Washington recreation invaders met with flyers, not fisticuffs

North Idaho boat launches and public docks could be quieter in the coming weeks since the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office began asking Washington residents to comply with their own state’s — and Idaho’s — orders to stay at home.

Sheriff’s deputies handed out flyers over the weekend at boat launches and public places in the county that out-of-state residents like to visit.

The idea was to get them to go home and stay there.

Deputies contacted hundreds of out-of-state residents from Higgens Point on Lake Coeur d’Alene to Honeysuckle Beach and boat launch on Hayden Lake and along both sides of Lake Coeur d’Alene to inform them of the Idaho order.

“It requires anyone coming into the state to self-quarantine for 14 days,” Lt. Stu Miller said Monday. “The only other option is to return home immediately.”

That means anyone coming to Idaho from Washington is supposed to isolate themselves for two weeks before coming out into the public.

Most of the Washington residents deputies encountered were on day trips to Idaho.

Miller said no citations were issued, although day trippers could be charged with a misdemeanor.

If they are summoned into court, misdemeanor citations could cost non-compliers as much as $1,000 in fines and local jail time.

“We don’t want to ticket anybody,” Miller said. “We’re looking for voluntary compliance.”

The majority of out-of-state residents headed east.

“Most of them are from Washington,” Miller said. “We covered most of the popular areas.”

Boat launches along the west side and the south side of Lake Coeur d’Alene are popular among day trippers from Washington, as well as the Hayden Lake recreation areas and the county’s smaller lakes such as Spirit, Twin and Chatcolet lakes. Hiking and ATV areas visited by deputies include the trails on Fourth of July Pass and Fernan Saddle, he said.

“A lot of other places still have snow,” he said.

The flyers are meant to educate, Miller said. They explain that out-of-state residents are allowed into Idaho only for essential business, or if they live in one place but work across the state line.

Miller said the sheriff’s office regularly receives calls pointing out Washington residents recreating in Kootenai County.

“People are calling in license plates,” he said. “The normal is abnormal.”