Briefs May 9, 2013

Boat launch season passes available

COEUR d'ALENE - The Bureau of Land Management's Coeur d'Alene office has season boat launch passes available for the Blackwell Island and Mineral Ridge sites on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Season passes are $40 and can be used at either site. The daily rate at both sites is $6.

Passes can be purchased at 3815 Schreiber Way in Coeur d'Alene from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Season passes will also be available in June and July on weekends at Blackwell Island.

The Blackwell Island boat launch and picnicking area will open on May 24, depending on water levels, to accommodate waterfowl nesting. The site's gate is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Extended vehicle parking is allowed for up to three days.

The Mineral Ridge launch is open year-round.

With the pending closure on June 1 of the Third Street boat launch in Coeur d'Alene, other launches are expected to be congested.

For more information, call 769-5000.

Funds for biking, walking projects OK'd

The Idaho Transportation Board recently passed a resolution to support and authorize funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program that funds biking and pedestrian projects in Idaho.

TAP was established through the federal Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) program.

The nonprofit Idaho Pedestrian and Bicycle Alliance supported the resolution.

Roughly $1.7 million authorized to Idaho was at stake. TAP supports a variety of local transportation projects including the Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements, Scenic Byways and the Recreational Trails programs.

The transportation board made it clear by resolution that funds, not already allocated to earmarked projects, will be made available for rural and urban projects through an open and competitive process.

The nonprofit's concern was these funds could have been easily diverted to other state transportation projects not related to biking and walking.