5,275 patients each year and this year we saw over 5,500 patients. Approximately 70% of our family medicine patients live in Cascade, 10% in Donnelly, 10% in McCall, and 10% from other communities. In addition, almost all of Cascade’s 4,000 plus physical therapy sessions this year were with patients who live locally.

How many residents are treated annually in the current hospital’s emergency room, and where do they come from?
The CMC ER treats 1,400 patients per year, of whom 56% live in Cascade, 25% in the Boise area, and 8% from other Valley County communities. The remaining 11% live elsewhere in Idaho or out of state.

How is the emergency department staffed?
The ER is staffed 24×7 by board-certified Physicians and Physician Assistants. A new hospital facility will provide the environment and appeal needed to retain providers and support staff as well as recruit additional health professionals as we grow.

How much will the new hospital cost?
The entire project is estimated at $33 million. To be on the safe side, we have included over $6 million in contingency and inflation factors in that amount, given the uncertainty of the economic and construction trades environment. The Board is forming a project management committee that will examine project details and dig deeper into the budget in order to validate these preliminary estimates.

How will we pay for it?
Hospitals routinely face the challenge of renovating, expanding, and replacing their infrastructure. As an independent Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic, Cascade has several good options. Federal agencies such as USDA have programs specifically to support hospital building projects. A combination of public and private loans and grants will be sought in addition to the operating funds surplus that the hospital has been able to accumulate over time. The hospital’s Foundation is readying a capital campaign to raise funds. Finally, a temporary property tax increase will be requested of voters to help service the debt necessary to build a new hospital.

How much will this add to my taxes?
This is still being determined. Over the next few months, we will narrow our funding options, which will then tell us how much help we need from property owners.

Will the projects generate new jobs?
In addition to short-term construction jobs, the new medical center is projected to increase the hospital’s workforce as we add new capacity and services.

What accommodations have been made for future pandemics or large-scale community disruptions?
The new hospital is being planned and designed with the capability to quickly convert beds to handle a higher number of inpatients, with rooms that provide negative pressure systems when the need exists. Emergency power systems will also be available in both the hospital and clinic, allowing for ongoing needs without interruption.

What would happen to the old hospital facility?
There are a range of possibilities for the future use of that property, but nothing has been decided. While it is out of date as a hospital, the building and grounds can be repurposed in many ways once the medical center moves into its new home.

Was a needs assessment conducted in considering a new hospital and clinic?
Thorough market and financial assessments were conducted, as well as a space analysis based on current use and future projections of patient volume. The proposed sites under consideration are being carefully studied by an experienced healthcare architectural firm based on factors such as access, topography, helipad location, zoning, building orientation, parking, site amenities, traffic, neighborhood, and environmental issues.

How long will construction take?
If voters approve the project in May, the new medical center could open in 2025.

Why should I support this if I don’t use the hospital?
The medical care provided for our growing communities should be considered in the same light as police, fire, schools, parks, public infrastructure and other essential services that are supported by tax dollars. Even if you don’t personally use such services, they are necessary and valuable. Maintaining a state of the art medical facility is key to improving public health, retaining local talent, and growing our economic base. Our medical facilities are available 24×7, to everyone.
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Tamarack winter operations ‘on hold’ pending more mountain snow

By Meredith Spelbring Nov 24, 2021 KIVI

Full Tamarack Resort winter operations are “on hold” until the mountain gets more snow.

The Resort will delay the official season kickoff and full opening until more snow arrives, according to a news release. Officials at the resort will evaluate the snow conditions on a weekly basis to determine when the full mountain will open.

Snow making at the base of the mountain will allow the Discovery Chair to open free to the public Nov. 26-28. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and guests can pick up their free ticket at Tamarack Outfitters skier services area, according to the release.

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Public Lands:

Payette National Forest Seeking Comments on Plans for Three Recreation Projects

McCall, ID, November 23, 2021 – The Payette National Forest is seeking public input on three recreation projects near McCall, Idaho on the McCall Ranger District. Comments are requested by January 3, 2022. Information about each project, as well as on how to provide input, can be found below.

