Building capacity to steward a livable future
Based on the dynamics of growth in the Wood River Valley, climate change in the region, and the role of open space to quality of life in Blaine County-- the Land Trust views community planning as an additional and necessary tool to advance its conservation mission. Land use decisions within the footprint of development impact the use of our natural resources, as well as the pattern of growth into surrounding habitats. In order to protect the remarkable natural environment that made the Wood River Valley so special in the first place, the Community Planning program engages partners across sectors to balance community needs alongside conservation goals in their land use plans and decisions.
On behalf of the Wood River Land Trust, Community Planning Director Cece (Osborn) Albertson was awarded the 2025 Planning Tool of the Year Award from the Idaho Chapter of the national American Planning Association. The structure and approach of the Community Planning program was honored for its originality, transferability, quality and comprehensiveness in regional planning. For other small communities in Idaho, like ours, that might not be supported or mandated to have regional planning entities, the Community Planning program at the Land Trust might act as an example for how to share resources, operate from a place of consensus, and use data to inform solutions that cross jurisdictional boundaries. As time and development ebbs and flows in the Wood River Valley floor, the Land Trust maintains its commitment to conserve the places that we cherish and love so much by engaging our partners in government to use their statutory authority to further conservation goals.
Engaging people and organizations across sectors, the Land Trust identified the following five focus areas for the new Community Planning program. Each focus area influences conservation in the valley and is risked by unchecked growth. Objectives across the five focus areas support compact community design for conservation of the beautiful lands and important natural resources in Blaine County.
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In broad strokes, the community cherishes Blaine County’s natural environment and access to open space. They recognize the ongoing need to protect wildlife and natural resources, restore the Big Wood River and its floodplain, and prepare for natural hazards linked to climate change. More than ever before, the community recognizes the risk of losing surrounding open space to new, sprawling development. The community planning program at the Land Trusts engages the public, evaluates trends, educates the community, encourages policies, and coordinates special projects that manage growth for habitat conservation.
With a changing climate, the community worries whether there will be sufficient water for a growing community, the regional agriculture and the Big Wood River’s ecosystem. Consistently, the community sees additional opportunities to reduce demand for water, increase efficiency and manage usage conjunctively, across the region. The community planning program at the Land Trusts engages the public, evaluates trends, educates the community, encourages policies, and coordinates special projects that manage growth for water availability.
Closely tied to the housing crisis, the community is boggled by the patterns of traffic congestion and the increasing length of work commutes into the Wood River Valley. With a legacy of supporting local transit services and active transportation facilities, the community voices support for sustainable transportation modes. Yet, data suggests that residents’ travel behaviors do not align with their stated values– Blaine County is largely car-dependent. The community planning program at the Land Trusts engages the public, evaluates trends, educates the community, encourages policies, and coordinates special projects that manage growth for transportation mobility.
Amenity migration to Blaine County, during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated the County’s longstanding housing challenges and created a crisis. Housing costs remain unprecedentedly high, driving profits and incentivizing residential development. That said, new market-rate housing doesn’t equate to housing for our local workforce and long-time community members– much of the housing stock is unaffordable to them. The community is calling for creative policy solutions that are necessary for the people who keep the wheels of our community spinning. The community planning program at the Land Trusts engages the public, evaluates trends, educates the community, encourages policies, and coordinates special projects that manage growth for community housing.
Amenity migration to Blaine County, during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated the County’s longstanding housing challenges and created a crisis. Housing costs remain unprecedentedly high, driving profits and incentivizing residential development. That said, new market-rate housing doesn’t equate to housing for our local workforce and long-time community members– much of the housing stock is unaffordable to them. The community is calling for creative policy solutions that are necessary for the people who keep the wheels of our community spinning. The community planning program at the Land Trusts engages the public, evaluates trends, educates the community, encourages policies, and coordinates special projects that manage growth for community housing.
