BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is the crown jewel of Idaho’s public lands, what with 756,000 acres of jagged mountains alpine lakes and key salmon spawning grounds.

But it is facing some of its biggest challenges since it was created in 1972.

Big fires have roared across the landscape in the last few years. And now staff and funds have been drastically cut, leaving few boots on the ground to care for the area, even as visitor numbers continue to rise.

Three stewards of the land who are intimately familiar with the SNRA will address such questions as: What happens when there are not enough stuff or budget for the Forest Service to capably manage this area, which is prized for its natural, scenic, historic, fish and wildlife values?

And they will trace the story of the SNRA from its creation to today during a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at Ketchum’s Community Library.

The panelists are:

Ken Paur, who retired as the Regional Attorney for the Mountain Region of the USDA Office of the General Counsel at the end of 2020. Paur was an attorney in the Ogden office where he advised the Forest Service regarding administration of the SNRA and the scenic easement program. He also was assigned to most of the lawsuits concerning the SNRA. 

Josh Johnson, the Central Idaho Director for the Idaho Conservation League, a statewide environmental advocacy organization that has worked since 1973 to protect Idaho’s environment, including the SNRA.

Kathryn Grohusky, the Executive Director of the Sawtooth Society, a nonpartisan organization founded in 1997 by politicians, advocates, and local residents who shared a collective love of the Sawtooth Valley. The Sawtooth Society advocates for the SNRA, organizes volunteer work parties to help maintain the area’s trails. This year it is sending crews on eight-day trips into the backcountry using pack horses and cross cut saws in light of the SNRA’s inability to provide trail crews due to staff and funding cuts.

Save your seat at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/14388878. Registration is also required to watch the livestream and can be done by selling “online” during registration.

The program also will be recorded and available to watch later on the Library’s Event Archive.