Drew Dodson here with this week’s edition of the Valley Lookout newsletter. It appears our run of relative good luck this fire season was snapped with last night’s storm. The few details available as of Wednesday morning on the West Mountain fires below, and more.

NOTE: Please excuse the duplicate newsletter emails today! The first version that went out was a mid-edit autosave file and thus included several cut-off sentences and missing words. If you didn’t know already, now you know how messy writing can be!

First up

Tuesday storm sparks several wildfire starts near Tamarack Resort

A thunderstorm that blew through on Tuesday night started several wildfires south of Tamarack Resort and elsewhere in Valley County.

Large, glowing smoke plumes could be seen rising from near the resort shortly before 10 p.m. on Tuesday night. The fires were reported to Valley County Sheriff’s Office at about 10:13 p.m., the agency said on social media.

“We have no information that any homes are in danger at this time,” the post said.

Crews from Payette National Forest, Boise National Forest, and Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association responded with “heavy resources” overnight, according to the Forest Service, which expects to issue further updates later today.

Watch Duty, a platform that tracks wildfires, lists four active fires south of Tamarack. Closest to the resort is the Rock Fire, which had burned about 20 acres as of 7:42 a.m. Wednesday, according to Watch Duty.

The platform reported another 30 acres further south had been burned by the Duck Fire and Lone Tree Fire as of early Wednesday morning.

Tuesday night’s storm also sparked two wildfires near Eagles Nest off Warm Lake Road, the app said. The Colter Fire was put out at one acre burned, while the Oro Fire is burning south of Warm Lake Road with no estimated acreage at of Wednesday morning.

Tuesday night’s storm followed a wave of consistent fire activity since Aug. 1 amid a series of thunderstorms, with a dozen small fires extinguished on the Payette over the last week, according to Kelly Martin, a Payette spokesperson.

Most efforts in recent days were focused on the Quartz Fire near Granite Lake, which was caused by lightning and flared up on Sunday morning. The fire was about 12 acres as of Tuesday night and about 40% contained.

Overall, 94 firefighters and two helicopters are working on fire within the Payette, nearly all of which were assigned to the Quartz Fire, said Kelly Martin, a Payette spokesperson.

Meanwhile, crews are close to containing the two largest fires on the forest, which are both within the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness.

The Big Bear Fire is now about 15,000 acres with 70% containment. The Rush Fire, estimated at about 7,400 acres, is about 90% contained. The fires started on July 9 and July 10.

“Activity on our two large wilderness fires dropped dramatically with the moisture (from recent storms) and those fires have not shown growth in a couple weeks,” Martin said.

Overall, 33 fires on the Payette have been extinguished this season. Martin told Valley Lookout this fire season is statistically similar to last summer based on the number of fire starts.

“Most of the fires have remained small due to the moisture associated with the storms but also a heavy resource response helped suppress them quickly,” she said.

The recent string of storms coincided with significant rainfall that helped counteract a dry spring that had wildfire indicators at “record levels” in June, Martin said.

“The weather patterns shifted in mid-July and the Payette started getting cooler and wetter and our indices dropped down to below normal,” she said. “With the lower indices we have been able to support regionally and nationally with crews, engines, aerial firefighters and overhead.”

(Lightning on Tuesday night sparked several wildfires along West Mountain, including near Tamarack Resort. Photo: Courtesy Idaho Wild Lens)

Huckleberry Festival returns for 16th year

Don your purple garb and beads, the Huckleberry Festival is coming back to Donnelly for its 16th year.

The festivities are headlined by a Saturday parade down Main Street (Idaho 55) at noon, a concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday night in Donnelly City Park and a huckleberry pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Donnelly Community Center.

Vendors of arts, crafts, and food will line Main Street (Idaho 55) through Donnelly for most of the weekend starting at noon on Friday.

The Huck Trot 5K race to Roseberry and back will be held on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Registration is open here.

(The Huckleberry Festival Parade through downtown Donnelly. Photo: Courtesy Donnelly Chamber of Commerce)

Civic Lookout

• Cascade School Board: Tonight at 6 p.m. Agenda available here.
• McCall City Council: Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. Agenda available here.
• Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission: Thursday night at 6 p.m. Agenda available here.
• Donnelly City Council: Monday at 6 p.m. Agenda to be posted here.
• State Land Board: Tuesday at 9 a.m. Agenda to be posted here.
• Valley County Commissioners: Next Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. Agenda to be posted here.

Valley Lookout Original Reporting

‘An immediate response was important’: Boat capsizes in Payette Lake, prompts ‘precautionary’ water testing

Water quality testing is being completed after a boat capsized on Payette Lake on Saturday and could not be removed from the water until Sunday morning. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

‘What do we do?’: Valley County floats Payette Lake milfoil options, wants five-year plan

Local officials met last week to begin discussing options for a worsening infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil in Payette Lake in the wake of the state’s decision to not fund removal efforts for the second straight year. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

McCall Albertsons rolls out new tech., with concern about ‘surge’ pricing

The aisles as Albertsons in McCall have looked a little different lately thanks to new digital tags that some warn could come at a cost. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

Mountain Happenings

McCall

• Farmers Market: On Second Street each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Payette Lakes Fine Art & Craft Fair: This Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gold Glove Park in McCall.
• Mountain Brewfest: Join more than 30 breweries in Depot Park on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for an afternoon of sampling beer, ciders, and wine with live music and food vendors. Tickets cost $45 in advance and $55 at the event.
• Computer Help Desk: Council Computers offering free computer help at the McCall Public Library from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays in August.

Donnelly

• Wednesday Night Concert Series: Lindy Sisters to perform at 6:30 p.m. in historic Roseberry.
• Farmer’s market: Every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Donnelly City Park.
• Huckleberry Festival: This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in downtown Donnelly
• Potluck Pioneer Picnic: Join the Davis Family for a meal and an afternoon of Valley County history on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in historic Roseberry.

Cascade

• Live music: Honey Trail to perform at the Warm Lake Lodge on Friday at 7 p.m.
• Cardboard Boat Regatta: Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Cascade Aquatic & Recreation Center
• Guns’n’Hoses: First responder softball game to benefit Toby’s Place and the Youth Advocacy Coalition to be held at 2 p.m. this Saturday at Cascade Sports Park. $5 entry.

New Meadows

• Potluck and Bingo: Tonight starting at 5 p.m. at the Meadows Valley Community Center.
• Farmers market: Every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Dorsey Warr Memorial Park.
• Meadows Valley Days: Logging show, pie sale, parade, axe throwing competition, vendors, and more on Aug. 30 and 31 in Dorsey Warr Memorial Park.

Mountain Pet of the Week

Meet Nox! Jerry Kelly of Donnelly says Nox “has never chewed anything he wasn’t supposed to. Bit a guy in the ass that had just robbed the Circle K and was trying to escape by hiding in my Tucson yard. Obsessive fan of Valley County squirrel population.”

Click here to nominate your pet for Mountain Pet of the Week for a chance to be featured on a weekly newsletter!