Programs

Lake and River Improvements

The Lake and River Improvements Program of the Lake Management Department is charged with designing and implementing projects that improve the habitats, quality and usability of Coeur d'Alene Lake, the Lower Lakes (Chatcolet, Hidden, Round and Benewah Lakes) and their tributaries. While traditional Tribal cultural, subsistence and recreational uses are paramount in this work, benefits to non-Tribal interests are also important.

The scope of efforts undertaken by this program during the years of 2003 - 2006 includes:

• St. Joe River Navigation Aids Inventory: Involves planning and survey to document the locations, condition and function of existing navigational aids along the lower St. Joe River, including the entrance into Chatcolet Lake, with the goal of having safer, more effective navigational aids for the boating public.
  
• Public Awareness / Education: Involves participation with the Tribe's Hazardous Waste Management Program in presenting the informational program entitled "Save our Gem". Other informational and educational presentations, including shoreline landscaping, reducing non-point pollution and controlling the spread of aquatic weeds, will be made to civic organizations, lakeshore property owners groups, recreational users groups in the south lake area.
  
• Research into Riverbank Stabilization Strategies: Involves inventorying available information on bank erosion rates and on stabilization projects completed to date. Additional erosion rate data needs will also be identified. From this it is planned to develop a prioritization process that can be used to match available funding with those areas most needing protection and with stabilization technique.
  
• Grant Application Preparation: An on-going effort throughout the year to research funding sources for lake improvement projects, to develop project partnerships and to prepare funding applications. The goal of this work will be to keep the costs of lake or river improvement projects that the lake users might have to pay to a minimum.