HAILEY
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KETCHUM
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SUN VALLEY
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BELLEVUE
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CAREY
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S TA N L E Y • FA I R F I E L D • S H O S H O N E • P I C A B O
Workshop on Resiliency Habitat for Non-Humanty PAGE 6
Warming Climate
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Spring Fever - Friend or Foe? PAGE 17
A p r i l 2 3 , 2 0 1 4 • V o l . 7 • N o . 1 9 • w w w .T h e W e e k l y S u n . c o m
Get To Know Your MiniTriceratops The veiled chameleon that Emily Parker is holding can flatten its body to resemble a leaf when it lives in the trees. Males have small spurs on their rear feet.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
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he chameleon perched on Emily Parker’s finger looks like a mini-triceratops. Two horns stick out below its eyes; a third sits on its snout. It’s one of about 160 species of chameleons, which is Greek for “lion on the ground.” A native of Kenya and Tanzania, it is usually bright green but can change color quickly depending on mood, health and temperature, said Tammy Hood, the Sawtooth Botanical Garden’s education director. And it’s likely to be one of the hits of this year’s Bug Zoo at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden just south of Ketchum. This year’s Bug Zoo, which kicks off with a cocktail party and festival, will look totally different from past Bug Zoos. Physically, it will look different, thanks to a variety of new arrangements, including a cave for nocturnal creatures that has been erected with black lights and Christmas lights in the visitor center. And it will feature more and bigger critters than ever before, including several chameleons, tarantulas, geckos and snakes. The critters include a Goliath bird-eating spider, whose hissing can be heard 16 feet away; a Chinese water dragon that will bite and shed its skin; a veiled chameleon from Saudi Arabia and Yemen that appears to be wearing a helmet; a crested
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This Goliath bird-eating spider, which belongs to the tarantula family, is the second largest spider in the world going by leg span, which can grow as long as 11 inches. Found in marshy swamps in the rainforests of Guyana, northern Brazil and southern Venezuela, Goliath spiders are nocturnal. They’re aggressive and will attack—females sometimes eat their mates. Its hissing can be heard 16 feet away. P.S. Despite their name, they rarely eat birds—they prefer rodents, frogs, toads, lizards, snakes, cockroaches and crickets.
Church receptionist Vicki Riedel, a member of the church, said the Bejots are “wonderful parents with delightful children.” “Joel makes me laugh all the time. He has a wonderful spirit. He’s quick to laugh and fun to be around,” she added.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
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couple of years ago a young man dropped into St. Thomas Episcopal Church while on vacation and asked if he could play the organ. The ears of those working in the church perked up as the young man put his hands to the keys and his feet to the pedal, the powerful sounds reverberating through the church. The impromptu performance turned into a job interview more than a year later when church choir director Dick Brown announced he was going to resign. It turned into a job when Joel Bejot took over as choir director and organist for the church. “It was one of those most mysterious timing things,” said the Rev. Ken Brannon of the practice session that turned into a job audition. “Organists are not easy to come by—it’s a special skill set, but one that’s very important to us. When Dick heard him practicing, he said, ‘This guy knows how to play.’“
“With Joel, you have an outstanding musician as well as someone who has a wonderful manner with the choir—he’s a gentle spirit with a subtle sense of humor. He comes from a Lutheran background so he brings an ecumenical background to his work. And he’s also good at a cappella chanting,” Brannon added. Joel didn’t come alone, though. His wife Jessica is the new director of children and families. “She has a proven track record working with young people. She’s interested in equipping families, deepening their life of faith. She’s especially gifted with electronic media and has already helped redesign our Web page. And she’s not afraid to look at things in a fresh way,” said Brannon. The Bejots and their three daughters—9-year-old Emma, 6-year-old Alaina and 2-year-old Iris—came from Castle Rock, Colo., a suburb of Denver where Joel was the Cadet Chapel director of music at Faith Lutheran Church. But Jessica grew up in the Wood River Valley, the daughter of Eric and Kathleen
Schwartzenberger. Her father helped open Williams Market where he worked in the meat department. Her mother works for the City of Ketchum. “A lot of my school friends moved back this year, including a school counselor and the principal at Bellevue. And one of my children’s teachers—Ms. Cey—was my teacher,” Jessica related.
Joel Bejot stepped up to sing a duet with Sara Gorby at the Girlfriends Luncheon, a fundraiser for St. Thomas Playhouse in February.
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