Bear Basin Area Trails The Forest is reviewing existing routes in order to designate a sustainable trail system in the Bear Basin area which is approximately 3 miles west of McCall. Currently 5.6 miles of unauthorized trail are proposed to be added to the National Forest Trail system with two small reroutes of approximately 0.3 miles. Additionally, as part of this process, unauthorized routes not identified to become part of the National Forest Service Trail system would be decommissioned. Decommissioning could include between approximately 3 and 8 miles of unauthorized routes. More information can be found on the project webpage: (link)

Payette Lake Trail – East Side The Forest is considering a request from Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association to construct a 3.2-mile non-motorized trail on the east side of Payette Lake. Approximately 0.7 mile of this trail would be located on National Forest System lands, with the remainder on state endowment lands managed by Idaho Department of Lands. The trail would connect the Silver Gate Road with the Fall Creek Loop Trail (#107). More information can be found on the project webpage: (link)

Little Ski Hill Lighting Improvements The Forest is reviewing a request from Payette Lakes Ski Club to install additional lighting at Little Ski Hill on the Outback and Race Run trails, as well as on lower slopes in front of the lodge. In total, 40 new, 25-foot light poles and 65 new light fixtures would be installed. This project would double the area currently available for night skiing at Little Ski Hill to 30 acres. More information can be found on the project webpage: (link)

How to Comment These projects are being considered under categorical exclusions from detailed analysis (36 CFR 220.6). There are no additional designated public comment periods for categorical exclusions; therefore this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. A webform comment link can be found on each of the project websites.
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USDA Forest Service Payette Lake Trail – East Side Update

Nov 23, 2021

The McCall Ranger District is considering a request from the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association to construct a 3.2-mile non-motorized trail on the east side of Payette Lake. Approximately 0.7 mile of this trail would be located on National Forest System lands, with the remainder on state endowment lands managed by Idaho Department of Lands. The trail would connect the Silver Gate Road with the Fall Creek Loop Trail (#107).

This project would be categorically excluded from documentation under 36 CFR 220.6(e)(1). As a categorical exclusion, there are no additional designated public comment periods so this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. Comments are requested by January 3, 2022. More information, including a map of the proposal and webform comment link, can be found on the project website: (link)
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USDA Forest Service Little Ski Hill Lighting Update

Nov 23, 2021

Payette Lakes Ski Club has proposed to install additional lighting at Little Ski Hill on the Outback and Race Run trails, as well as on lower slopes in front of the lodge. In total, 40 new, 25-foot light poles and 65 new light fixtures would be installed. This project would double the area currently available for night skiing at Little Ski Hill to a total of 30 acres.

This project would be categorically excluded from documentation under 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3). As a categorical exclusion, there are no additional designated public comment periods so this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. Comments are requested by January 3, 2022. More information, including a map of the proposal and webform comment link, can be found on the project website: (link)
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USDA Forest Service Lucky Ben Road Access Update

Nov 23, 2021

The Payette National Forest is considering permitting the owner of two private parcels approximately 2 miles west of Warren in Idaho County, Idaho, to construct approximately 550 feet of new road, and to maintain and use approximately 1 mile of existing routes on the National Forest that are not open for general public use, to access their inholdings. Construction and maintenance would include improving drainage on the existing routes and new construction would be in accordance with applicable Forest Service engineering standards. Additionally, a redundant unauthorized route along a tributary to Arlise Creek would be decommissioned to improve watershed conditions. The term of the permit would be 20 years.

The purpose of this project is to respond to a permit application for long-term motorized access across National Forest System (NFS) lands. The project is being evaluated as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act as provided in 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3) – Approval, modification, or consideration of special uses that require less than 20 acres of National Forest System lands.

