From the Mountains to Our Gem of a Lake

From the Mountains to Our Gem of a Lake

This story was written by Peter Youngblood on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, February 19, 2023. Read the original article. Lakes and rivers in Northern Idaho are beautiful and inspire thoughts of recreation on warm summer days. However, these surface waters are also critical to our water supply and rely on one major thing — snow. The Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe Basin, which includes Coeur d’Alene Lake and the area that flows into it,…

Climate and the Health of Our Gem

Climate and the Health of Our Gem

This story was written by Laura Laumatia/Coeur d’Alene Tribe on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, February 05, 2023. Read the original article. When our temperatures dip below zero, it’s hard to imagine how overall warming temperatures might be impacting our lake. Unfortunately, despite some frigid stretches, Coeur d’Alene Lake is already experiencing increases in temperature that can impact many aspects of its ecological health, including water quality and fish habitat. As part of…

CDA Basin — Fish Consumption Advisory

CDA Basin — Fish Consumption Advisory

This story was written by Dana Swift on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, January 22, 2023. Read the original article. In January 2020, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Coeur d’Alene Tribe, in coordination with the participating organizations in the Idaho Fish Consumption Advisory Program (IFCAP), updated the Coeur d’Alene Basin Fish Consumption Advisory, Public Advisory Charts_CdA_Fish (idaho.gov), after testing showed high levels of mercury in some species of fish. Efforts to…

Institutional Controls Program, Lead Health, and What it Means to You

Institutional Controls Program, Lead Health, and What it Means to You

This story was written by Guest author: Mary Rehnborg on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Read the original article. The history of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site (BHSS) is a long and complicated one. Cleanup of legacy mine waste throughout the site began in the late 1980s and continues today. But cleanup isn’t so easy at the BHSS. Several factors limited the types of remedial options available here. Factors such…

bull trout

A Brief Coeur d’Alene Lake Fishtory

This story was written by Guest author: Erin Plue, Trout Unlimited on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Read the original article. Did you know that some of the first train car occupants traveling from the eastern United States were baby fish? Early train cars were fitted with fish tanks, allowing people to bring their favorite familiar fish species with them to the waters of the West. This is just one…

Protecting Our Greatest Resource

Protecting Our Greatest Resource

This story was written by Guest author: Jason Peppin on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Read the original article. One of the greatest treasures North Idaho has to offer is the abundance of surface water and groundwater. As our area continues to develop, effectively managing impacts of wastewater disposal to this precious resource is becoming increasingly important. Although our area boasts some of the most advanced municipal wastewater treatment facilities…

Managing Stormwater

Guest author: Chris Bosley, City Engineer for the city Coeur d’Alene For the sake of the lake’s health, the City of Coeur d’Alene has been working to reduce the amount of untreated stormwater runoff that enters Coeur d’Alene Lake and the Spokane River. Stormwater runoff in the southeastern area of the city is collected and conveyed through pipes to thirteen outfalls along Coeur d’Alene Lake and the Spokane River. Stormwater discharge into the water is permitted under the Idaho Pollutant…

An osprey lands back at its nest on a wooden post in Cougar Bay during an Osprey Cruise in 2016. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)

Promoting and Protecting Our Area’s Natural Resources

This story was written by the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, November 20, 2022. Read the original article. It takes a village to manage our local natural resources. Luckily, we have some outstanding community members who work tirelessly to do just that. With all the good work being done in the area, there is a need to ensure their work is shared and coordinated with others. The Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber has a committee for professionals,…

Harmful Algae Blooms (H.A.B.s)

Harmful Algae Blooms (H.A.B.s)

Written by guest author Gabby Pfeiffer Harmful algae blooms (HABs) are a serious threat to the lake’s health and water-based recreation. That murky green film can have serious health impacts. Some cyanobacterial blooms (harmful algae blooms) can cause harm to your skin, liver and nervous system. Adequate exposure to the harmful bloom can cause a variety of symptoms in both humans and animals. In fact, every year nationwide there are accounts of serious illness and death of dogs. If your…

Meet the Bay Watchers, Members of the U of I Citizen Scientist Program

Meet the Bay Watchers, Members of the U of I Citizen Scientist Program

Recently, the Community Water Resource Center (CWRC) at the U of I in Coeur d’Alene wrapped up its third year of citizen scientist data collection on Coeur d’Alene Lake with the Bay Watchers. The Bay Watchers is a dynamic group of volunteers that meet with CWRC outreach employees once a month to monitor water quality parameters in their local area or bay on the Lake. The program now samples 12 sites on the Lake for different water quality parameters. The Bay Watchers…