Now before you say, “Yeah, that’s just a room full of pine cone spitters,” you need to realize that this meeting affects all of us. If your cabin isn’t where you’re connected to the Island Park sewer system, they’re going to talk about when you’re going to have to be and how much it will cost. If you are connected now, you need to be there to find out how much more you’re going to have to pay to help connect everyone else.

The meeting will talk about the trends in water quality since they started measuring in 2005 (and it doesn’t look good!) They will also discuss what that pollution means for the aquifers, etc. (meaning how it potentially affects the water coming out of your well.)

Don’t miss this meeting. You don’t want to be blindside down the road, nor do you want things happening without you getting a chance to voice your concerns. The meeting is at Lakeside Lodge (on the way to Bill’s Island) and it starts at 7:00 p.m. and is expected to go for an hour and a half or so. See you there!

It’s no secret that real estate sales have been slow nation-wide. That’s been true here in Island Park as well. When the sale of primary residences drops off, you can imagine what happens to the sale of secondary (vacation) homes. Couple that with the fact that much of the construction in the Island Park area was investors building “spec” homes, and you have the recipe for great bargains.

Many investors were caught with no place to sit last year when the music stopped. So for the last 8 – 12 months they have been making payments on high-interest construction loans for a place that there’s no potential buyer for. While the asking prices haven’t dropped all that much, with the slow-down selling prices have come down significantly.

If you’ve been thinking about a new home in the Island Park area, now’s the time to buy. There is a fantastic selection of properties from mild to wild and they are selling for a fraction of what they did last year at this time. There will never be a better time to buy here in Island Park (at least in terms of pricing, selection and availability,) so call your favorite realtor today and see what’s available. You’ll be glad you did.

In a frenzied effort to follow the federal government’s example in taking away the freedom of the people, Fremont county is trying (in true Obama-fashion) to ramrod through a new ordinance forbidding residents from owning pit bulls (and other similar dog breeds, however that might be defined,) and requiring dog owners to keep their dogs in a “substantial” enclosure (as opposed to running loose.)

Now, I can see why the big city folks like to have their lives legislated. It brings them peace, knowing every eventuality has been legislated out of existence and there will be no surprises in their nine-to-five lives. But here in Island Park things are different. We came here to avoid the rat-race of the city. We believe most human beings are responsible in the way they live their lives and that they don’t need to be babysat by government in every little detail.

Up here, it seems enough that if your dog is a nuisance, the neighbors will ask you politely to keep him off of their property. If you can’t do that, they will take care of the dog themselves. But there isn’t any legislation needed. When most people are honest, friendly, responsible, caring, giving, etc. (like they are here,) you don’t need ordinances. You let people govern themselves and when there are those very few who demonstrate a lack of ability to do so, you make adjustments on a case-by-case basis. You don’t penalize the vast majority of the people because there are a few (very few) who are flakey.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care for pit bulls and I don’t like other people’s dogs running around on my property. But I think as neighbors we can handle this ourselves. That’s what neighbors do, isn’t it? If you want to keep a dangerous dog (and he’s not in a position to cause harm to me and mine) it’s none of my business. If he bites someone, there’s a lawsuit and the dog is put down. But if you keep him on your own property and he’s not a nuisance to anyone, it’s none of my business what kind of dog you have. But even more importantly, it’s none of big brother’s business!!!

Legislating what kind of dog you can’t have is no different than legislating what kind of gun you can’t have (pistols, assault weapons, etc.) for the exact same reasons: They might hurt someone. They’re only good for attacking / intimidating / doing harm to someone, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum.

I wonder what will be the next freedom the county (in their infinite wisdom) will try and take away?

Normally you wouldn’t think we’d like to see snow in June (especially after 6 months of deep winter. But the skiff we got yesterday morning was welcome. You see, the mosquito season was just beginning. The snow killed the mosquitoes and we now have another week or two mosquito-free. Then we’ll need to pray for snow again. Hopefully that cycle will continue until the sap starts running in earnest in the pines and the pollen settles on the ground (and everything else.) Only then can we bid goodbye to the mosquito season for yet another spring.

At any rate, you’ve got at least a week of mosquito-free enjoyment in Island Park and the surrounding area. You’d better get up here and enjoy it while you can. Fishing is good. Temperatures are fresh and comfortable. Wildlife is abundant and found everywhere. And most of all, it’s just a great time to be in Island Park. See you soon!

