Join IWA!! download the IWA_application.doc from here and send it in! 

Wild Mushroom Pepper Steak
By Bob Newman (2-5-03)
2 lbs  Beef – London Broil
2 lbs  Pork Loin
3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Cracked peppercorns
1 tablespoon Salt
1 tablespoon Garlic salt
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
2 large  Onions – sliced in large pieces
2  Green bell peppers (seeded & sliced)
1    Red bell pepper (seeded & sliced)
4   Jalapeño peppers (seeded & sliced)
4 tablespoons     Butter or margarine.
Cut beef and pork into ¼” strips 3 to 4 inches long.
Coat with oil in large dish.
Add all dry ingredients and minced garlic.
Mix well and marinate overnight. (This can be frozen and thawed when ready for use)
Brown the meat in a large Dutch Oven.
Add the vegetables and cook until tender – about 30 to 40 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Finish by adding the butter or margarine.
Serve as is or in tortilla shells with cheese.

The second place winner was ‘supposed to’ e-mail their recipe to me but I haven’t seen it yet. I believe it was entitled something like “Better-Than-Sex-Chocolate-Cake. So you may or may not want a recipe like that! I mean; it was Really, Really good but I don’t know if I would call it Better Than . . .

We made Pat be the ‘guinea-pig’ for our new PA system; Pat was a big enough guy that he didn’t need any amplification but it worked well and we decided to keep it. The next time we get rich we may spring for a wireless mic for it. However, in the meantime our speakers won’t have to raise their voices or we won’t have to miss out on what they are saying.

Next Meeting March 5th – Snow Pack Fortune Telling and A Tale of Two Rivers – @ Idaho River Sports
Ron Abramovich will give us his annual snow pack/flow report. Up until a couple of days ago this looked like it would be short and not so sweet. However, the nearby mountains have gotten quite a boost! As Russ Smith said “This is great – we get to use the snow twice; once to ski on it then we get to paddle on it as it flows down the rivers in the summer”. So whether you use the snow once or twice a year, lets pray, think, dance (or whatever it is you do) for SNOW. John Heimer, the nicest guy in the world, will give an encore presentation of his informative tale of the Boise River and the Middle Fork of the Salmon and what changes there have been over the last 40 years. Not only that but he claims we caught him in a weak moment – He is donating a trip for one down the Boise River and IWA is matching it so: THERE WILL BE A DRAWING with the winner winning a TRIP FOR TWO down the Boise River (Must be a paid-up member to win). A romantic thing to do with your honey or a fun thing to do for/with your out-of-town guests. Yea I know, here we go singing about our terrific rivers again (here kitty, kitty).

John’s slide show/talk will be “A Tale of Two Changing Rivers - Middle Fork Salmon and Boise - by John Heimer of:
Boise River Tours provides a unique opportunity to experience "mother nature" at her best.  Come along with us on a half-day nature rafting tour of the beautiful and tranquil Boise River near Boise, Idaho.  Journey with us on "River Time" and experience the anticipation that lurks around every bend.  Join with your family and friends on a nature tour, suitable for all age groups which will create cherished lifetime memories.
Learn about the flora, fauna, geology and history of the Boise River.  On our tours you will also enjoy taking pictures, identifying wildflowers, seeing songbirds, learning about the trees and getting close to nature.

My name is John Heimer and I personally guide every tour.
I retired from the Idaho Fish & Game Department in 1998 after working 33 years as a fisheries biologist. I love Idaho’s rivers and want to share my knowledge and experiences.
We use top of the line self-bailing rafts to take customers down tranquil river sections.   By specializing in nature rafting tours we are certainly unique in Idaho and probably the west.  The half-day tours are especially designed for mature citizens, families, social and work groups, and special occasions such as office parties, birthday parties, anniversaries, etc.
 

