Kooskia Idaho Real Estate Office Upgrades Website

In the heart of Lewis and Clark Discovery country, at the confluence of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River and the South Fork of the Clearwater River is Idaho Country Properties, a Kooskia Idaho based real estate office owned and brokered by Rob Mchone.  Rob has not been happy with the search engine results of his original website designed by Sizzling Sites of Ft. Lauderdale.  Sizzling Sites put together a site that was editable, where they could upload listings and photos, but after a year or more, still was not capturing the search engine rankings even at a mediocre level.  So what is the point of a pretty real estate website if you can’t get found in the search engines.

Rob turned to Mary Mangold, a resident web designer in the area with former experience in the real estate industry and who has been operating as Wild Web West out of Grangeville for over 10 years, building custom designed websites.   Mary considers the search engine optimization capabilities of any website she designs and launches to be of critical importance and began investigating the kind of real estate programs that might be integrated with her favorite content management application.   

All of the important central Idaho towns and surrounding Idaho County regions where Idaho Country Properties serves buyers and sellers for real estate in the North Central Idaho area were of maximum significance to the keyword optimizing that would be factored into the website upgrade for MyIdahoCountry.com     Kooskia, Kamiah, Grangeville, Cottonwood, Orofino, Nez Perce and all areas in between would be some of the featured cities mentioned in listings and in keyword phrases factored into the site.

“The timing is perfect for this website upgrade”  said Rob McHone.  “We’re heading into  the new 2010 spring real estate season and with the tough economy still a part of the equation, we need a strong internet presence to show our leadership as real estate professionals in the area and to serve our customers the best we can”.

The website design has a new look and feel that brings about a touch of the Idaho and the river environment that is such a part of the regional culture and recreational enjoyment of the outdoors.  

Idaho Country Properties specializes in Idaho Land For Sale, Rural Idaho Ranches and Residential Acreages in the Clearwater Valley and Camas Prairie regions.  We also place special emphasis on Riverfront Properties along the South Fork Clearwater River, the Middle Fork Clearwater River and the Selway River corridors.  We have expanded operations to serve nearby communities of  Kamiah,  Cottonwood, Orofino and Grangeville in addition to our main brokerage office located in Kooskia Idaho. We’re sure you’ll find the perfect property you’re looking for, and we’re here to help in that endeavor whenever you request our assistance.

Idaho Lightning Storm

Nature’s fireworks lit up the north central Idaho skyline this weekend as thunderstorms pounded the region. The weekend storm dumped marble size hail in places and lots of rain for farms and gardens. This picture of several branches of lightning was taken east of Grangeville Idaho on Friday night. Contributed by Denton Thaves
Courtesy: Clearwater Progress
Interested in North Central Idaho.  See all my Idaho Real Estate Listings at www.myidahocountry.com.
Rob McHone, 208-935-5414

Idaho Snowpack at 109% in 2009

April showers boost Clearwater Basin snowpack to 109 percent of average

     Continual wet weather since mid-March and a burst of April showers have created a bright outlook to Idaho’s water supply forecast, according to experts at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

      “So far, so good for the water supply forecast,” said Ron Abramovich, NRCS water supply specialist.

      Snowmelt season is nearly here and snowpacks across Idaho vary widely from 60% to over 120% of average. Most basins are near average. So far, only lower elevation drainages of the Owyhee and Weiser Rivers and have had their season snowmelt peak flow.

     Although the warm days in mid-April kick-started the snowpack melt, Abramovich said cooler end-of-month temperatures slowed the melt, which pays off later in the season by stretching out the water supply….Thinking of Buying Idaho Land? Check us out at www.myidahocountry.com

RM

Courtesy, Clearwater Progress, Kamiah Idaho

Idaho winter wonderland!

Idaho winter wonderland!

GOLD MINING NEAR KOOSKIA IDAHO

My dad was always going to strike it rich by finding a gold or mineral mine in North Central Idaho.  He never did find it, but we sure had a lot of  fun looking.  Later on in life, since he had give me the bug,  I spent some time placer mining on the Southfork of the Clearwater River, near my home in Kooskia Idaho.  I used a 4 inch floating suction dredge which I consider the best small scale mining tool ever invented.  Basically it vacuums up the gravel of the creek or river bottom, runs the material over a series of riffles set in a sluice box, and quickly classifies the pay dirt down to a much smaller volume, which is easily panned out with a gold pan.  I’ve never been so excited as when I was doing a clean-up and the bottom of my pan started turning yellow!  One day my partner cleaned up over 11 ounces.  Not a bad days work-or rather play!  If  you’d like to move to Idaho and try your luck at mining check out our website at www.myidahocountry.com

Ben..

