OUR GEM: What is the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission?

OUR GEM: What is the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission?

In 1983, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex in Northern Idaho as a Superfund site due to the high level of heavy metals that had been released into the environment by mining operations.  The initial Bunker Hill remediation (clean-up) area was restricted to a 21 square mile area around Kellogg called “The Box.” In 2002, EPA released an Interim Record of Decision, officially expanding the scope of the clean-up to the…

OUR GEM: What determines a drought

OUR GEM: What determines a drought

By Erin Whorton, NRCS Water Supply Specialist | July 30, 2023 After the past few years of drought in Idaho, the wet winter was a welcome relief for many Idahoans.  However, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map, dry conditions still linger in northern Idaho. With 40% of Idaho lands experiencing drought conditions this summer, you may be wondering how drought maps are decided. The USDM map classifies drought conditions under six intensity categories. Normal indicates a lack of drought, while…

OUR GEM: Watercraft Inspection Stations Protecting Idaho

OUR GEM: Watercraft Inspection Stations Protecting Idaho

Submitted by The Idaho State Department of Agriculture All watercraft in Idaho must have an Invasive Species Fund sticker prior to launching on Idaho waters, so what is so important about this sticker? The stickers are sold by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, the funds then go directly to the Idaho Department of Agriculture’s Invasive Species Program. The Idaho Invasive Species Program actively works to protect what we know and love about Idaho’s waters and lands. The program…

OUR GEM: Leading Idaho for Coeur d’Alene Lake

OUR GEM: Leading Idaho for Coeur d’Alene Lake

Beginning in 2021, Idaho Governor Brad Little began allocating funds for projects that reduce phosphorus loading to Coeur d’Alene Lake under the Leading Idaho Initiative. Since then, a total of $33 million has been allocated for this purpose. Governor Little appointed the Coeur d’Alene Lake Advisory Committee (CLAC) to oversee the allocation of these funds and tasked them with selecting projects from the pool of applications that were expected to effectively improve Coeur d’Alene Lake’s water quality. This was on…

Monitoring Idaho’s Water Bodies

Monitoring Idaho’s Water Bodies

This story was written by Guest author: Craig Nelson on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Read the original article. Idaho is well-recognized for its scenic streams, rivers and lakes, with abundant water recreation opportunities that attract visitors from around the globe. In order to assure that Idaho’s water bodies remain clean and available for swimming, fishing and domestic water supply, continuous monitoring and evaluation are needed. Idaho Department of Environmental…

Coeur d’Alene Basin Bull Trout

Coeur d’Alene Basin Bull Trout

This story was written by Graham Freeman on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, April 23, 2023. Read the original article. The Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation (OSC) is dedicated to planning, coordinating and implementing the State’s actions to preserve, protect and restore species listed as candidate, threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). This work is done in coordination with the State’s natural resource agencies and with input from…

Protecting Cutthroat Trout in Some Lake Bays

Protecting Cutthroat Trout in Some Lake Bays

This story was written by Jon Firehammer on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, April 9, 2023. Read the original article. For those who love viewing wildlife, the southern end of Lake Coeur d’Alene can be a great vantage point in the spring for catching migratory tundra swans that are making a pit stop on their migration northward to their breeding grounds in Alaska. However, in some cases, the white objects that you may…

Wild & Scenic Film Festival

Wild & Scenic Film Festival

Wild and Scenic Film Festival brings awareness about water issues in our area and beyond This story was written by Cynthia Rozyla on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, March 19, 2023. Read the original article. The Kootenai Environmental Alliance(KEA)/Lake Coeur d’Alene Waterkeeper is pleased to present the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Friday, March 24 at the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the NIC Campus. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., films begin…

Aquifer Atlas 5th Edition Available This Spring

Aquifer Atlas 5th Edition Available This Spring

This story was written by Guest author: Seth Oliver on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Read the original article. The 5th edition of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer (SVRPA) Atlas is set to be printed and available early this spring. The SVRPA Atlas is a collaborative effort of groundwater professionals, water quality experts, environmental specialists and science educators from both Washington and Idaho to disseminate the most up-to-date information on…

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,…