 Our day starts by meeting at a pre-arranged location either in or very close to Boise, Idaho.  We then board a comfortable shuttle van and travel to our launch site located about 10 minutes upstream.   At the launch site we settle into the raft for our exciting river experience.
We float along examining the animals and plants that call the river home. We generally see about 20-25 different species of birds and around the same number of plants.  Opportunities abound during the tour for getting those great family and nature photographs you always wanted.
We are on the water for a short while before stopping on a secluded island.  At this time a table and fresh flowers appear as well as a delicious snack.  We then float on completing the tour at the location where you left your car.
We serve a light, tasty snack, fruit juice and water as part of every river tour.  This gives everyone an opportunity to stretch their legs and enjoy the river's wonderful riparian areas. It is also an opportunity to take pictures and get to better know other people on the trip.
Go see John’s web page at:
http://www.boiserivertours.com/index.html
I think this will be a great time to learn more about what is right in our backyard.

Here is some encouraging news about a possible paddler’s license plate with the funds benefiting our rivers and those who use them.
PRESS RELEASE
January 29, 2003
For more information contact:
Sen. Mike Burkett, 208-332-1352
Bill Sedivy, IRU) 208-343-7481
Alan Hamilton, AIRE, 208-888-1772
Jo Cassin, Idaho Rivers Sports, 208-336-4844
Jackie Nefzger, Mackey Wilderness River Trips, 208-344-1881

Burkett introduces whitewater license plate bill:

River lovers, industry leaders support effort to raise funds for river access, safety, conservation and promotion.
Boise — Sen. Mike Burkett, D-Boise, has introduced a bill giving Idaho's whitewater rafters and kayakers a chance to help support programs to promote whitewater boating, river safety, access and conservation — while showing their love of their sport.
Burkett's bill, SB 1082, would authorize the creation and sale of new, specialty license plates touting Idaho as 'The Whitewater State" and depicting rafters and kayakers as part of the design. The Senate Transportation Committee voted to authorize printing of the bill Tuesday.
Money from sales of the plates would be administered by the Idaho Department of Commerce and would be dispersed based on input from a committee of whitewater industry leaders and whitewater boaters.

"This is a good way to raise money for river recreation programs that are necessary, but don't really get any state support," Burkett said. "In these difficult budgetary times, we need to find creative solutions for funding programs that benefit Idaho's citizens."
"Idaho's whitewater boating community is large and enthusiastic/'said Alan Hamilton of AIRE Corp., the Meridian-based manufacturer of whitewater rafts. "We think these plates will sell like hotcakes and generate a fair bit of money to support river safety and recreation."
Jackie Nefzger of Mackay Wilderness River Trips, a river outfitter, said promotional expenditures from plate sales will benefit all boaters by drawing attention to Idaho's great whitewater resources.

"We're excited about this because no one is really spending any money to educate boaters on safety issues and how to care for their rivers," said Bill Sedivy of Idaho Rivers United. "This is a great way to fund programs that don't get state support, without impacting the state budget.
EDITORS NOTE: I believe that I heard the Jet Boaters wanted a jet boat on the license plate since they do white water too! So I understand the name of the plate will be changed to “Wild Rivers” and only have rafters and kayakers on it.

KAYAKING DOWN UNDER & SOMETIMES UPSIDE DOWN

Chris Duff, one of the world’s great solo sea kayak adventurers, will present a slide show about his circumnavigation of the south island of New Zealand at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12th at The Benchmark – 625 Vista Ave.  Chris’s slides and narration of his 1,700 mile, four month trip interweaves the beauty of New Zealand’s coast, fjords and sun blessed days on the Tasman Sea with landings on cobble and rock strewn beaches in 15 foot high surf. Along the way Chris meets penguins, sharks, porpoises, fishermen, hermits, an angel of the sea and one clueless sheep dog. Tickets are $5 in advance at Idaho River Sports & The Benchmark and $7 at the door. Copies of his new book, Southern Exposure, will be available for signing after the show.

