South Fork Lodge Ecology
Because the river on which South Fork Lodge is located is so ecologically valuable, the Lodge and its owner Mark Rockefeller, are committed to conserving the area’s beauty and its wildlife. The 545 acre Hays Ranch was zoned 15 years ago to have a golf course, 66 home lots and a powerboat marina. This development would have dramatically changed the most inaccessible stretch of the South Fork of the Snake River. The purchase of the Eagle Rock Ranch Conservation Easement in July of 2000 brought permanent protection to this wild and roadless area along the South Fork. The landowner (Mark Rockefeller) donated the remaining balance of the conservation easement value. The skillful talents of The Conservation Fund enabled the BLM to preserve this river jewel.
"Extensive cottonwood riparian forests and the surrounding canyons and cliffs along the South Fork provide vital habitat for a diversity of neo-tropical migrant songbirds as well as many other species, including many raptors. Within the South Fork corridor there are 14 bald eagle breeding territories, three peregrine falcon eyries, mountain lion dens, as well as abundant habitat for black bears and large game such as elk, moose, and mule deer. With many of these species listed as sensitive, threatened or declining, habitat protection is critical. " Teton Regional Land Trust
Community Outreach with The South Fork Lodge
Shadow a Swan Swan Valley, ID -- Continuing Mark Rockefeller’s commitment to environmental conservation, South Fork Lodge has teamed up with the Swan Valley Elementary School and The Idaho Fish and Game in the Shadow A Swan Project. Designed to provide students a unique and engaging way to understand the importance of conservation, this project is important to South Fork Lodge.
"South Fork Lodge is always eager to help support the local community. We are happy to volunteer our time, location and natural resources. This is all part of Mark's vision," says General Manager Bob Eckhardt.
The Shadow A Swan Project provides the local children of the Swan Valley Elementary School a unique hands-on opportunity to get outside and learn about their environment. Using satellite technology, students are able to track Tundra and Trumpeter Swans as they migrate between their winter range and nesting areas. Students can graph migration paths and compare the two species of swans, predict the next location of their swans, investigate their habitat needs and talk with scientists as they learn about migration behavior.
[return to top]Sasaki Associates Project Wins Project of the Year Award
Tucked away on a river bend four miles outside of Swan Valley, Idaho, South Fork Lodge offers a blend of rustic western styling and sophisticated architecture. Surrounded by the intermountain west’s most unique and valuable ecosystem, this union creates a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, naturalists and anglers alike. The 12,500 square foot Lodge, owned and built by Mark Rockefeller, offers first class amenities with access to the West’s finest fisheries and natural areas. This luxury retreat includes a gourmet restaurant, a bar and lounge, and features eight guest rooms in the main lodge overlooking the river in addition to ten separate cabin rooms.
The Lodge reflects the forms of buildings that dot the agricultural landscape along the River: the traditional farmhouse and its barns, elongated storage sheds, and round, galvanized steel grain silos. The main Lodge building uses the linear profile of farm storage sheds to create a restful, horizontal form that relates to nearby foothills and canyon ridges. Reflecting the landscape's palette, the Lodge is clad in cedar and logs with deep roof overhangs that seem to reach for the ground and anchor the building to the earth. Silo-like forms enclose the living and dining rooms; these shapes are clad in bands of zinc. The bluish tint of oxidized zinc reflects the colors of the sky and the surrounding landscape
The National Commercial Builders Council (NCBC) was formed by NAHB to provide services and information for NAHB’s building members who have diversified into light commercial building. The Project of the Year Award is the highest Honor in the NCBC’s Awards of Excellence program that recognizes achievements in the national commercial building industry for design, market appeal, energy efficiency, challenges faced during building, and overall success of the project. According to the judges, “The 12,500 square foot lodge provides numerous amenities to guests in a structure that reflects the farmhouses, sheds and silos of the surrounding region, showing very nice contextual references". Also noted was the use of local materials, including timber, zinc sheathing and stone.
[return to top]