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OUR GEM Ashes in the Current: The Hidden Hydrologic Legacy of the 1910 Fire
By Mark Getscher, hydrogeologist for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe More than a century after “The Big Burn” of 1910 scorched over three million acres across northern Idaho and western Montana, its legacy continues to flow through the streams and rivers of the Coeur d’Alene Basin. While most remember the fire for its devastation and heroism, far fewer realize its silent and lingering impact on water quality. High-intensity wildfires combust vegetation and organic soil layers, converting them into ash. This ash is…
BSU Student Analyses Wildfire impacts on Snowpack
Master’s student Mason Bull recently won the Boise State University three-minute thesis competition and placed third at the state competition. Mason was partially funded by a research initiation grant from the Idaho Space Grant Consortium (Idaho NASA EPSCoR). His research is using the Landsat record to classify landscape composition and quantify landcover and vegetation change in one watershed in the Kenai Mountains of south-central Alaska and the Sawtooth Mountains of southwest Idaho. He is finding that places in Idaho that…
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…
2026 Joseph Jordan Fellowship Winner
The Idaho Water Resources Research Institute is proud to announce the 2026 recipient of the Joseph Jordan IWRRI Student Research Fellowship, Savannah Domenech. Established by the family of Joseph Jordan, the fellowship provides financial assistance and hands-on experience to University of Idaho students pursuing careers in water resources management. Fellows work directly with agencies, Tribes, nonprofits, and industry partners to address real-world water challenges. Savannah is working with a team whose research collaborates with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ)…
OUR GEM: Taking Public Comments Regarding Wetland Protection Rule Changes
by Sharon Bosley, Executive Director for the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission The Clean Water Act (CWA) was created to protect our water resources by regulating discharge of pollutants into the waters of the United States. Its goal is to help ensure all waters are swimmable, fishable and drinkable. The purpose of defining the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) is to determine which waterways are protected under the CWA. The definition determines which waters require permits for activities that…
What do you value and why?
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…