DUES ARE DUE…..
2003 dues are now due. The cost is only $15.00. Be sure to pay by or at the Annual Meeting on April 2 to be able to participate in the raffle for a free Aire boat and to keep on getting your Newsletter.  Use the application on the back of the newsletter or if none of your info has changed, just put a check in the mail to IWA, P.O. Box 6135, Boise, ID 83707.

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOUR ARTICLES, IDEAS FOR SPEAKERS, WANT ADS, HUMOR, HISTORY, ETC. If you would like to present a program at one of our meetings, let one of the board members know.

Calendar of Events:
April 2 – Annual Membership Meeting and Election of Officers – Aire Factory
Start thinking about new life for the Board. If you’re not willing to spend a few hours a month at least get together with some of your buddies and nominate one of your ‘friends’! Lots of people voted for Term Limits – does that apply to IWA board members too? Remember to pay your 2003 dues so you can participate in the raffle for the Aire boat.  We might even get to see the AMAZING self-healing tube again.

May 3:  Used Equipment Sale.
Eastman and 13th, next to IRS.

Gear for Sale
  EXTRASPORT BUDDY MODEL LIFEJACKETS CLASS V. $45 EACH COST NEW $110 ALL IN VERY GOOD CONDITION ASSORTED SIZES.
    CRAZYCREEK BRAND POWER LOUNGER BEACH CHAIRS. $10 EACH COST NEW $37 ALL IN GOOD CONDITION.
    JACK'S PLACTIC BRAND SMALL DRY BAGS $5 EACH COST NEW $35 VERY GOOD TO FIXABLE CONDITION.
    CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE THEM NEAR WARM SPRINGS GOLF COURSE: DAVE MILLS 208-345-2400

 Beautiful, Wilderness Systems Kevlar touring kayak. Sleek and lite – Wonderful EASTER present (we’ll even throw a stuffed bunny in). $500 OBO. Bronwyn @ 853-1728 bronwynmyers@cableone.net
Let us know if you sold your stuff!

Some Parting Shots:

Disclaimer: The layout, content, and wording of the IWA newsletter is the sole responsibility of the newsletter editor (me-Ron Myers). If any of the content, wording, etc offends anyone PLEASE let me know and I will try my best not to do it again. You can e-mail me or if you prefer to remain anonymous you can send an unsigned letter/note to me at: 5133 N Liverpool Ave, Boise, ID 83714. So, if you’re unhappy about what’s in the newsletter, let me be the first to know. Thanks. Letters to the Editor/rebuttal are welcome – You know, everyone has at least one opinion; so if you’d like yours heard, please send it.

Doyle’s Music shop on Broadway made us a great deal on a nice PA system, mic, and cord. I think we will get lots of use out of it. It’s small enough and rugged enough that we can run it from an inverter when we have functions away from a plug-in.

Well, as of last months board meeting this is no longer just a passing thought. An e-mail version of our newsletter instead of the printed version is now available. Please bear in mind that the newsletter files are getting larger as I keep adding pictures. For example, this newsletters file size is about 7 megabytes. So, if you have a fast modem or lots of time. Or, you can get the ‘no picture version’ which brings it down to 3-400 kilobytes - Send me an e-mail to sign up for this feature.

One final item we have discussed in our board meetings is the sharing of the IWA membership list with other like-minded organizations in our area (i.e. IRU, IRS, local departments seeking opinions/comments, etc.). We have had requests in the past and have not released our list. The current board consensus is to make it an individual option to be indicated on one of those little check boxes at the bottom of your membership form. So . . . something else you’ll hear more about at the annual meeting. Keep this one in mind.

The following is the rest of a reprint from the February 2003 issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE magazine.
THE LOST CANYON OF THE SILVER SAGE
By Jeff Greenwald – Photography by Jay Dickman
(Continued from Feb issue)
… the river's edge, coaxing the boats through rock-strewn eddies. A few hundred yards down, the water drops to Class II. We get back in the boats and take a frothy ride between two gigantic boulders.

