PERSPECTIVES
Remembering the life and legacy of conservationist Will Venard By Jerry Pavia and Brad Smith Reader Contributors The conservation community in North Idaho recently lost a dear friend and advocate. Will Venard was a member of the Idaho Conservation League (ICL) for more than 40 years. He was one of the founders of Boundary Backpackers in 1976, which became a chapter of the ICL in 1981. The Boundary Backpackers was formed to protect Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest as wilderness. At the time, the Forest Service had made plans to build roads into Long Canyon and harvest its old-growth timber. Long Canyon is only one of two remaining roadless watersheds in the Selkirks. The group formed to oppose the Forest Service’s plans, and wilderness designation was their answer. Will named the group when a reporter from the local paper asked him who they were, and Will — on the spot — came up with the name Boundary Backpackers. Until that moment, the group had no name. It was also Will’s idea that Boundary Backpackers have no officers and no dues. The main principles he put forth for the organization of the group were to always tell the truth. If the answer was unknown,
the group would get back to the questioner after researching for an answer. He also suggested that the group would reject no ideas that were positive in furthering the goal of wilderness for Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest. For him, negativity was a no-no. Every September since the late-1970s, Will worked alongside other members of the Boundary Backpackers in reopening and improving the 18-mile trail in Long Canyon. Together they spent seven to 10 days in the Canyon working on improving the trail. It’s now the gem of the trail system in the region. Improving trails wasn’t the only hard work the group did — the proposal to protect Long Canyon was hugely unpopular at the time. Will and the Backpackers stood up to tremendous political pressure from former-Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, the timber industry and the Forest Service. People they used to be friends with in the community stopped talking to them and avoided them in the grocery store. Despite these hardships, Will stood up for what he believed in, and gave others the fortitude to do the same. Will traveled the state with Jerry Pavia in 1984 and presented a 17-minute Long Canyon-Selkirk Crest slideshow to bring
Will Venard was a member of ICL for more than 40 years. Courtesy photo. awareness about wilderness to different communities. Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest were included in two pieces of wilderness legislation introduced in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Unfortunately, these bills fell victim to national politics. While official wilderness status for Long Canyon and the Selkirk Crest has not yet been achieved, Will and the Backpackers still made lasting change for the area. The
Forest Service gave up on its plan to log Long Canyon. In fact, when the Forest Service revised the management plan for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest in 2015, the agency changed Long Canyon from a timber management area to a proposed wilderness area. This would not have happened without Will and the Boundary Backpackers. Will was also instrumental in encouraging the Boundary Backpackers to expand their mission to include all environmental issues that affected Boundary County and worked to get the Selkirk Mountain Caribou and the Kootenai River Sturgeon on the Endangered Species List. These were only a few of the issues that he worked on with others over the years. Will was a man of great integrity. He was a man who knew the value in listening to the opinions of others. He’ll be greatly missed by all those who knew him. Jerry Pavia was a co-founder of the Boundary Backpackers and served as president of the Idaho Conservation League Board of Directors from 1995-2002. Brad Smith is the North Idaho director of the Idaho Conservation League.
In defense of the fairgrounds campground — Part 2 ‘Do you support increased local taxes instead of revenue generated by visitors?’
By Luke Omodt, Bonner County Commissioner Dist. 3 Reader Contributor
ly supported by the Fair Board and continually opposed by Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. Money doesn’t grow on trees or Wheeler contends that empty fields. There are two ways the proposed expansion is local governments generate revenue: on Sheriff’s Department taxes or fees for service. The proproperty promised for a posed Bonner County Fairground RV new justice center. Accordcampground expansion is the latter. ing to Idaho Code (31Campground visitors would gener807), all county property Luke Omodt. File photo. is managed and controlled ate revenue that could be used for upkeep and maintenance of the fairgrounds, by the commissioners. There is no evidence avoiding tax increases and improving the to support the claim of a promised justice facilities for all of Bonner County. center. This is Part 2 of an article on a proposed A justice center would include a new RV campground expansion, intended to courthouse, office space and jail. The existinform Bonner County residents about local ing courthouse is 45,000 square feet, was government. Part 2 gave a brief history of renovated for $6.5 million and reopened the Bonner County Fairgrounds from its in 2013, and Bonner County has one of conception in 1927 through today. the newer jails in the state. Nez Perce On Aug. 2, 2022, Bonner County County is building an 86,000-square-foot accepted a grant from the Idaho Departcourthouse at a cost of $50.6 million. A ment of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) of 180,000-square-foot Bonner County Justice $473,315 to expand the fairgrounds RV Center would cost local taxpayers more campground with a $25,000 match from the than $100 million in today’s dollars, or apFair Board to be paid from monies earned proximately $2,000 for every man, woman from campground fees, ticket sales and and child living in Bonner County. building rentals, bringing the total project In March 2023, a parking study of the cost to $498,315. This grant was originalfairgrounds — which has approximately
800 parking spaces — was completed. Using a baseline of 2,500 visitors, it was determined that 900-1,300 parking spaces would be necessary. The 2023 Sandpoint Renaissance Faire was estimated to have had 3,500 visitors per day. The fairgrounds doesn’t have enough parking space to meet existing demand. Bonner County has employed the same engineering firm since 2009 to improve the fairgrounds; in a conceptual rendering it was shown that there is enough room for both a new justice center, 200 parking spaces and the RV park expansion. The prior Fair Board was in favor of the grant; the current board has indicated a willingness to turn down long-term revenue while continuing to accept local tax dollars. On June 21, 2023, the board of commissioners received correspondence from IDPR deeming the best course of action was to not extend the grant at this time for the following reasons:
within the next year.
• The lack of a current, completed bid; • The opposition of the Bonner County Fair Board to the campground expansion; • The absence of an executed construction contract makes it impossible to determine whether the project can be completed
Luke Omodt represents District 3 on the Bonner County Board of Commissioners, comprising the areas immediately north of Sandpoint and the eastern portion of the county.
That same day, the board of commissioners conducted a bid opening for this project. Five of seven bids were within budget, with construction starting in September to be completed in spring 2024. Bonner County is the real property owner of the fairgrounds and the proposed RV expansion property, and the commissioners are also responsible for the county budget, according to state statute. Ultimately it is the taxpayers who decide what their wallets can afford. Do you support increased local taxes instead of revenue generated by visitors? When an available win-win opportunity exists that could serve Bonner County for generations to come, this commissioner says “no” to additional taxes. If you have questions, email me at luke. omodt@bonnercountyid.gov. Bonner County is home and I pay taxes, too.
June 29, 2023 / R / 11