Please heed warnings to stay off the Middle Snake River! State authorities are working to contain, eradicate quagga mussel larvae

Quagga mussels coat a boat propeller in Utah 

Hi all, 

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has confirmed the presence of quagga mussel larvae in the Middle Snake area between Shoshone Falls and the Centennial Waterfront Park below the Perrine Bridge. These findings mark the first time a rapid response plan has been put into action to eliminate quagga mussels discovered in Idaho waters.

This is something we all hoped would never happen. Like other Idaho boaters, I've been dutifully purchasing my invasive species stickers each year to support the statewide watercraft inspection program run by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Multiple boat-check stations across the state inspect hundreds of watercraft each year. They often intercept fouled boats from Lake Powell, Lake Mead or other places that have been invaded by quagga mussels.  

Watercraft inspectors hot wash a boat in Twin Falls. 

Somehow, someone launched a watercraft fouled with invasive mussels at some point in the Middle Snake region in recent weeks. They could have started an outbreak that could cost the state and others millions of dollars if the quaggas take root, multiply and destroy the river ecosystem.  

The introduction of quagga mussels poses a major threat to Idaho. All hands are on deck to contain and control the invasive species. Quaggas can quickly spread and clog pipes that deliver water for drinking, energy, agriculture, recreation, and a variety of other uses. These mussels also negatively affect fish populations and wildlife habitat. The mussels are highly competitive, persistent, and can create monocultures that will eliminate Idaho’s diverse biological landscape.

Even things like duck decoys and fishing waders need to be contaminated.

Gov. Brad Little and the ISDA are overseeing a swift response to the problem in coordination with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Twin Falls County Commissioners, the mayor of Twin Falls and more. In the meantime, the Middle Snake River has been closed to public use. It’s imperative that the public stay away from the river while further water testing is done, and treatment plans are developed, officials said.

What can you do to help?

•  CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY ALL WATERCRAFT AND ITEMS THAT GO IN THE WATER – This situation is reminder to anyone who has watercraft or items you put in the water to be vigilant in practicing the steps of CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY before putting your watercraft or item back in the water. This includes boats, kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, oars, waders, boots, lifejackets, fishing gear, buckets, nets, and other items. Visit idaho.gov/quagga for information on CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY.
  
  
• If your watercraft (including kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, boats, and others) has been on the Snake River in the Centennial Park area of Twin Falls in the past 30 days, please take it to an ISDA hot wash station in Twin Falls for proper treatment. Conveyances (items like duck decoys, waders, fishing tackle, etc.) should also be taken to a hot wash station. DO NOT attempt to decontaminate watercraft yourself. De-contamination requires a hot wash at 140 degrees F. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Stay out – Closures are in place in and along the Snake River until further notice as the investigation in the area continues. The public’s cooperation in staying out of the impacted area is crucial to the success of our efforts. For current closure information, visit  idaho.gov/quagga.
  
  
• Chemical treatment starts next week - Another reason to stay away from the river and let the professionals do their work.  

How can you stay updated?

Visit idaho.gov/quagga to sign up to receive updates with the latest information.

For more information about the quagga mussel issue, go here: https://agri.idaho.gov/main/plants/snake-river-quagga-mussel-veligers/

I have my fingers crossed that chemical treatments will eradicate the quagga larvae in the Middle Snake region. Even if there are some short term impacts to other species, it's hugely important to keep these invasive mussels out of the Snake River and all other water bodies in Idaho. 

Please do your part! 

Thanks!  

- SS 

Support Valley County Pathways in its quest to build a valley-wide trail system from Cascade to McCall

New "singletrack sidewalk" trail along Heinrich Lane, south of McCall 

Hi all,

On the fourth and final day of Idaho Gives, I'd like to encourage you to support Valley County Pathways, a nonprofit group I've been leading for almost 20 years.  

Our vision is to build a 70-mile, valley-wide trail system from Cascade to McCall and New Meadows, where we could connect to the Weiser River Trail. 

Put another way, our quest is to build a trail system that matches the grandeur of Long Valley.

For this year's Idaho Gives campaign, our goal is $15,000. We've received a pledge from a trail supporter who will match all of our contributions up to $15,000, for a total potential of $30,000. 

Our new video tells our story. 

We are inspired by the Boise River Greenbelt, the Wood River Trail and the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. Those long-distance trails are the pride of their communities, and anyone and everyone can enjoy them. 

My feeling is we have 10 years to get a valley-wide trail system in place in Valley County, or we may never get it done. We need to act now! And that takes money! 

