SIHA At-a-Glance
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SIHA’S Mission
To protect and advance the natural and cultural history of Idaho’s Sawtooth – Salmon River Country through preservation and education.
SIHA’S Goals
- Integrity
- SIHA does what it says it will do. It keeps its promises and demonstrates a high level of integrity, especially regarding use of funds from members, friends, and grantors.
- Preservation
- SIHA maintains the credentials of the past through preservation of relevant artifacts and oral histories.
- Education
- SIHA provides natural resource and cultural history education through interpretation.
- Interaction
- SIHA promotes enthusiasm for and appreciation of history and the environment by engaging people firsthand in interactions with both.
- Special place
- SIHA promotes the idea that the Sawtooth National Recreation Area is not just “anywhere USA”. It links its activities to values in PL92-400, including natural resource and cultural history interpretation.
- Builds land ethic
- SIHA impacts visitor behavior by encouraging respect and stewardship for the land and nature.
- Relationship with partners
- SIHA works with the Forest Service, its primary partner, to provide information and enhance interpretation. SIHA and the Forest Service do not duplicate roles, but each does what the other cannot do as well.
Volunteers
Laurii Gadwa
Laurii Gadwa, Outlet Sales Manager and Bookkeeper, is a 1978 graduate of the University of Idaho with a B.A. in Theater Arts, Child Development, and Psychology. The mother of two children, she also helped raise numerous foster children. Laurii, who has a deep-rooted interest in and dedication to the Sawtooth-Salmon River Country, is one of the original founders of SIHA. She worked for the organization as its executive secretary from 1980 to 1987 when it was known as the Sawtooth Interpretive Association. During that time, she was instrumental in the Valley Creek Ranger Station remodel and hired the first intern to develop the Stanley Museum displays. After retiring from managing the Redwood Motel in 2005, she rejoined the SIHA team as its Outlet Sales Manager and Bookkeeper.
In her 30 plus years of living in Stanley, Laurii has been an integral part of the community. She has served continually as a member of the Sawtooth Mountain Mamas, a community service organization; organized the Mainstay Council, Custer County’s first domestic violence council; and served twelve years on the Challis School Board. Laurii also was a Stanley Library Board member, and is a second term Stanley City Councilwoman.
Diane Willis
Diane Willis, Museum Attendant and Volunteer Coordinator, comes to Stanley from Shippensburg, PA. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in secondary mathematics from Bloomsburg University, a two Master’s of Education degrees from Shippensburg University–one in secondary guidance and counseling, and another in computer education. After thirty-five years of teaching, Diane decided to retire. She now volunteers for the Youth Aid Panel for first- time juvenile offenders through a county probation office in Pennsylvania, and for the Luhrs Performing Arts Center at Shippensburg University. Since Diane’s first visit to the Sawtooth NRA over thirty years ago, her love of the scenery, history and people of Stanley has made her want to spend more time here. For ten of the past thirteen years, she volunteered for the U.S. Forest Service at the Redfish Lake Visitor Center. For the past three years, she has volunteered at the Stanley Museum for SIHA. Rafting, hiking and watching wildlife occupy much of her spare time.
Jessica Haas
Jessica Haas, 2010 SIHA Intern, is an AmeriCorps member originally from South Dakota. In 2004, she graduated from the University of North Dakota where she earned her degrees in Geology and Theatre Arts. After realizing that she craved more than flat, glaciated prairie, Jessica moved to Idaho and has never looked back. She spent the past year teaching at the McCall Outdoor Science School in McCall, Idaho and exploring the wonders of living in a yurt. This year, Jessica will be delving into a variety of projects with SIHA including a children’s scavenger hunt and interactive displays at the Stanley Museum.