The water conservancy folks in our area are talking once again about rebuilding the Teton Dam. The dam, built in the early ’70′s failed catastrophically in June of 1976 wiping out a significant portion of the farms, homes and businesses in Southeastern Idaho. While cleanup was swift and effective, the scars from that tragedy run deep around here.

But in all fairness, there’s no question that there is a need to better manage our water resources, especially as a cycle of droughts seems to be deepening. The life-blood of Southeast Idaho is farming. The life-blood of farming is water. Water is more predictably available when its stored in reservoirs.

On the other side of the issue, the factors that caused the failure of the dam haven’t changed. The dam failed because the canyon walls are honeycombed with fissures and voids that still exist (which allow water to run around the dam, creating significant erosion and eventually failure.) Is it possible to seal those fissures? Some say yes — others aren’t so sure. Is it worth the risk? Again, some say yes and others still feel the pain of the last time.

This is an emotionally-charged issue around here. Most people have an opinion. And Idahoans are not shy about expressing those opinions. No matter which way you slice it, this issue is complex and will require a significant amount of scientific study before any reasonable conclusion can be reached. We’ll keep you posted as things progress.

You know it’s really summer (in spite of what it looks like outside today) when the Macks Inn Summer Dinner Theater opens its doors. Well, the dinner theater opened Memorial Day weekend and continues operating Friday and Saturday nights only until June 19th when they ramp up to six days per week.

This year’s shows are less miserables (a spoof on Les Miserables) which will play exclusively until June 19th. After that Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be Less Miserables and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will be Hillbillies 90120.

Dinner and the show will set you back $24.95 (children are $19.95.) Dinner is your choice of slow-smoked prime rib, succulent roasted chicken, or (for our California brethren) a vegetarian pasta that is to die for. If you’re one of those odd people who just doesn’t like really good food, you can come enjoy the show for $15.95, but I promise you, you’ll be sorry you didn’t eat! All in all, this is the best bargain for entertainment in the mountain west. Don’t miss it.

Dates are already filling fast, so to be sure you get a seat, call 208-558-7871 for reservations. You give them your credit card. They hold you a seat. That’s pretty much all there is to it. See you there!!!!

You know, I didn’t mind paying $10 for a sticker for my ATV. It seems reasonable to me that those who use the outdoors should contribute to its upkeep. But the new rules from Fremont County are getting out of hand.

Now, instead of simply buying a sticker from any local business and going riding, you have to get a license plate (available only from the county — 40 miles away in St. Anthony,) and you still have to buy the sticker somewhere else to boot. Then, once you have the plate, you have to figure out how to affix it to your machine and go through all that hassle.

Here’s a thought. Why not just increase the price of the stickers? Wouldn’t that serve everyone? If you’re going to tax us for our fun, why not at least make it easy on us? There’s no reason to force everyone to to go clear to the valley. These are not cars. We don’t use them on the road. We use them infrequently for recreation. Why make everyone miserable?

This is undoubtedly the brainchild of yet another politician with an insatiable hunger to get into the pockets of the average American. You ask yourself, “When will it be enough?” The answer is, when they have everything you have. Then it will be enough.

My first thought when I saw this sign was, “I’m not sure I can wait until 2010.” But that’s what you’re in for if you’re planning of traveling from West Yellowstone into northern reaches of the park. The road from Madison Junction to Norris will be experiencing road construction for the next year or so, especially through the Gibbon Falls / Gibbon Meadow area.

Delays are expected to be around 30 minutes (starting late June through August,) but there will be times when there are no delays and days when the road will be closed the whole day — making for a lengthy detour.

While 30 minutes may seem like a long delay, I have to admit I’ve had delays that long waiting for the flat-landers to look at elk, so it shouldn’t be too bad. And besides, it’s not like you’re stranded in some God-forsaken place. This is a 30 minute delay in paradise. So bring your lunch and your camera. Sit back, relax, nosh your favorite road food, and make the most of it.

Remember, a 30 minute delay in Yellowstone is better than unimpeded traffic in any city in the world!!!

That was the headline in the Island Park News. It seems indian (or native American, if you must) groups will gather May 31 on Horse Butte Peninsula near West Yellowstone to perform the sacred ceremony. The public is invited, although as this is a sacred ceremony, filming and photography are likely to be limited.

But that’s not why I wrote this post. When I read the title to the article, in light of our current political situation, I just had to write a satire. Let me say before I begin that I mean no disrespect to anyone (except politicians,) and that I honor and respect in every way the sacred traditions of the original residents of this great land.