RM

Idaho's Southfork of the Clearwater River.

Idaho's Southfork of the Clearwater River.

Kooskia National Fish Hatchery nets $1.1 million

 
     From the mountains of Idaho to the tropical islands of Hawaii, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will undertake $37.2 million for improvement projects within the Pacific Region.     Locally, the Kooskia National Fish Hatchery will receive $1.1 million for improvements, but it’s unclear how the money will be allocated, let alone spent.       Adam Izbicki of the Fish and Wildlife Service who manages the hatchery said the $1.1 million will definitely help upgrade the 41-year-old facility, but will not address all the maintenance issues by a long shot. 

     Izbicki has been at the hatchery three years as interim manager. He noted that the Fish and Wildlife retain ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the facility, but the Nez Perce Tribe also has considerable oversight of the facility.

     The hatchery produces 600,000 spring Chinook salmon annually and acclimates another 300,000 coho salmon for release.

Time for you to move to Idaho?  Check out all are Kooskia, Kamiah Idaho Real Estate for sale at www.myidahocountry.com.

Courtesy, Clearwater Progress, Kamiah Idaho

Idaho Turkey Wild Turkey Hunting

Twice is nice - Eleven-year-old Bailey and 10-year-old Tanner Christopherson bagged their first turkey on opening day of the youth hunt. They were accompanied by their father, Chad Christopherson of Kamiah. Photo submitted by grandma MaryDawn Christopherson.  If you’d like move to Idaho and take your grandkids Turkey Hunting check us out at www.myidahocountry.com.

RM

Courtesy Clearwater Progress, Kamiah Idaho

Rafting in Idaho

 

A group of friends from Idaho and Montana wait for the last raft in their party to negotiate a bend in Idaho’s Lochsa River near Wilderness Gateway Campground. The group’s inaugural run took place last Saturday. April Blankenship/Clearwater Progress, Kamiah Idaho

If you’d like to move to Idaho and enjoy our outdoor sports like Rafting check us out at www.myidahocountry.com

RM

 

Record fish caught in Idaho

 
 

Record fish - Romelle Hedberg of Kamiah, Idaho holds a whopper of a rainbow trout, believed to be the biggest taken from Dworshak Reservoir near Orofino Idaho. The fish weighed 11 lbs., 11 ounces when it was caught on April 7. Two days later the fish’s certified weight was 11.51 lbs. Move to Idaho and start fishing! Check us out at www.myidahocountry.com

 Photo by Joetta Kiele of Kooskia

Courtesy Clearwater Progress

Spring Storms Help Idaho's Snow Pack.

Series of March storms boost Clearwater snowpack

     Late arriving spring storms gave a real boost to the Clearwater Basin snowpack, bringing in an “amazing” amount of welcome moisture, according to hydrologist Phil Morrisey with the National Resources Conservation Service at Boise.

     During the final two weeks of March, the Clearwater received 152 percent of average precipitation for the month, sending the snowpack back up to average and above average levels.

     As of Monday, April 6, the Clearwater snowpack overall was 102 percent of average. The streamflow forecast for the Selway River has bumped up to 112 percent of average and the Lochsa streamflow prediction is 103 percent of average.

     The Salmon River Basin snowpack has risen to 98 percent of average and the snowpack for the northern Idaho Panhandle is currently 89 percent of average.

     Here in the Clearwater, the snowpack levels dropped to the low 80 percent range just a few weeks ago after a long term of dry weather ushered in 2009. By mid-March, it was looking like a lower than average snowpack.

     But then storm after storm descended on the northwest, bringing a deluge of precipitation in the form of rain or snow.

     Morrisey said some of the higher sites in the Clearwater received 10-14 inches of precipitation during that time period which translates into several feet of heavy snow.

     During a March 26 helicopter survey, Morrisey said he measured 11-12 feet of snow at places like Hemlock Butte and Lost Lake. Like to play in Idaho’s snow?  Check us out at www.myidahocountry.com

RM

Clearwater Progresssnowy-deer-008

Fish released near Kooskia, Idaho

Heads over tails - Brad George and Jared Morris of the Idaho Fish & Game poured approximately 250,000 smolts into Clear Creek near Kooskia, Idaho on March 30. The four to five inch long fish are about 18 months old. Officials expect that 80% of the fish will survive to Lower Granite Dam. The trip will take about 5-7 days. Photo by Rhon Lyons of Syringa.

Check us out at www.myidahocountry.com 

RM

Clearwater Progress