This brings us to Cable, a Class IV-plus that is the biggest rapid of the trip. We portage every ounce of our gear over huge, wet rocks and reload the boats downstream. Leidecker then pilots them, one by one, over a small waterfall.

But there's no portaging the heavy supply raft. Leidecker hikes back upriver and, as we watch from an outcrop, rows the boat into the heart of Cable. He handles the oars with the grace of a fencer, executing a nearly flawless run—until the last second, when the raft wedges between the narrow rocks of the waterfall. For an instant, it looks like everything we cherish—from our schnapps to the camp toilet—will end up on the river bottom. But a judicious blow from the oars frees the craft, and we cheer with relief as Leidecker drops into a calm pool below the rapids.
It comes as a surprise, halfway through our second-to-last day, to paddle into what looks like a ghost town. It's the battered remains of Five Bar Ranch, a homestead established by the Loveland family in 1868 and later inhabited by the Drummonds, who left in the 1920s. The remains of their world still stand. We beach the kayaks and wander past busted carts and rusting plows, through an old house and a nearby blacksmith shop. The dilapidation looks ancient, but it's an illusion: Floods ravaged Five Bar during the 1990s. 'As recently as ten years ago," Sevy says, "it looked like the Drummonds had just moved out."

We break for lunch, eating pita bread and gorp amid the ruins. Even here, along Oregon's Wild and Scenic River corridor, the ground is trampled, covered with invasive weeds, and littered with cow dung. The damage underscores what may be the most serious problem facing the Owyhee Canyon lands: cattle ranching.

The relationship between the canyons and their sage-carpeted uplands is complex and politically charged. Cows love water; they seek out streams and shade. These streams feed into the Owyhee, polluting its ecosystem. But cows—and cowboys—have been present in this region since the 1860s, when huge herds were driven west to feed the gold miners.

There are three schools of thought on the issue. Some people insist that ranching is destructive and doesn't belong anywhere near the sensitive wilderness of the Owyhee. The ranchers themselves are bent on preserving their traditional way of life. In the middle are the pragmatists, like Bob Sevy.

"We're going to have to work with the cow people to achieve our conservation goals," he says. "Because of the politics out here, nothing will be done without their agreement."

But compromise tactics don't wash well with some of the area's environmental activists. "Cow ranching is evil," says Katie Fite, the conservation director of Idaho's Committee for the High Desert. "This ecosystem evolved without large herds of ungulates." Fite compares ranching on public lands to the devastating bison hunts of the 1800s, and she doesn't mythologize the cowboy "Here's what I think," she says. "When the Marlboro Man is gone, so will be our false notion of the endless frontier: the frontier of endlessly exploitable resources."

Such words anger ranchers like Mike Hanley, whose family has worked the land around the Owyhee for generations. "There's a small minority of people trying to shove their will upon a majority," he says. Like all ranchers, Hanley pays the BLM a grazing fee of $1.43 per animal per month, but that money doesn't begin to cover the government's costs. Figure in the ecological impact, and you'll understand why many conservationists want to end public-lands ranching.

In 1997, a pair of environmental groups sued the BLM, claiming that the agency wasn't enforcing grazing regulations. A U.S. district court judge agreed and ordered the BLM to review the damage caused by cattle. The agency did so and mandated significant cutbacks in grazing. Local ranchers, whose sweat equity is disappearing with their lands, have appealed the decision.

"We're losing our culture," Hanley says. "Change may be inevitable, but I'd like to be part of the process, not a victim of it.”
Six days is a funny length of time. When you're setting out, it feels like forever, but at the end, the days seem like they went by in a flash. Our last afternoon on the Owyhee is sunny and windless, and we paddle to a hot spring beneath an old stagecoach trail. Warm water cascades through lush ferns and wildflowers, spilling into a series of steaming pools. We strip off our clothes and take our first bath in nearly a week.
As we soak, Sevy sums up his conservation goals. In Idaho, he says, 163 miles of the Owyhee should be designated as Wild and Scenic. This would mean protection for the canyon and its wildlife, maybe even money for a river patrol. Sevy also believes that some 200,000 acres of the sage plateau, an integral part of the canyon ecosystem, should be designated as a wilderness area. This would limit road building, control ranching, and possibly provide more funds to monitor ATV traffic—the top three threats to the region.