As a categorical exclusion there are no additional designated public comment periods for this project so this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. Comments are requested by January 3, 2022, and may be submitted via the project webpage at: (link)
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USDA Forest Service Bear Basin Area Trails Update

Nov 23, 2021

The Payette National Forest is reviewing existing routes in order to designate a sustainable trail system in the Bear Basin area located approximately 3 miles west of McCall. Currently 5.6 miles of unauthorized trail are proposed to be added to the National Forest Trail system with two small reroutes of approximately 0.3 miles. Additionally, as part of this process, unauthorized routes not identified to become part of the National Forest Service Trail system would be decommissioned. Decommissioning could include between approximately 3 and 8 miles of unauthorized routes. More information can be found on the project webpage: (link)

This project would be categorically excluded from detailed analysis under 36 CFR 220.6(e)(1) and (e)(20). As a categorical exclusion, there are no additional designated public comment periods so this “scoping” phase is the best opportunity for public input. Information on how to comment can be found on the project website.
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Critter News:

Idaho creates chronic wasting disease management zone

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will allow emergency hunts to kill up to 1,000 deer to determine the extent of the disease.

Associated Press November 23, 2021 (KTVB)

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has designated a chronic wasting disease management zone in north-central Idaho, allowing hunts to kill up to 1,000 deer to determine the extent of the disease.

The Lewiston Tribune reports that the decision Monday allows Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever to establish the emergency hunts that will target a mix of whitetails and mule deer of both sexes.

Planning for the hunts is in progress. The hunts are designed to help wildlife officials determine the prevalence and geographic area of the disease. The hunts aren’t intended to contain the disease, though the commission could in the future authorize such hunts.

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Fish and Game News:

Fish and Game officers seek information about a wasted elk near Anderson Ranch Dam

By Terry Thompson, Regional Communications Manager
Monday, November 22, 2021

Conservation Officer’s seek the public’s help in learning more about a wasted cow elk near Anderson Ranch Dam.

On the morning of November 12, 2021 Fish and Game officers received a tip through the Citizens Against Poaching hotline of a wasted cow elk. The elk, which was left intact, was found approximately 40 feet off Anderson Ranch Dam Road in Unit 44 approximately half a mile south of the 134c Forest Service road.

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DHW, Fish and Game officials urge caution after Chronic Wasting Disease found in Idaho deer

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Hunters are encouraged to have their deer, elk or moose tested for CWD

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Idaho Fish and Game are encouraging hunters to take precautions when handling deer, elk or moose due to recent detection of Chronic Wasting Disease. Fish and Game announced the first detection of Chronic Wasting Disease in Idaho in two mule deer taken by hunters during October.

CWD is a fatal disease caused by a prion, a type of infectious protein, that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose. The prion protein is primarily in certain tissues in the animal, including eye, brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes. Animals may not appear ill early in the infection.

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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) are different, and here’s how they differ

By Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
Tuesday, November 23, 2021

The EHD outbreak that occurred over summer and fall has likely ended, CWD has been detected for the first time in Idaho

Idaho had an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) during summer, mostly in white-tailed deer in the Clearwater and Panhandle areas. The EHD outbreak killed deer throughout the summer and fall. Idaho Fish and Game also received positive tests for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) from two mule deer bucks taken by hunters in Unit 14 north of Riggins during October. These were the first CWD-positive animals ever detected in Idaho. These are two separate and unrelated diseases.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal and contagious disease that affects the nervous systems of deer, elk, moose and reindeer. CWD is believed to be caused by abnormal, misfolded forms of the prion protein accumulating within brain cells, which causes progressive damage to those cells and brain damage.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, to date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infecting people. However, hunters are encouraged to have their animals tested for CWD, and not consume any animal that tests positive for CWD.

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MK Nature Center’s Holiday Bird Seed Sale is Dec. 3-4

By Connor Liess, Public Information Specialist
Tuesday, November 23, 2021

The MK Nature Center will host its 15th annual bird seed sale on Dec. 3 and 4. Come and stock up on food for your favorite backyard birds. Proceeds from this event benefit educational programs and day-to-day operations at the MK Nature Center.

High-quality bird seed, including black-oil sunflower, dove and quail mix, nyjer thistle and other varieties are provided through partnership with Wild Birds Unlimited of Boise. Wild Birds Unlimited is a long-time supporter of this event, helping make sure that the bird seed sale is one of the nature center’s most successful and popular fundraisers.

