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Where most people see garbage, Deb Fereday sees opportunity.Fereday is a member of Women’s Climate Action - McCall, a group of 13 volunteers that has partnered with the City of McCall to launch a pilot public composting program in Riverfront Park.The composting site, which is set to open this summer, could help convert some 6,000 tons of food waste Valley County sends to regional landfills each year into nutrient-rich soil fertilizer.“Cutting the need to haul one third of our waste to landfills is a real cost saver and reduces the need for more landfills,” said Fereday, 66, of McCall.Currently, Valley County generates more than 18,000 tons of trash per year and pays more than $1 million to haul it to landfills near Payette and Council.Once in landfills, the food scraps decompose with little or no oxygen, which causes the release of methane, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.“The main idea behind the composting project is to reduce emissions like methane,” Fereday said.The Riverfront Park compost site will feature three compost piles in different stages of the composting process, which involves food scraps being naturally broken down into soil fertilizer.“During the first few years we anticipate the program will generate enough compost to supplement our needs in maintaining public parks,” McCall Parks and Recreation Director Kurt Wolf said.Compost could eventually become available for public use if the program is successful, Wolf said.Food waste drop-offs and pick-ups will be organized in McCall, though details have not been finalized, Fereday said.Food scrap drop-offs at Riverfront Park could eventually be accepted if the program has enough volunteers to staff the compost site.The climate group plans to lead a public education campaign about composting and what materials are compostable.“We’re really trying to support the city in this by bringing the volunteers, by providing the education and helping with the process,” Fereday said.The climate group hopes to raise money for bear-proof cans that Fereday hopes can be used to collect food waste from restaurants and grocery stores.The Women’s Climate Action Group will host a public meeting about their upcoming work and composting program June 3 at the McCall Public Library at 218 Park St.

The need for broad collaboration was stressed by attendees at the first public workshop held by the North Fork Payette River Watershed Coalition last week in Donnelly.The meeting convened government officials from McCall, Donnelly, Cascade, and Valley County, representatives from state regulatory agencies, ranchers, farmers, and others dependent on the North Fork Payette River.“We need to work together and not say ‘you, you, you,’” Cascade Mayor Judy Nissula said.

Robin Albers knew her father would need extra help to continue living in his own home after suffering a fall at his ranch in rural Idaho.Albers’ experience with her father led her, alongside business partner Natale Carasali, to launch Olive & Coop, a Clarkston, Washington, company that unites senior homeowners with renters seeking affordable housing.“It started out by trying to help senior homeowners age in place and with renters, giving them a break in rent,” Carasali said.Albers and Carasali traveled to Valley and Adams counties earlier this month in hopes of recruiting senior homeowners to participate in a pilot program in the area.“We read the McCall housing study,” Albers said, referencing a 2018 study that estimated a housing shortage in the city at more than 700 units.