Piling on

COEUR d'ALENE - Settle in, osprey.

The pilings in Cougar Bay aren't going anywhere.

After years of pushing to preserve the century-old structures with permit applications and a lawsuit, a group of local residents has wrangled a victory.

The Cougar Bay Osprey Protective Association, Inc. reached an agreement with Kootenai County on Tuesday that will allow the handful of bay residents to maintain the pilings, which they hail as crucial for wildlife habitats and keeping a little peace and quiet on the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

"This finally puts an end to this controversy that started two or three years ago," said Scott Reed, attorney for the nonprofit association.

Under the agreement, the osprey association will volunteer time and resources to protect the pilings and booms in the bay's no-wake zone.

Any pilings that are hazardous or in bad condition will be removed at the group's expense.

"It's something that hopefully is not going to be as severe a problem as maybe it's made out to be," said association member David Larsen. "We think it won't be too big a task."

The goal is to keep the pilings just as they are, said member Ed Haglund, and even improve them by adding more platforms for birds to use as perches.

Outside funds would be appreciated to support these efforts, he added.

"We're going to try to see if we can get volunteers to donate," Haglund said. "The whole thing is, it's all donations."

The nonprofit will be recognized as helping to implement a memorandum of understanding the county entered into last year with the Idaho Department of Lands, Reed said, which granted the county authority to remove or repair the pilings.

"The county has the responsibility," Reed said. "We are volunteering and assisting in maintaining that."

The association had been at work to save the pilings since 2008.

The group twice filed unsuccessful permit applications with the Department of Lands to maintain the logging features, and filed a suit against the state after the second rejection last year.

The members were eventually allowed to apply again, Reed said, but they ventured to make a deal with the county, instead.

"We though we'd try to take advantage that the DOL had already given the county the right to operate that particular area, and why not join with them?" Reed said.

The commissioners approved the agreement at their Tuesday meeting.

Commissioner Jai Nelson said the agreement will preserve a historic aspect of the bay and preserve a "paddlers' paradise."

"We commend you for working so hard to save the osprey," Nelson told the group members during the meeting at the county Administration Building.

When the county and state MOU expires, the decision document states, the county and osprey association can enter into another agreement.

On top of all this, the county also installed 13 no-wake zone buoys across the mouth of the bay last week, which have been planned for some time.

The association has promised a roughly $2,000 donation to offset the costs.

Kootenai Environmental Alliance, which helped with the agreement setup, has also donated about $1,500 for the installation.

"We're certainly appreciative of that," said Nick Snyder, director of the Parks and Waterways Department.

The overall installation cost about $12,000, Snyder added, mostly covered by boating fees and funds from Avista relicensing.

The county is also looking for alternative sites for mooring buoys originally slated for the bay, Snyder added.

The association, primarily comprised of Cougar Bay residents, has crusaded to keep the pilings for the osprey, eagles, ducks and other wildlife that perch and nest there.

The pilings have also kept the bay low-key, allowing room for only non-motorized boats to slice quietly through.

Group member Sue Flammia said she is grateful to see the issue settled, especially for recreators who favor Cougar Bay.

"We all worked together for the public good, and that's reason for a celebration," Flammia said.