Sevy and other Owyhee conservationists may not get all of the protections they seek. But there's hope on the horizon. During the past two years, the Owyhee's traditionally contentious factions have been meeting to hammer out a compromise land management plan. It would allow ranching to continue but would grant Sevy's most fervent wishes; the creation of a wilderness area and, possibly, Wild and Scenic River status. The so-called Owyhee Initiative should be completed this spring. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has pledged to present it to Congress; what happens after that is anyone's guess.

After drying off, I run the final stretch solo, paddling silently stealthily past the hoodoos and cliffs, the bobcat dens and Indian caves. Two bighorn sheep burst from the sagebrush to my right; an otter pops its head out of the river and swims for the bank. Around the next bend is our take-out: Three Forks, Oregon. But the river rolls on, with more rapids and canyons ahead.

As I drift along, the magnitude of Sevy's task confronts me. The American public is keen to protect mountains, lakes, and forests—our typical recreation zones. Here on the Idaho-Oregon border, the untrained eye sees nothing but sagebrush: a shimmering infinity of it. But a first-rate canyon wilderness lies within this desert—hiding in a seemingly barren corner of the road map.

Editors Note: Oh gee, I can’t let this one pass – How does Ms. Fite compare having ungulates on public land to the devastating killing of thousands upon thousands of ungulates on what was then ‘public land’? I sure hope someone misquoted her. Just so everyone knows – I grew up (was raised) on a large cattle ranch and we leased public land. It was land that nobody neither wanted nor cared about at the time and the government was laughing all the way to the bank with the money we paid them.

I know that beef is one of the most inefficient food items to raise – but it tastes soooo good. Besides 500 wolves can’t be wrong, they like beef too!

You might be a kayaker if...
You practically salivate at the sound of rainfall.
There's no room on your speed-dial for anything but gauge readings and the numbers of people with nicknames like Psycho.
You paid more for a roof-rack for the boat than you spent for anniversary presents.
You tie down the boat better than you seatbelt in the kids.
"Waterproof" means "a little damp" or "might-float"
Your friends or relatives are shocked when you answer the phone at home on a weekend.
You can't drive over a bridge without looking for water under it.
Your wife says you love your boat and your boat'n buddies more than her, and she sounds just like your first wife...and your second.
Driving 800 miles for a weekend on the river doesn't seem strange to you.
Your idea of a complete first aid kit is a roll of duct tape.
You choose a new car based on whether or not your rack system will fit it.
You call your buddies in order of shuttle ability.
Your boat is worth more than your car.
Even in the dead of winter, you never actually lose the PFD tan lines...
You build your new house as close as possible to the flood plain.
Your dog loves to roll in your pile of paddling clothes.
You measure major purchases relative to the cost of a new boat...('Hmmm, that new computer will cost me about 2 1/2 kayak units')
You're the one with the Bright Sunny Smile on the Cold Rainy Day.
Every once in a while you touch your paddle, just to touch it...every once in a while you let go of your paddle, just to eat something.
You have no trouble saying "Rotomolded Crosslink Polyethelyne" ten times fast.
You have a bathing suit that's wet from March to October.
Your Mom has stopped saying "be careful this weekend".
You can ID make and model on a car topped kayak at a quarter mile...
"Wet, sticky hole" and "blowing a ferry" in casual conversation don't give you pause...
All career, personal and financial decisions are judged by the criteria of, "How will this increase my paddling time?"
You visit Niagara Falls and think "This may be runnable."
You build a 2 car garage addition and you still can't park your car inside.
You bug out on your wife and kids to go paddling for the weekend because you are SURE your priorities are right.
You deliberately watch the whole commercial just to see the kayak on the car...
You maneuver your car on five-lane streets by eddying out behind trucks and making S-moves in the left turn lane. And you lean into the turns.
If you live in a town with a river running through it, you give street directions with descriptions like "upstream of the ..." or "two blocks down on river left ..."
You feel all mushy inside when your wife gives you a dry top for Christmas.
You keep moving the car seat forward, so you can bend your knees and feel good and wedged in for pulling maneuvers on the freeway.
You can't look at water in a gutter without imagining tiny runs and miniature waves and holes.
After a car wreck, the first thing you check for is damage to your boat.
A Frenchman, an Englishman, and a New Yorker get captured by cannibals. The Chief comes to them and says, "The bad news is that now that we've caught you, we're going to kill you. We will put you in a pot and cook you, then we'll eat you, and then we'll use your skins to build a canoe. The good news is that you get to choose how you die." The Frenchman says, "I take ze sword." The chief gives him a sword, the Frenchman cries "Vive la France!" and runs himself through.
The Englishman says, "A pistol for me, please." The chief hands him a gun, the Englishman points it at his head saying "God save the Queen!", and blows his brains out.
The New Yorker says "Gimme a fork." The chief is puzzled, but shrugs and gives him a fork. The New Yorker takes the fork and starts jabbing himself all over -- the stomach, sides, chest, everywhere.
 

