Leadership Grows Community Opportunities
“We all tend to wear at least three or four different hats,” says one of Elk River’s residents who laughs as he explains that he serves on City Council, operates a local restaurant and volunteers for both the fire department and ambulance service. The same resident joins some of the other 156 people who call this town home for at least part of every week — since almost half of all residents live somewhere else during the weekdays. But while there used to be a split between full and part-time residents, involvement in a leadership development program, called Horizons, has residents thinking differently about their community.
“Horizons helped us understand that we all had ideas to promote the town, just different approaches in how to do so,” explains one resident. “Our meetings and discussions have helped us realize there is more than one way to define community and more than one approach to community development.” Invisible lines that were once drawn on the sand between full-time and part-time residents have been erased. Some full-time residents have recognized that there are weekend residents who love the community as much, or more, than some of the lifetime residents.
The enthusiasm generated from the Horizons gatherings ended up sparking action among the community’s youth. The young people of Elk River came forth with their own ideas and dreams and with the help of the community, established the Elk River Youth Center. “We needed something for the younger people to do,” explains a 17 year old. “We can’t go hiking or do other outdoor activities in the surrounding area all the time. So we gathered all the young people together to plan the Youth Center and search for possible facilities.”
With space in a building identified, a contract between the Youth Center and the city was approved by the Elk River City Council, detailing the rules and regulations related to its use and donating a building if funds could be raised for its restoration. An aggressive, youth-led fundraising effort commenced over a summer to support the new facility. “We learned that there’s strength in numbers, bringing people together and getting everyone we could to pitch in and help,” adds a spirited youth. Over $700 in funds, and lots of volunteer time, were applied toward fixing up the building and purchasing a pool table, ping pong table, board games, lounge furniture and, down the line, a TV, VCR and DVD player for movie nights.
The new Youth Center is but one of many initiatives now planned within Elk River, guided by an enthusiastic and multiple-hat-wearing group of residents who serve on the Elk River Regional Action Corporation, or RAC. The nonprofit organization was established to implement the Community Action Plan, developed through the Horizons process, and allocate funds to support community redevelopment while also acting as a “hub” for sharing resources and information. “We want to address poverty issues and build our capacity for economic and social development through implementing the Community Action Plan,” shares one resident who recently moved to the community. “Now one monthly meeting encompasses what before was done in numerous separate meetings by community organizations or projects, and we’re all working together in the same general direction.”
Such coordinated community efforts spurred the creation of a scenic byway designation by the Idaho Transportation Department — the Elk River Backcountry Byway — running along Highway 8 from Bovill to Elk River, then onward to Orofino on the Dent Road that weaves through the Clearwater National Forest and crosses the expansive Dworshak Reservoir. Community members admit that they are seeing their surroundings in a fresh way. Explains one resident, “We now understand that others might want to see and enjoy what we’ve come to take for granted. We realize that we can share this beautiful scenery with visitors.”
Among the community’s priorities is the development of a multiple-panel kiosk with historical, cultural and recreational information about the area. Funds for the kiosk were secured by partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and made possible, in part, by Elk River’s GEM Community status. The GEM Community designation from the Idaho Commerce and Labor Department provides focused training and technical assistance in economic and community development for rural communities. Other Elk River priorities include developing a transportation system for medical or recreational needs of underserved community members and seeking funding for the revitalization of the downtown business area. “As a GEM Community, we can now apply for state grants to repair our sidewalks and revitalize downtown areas that need it, which for a small town like Elk River, would be for the whole downtown,” explains one community business owner.
Partnerships have brought rapid change — addressing problems in the community or taking advantage of new opportunities. “We’ve partnered with the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to secure grants to help remove the weeds and algae from the Elk Creek Reservoir,” says one elderly resident who is active with the RAC and GEM Community teams. The plant growth in the reservoir was not only affecting the health of the fish, but was causing costly repairs to a local paddleboat rental business. The community has also hooked up with the PLAY ATV group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving public land access to ATV recreation. Through this partnership, Elk River becomes a part of the organization’s statewide ATV trail network, ensuring continued recreational traffic to the area.
About two miles from Elk River is the popular trailhead and parking area for Elk Creek Falls, a magnificent waterfall — the tallest in Idaho — that crashes down over 300 feet. “A lot of people go to the falls and turn around and go back home without ever visiting our town because they don’t even know we’re here,” admits one resident. Not any more. His group worked with the National Forest Service to build an attractive octagonal kiosk next to the parking area to provide information about the area’s big cedar tree, scenic byway, new Forest Service campgrounds and all the services and retail businesses in Elk River, just a couple of miles away.
Rather than letting geographic barriers and their remoteness isolate the scenic small town, Elk River residents have banded together — young and old, permanent and part-timers — in order to showcase the natural beauty of the region and abundant recreational opportunities that first drew them to the area. “We’re very remote,” admits one resident, “but that’s what makes us who we are.” The Elk River RAC’s ambitious plans and committed members ensure that this small town is a base for visitors drawn to the scenic outdoors found in their backyard. The residents also make sure that there are plenty of locally picked huckleberries in the form of ice cream, shakes and homemade pies for all.