Stanley

Stanley Mayor Steve Botti says that small businesses in the Sawtooth Valley town lost about $1.5 million dollars in revenue from the Wapiti fire that has burned more than 128,000 acres with 85% containment.

The Wapiti fire started at the end of July by lightning. It’s now burned more than 110,000 acres and is just 4% contained.

It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up to date on all the news that made headlines this past week.

Stanley residents have suffered through smoke and fires for the better part of this summer. That’s led to far fewer tourists over the past month, which are the lifeblood of the business community.

The Custer County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook that all evacuations of the lower section of Zone 2, which includes the lower Stanley area, are complete. They are getting a new map of the zones to share, and zone status may change by Wednesday morning.

The public will be able to return to Redfish Lake this week as firefighters continue battling the Bench Lake Fire.

One week ago, a wildfire broke out eight miles south of Stanley, next to Idaho's iconic Redfish Lake.

Three private property rights groups have filed amicus briefs, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lawsuit regarding a public access trail that crosses a Sawtooth Valley ranch.

The 4.5-mile-long trail connects Stanley to Redfish Lake within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It opened last summer after nearly a decade of planning.

The appeal centered around the timing of the property owners' lawsuit over the Stanley to Redfish Trail.