Boater frustrations on Priest Lake

PRIEST LAKE — Citing endless violations of no-wake zones and incessant noise pollution by visitors, residents near Priest Lake are calling for stricter law enforcement on the water.

Roughly 36 people attended an Aug. 18 county waterways board meeting to voice their concerns.

Everyone agreed noise, violations of the no-wake zones, and large wakes are issues on Priest Lake that need to be addressed.

Some argued the county should create and enforce additional ordinances. Some asked for more marine patrols to enforce the laws currently on the books. Others called on the state to deal with it. Some called for better, or mandatory, education for boaters.

George Momany was concerned about the dangers posed to swimmers and kayakers by boats violating the no-wake zone restrictions. He swam 2 miles that morning, he said. He called for more marine patrols as well as better education of boaters.

Lt. Ed Jochum, who works in the marine division of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and serves on the waterways board, said wake zone violations were the most common violations on the lake. They were also the toughest to enforce, he said. He called on citizens to exercise their right of citizens’ arrest and offered the county’s help to facilitate serving citations to lawbreakers.

Some members of the audience scoffed at the suggestion, while others asked for more details about how to do it. Jochum explained people did not need to physically stop, or even talk to, violators. But they would need proof that could stand up in court, just like any uniformed law enforcement officer would. Videos, photos, dates, times and boat information would be best, he said.

Board member Jim Kelly said one of the reasons why people visiting Priest Lake violated the no-wake zone rules was because they came from other counties, states and countries where the no-wake zone was smaller in size. He also said many people had a hard time understanding what 200 feet looked like. Additionally, many younger Canadians don’t know at all, he said, because they only use the metric system.

County Commissioner Todd Sudick called on the state to require mandatory boater education, which would better ensure boaters would know how to protect a no-wake zone. About half the people in attendance agreed with the concept, while others such as Klatt disagreed with adding more layers of regulation to boating in Idaho.

Bob Bond, who owns a cabin on the lake, said it was wrong for people to force others to listen to their excessively loud music for hours and hours at a time and even into the late night. Some of their onboard parties never leave shore, he said. Eric Johnson, who represented cabin owners from the western side of the lake, said he knew of a wedding that had to be canceled because of loud music boaters simply refused to turn down even when asked to do so. He proposed rules forbidding above-water exhaust from boat engines, and limiting noise on the lake.

County director of parks and waterways Steve Klatt noted “this is our best-attended waterways meeting in some time.” Mike Nielsen, commander of the Priest Lake Search and Rescue, said he had attended around 50 of the board’s meetings and this one had the highest turnout of them all. Klatt noted the board usually does not meet in Priest Lake. Many board members spoke to that issue, offering hope they would return to Priest Lake for another meeting in a year’s time. Klatt said given the board’s familiarity with the county’s other waterways and unfamiliarity with Priest Lake, perhaps the board should form an ad hoc committee to identify hazard areas unique to Priest Lake.

Board member Erin Mader said the board would take all the residents’ input and try to come up with enforceable rules county residents would support. Jochum encouraged Priest Lakers to attend further board meetings elsewhere in the county in order to continue to provide their recommendations, which people in other areas of the county may or may not support.