Join us for the 24th annual Sawtooth Salmon Festival in Stanley! Get ready to celebrate Idaho’s most incredible athletes in the heart of the spectacular Sawtooth Valley for a weekend packed with adventure and education. This free, family-friendly festival celebrates the epic 900-mile journey of Idaho’s iconic salmon and steelhead, traveling all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the headwaters of the Salmon River. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22: Kick Off The Weekend! A River Runs Through It (And We Want to Restore Its Flow!): Swing by the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Museum to hear from our own Wild Fish & Hydropower Conservation Manager, Stephen Pfieffer. He’ll give you the inside scoop on the opportunity to restore 140 miles of the Lower Snake River — a vital migration corridor for salmon — and what it’ll take to bring our salmon and steelhead back to healthy, harvestable numbers. Stick around to hear amazing personal stories of Idaho’s historic salmon runs. Then, Salmon Trivia! Put your knowledge to the test at the Kasino Club. An afterparty with live music from Good Friends. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23: The Main Event! The festival kicks into high gear at Mountain Village Resort and across the Sawtooth Valley! …
SIHA Summer Series: Opportunity: Restoring a River and Recovering Idaho Salmon
Join the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association at our 18th annual summer series at the Stanley Museum: expanding your understanding and appreciate of the Sawtooth & Salmon River country since 1972. Opportunity: Restoring a River and Recovering Idaho Salmon presented by Stephen Pfeiffer, Idaho Rivers United Join us to kick off Salmon Fest! This program will cover the immense opportunity in front of Idaho communities once dam removal occurs on the Lower Snake River. Restoring this vital migration corridor would mean recovering salmon and steelhead to healthy and harvestable numbers and recovering 140 miles of free-flowing river, which could form the backbone of sport fishing and outdoor recreation economies across the region. Stephen Pfeiffer has been with Idaho Rivers United (IRU) since 2019, focusing on fisheries and hydropower issues across the state, and primarily on their campaign to recover wild salmon and steelhead via dam removal on the Lower Snake. His degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability from Colorado State and experience with fieldwork on desert rivers were the foundations of his work in river conservation. Stephen grew up in the Wood River Valley and feels fortunate to continue to call Idaho home today. He enjoys skiing, trail running, hiking, …
SIHA Summer Series: The Many Chapters of Wolf Recovery in Idaho: From Reintroductions to Bounties
Join the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association at our 18th annual summer series at the Stanley Museum: expanding your understanding and appreciate of the Sawtooth & Salmon River country since 1972. The Many Chapters of Wolf Recovery in Idaho: From Reintroductions to Bounties presented by Stephen Pfeiffer, Idaho Rivers United Join us to kick off Salmon Fest! This program will cover the immense opportunity in front of Idaho communities once dam removal occurs on the Lower Snake River. Restoring this vital migration corridor would mean recovering salmon and steelhead to healthy and harvestable numbers and recovering 140 miles of free-flowing river, which could form the backbone of sport fishing and outdoor recreation economies across the region. Stephen Pfeiffer has been with Idaho Rivers United (IRU) since 2019, focusing on fisheries and hydropower issues across the state, and primarily on their campaign to recover wild salmon and steelhead via dam removal on the Lower Snake. His degree in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability from Colorado State and experience with fieldwork on desert rivers were the foundations of his work in river conservation. Stephen grew up in the Wood River Valley and feels fortunate to continue to call Idaho home today. He enjoys …
State of the Big Wood
Join Project Big Wood for the launch of The State of the Big Wood—an annual snapshot of the river we all call home. Built from collaborative data, sweat, and stories gathered across the basin, this isn’t just a report—it’s a yearly river manual for anglers, outfitters, landowners, students, families, and anyone invested in building a better Big Wood River. We’ll screen a short film featuring local characters and open the floor after a keynote by our board president, Kenny Van Zant. $25 Ticket Includes: – Light Appetizers – A pint of Big Woody Lager – A copy of the 2025 State of the Big Wood – Film screening Help us raise $30K to change the future of the Big Wood through data, education, advocacy, and earthworks programs.
Locals Guide to Driving & Parking around Sun Valley
Chief Deputy for the Blaine County Sheriff’s Department, Will Fruehling, has been patrolling the streets of the Wood River Valley for over 20 years. Since starting his career as a patrol officer for the Ketchum Police Department in 1995, Fruehling has been a patrol deputy, a Sergeant, Investigator for the Idaho Department of Corrections, and was appointed to his current position in 2017 by Sheriff Harkins. As a local and a police officer, Fruehling has seen plenty of visitors come and go over the years and through the seasons. So we asked him some tips on driving and parking, what his driving pet peeves are, and Fruehling settles the Miscellany II debate between left-lane drivers and right-lane once and for all. What tips do you have for visitors who haven’t driven in snow before? Will: “Obviously, the first thing is for people to slow down when the road’s covered in snow or when the road is slick. You see these people who wiz by and then you see them right in front of you at the next stoplight in town and you’re like, they made it at the same time that I did, but they went too fast for these …