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOUR ARTICLES, IDEAS FOR SPEAKERS, WANT ADS, HUMOR, HISTORY, ETC.
If you would like to present a program at one of our meetings, let one of the board members know.
 

Calendar of Events:

March 5 – Snow Pack Fortune Telling and A Tale of Two Rivers – Idaho River Sports

Ron Abramovich will give us his annual snowpack/flow report. At this time he may not have much to report but keep the faith – January and February 2003 could produce record snowfall for the Idaho Mountains.  John Heimer will give an encore presentation of his informative tale of the Boise River and the Middle Fork of the Salmon and what changes there have been over the last 40 years (John, are you really that old?).  Don’t miss this one – it will get you in the spirit to paddle.

April 2 – Annual Membership Meeting and Election of Officers – Aire Factory

Start thinking about new life for the Board. If you’re not willing to spend a few hours a month at least get together with some of your buddies and nominate one of your ‘friends’! Lots of people voted for Term Limits – does that apply to IWA board members too? Remember to pay your 2003 dues so you can participate in the raffle for the Aire boat.  We might even get to see the AMAZING self-healing tube again.

May 3:  Used Equipment Sale.

Eastman and 13th, next to IRS.
 

Your Board of Directors:

Jeri Rose, President.   342-2305
airehead@hotmail.com

Mel Johnson, Treas.   343-0970
n2wh20@peoplepc.com

Bronwyn Myers, Sec.      853-1728
bronwynmyers@cableone.net

Stan Kolby, Board Mbr.   338-0546
skolby@rmci.net

Bill Latta, Board Mbr.   344-9443
lattaslaw@cableone.net

John Strange, Board Mbr. 342-2305
airehead@hotmail.com

Susan Wildwood, Board Mbr.   383-0390
darkfire@cableone.net

Ron Myers, Newsletter Editor                853-1728
rpmyers@cableone.net

Vince's Idaho Whitewater Page
http://www.webpak.net/~rafter/

Real-Time Data for Idaho: Streamflow
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/current/?type=flow

Paddling
http://gorp.com/gorp/activity/paddle.htm

Paddling.net: Canoeing and Kayaking Info
http://www.paddling.net/

American Whitewater Association
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/index.phtml
 
 

mailto:idahowhitewater@hotmail.com or
lattaslaw@home.com
 
 

Vince's Idaho Whitewater Page

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