Water Lantern Festival + Gas prices rising + New Stanley trail

Oct 11, 2023

Hello Wednesday. Gretchen Parsons here with your rundown.

Readers have expressed concerns about the upcoming Water Lantern Festival in Boise, find out why below. Plus, bad news when it comes to gas prices.

A traveling Water Lantern Festival is making its way to Boise this weekend and readers have expressed concerns over the event’s potential impacts to the environment.

The Water Lantern Festival is taking place in Julia Davis Park on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. For between $26 to $55, depending on the date tickets are bought, festival-goers get a floating lantern kit, LED candle, marker, and commemorative bag. People can write messages and decorate their lanterns and then launch them in the East End of Julia Davis Park at 9 p.m. The festival website says the admission price covers the cost of collecting and removing the lanterns, along with cleaning up any trash left behind.

The festival has been held in many cities across the country and was in Bend, Oregon for the first time this past Friday. The event was supposed to be confined to a specific area of a park, but local news outlet KTVZ reported that didn’t happen, as more than 80 lanterns and wooden platforms made their way down the Deschutes River and sank to the bottom. A local group of volunteers retrieved the debris and shared the images on Instagram. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said the event could be seen as “recreational littering.”

The Water Lantern Festival has been occurring in Boise since 2019 and Boise Parks & Recreation representative Bonnie Shelton says there have been no issues and organizers remain in good standing. The festival has obtained all necessary permits. However, Shelton says the city is aware of what happened in Bend and is working to ensure similar issues don’t arise in the City of Trees.

“Please rest assured that City of Boise special event staff members are working closely with event organizers to ensure nothing similar happens in Boise this weekend,” Shelton said in an email. “The event hosted locally takes place in a pond that does not connect to the Boise River — it is a still, shallow and isolated body of water that was identified by city staff for this event through the special event team process.”

Shelton added that event organizers are required to submit and follow a trash removal and clean-up plan. And in light of recent news, the city is working closely with organizers to “reiterate expectations and make sure all plans and procedures are followed.”

BoiseDev reached out to the Water Lantern Festival for comment Tuesday and an emailed response said organizers have been working with groups in Bend to retrieve the lanterns.

“We’re grateful for their expertise and knowledge of the river in getting this resolved and cleaned.”

The email added that organizers are excited to return to Boise for a fourth year.

Fuel prices in Idaho continue to rise this week, averaging at $4.08 per gallon. That’s seven cents more than a week ago and 17 cents more than a month ago, according to AAA.

The average price for a regular gallon of gas in Ada County is $4.10.

AAA reports Idaho currently ranks as the ninth most expensive state for gas, trailing behind California ($5.16), Washington ($5.03), Hawaii ($4.78), Oregon ($4.69), Alaska ($4.48), Nevada ($4.42), Illinois ($4.17), and Utah ($4.16).

“Idaho gas prices dropped in July, bucking the national trend. But unfortunately, the ripple effects are catching up with us in August,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “Right now, we’re experiencing a one-two punch of strong fuel demand and expensive crude oil, both of which translate to pain at the pump that could continue through Labor Day.”

The Energy Information Administration reports gas demand increased from 8.84 to 9.3 million barrels per day last week, while total gasoline stocks decreased by approximately three million barrels. The West Texas Intermediate benchmark for crude oil is currently trading near $82 per barrel, which is about the same as a week ago and $7 more than a month ago. AAA says both factors are playing a part in rising prices at the pump.

“Thankfully, refineries are operating at 93% of capacity across the country, and at over 91% in our region, which means that supplies are fairly steady,” Conde said. “But high temperatures have the potential to reduce production due to efficiency and safety concerns, and there’s still a possibility that hurricane season could throw a wrench in the works. With everything that’s going on, we don’t expect pump prices to drop in the near future.”

People visiting Stanley and Redfish Lake have a new trail to explore.

The Sawtooth National Forest announced the opening of the Stanley to Redfish Trail. The pathway is 4.5 miles long and provides a connection from the City of Stanley to the Redfish Lake recreation complex. The trail is open to hiking, biking, and equestrians. E-bikes are not allowed.

“This trail will be a great amenity for the Stanley community and for recreationists from throughout the State and beyond,” said Stanley Mayor Steve Botti. “I would like to commend the U.S. Forest Service and in particular the Sawtooth National Recreation Area staff for remaining dedicated to the dream of creating one of the most beautiful trails in Idaho to connect the City of Stanley to Redfish Lake.”

The Stanley to Redfish Trail has been in the making for the past seven years. It can be accessed from Pioneer Park in Stanley, the U.S. Forest Service’s Stanley Ranger Station, and the Redfish Lake recreation complex.

A noise study has yet to be completed on the Airforce’s plans to bring F-16s to Gowen Field. However, some neighbors don’t think the mission is appropriate because of the noise. Margaret Carmel reports.

As Morgan McDonough reports, twenty-four Idaho companies made Inc. Magazine’s list of 5,000 fastest-growing businesses in 2023.

BSU could build workforce housing on a site adjacent to the University Village Apartments. The plan calls for 26 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. Sydney Kidd has more on the early plans.

Meet Kibbie!

Owner Chris says that Kibbie is a Swedish Lapphund, which is the national dog of Sweden. Swedish Lapphunds were bred by the native Sámi people and have a knack for herding Reindeer. Her namesake is the world-famous Kibbie Dome in Moscow Idaho. She wants to give all of BoiseDev a “Go Vandals!”

Submit your pet’s photo here, and we may feature it each weekday! Plus, our friends at Zamzows will send along a prize to the winning pet (owners)!