The property you know and love will be open and accessible to the public. We will add temporary restrooms and donor acknowledgment signs.

Once the property is acquired, the city will engage the community in a Master Plan process. Through that, the details of establishing new trails, adding restrooms, re-vegetation, and creek restoration plans will be identified. As outlined since the start of the campaign, the City of Ketchum is committed to the following priorities for Warm Springs Preserve:

• Passive park for Open Space in perpetuity
• Off-leash Dog Access
• Informal Activities (i.e., frisbee golf, dog walking)
• Informal Gatherings (i.e., picnics)
• Nordic Trail
• Public Restroom
• Restoration of Warm Springs Creek and its Riparian Zone and Floodplain Connector Trail
• New Irrigation System to Preserve Water/Reduce Maintenance Costs

If the city acquires the property, the city will engage the community in a Master Plan process. Projects under consideration include the following:

• Connector trail through the 30 acres in the southern part of the property
• Improved access for the entire community
• Existing trail upgrades
• Stream restoration to:
  • repair irrigation intake structure in Warm Springs Creek
  • re-vegetate the site to support proper flooding at the site, prevent flooding upstream and downstream and decrease flooding impacts to adjacent homes near the preserve
  • improve fish and wildlife habitat to benefit the Bigwood River fishery

What will happen on the site in the next year?

The property you know and love will be open and accessible to the public. We will add temporary restrooms and donor acknowledgment signs.

Council has already approved a modest operating budget required to manage the irrigation system and keep the property clean and safe for the community.

Day #1 of ownership:
Power for irrigation, dog waste/trash clean-up, mowing, etc.

If you are interested in supporting the Warm Springs Preserve and costs to maintain the
property, tax-deductible donations may be made to the City of Ketchum’s Warm Springs Preserve
Trust Account. These funds will not go to any other city projects or coffers – the account’s use is explicit to the property.

The Wood River Land Trust has long considered the 65 acres of open space on the Warm Springs Ranch a community priority for conservation and preservation.  The Land Trust has led the education effort to alert the community to the importance of this open space to the Wood River Valley. The Land Trust is fully supportive of the City’s efforts to preserve the 65 acres as public open space in perpetuity for our community. The Land Trust hopes that its commitment of $500,000 toward the Preserve will encourage other community members to give generously to complete this campaign.