Idaho Briefs May 9, 2010

Knievel eyeing Southern Idaho jump where father failed

TWIN FALLS - A spokesman for Robbie Knievel said the motorcycle jumper wants to follow in his daredevil father's footsteps and attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in southern Idaho.

Jeff Lowe says Knievel will be in Twin Falls on Monday to discuss the plan with local officials, and that the jump is tentatively set for the Fourth of July weekend in 2011, almost four decades after his father's try.Evel Knievel, who died in 2007, failed to clear the chasm in 1974 in a rocket-powered "Skycycle" when the parachute malfunctioned and deployed after takeoff.

Shawn Barigar is president of the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. He said that local government officials and business leaders have been invited to attend the private meeting with Knievel.SW Idaho officials look for oily substance source

BOISE - Officials in southwest Idaho hope to find out Tuesday from test results what has been flowing into the Boise River by Americana Boulevard in Boise.Ada County Highway District officials say they are still trying to find the source of what appears to be an oily substance.

Officials say a possible source is United Water's annual spring pipe flushing.But United Water's Mark Snider tells the Idaho Statesman that the program started April 18 and most of the area was flushed before the problem began.

The Boise Fire Department's hazardous materials team has deployed floating pads to soak up the substance.

Spraying begins on Sun Valley Resort's ski area

KETCHUM - The U.S. Forest Service has started aerial spraying of Sun Valley Resort's famous ski area on Bald Mountain in central Idaho with a pheromone intended to turn aside an attack of Douglas-fir bark beetles.Spraying of the pheromone called methylcyclohexenone started Thursday. The pheromone is produced naturally by the beetles and lets other beetles know a tree is already full of beetles.

The Forest Service is hoping spraying healthy trees will trick beetles into staying away.Officials say the beetles naturally occur following fires, in this case the nearly 75-square-mile Castle Rock Fire that burned in the region in 2007.

Officials say protecting trees on Bald Mountain is important due to the economic importance of the ski area, which draws tourists from across the country.

- The Associated Press