BEACH: Time to take it back

Forget the showboating looney tunes — we have recordings of barking dogs blaring at Sanders Beach to keep people away! Clearly, some of our wealthier residents forgot how recently that beach was taken from the public — and that we only need 2 feet to take it back!

I remember it well: Summer 2005, the summer before my senior year. With the city beach packed with tourists, Sanders was the locals’ secret: a nice stretch of sandy beach and buoyed water enjoyed by the public going back to 1891, and formally donated to the city in 1978. It was enjoyed by the Coeur d’Alene public for over a century.

But it’s also fronted by some very expensive real estate. A few Sanders Mansion owners wanted more than million-dollar views and beach access, they sued to make the beach private … and lost! The Idaho courts ruled in 2005 that everything below the established high-water mark (2,129.5 feet) belonged to the people. It was a celebrated victory for the town.

One year later, in 2006, a higher court in Boise moved the high-water mark down 2 feet to 2,127.6, and whisked the middle of Sanders away from the public.

Next time you walk by those garish iron fences, take a look: That beach was once ours. Now it sits mostly empty, patrolled by recorded dogs. If they’re gonna rock the boat, maybe it’s time the people of Coeur d’Alene rock it back. Is it time to revisit the Lake Coeur d’Alene high-water mark? Don’t forget: everything below that mark remains public. Use at your leisure.

Your Cd’A man yelling at clouds,

JIMMY ROBNETT

Coeur d’Alene