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COMMUNITY SERVICE IN OUR BACKYARD …IN WYOMING

By PDG Gerry Roberts

Our home and our backyard are in Lincoln County, Wyoming, USA, where there are lots of wide open spaces and not very many towns or cities.

Of the total estimated population for 2008 of some 16,000 souls, by my count, the County contains one city – Kemmerer (est. 4,500 people), seven towns and 13 villages in an area that is 120 miles long, north to south and about 50 miles wide (at its widest spot), east to west, or 4089 square miles. The population density is four per square mile (or one per square kilometer) - so there is a lot of sagebrush, mountains, valleys, streams, farms, ranches, and other beautiful scenes between the widely scattered populated areas.

The income of our County is relatively low - median family income is $44,919 per year, but 6.4% of all families fall below the poverty line (less than $21,000 per year income for a family of four).

Our County has a spread of ages too - 30.9% below age 18; 7.2% age 18-24; 25.4% age 25-44; 24.2% age 45-64; and 12.4% over age 65. For every 100 females there are 102 males. Average household size is 3.23 people.

With a total population estimated at perhaps 3,500 in the winter and over 7,000 in the summer, the Star Valley region (where we live) includes the communities of Afton, Thayne, Alpine, Star Valley Ranch, Freedom, Etna, Grover, Bedford, Smoot, Fairview, Osmond, Auburn and Turnerville. Many of the homes here are summer homes and these summer residents winter in the southwestern US where it is warm from November to April. The valley’s western edge forms part of the Wyoming border with the State of Idaho.

Elevations in Star Valley range from 5,900 feet in the north to over 7,600 feet in the south – on the valley floor. There 10,000 foot plus mountains which surround the valley.  The region has only a very short 57 day growing season but produces hay for export to other areas of the State and to other States. The Valley is also a large cattle producing area and plus we have some large mineral mining tenants.

Star Valley is surrounded by three National Forests, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Targhee National Forest and the Caribou National Forest. The Snake River, Salt River and the Grey’s River meet near Alpine (at the north end of the valley) to form the Palisades Reservoir and all three rivers are excellent for fly fishing. Star Valley communities can be accessed on U.S. Highway 26/89 along the Idaho border and the north end of the valley is 35 miles south and west of Jackson, Wyoming, and within 55 miles of Grand Teton National Park & approximately 95 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Yes, we do receive a very large number of visitors in summer – staying here or adventuring on to the National Parks and beyond.

 Of historical interest, the Lander Cutoff of the Oregon and California wagon train trails came through Star Valley. These rugged pioneers had climb over a 9,200 foot pass to enter the valley.  The Valley itself was settled by Mormon pioneers from Salt Lake City starting in 1910-11. And the wagon trains came through the valley starting in 1854 to as late as 1912 to 1914.

Star Valley is one of the USA’s most beautiful treasures. In addition to being historically and culturally rich, Star Valley boasts an abundance of wildlife, outdoor recreational opportunities, and spectacular scenery. The locals claim there are more cattle, more deer and more elk than people – and it is probably true! The Intermittent Spring near Afton is the largest of only three cold water geysers in the world.

The Lincoln County Seat, the ‘large city’ of Kemmerer (located south of us and outside of Star Valley), was founded in 1881 because coal was discovered in the area and the Union Pacific Coal Company started a railroad from this area to the west to provide coal for heat and eventually, as happens now, to provide coal to coal fired electrical generation stations.

Some assembly required-Sherry Skinner Thayne Branch Children’s Librarian

According to Wikipedia, Kemmerer dubs itself the ‘The Fossil Fish Capital of the World’ and the ‘Gateway to the West’. The town website urges visitors to ‘enjoy a complete western vacation’ in Kemmerer, an authentic western mining town surrounded by high desert and the Rocky Mountains and three million acres of public lands. We offer "blue ribbon" fly fishing on the Green River, Hams Fork, Lake Viva Naughton, and Fontenelle Reservoir, the ‘best big game hunting in the world’ (a bit of local hyperbole), a municipal golf course, and many historical sites.

Of the various County community services managed out of Kemmerer, what makes the Library system so important is that many citizens use the libraries for their reading material, their news outlet, and for access to the internet. I have not ever been in the branch library in one of the smaller towns in Star Valley, the township of Thayne (with a winter population of 341) when someone is not at one of the two computers connected to the internet.

What a great keyboard-all the accessories are children friendly

So having a special computer station just for the children of Thayne is all the more important - thanks to a Community Services Grant by Rotary eClub One. The station will be used for many purposes - mostly educational and for research. The desk and chair all adjust - up and down, in and out, allowing children as small as five to youngsters up to 15 to use the computer. Note the colorful keyboard and color matched chair - it is very bright and easy to use. All that is now required is for the new computer to be connected (which is on order)!

When the computer arrives, the library staff will very carefully monitor the use of the computer - there are built in blocks for websites that should not be viewed by the children - and the desk is located right next to the staff desks where books are checked out.

It all fits just perfect in our small library.  The desk is adjustable to go up and down.  The computer will be in soon

Sherry Skinner, who is pictured in the photos, is the wife of Darryl Skinner, a Past President of the Rotary Club of Star Valley, and they are both very active with the Club and within our community.  My wife, Dee, is President this year of the Rotary Club of Star Valley.

With winter time temperatures ranging from freezing as the high to a low point of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the computer station is so very important to the children of this valley, particularly at a time in the valley’s development when not every home has broadband connections to the internet.

I would urge all Rotarians in Rotary eClub One to consider creating a Community Services Grant for your village, town, or city.  The benefits will be measured over time – so your time in creating the Grant will be well spent.

About the author: Following military service as a Captain in the US Medical Service Corps, Gerry Roberts embarked on a professional career in sales and marketing management  in the insurance industry pursuing a successful career in California. Following retirement, Gerry headed for the “great outdoors”, settling in beautiful Western Wyoming with his wife Dee. Gerry became a Rotarian in December 1992, serving as President of Castroville Rotary Club in 1996-97, and as District Governor of D5230 in 2001-02. In 2003, following his move to Wyoming, Gerry joined Rotary eClub One of D5450, serving as President in 2006-07. PDG Gerry is the Rotary Foundation Chair for Rotary eClub One. His efforts and encouragement enabled Rotary eClub One to achieve the top position for D5450 per-capita TRF giving in 2007-08.