Much of the data is now available, and CIRC plans to create a web-based computer modeling system later this year. It is seeking opinions on additional research needed by specific groups, such as farmers, recreational businesses and conservation organizations.

The CIRC, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, selected the Wood River Valley for the study because it is experiencing not only changes in the climate but also in population, the economic base and land use, Stevenson said. The area south of Magic Reservoir is significantly different from the northern area in terms of climate and population density. The economy also varies, relying heavily on agriculture in the south and tourism and recreation in the north.

Once this study is completed, CIRC plans to use it as a model for additional studies throughout the Northwest.

The study covers what is known as Basin 37, which consists of the Big Wood and Little Wood rivers and their basins, It includes land in Blaine, Lincoln and Gooding counties. The Climate Impact Research Consortium is a federally funded research consortium studying the impacts of a changing climate to landscapes and water resources in the Pacific Northwest. It hosts scientists from four universities in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and is administered by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University.

 

The official dedication of the panels will be Sunday, Aug. 31, but locals can get a preview at the next Business After Hours, to be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the museum.

The panels, each 3.75-feet by 4-feet, show historical photographs of migratory native tribes, local stores, ore wagons and mule teams on the trail, miners at work, the smelter, sheep at the railhead and early skiers. Others contain mine diagrams, maps and photos of vanished towns, all tracing Ketchum's evolution from an economy based on mining to sheep to tourism. 

The panels can be seen at any time under the covered porch at the museum, located at Fifth Street and East Avenue. The museum itself will be open Fridays in August from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is free.

The ore wagons, a gift from the Lewis family, are the grand finale of Ketchum's Wagon Days parade. A 20-mule team on a "jerk line," so-called because the muleskinner controls the team by jerks on the line, pulls the wagons down Main Street.

The panels at the museum were prepared with the assistance of former state Rep. Wendy Jaquet; Norma Douglas, one of the researchers and the writer for the original exhibit created in 1986; and Sandra Hofferber, librarian of the regional history department of The Community Library.

Evelyn Backman Phillips of Quigley Map Studio designed the display panels, and Windy City, a Wood River Valley sign company, printed and mounted the panels. The display was funded by grants from the city of Ketchum and the Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency.

The Sun Valley Museum of History, now part of The Community Library, reopened this summer after renovation. The 1933 building in Forest Service Park at First and Washington streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1-6 p.m.

You can also take a free one-hour "Sun Valley Story Tour" with a guide on Mountain Rides buses every Friday. Register at the Visitors Center at Sun Valley Road and East Avenue before the 10:15 a.m. departure.