I got started with Valley County Pathways in 2004, not long after the first $10M open space measure passed for the Boise Foothills. I was heavily involved in that open space campaign, and I still feel like it's one of the most important things I've done in my life. It was so cool to be part of a broad grass-roots effort that got embraced by the whole Boise community. 

From that experience, I learned that we can shape and enhance our communities and landscapes with new trails, open spaces and wildlife habitat with a LOT of DEDICATION and HARD WORK! 

I've been trying to walk the talk for 30 years. In 1992, I was the founding president of the SW Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA), when Ridge to Rivers was just getting started. We all wanted to improve our trail systems. SWIMBA partnered with Boise REI and R2R to build Shane's Trail, Sidewinder, Trail #1 over to Bob's, Redtail Ridge, and Seaman's Gulch trails in the 1990s. 

Erin and Ed Roper ride in the grand opening of trails in McCall, a VCP event. 

At the same time, I was producing new trail guides like Mountain Biking in Boise, Mountain Biking in McCall, and Mountain Biking in Idaho (80 rides statewide).  

So I was a pretty well-traveled trail guy when I started working full-time for Tamarack Resort in government affairs in 2003. I knew there was an abandoned railroad line that ran through the middle of the valley, and I saw the abundance of public land along the western shoreline of Lake Cascade. I read that the Bureau of Reclamation recommended a walking/biking trail around Lake Cascade in a resource management plan, and my eyes just about popped out of my head! 

We started Valley County Pathways at a time when the Rails to Trails movement was taking off big-time nationwide. 

Eleanor Putman speaks at the trail dedication in 2006
on the north end of the Crown Point Trail.  

But it turned out that the old rail line from McCall to Cascade had been abandoned in 1979, pre-dating national legislation that gave railroad companies tax incentives to gift rail lines to nonprofit groups for conversion to recreation trails. The old railroad line in Valley reverted to private ownership in many locations, so that has made our work much more difficult. 

A few landowners, including the Putman Family and the Whiteman Family, have gifted old RR line property to Valley County Pathways, for which we're eternally grateful.

Long story short, since 2004, we have built the bookends of a trail system in Cascade and McCall. Now we're working on bridging the gaps in the middle of the valley. 

Hugh Fulton, right, and Damon Yerkes on the Boulder Creek Trail. 

Currently, we are partnering with Valley County Parks and Recreation to craft a 5-year and 10-year build-out plan for the valley-wide trail system. We know the price tag will exceed $5M.      

I'm super excited about the whole thing. 

There's a ton of state and federal money available right now for trail projects. We need private funds to provide match for projects, provide steady upkeep on our trails, and to assist with trail construction. We also partner with our friends with the Central Idaho Mountain Biking Association, the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council, the McCall Chamber of Commerce, the City of McCall Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Donnelly, and the community of Cascade to stretch our trail dollars as far as possible. 

I don't usually ask people to donate to any particular cause in my blog, but this is a case that's dear to my heart. Please do what you can for Valley County Pathways! 

Thank you! 
- SS 

The North Valley Rail-Trail doubles as a xc ski, snowshoe and snow bike trail. 

Try Cycle Oregon for week of challenging, scenic road biking with friends

Happy rider grinding up the hill on Day 1 to Halfway, OR
Photo by Dean Rodgers, courtesy of Cycle Oregon 

Wendy found an unexpected friend in the Blue Mountains 

Leaving Wallowa Lake and heading for Elgin on Day 3 ... cool, beautiful morning. 

Hi all,

I'm happy to say that Wendy and I survived Cycle Oregon last week, a big event with 2,000 fellow road bikers who rode 383 miles and climbed 23,612 vertical feet over six days of riding. Whew!

Passing through a rainbow of balloons at the finish line in Baker, Oregon, last Saturday afternoon, after riding 60 miles from La Grande to Baker on scenic back roads, I felt a major rush of happiness overtake my body, a feeling of accomplishment, and a feeling of freedom -- getting my life back after being engulfed in a pretty intense drill of road-biking boot camp for 7 days in a row. 

The route Cycle Oregon selected this year was absolutely beautiful in NE Oregon. That was a big draw for me since I lived in La Grande as a cub reporter for the Observer in the early '80s, and I used to ride my road bike everywhere in the Grande Ronde Valley in my free time. I even did some long-distance rides from La Grande to Wallowa Lake, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Main Stage in La Grande ... Karaoke night. Kind of a stich! 

We also were motivated to participate in Cycle Oregon because some friends of ours from Portland were signed up, and I thought it would be a cool thing to do in my 60th year. Road biking really helps me burn calories and improve fitness in a way that's superior to mountain biking. And I thought the challenge of doing Cycle Oregon might be appealing to Wendy after her Mom died in late May. It would give her a fitness goal and something positive to do while working through the grieving process. She had 3 months to train! Wendy liked the idea, she took ownership of it, and did fantastic.

