The University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene’s Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) partnered with North Idaho College (NIC) to celebrate the winners of the 2025 Youth Water Summit. This annual event empowers high school students to investigate and address real-world water issues in their communities through hands-on research, innovation, and public presentation.
As part of the Stormwater and Erosion Education Program (SEEP), professionals are learning how to manage the land’s natural movement of water in a way that benefits communities, infrastructure and local ecosystems.
Written by Woody Wood, Outreach and Education Coordinator for Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, lake enthusiast, and Green Summit presenter. Are you ready to Summit? When my youngest was in Scouts, one of our summer adventures was a supported hike of the Seven Summits; We journeyed over 50 miles from Nettleton Gulch, on the east side of Coeur d’Alene, to Farragut State Park on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille. Along the way, we hiked to the top of…
On May 21st, 2024, students from eight area high schools gathered for the 13th annual Youth Water Summit, a research fair where students present their water-related research as the culmination of a year-long program known as The Confluence Project. This initiative focuses on teaching students about the quantity and quality of water in the Idaho Panhandle.
The following reflection was written and delivered by Post Falls resident, Jamie Esler, as part of Boise State University’s “Idaho Listens” event held at the Hagadone Event Center this past October. To learn more about Idaho Listens, or to watch all of the local speakers from the Coeur d’Alene Event, visit https://www.boisestate.edu/americanvalues/idaho-listens/ What do you value and why? The two of us sat on the ground within a few feet of each other but the berries were so thick we…
There weren’t programs like this in schools in the past. This program is unique to North Idaho. The curriculum was created by graduate students at the University of Idaho. The TCP committee works with teachers in the Panhandle to prepare students with this curriculum, and then they accompany them on field trips offered throughout the year. Scientific experts help students collect accurate data and work with them understand its importance.
Founded in 2005, the Panhandle Stormwater and Erosion Education Program (SEEP) was designed at the request of contractors and design professionals. They felt tools existed to prevent the physical destruction of local water resources and avoid costly enforcement fines and they wanted to share those tools with the public. A steering committee was formed consisting of agency and university representatives, consultants and construction professionals to create an educational program with certification. Since the inception of the program, over 950 people have been SEEP certified in erosion control practices.
This story was written by Frank Wilhelm, University of Idaho College of Natural Resources professor, in partnership with the Our Gem Collaborative. It appeared in the CDA Press on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022. Read the original article. Did you know that water is less dense as a solid than as a liquid? Because ice is less dense, it floats (think of ice cubes in a glass of water), and consequently, lakes freeze from the top down. This is crucial for the…
The experiential learning program helps high school students understand science in their watershed. It’s a partnership between University of Idaho, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Kootenai Environmental Alliance, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Panhandle Health District.