OUR GEM: Restoration Partnership selects Coeur d’Alene Basin restoration projects
Cougar Creek stream re-channelization looking north. Photo courtesy of BLM
The Restoration Partnership is excited to announce that 10 projects have been selected in 2024 to address natural resource injuries or services lost due to the release of mine waste contamination in the Coeur d’Alene Basin. Many of the projects will start this year.
The projects selected in 2024 span multiple categories of restoration including, restoring wetland processes and functions; protecting and improving water quality in Lake Coeur d’Alene and other basin lakes to benefit injured aquatic resources; restoring habitat function and processes in streams and riparian areas that support critical bull trout habitat; and complementing other natural resource restoration projects in the Basin.
The natural resource restoration work is separate from but complementary to cleanup activities in the Coeur d’Alene Basin led by the Environmental Protection Agency and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information on the recently selected projects and the Restoration Partnership, please visit the project page at: https://www.restorationpartnership.org/projects.html
The Restoration Partnership is comprised of representatives from the State of Idaho (Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality), the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest Service).
The primary mission of the Partnership is to return natural resources in the Coeur d’Alene Basin to a healthy condition.
The Our Gem Coeur d’Alene Lake Collaborative is a team of committed and passionate professionals working to preserve lake health and protect water quality by promoting community awareness of local water resources through education, outreach and stewardship. Our Gem includes local experts from the University of Idaho Community Water Resource Center, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Kootenai Environmental Alliance, Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce, Kootenai County and Cd'A 2030.