The MK Nature Center Gift Shop will have many nature-themed holiday items for purchase. Come check out these items for the nature lover on your holiday gift list.

COVID-19 Procedures: We are encouraging everyone to wear a mask.

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More F&G News Releases

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Crazy Critter Stuff:

The Cincinnati Zoo is at it again with a load of Fiona cuteness!

In an adorable video posted to Facebook, Fiona swam along with her mother in playful gestures as they bobbed in and out of the water.

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Baby Hippo Fiona’s Year 4 Highlights

Cincinnati Zoo

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Seasonal Humor:

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Hwy 55 Update Nov 28, 2021

Hwy 55 Update #7: 3:30 P.M. 11/28/2021

Idaho State Highway 55 between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road will remain closed another seven to 10 days depending on weather. Construction crews made significant progress today (November 29) shoring up the rockslide area near the Rainbow Bridge about 20 miles south of Cascade, Idaho.

The crews completed construction of a rock structure, known as a buttress, approximately 20 feet tall and 400 feet long to stabilize the base of the slide. The next step is to remove slide debris, install drainage systems above the buttress and widen the roadway to two lanes before the winter.

“We have made very good progress and stabilized the slide area. This allows crews to remove excess rock from the hillside and begin building a two way road around the slide area,” said Jason Brinkman, ITD District 3 Engineering Manager. “Our goal is to finish the work as quickly as possible while also focusing on both the safety of the construction team and the public once the road reopens.”

Until the highway is reopened, travelers can use U.S. Highway 95 as an alternate route.

The public can receive direct project updates by signing up for text or email alerts on the project website, itdprojects.org/id55smithsferry, or visit Idaho 511 before leaving on a trip to learn the latest highway conditions.

Air Stagnation Advisory Nov 26 to Dec 1

Air Stagnation Advisory Nov 26, 1125am to Dec 1, 11am

Yellow Pine Forecast

Saturday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Light north wind.

Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Air Stagnation Advisory

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Boise ID
1125 AM MST Fri Nov 26 2021

West Central Mountains-Lower Treasure Valley ID-
Upper Treasure Valley-Upper Weiser River-Harney County-
Baker County-Malheur County-Oregon Lower Treasure Valley-
1125 AM MST Fri Nov 26 2021 /1025 AM PST Fri Nov 26 2021/

...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST /10 AM PST/
WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...An extended period of stagnant air, with light winds
  and little vertical mixing.

* WHERE...Portions of northeast and southeast Oregon and
  southwest and west central Idaho.

* WHEN...Until 11 AM MST /10 AM PST/ Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Periods of air stagnation can lead to the buildup of
  pollutants near the surface.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...This product concerns itself with
  meteorological conditions, not pollution. If pollution worsens,
  state DEQ`s will issue air quality information.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If possible, reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to
air pollution, such as outdoor burning, and the use of
residential wood burning devices.  Reduce vehicle trips and
vehicle idling as much as possible.  Check with local agencies
for possible restrictions in your area.

Hwy 55 Update Nov 24, 2021

Hwy 55 UPDATE #6: 1:30 P.M. 11/24/2021

Crews are making progress on the rock wall to secure the rockslide on SH-55 near Smiths Ferry. The road is still anticipated to be closed through at least Nov. 29. Please note that US-95 is the alternative route for this closure. For safety, local roads are restricted to non-local drivers.

ITD appreciates your patience and understanding during this holiday weekend as crews work to restore service of the highway. If you do travel for Thanksgiving, remember to check 511 for the latest road conditions, give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, and drive well

Hwy 55 Update Nov 23, 2021

Hwy 55 UPDATE #5: 1:30 P.M. 11/23/2021

Despite winter weather rolling through Idaho, work continues to secure the rockslide on State Highway 55 near Smiths Ferry. The road will remain closed through Thanksgiving weekend, at least November 29. Please plan ahead to use US-95 as the alternate route for your holiday travels.