STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

On Sunday members of the Wood River Women’s Foundation took their place among thousands thronging Main Street Ketchum to watch the Trailing of the Sheep Parade go by.

They could pat themselves on the back for one potential onlooker that was nowhere in sight.

Wolves have not posed a problem for sheep in the Wood River Valley in recent years, thanks in part to the efforts of groups like the Wood River Women’s Foundation.

The philanthropic organization, which boasts 337 members, awarded a $14,898 grant to the Wood River Wolf Project last year. And the nonprofit organization paired that with donations from other groups, such as Patagonia and the State of Idaho, to minimize wolf depredation.

Brian Bean, owner of Lava Lake Lamb and founder of the Lava Lake Institute for Science & Conservation,  told members of the organization that no wolves have had to be killed on about 282,600 acres of Sawtooth National Forest ranging from Hailey to Galena Summit  since the project started 10 years ago in 2008.

And ranchers have lost fewer than 25 sheep in the past six years—a low number, considering that as many as 27,000 sheep graze in the Wood River watershed each year. That’s 90 percent fewer sheep lost here than elsewhere in Idaho.

Volunteers with the Wood River Wolf Project have used a variety of nonlethal deterrents tools, including noise makers, starter pistols, boom boxes, air horns, guard dogs, human presence and even strobe lights to show that ranchers and their sheep can coexist with wolves.

Chances are these same tools would be effective for other predators, such as coyotes, Bean said. Though wolves are hugely controversial, coyotes are actually more damaging, in part because there are so many more coyotes than wolves.

Members of the Women’s Foundation listened to Bean’s comments during their Fall Brunch held at Nancie Tatum’s artfully decorated log home in Rainbow Bend. They noshed on quiche from Perry’s, brownies from the ladies and Tatum’s hot apple cider recipe flavored with orange slices and cinnamon sticks.

Sixty-two women have joined the organization this year, bringing them number to 237. Each will pool a $1,000 donation and award grants to nonprofits to be used for projects that address critical needs or enrich the lives of valley residents.

Applications for the next round of grants are being accepted through Nov. 13. And 80 members have volunteered to review them and conduct site visits, reporting back to the membership at large, said Gina Wolcott. The final selections will be made in early March during a meeting at Ketchum’s Community Library.

Bean told the women that like them the Wood River Wolf Project is based on collaboration. It has been able to assemble a variety of different collaborators, who come to the table with very different perspectives.

The Wood River Wolf Project includes such participants as Sawtooth Forest District Ranger Kurt Nelson, Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen and representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and Game, conservation organizations and ranching operations.

Wolves were delisted under the Endangered Species Act in 2011 after surpassing their breeding pair, pack and population targets. A few are re-colonizing in the Wood River watershed, coming over Galena Summit from the Sawtooth Valley, Bean said.

The Wood River Wolf Project is working with ranchers in eastern Oregon and Washington to deploy non-lethal deterrents. About 1,900 wolves are believed to be living in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

“We’re having a national impact,” Bean told the women, describing how members of the Wood River Wolf Pack testified before Congress this past year, “So, your part in this is in the Congressional Records.”

“This is just one project we funded last year, so you can see how important what we do is,” Foundation board member Terri LeFaivre told the women.

The Wood River Women’s Foundation was founded by Jo Murray and Barbara Thrasher who were brainstorming ways to make a difference during a ride up the chairlift on Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain.

The first tea, attended by 32 women, brought in $38,000.

Since, members have give out more than $2 million.

Ruth Leider says she encourages organizations who solicit her through the mail to approach the Foundation. “I encourage them to apply with the foundation, as the pooled donations can make a much bigger impact than the smaller amounts they might get through individual solicitations.”

APPLY NOW!

The Wood River Women’s Foundation is accepting applications from nonprofits with a project they’d like the organization to fund. Applications must be submitted by Monday, Nov. 13.

An informational meeting concerning applications will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at Light on the Mountains, just north of Gimlet road on Highway 75. (Look for the flag banners.)

For applications, email wrwfgrants@gmail.com.