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February 1, 2006
Blaine County Commissioners
206 1st Avenue S.
Suite 300
Hailey, ID 83333
Dear Commissioner Michael, Bowman and Wright:
The County Commissioners are to be commended for
their efforts to provide a plan for growth in Blaine County consistent
with community values; we appreciate this opportunity to comment on the
proposed concepts.
This year The Nature Conservancy is celebrating
the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Silver Creek
Preserve located just a few miles down the road from here. It has taken
many citizens sharing a vision of a landscape where agriculture,
abundant wildlife and a world renowned spring creek could flourish
together. Through dedication and determination their vision is being
implemented to create the treasure that is Silver Creek. Enjoyed
year-round by locals Silver Creek also attracts visitors from all 50
states in the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, and pumps
millions of dollars annually into the Blaine County economy.
This shared vision has created The Nature
Conservancy’s 880 acre preserve on Silver Creek and protected through
voluntary conservation easements over 9,500 acres in the Silver Creek
watershed donated to both The Nature Conservancy and The Wood River Land
Trust. Through partnerships and voluntary, incentive-based efforts a
lot has been accomplished with 22 of our neighbors to protect the rural
feel, the open spaces, the wildlife habitat and the farms and ranches
that define the Silver Creek watershed and the southern end of the
County. Silver Creek has been recognized as a model for community-based
conservation. It proves that wise, collaborative stewardship of places
like Silver Creek has provided this community with economic,
recreational and quality of life benefits.
Yet there is still more to do!
Its now time for the citizens of Blaine County to
create and implement another vision, the vision of how our county will
grow and look 20 or 30 years from now.
The Nature Conservancy strongly supports the
county’s efforts to plan for growth to ensure our communities remain
highly desirable places to live, work and play.
We support the notion of containing growth in our
communities and working together to control sprawl and leap-frog
development that could undermine what the community has worked so hard
to preserve over many years.
The Nature Conservancy strongly supports
protecting the open spaces, agricultural lands, wetlands, riparian areas
and other wildlife habitats that occur in our county and especially
within the Silver Creek watershed south of Bellevue.
TNC supports voluntary, incentive-based
approaches that are acceptable to landowners and fiscally responsible to
ensure these lands, wetlands, riparian areas and working farms and
ranches remain in the future as they are today.
Thank you again for
your leadership on this issue and the opportunity to provide comment.
Sincerely,
Trish Klahr
Silver Creek/Big Wood
Watershed Manager
The Nature Conservancy |