Wendy had never ridden 80 miles in a day in her life, until she did Cycle Oregon. She wondered out loud, in a joking way, why she had waited until she was 61 to tackle a big week of road riding! Oh well! 

On Day 2 of Cycle Oregon, we camped at Wallowa Lake State Park, with the Eagle Cap Wilderness towering above us, at the end of a grueling ride, the most challenging day of the whole journey. The Day 2 itinerary motivated us to do big training rides, because we had to ride 78 miles over three mountain passes from Halfway to Wallowa Lake, climbing 6,682 feet along the way. Like we used to say in Minnesota ... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFTA. That's a big day!

Morning sunlight greets us on the ominous Day 2
Photo by Dean Rodgers, courtesy of Cycle Oregon 

Weeks before we did Cycle Oregon, I'd wake up with a knot in my gut, thinking about whether I was ready for Day 2. And that would motivate me to go do a training ride, perhaps ride Bogus, or do some other bigger ride with at least 4,000 feet of climbing and 60+ miles.

And you know what? Weeks of training paid off. I focused on pacing myself on Day 2; I would enjoy the scenery no matter what. After I crossed the first summit and descended to the Imnaha River for lunch, I felt that I had done a good job conserving energy for the next two summits. But ... an annoying little twinge surfaced in the back of my right leg as I started to climb that afternoon. That was weird. I stopped to stretch that out, and tried to spin easier gears on the climbs so I didn't cramp up or aggravate that weird twinge. That strategy worked.

At the final summit, we had great views of the Wallowas and Hells Canyon, and Cycle Oregon dished up the best snack stop we'd seen yet. They had Gatorade on ice, Diet Coke, Snickers bars, apples,  grapes, peanut butter treats, Goo, and more, and I gobbled all of that down while sitting on a spare lawn chair. I'd already burned over 6,000 calories on the climbs, and I still had 20 miles to go!

Those treats got me to Wallowa Lake State Park. I arrived at 4 p.m., set up camp, and watched for Wendy. She rolled in at 5:30 p.m. She had done it. I was so proud of her! 

Heading to lunch stop in North Powder, with the Elkhorns in the background. Can you see the fresh cheapseal? Boo!
Photo by Dean Rodgers, courtesy of Cycle Oregon

People who are thinking about getting into road biking or trying something like Ride Idaho or Cycle Oregon should be inspired by Wendy's story. If she can do it, anyone can who puts their mind to it. It helps to do long-distance rides with big groups. Your fellow riders motivate you. You might meet a friend along the way. Or someone might pull up behind you and draft; and then lead later on. It's fun to ride in a draft line with people riding at the same relative speed; it's a great way to preserve energy.

Friend Sue Hartford, a Boise nurse, has ridden Cycle Oregon several times. These were her thoughts about the ride this year. "Cycle Oregon was a challenging week of riding with always-fun "after-spots," she says. "Beautiful scenery ending in a cute welcoming town or beautiful park! They set up an amazing city in itself. It was a time to also get reaquainted with old friends and make new ones. Thank you Cycle Oregon once again!" 

Cycle Oregon makes things fun by carrying all of your gear, providing excellent hearty hot meals at breakfast and dinner, and they have a main stage that travels to base camp each day. Live music cranks up at 3:30 p.m., and the beer taps are flowing and the wine bar is open. Some groups bring RVs and extra supplies so they have their own food and party materials to supplement what's provided by Cycle Oregon.

At the finish line in Baker ... happy to be done! 

Cycle Oregon also gives back to the local communities. They have announcements on the main stage each evening at 7:30 p.m., and give the riders a chance to be welcomed by local people and hear about their communities. We even heard from a Nez Perce tribal elder at Wallowa Lake.

After 4 days of riding, we earned a rest day in Pendleton, site of the famous Pendleton Round Up, which was in full swing. We bought tickets to see the rodeo events that day, and had the privilege of watching Native Americans compete in a bareback relay race. That was the most exciting thing we saw all day!

Mostly, however, we enjoyed resting our legs for 24 hours. The annoying little twinge went away in my right leg from the rest. Wendy and I took naps. And in the late afternoon, we had more time to enjoy the beer garden, and had wine with dinner with friends. We had a substantial climb to La Grande the next day, but only 55 miles. We were on the downward side of the hump.

I highly recommend Cycle Oregon, and I also thoroughly enjoyed Ride Idaho, too. Get some friends together and make it a goal! Think of it as a present to you!
- SS

She did it! Yay Wendy Wilson!