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1998 News Releases

October 30, 1998

Sawtooth Society Elects Directors

August 4, 1998

Sawtooth Society Donates $10,000 for SNRA Trails

August 3, 1998

Sawtooth Society Supports SNRA Interpretive Programs

March 24, 1998

Sawtooth Society Hires Executive Director

October 30, 1998

Sawtooth Society Elects Directors

The Sawtooth Society today announced the election of three new members to the organization’s board of directors. The new directors are: John Chapman, Ed Elliott and Russ Stoddard.

Chapman, a resident of Hailey, maintains a law practice with offices in Sun Valley, Twin Falls, and Boise. He is active in civic affairs and currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Boise Chapter of the American Red Cross; the board of trustees of the St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation; and the Board of Directors of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities.

Elliott, a resident of Eagle and the Sawtooth Valley, is retired. He formerly owned John Deere dealerships in Burley, Idaho Falls and Jerome. He served on the Sawtooth Forest Advisory Board for 20 years and testified before Congress in support of the establishment of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

Stoddard, a resident of Boise, is president of Oliver, Russell & Associates, a marketing communications firm with headquarters in Boise. An outdoor enthusiast, he has worked as a guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and has written for publications such as Outside. He is also active in issues involving conservation and children.

Sawtooth Society President Bethine Church said, “The Sawtooth Society is pleased to be able to attract John, Ed and Russ to our board of directors. The experience and talent that each possesses wills strengthen our organization’s ability to help safeguard the Sawtooth National Recreation Area now and in the future.”

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August 4, 1998

Sawtooth Society Donates $10,000 for SNRA Trails

Trails in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area will be more accessible to visitors this year as a result of a $10,000 grant from the Sawtooth Society.

The Society’s grant, a gift made in the memory of Fred Humphreys, a prominent Idaho banker, Sawtooth Valley rancher and ardent supporter of the SNRA, was used by the Forest Service to obtain an additional $20,000 in matching funds.

Combined, these funds have enabled the Forest Service to hire a full trail maintenance crew for the first time in several years. The crew of six seasonal employees and two volunteers are clearing trails of fallen timber, repairing foot bridges, constructing water bars to prevent soil erosion and rehabilitating backcountry campsites.

Among the trails in the SNRA targeted for maintenance in 1998 are: Marshall Lake Cutoff, Edith Lake, Grand Mogul, Alice Lake, Redfish Lake, Alpine Creek, Redfish Creek-Baron Creek, Cabin Creek, Bench Lakes, Titus Lake, South Fork Payette River, Queens River, Little Queens River and Elk Meadows.

According to Bob Hayes, executive director of the Sawtooth Society, the organization uses donations from individuals, foundations and corporations to help maintain trails, campsites, roads, wildlife habitat and environmental education programs in the SNRA because federal funding for such projects has been sharply reduced. He said, “We aim to ensure that visitors to the SNRA enjoy a quality experience, one that’s not diminished by a poorly maintained infrastructure.”

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August 3, 1998

Sawtooth Society Supports SNRA Interpretive Programs

Visitors to the Redfish Lake Visitors’ Center in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) can take nature walks, observe local flora and fauna and learn about the area’s history as a result of a $2,500 grant from the Sawtooth Society.

The Society’s grant helps make possible dozens of interpretive programs this summer at the popular Center. Programs include the Salmon Walk, Bear Trap Walk, Wolf Talk and Junior Ranger Series, for boys and girls ages 7-11.

According to Bob Hayes, executive director of the Sawtooth Society, this is the second year that the organization has contributed to interpretive programs at the Redfish Lake Visitors’ Center. He said, “Our financial support aims to help offset cutbacks in federal funds for the SNRA and its environmental education efforts. The Sawtooth Society believes that the Center’s interpretive programs enhance participant’s appreciation of the natural, historic and recreational qualities of the SNRA and enrich their visits here. They are worthy of support from the private sector.”

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March 24, 1998

Sawtooth Society Hires Executive Director

The Sawtooth Society has named Robert B. Hayes as its first Executive Director. Hayes, is a founding member of the Society’s Board of Directors and served voluntarily as the organization’s acting Executive Director since June.

The Sawtooth Society was formed last year to protect the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) from subdivision development and the erosion of its facilities and services. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization counts among its leadership many who fought for the creation of the SNRA more than a quarter of a century ago, including Former Idaho Governor and U.S. Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus, former U.S. Senator Jim McClure, former U.S. Representative Orval Hansen and Bethine Church, widow of former U.S. Senator Frank Church.

Sawtooth Society President Bethine Church said, “We’re fortunate to recruit to our organization someone with Bob’s capabilities. His extensive background in management, communications, public policy and development, along with his commitment to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, makes him especially well-suited to serve as the Society’s Executive Director.”

Hayes, 56, retired from Boise Cascade Corporation in 1997, after 25 years as Director of Corporate Communications. Active in civic affairs, he served as President of FUNDSY, as Public Relations Director for the United Way of Ada County, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Boise Art Museum and as a volunteer for numerous other community efforts. He is a former Salmon River outfitter and guide and a long-time property owner in the Sawtooth Valley of the SNRA, where he resides part of the year.

Hayes said, “The Sawtooth Society faces an enormous task in helping protect the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, but we must succeed if a national treasure and Idaho’s crown jewel are to remain intact for future generations.”

According to Hayes, the SNRA is vulnerable to large-scale development on private land not protected by conservation easements. “If recent subdivision development is and indicator of future activity, up to 5,000 new houses could be built in the shadows of the Sawtooth Mountains and along the banks of the Salmon River. Although such development might be legal, it would violate the principles of which the SNRA was established and be a slap in the face to the millions of Idahoans and others who cherish the area.”

Hayes asserts that the Administration and Congress can reduce the threat of subdivisions by appropriating enough money from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire conservation easements on the most vulnerable-to-development properties.

Hayes also noted that sharp reductions in federal funding for the SNRA’s day-to-day operating needs have resulted in poorly maintained campsites, hiking trails and other facilities and services. “Apart from diminishing the experiences of visiting the SNRA, the deteriorating infrastructure also represents a threat to the environmental quality of the area.”

He believes, however, that the federal government cannot be expected to shoulder all of the responsibility for protecting the SNRA. He says that the private sector must also share in the effort.

For its part in protecting the SNRA, Hayes said, “The Sawtooth Society is alerting the public to the threats that exist, assisting in the acquisition of conservation easements on private property, and helping maintain trails, campsites, and other amenities which serve 1.5 million visitors annually.”

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