STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Learn about “Sheepherding in the 21st Century” or, for that matter, sheepherding in our backyard when Lava Lake Ranch owners Brian and Kathleen Bean and their foreman Pedro Loyola tonight.
The three, whose ranch sits between Carey and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, will offer a glimpse of their home on the range at 5:30 p.m. tonight—Thursday, Oct. 8—via Zoom.
To join the discussion, RSVP to Kristin.fletcher@haileypubliclibrary.org.
The Beans brough Lava Lake Ranch in 1999 and have emphasized good conservation science practices while protecting the ecosystem. They also have pioneered non-lethal strategies against wolves.
Loyola was born and raised in Peru’s Andes mountains in the village of Ondores, which sits 13,817 feet above sea level. He came to the United States in 1988 to herd sheep for Idaho’s former Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa before joining Lava Lake in 2000. Responsible for every aspect of the ranch, Loyola and his wife Marina are now U.S. citizens.
“Raising sheep and mastering the skill of sheepherding in the arid West have been part of our local heritage since the 1860s,” said Kristin Fletcher, adults programs coordinator for the Hailey Public Library. “Lava Lake Ranch has taken land and animal stewardship to a new level, and this presentation will shed light on their philosophy and work on the ground.”