Water at heart of region and its people

The Coeur d'Alene region has always been blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and natural resources. The lodge pole pines and tamarack trees that cover our mountainsides serve as our region's skyline and provide habitat to birds and mammals living in the forest and for those of us fortunate to live here, the forest can provide a peaceful getaway, a place to recreate and place of quiet solace. At the center of it all is our gem, Lake Coeur d'Alene.

This body of water is a big part of the reason many of us live here and it is at the center of so many of our lives. The lake serves as a place for all to gather and play in the summer when we take our boats out, fish or swim in its cool waters. The scenery and recreation opportunities create a way of life that both feeds our regional economy and tourism industry and protects our property values.

Like you, we love the lake. It has been at the center of life for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe since time immemorial and our people once relied solely on this watershed for our livelihood. It is one of the major reasons my ancestors called our tribe the Schitsu'umsh people - those who are found here - because we have always lived here, since the beginning of time. Fishing, hunting, gathering and living in the basin, we have a history of interconnectedness with the lake and we have a track record of protecting the lake.

You have probably heard that the water rights in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River Basin will soon be adjudicated, including rights to the water in Lake Coeur d'Alene and its tributaries. And maybe you've heard that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has filed for water rights in the area. I want to tell you a few things about our claims and explain why we have filed for rights in the basin.

We are most interested in making sure that the lake and its tributaries have enough water to protect future generations of people, animals and fish living in the basin and as a result, many of our claims are related to protecting the lake levels and in-stream flows to keep our lake levels where they are now. We also have filed some claims for domestic, business and agricultural uses on our reservation. These claims will provide water for homes on the reservation, the Tribe's businesses and tribal government operations for perpetuity.

Similar to other municipalities in the basin and even many of you, the state adjudication process forces us all to try and quantify how much water to which we have a right. We're lucky where we live because there is a lot of water to go around. But that doesn't mean the Tribe is claiming all of the water in the lake or the rivers. To put it into perspective, the tribal water rights claims for consumptive uses represent less than 1 percent of the total water available in the basin.

Across the country, water rights claims often end up in litigation for decades, which is why we support negotiating our water rights claims here in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River Basin. A negotiation will be faster, cheaper, more efficient and fair to the most people. We don't anticipate that the Tribe's water rights claims will conflict with the vast majority of claims in the basin but in the event there are conflicts, we expect that most stakeholders will be more satisfied with the negotiation process and the end result.

The Tribe supports the negotiation process and we stand ready to work toward a solution that is flexible enough to account for the many unique characteristics of our local community with the goal of coming to a cooperative resolution that addresses the needs of local stakeholders. We will be conducting various meetings in the coming months with organizations around the region to provide additional detail and factual information regarding our claims. If you are not able to attend these meetings and you have questions or would like additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We all share a love for the lake and as with so many other issues that impact our community, if we work together it will be for the betterment of us all. The Tribe looks forward to being a partner in the region to protect the lake and our watershed for future generations of Idahoans for years to come.

Chief Allan is chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.