That said, here’s how I would have reported this story:

“Indian tribal leaders announced today that there would be a sacred ceremony to honor wild buffalo near West Yellowstone, Montana on 31 May of this year. Response from the ACLU was swift as they denounced the event as prejudiced and exclusionary. Groups of farm-raised buffalo from across the nation have expressed feelings ranging from concern to outrage that wild buffalo would be honored in this fashion, while their farm-raised counterparts would receive absolutely no mention or credit.

“ACLU attorneys indicated they would be filing a motion to stop the ceremony from occurring unless the rights of farm-raised buffalo were acknowledged and respected. In anticipation of unreasonable, conservative judges in the area denying the motion, thousands of farm-raised buffalo are expected to attend the event in a massive protest designed to disrupt the ceremony. West Yellowstone police have requested help from the Montana National Guard.

“Tribal leaders declined to comment on the suit being brought by farm-raised buffalo, but sources close to the leadership (who are not cleared to talk to the media) indicate that the medicine men who will perform the ceremony will not be intimidated by special-interest groups and will carry out the ceremony as originally planned. President Obama has asked that parties on both sides of the issue seek common ground. But for now there doesn’t seem to really be any, with both sides unwilling to budge on what they see as critical, fundamental issues. You won’t want to miss this one. See you in Montana on the 31st.”

Well, Memorial Day has come and gone and we’re none the worse for wear. Tourists by the thousands came with quad runners in tow and settled in for a great weekend. I think the thing I liked best was that it was a week earlier than usual.

Even though there was a little more snow than usual, and the temps were just a touch cooler than usual, the good news was that we enjoyed the whole weekend without seeing even one mosquito! Any time you have a Memorial Day without mosquitoes, you have to say it was a great weekend.

We had a good mix of weather for the weekend. We had warm sunshine on Saturday. We had mixed weather with a little rain on Sunday (it always rains at some point on Memorial weekend, doesn’t it???) And we had a great Monday. I don’t know what more you could have asked for.

And it seemed this year’s visitors were a religious bunch. The little Chapel in the Pines at Macks Inn had cars parked clear down the Big Springs road. And the LDS church had well over 2,000 in attendance. That’s pretty amazing.

I hope you had a great weekend wherever you were. We sure did. If you were here with us, I hope you’ll be back soon. If not, I hope you’ll get up here. There’s no place like Island Park in the summer. See you soon!!

Well, summer is here if you mean license plates from the four corners of the country, and hordes of people coming to enjoy the great outdoors. There still may be snow on the pumpkin around here, but we’re seeing traffic ratchet up like it always does this time of year.

Today we’re seeing almost a steady stream of RV’s, toy haulers, pickups, vans, you name it. Many have license plates from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. But there are a large number from Minnesota, the Dakotas, Arizona, California, and places back east.

Please accept a big welcome from all of us here at Island Park.com. We’re glad you’re back (or we welcome you if you’re new) and hope you’ll enjoy our little corner of the world as much has we do.

According to the Island Park newspaper, a herd of wandering buffalo (or is it buffaloes, or is it . . . Oh well,) — wandering bison headed for Island Park was turned around and pushed back into Yellowstone. No, it’s not that the government is trying to incarcerate the buffalo in Yellowstone anymore than they’re trying to keep us out. It’s more a fact that bison (at least some of them) carry brucellosis which is deadly to cattle. Because ranchers lose $1,000 – $1,500 every time a cow dies prematurely, they aren’t very neighborly to wayward bison.

But all that aside, the thing in the newspaper article that really caught my attention was the comment, “Apparently the bison were following an ancient migration route from Montana to Idaho.” Now, I don’t know what image that conjures up in your minds, but when I think of young buffalo following ancient migration routes (that haven’t been used in years — or maybe even millenia)

I see the older, much wiser buffalo taking those coming of age out into the woods and starting out the conversation like this: “Son, I want you to pay strict attention to what I’m about to tell you. This is the legend of the mythical trail to the promised land (Idaho) that has been handed down from generation to generation since the dawn of time. This is something you must never forget, as the day will come when you may need to know where the trail is. And if you don’t use it yourself, you’ll need to pass this information onto the next generation.”

The younger buffalo, eyes fixed on the elders in the herd, listen with rapt attention, wondering if they will be the generation that returns to the promised land (Idaho.) They carefully memorize each detail as though it would be them — dreaming of such a migration.

Yeah, right. Or maybe they just wandered off from Yellowstone looking for some peace and quiet, and some greener grass. While I have to admit there’s some serious emotional appeal to the “father to son” thing, I’m pretty sure I know which scenario I believe.