Participate in Virtual Meeting: Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing
to consider enacting Kootenai County Waterways Restricted Zone Designation
6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Idaho primaries are upon us. Those elected to county offices will have the ability to impact the Hayden Lake watershed and all who live and play within its boundaries. Voting in this election is one way to contribute to the mission of the Improvement District. That is, to protect and enhance the water quality and the environmental quality within the Hayden Lake watershed.
On April 7, residents around Hayden Lake met with Idaho State Department of Agriculture for the third annual Invasive Aquatic Weeds Information Meeting. Jeremey Varley, ISDA Noxious Weed Manager, shared follow-up information on the 2019 weed treatment and plans for 2020 treatment.
In September 2019, the Department of Lands permitted 14 buoys for placement at strategic points on Hayden Lake. The Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District launched The Buoy Project early the preceding summer at the urging of the Hayden Lake Watershed Association.
Spring is knocking at Hayden Lake’s door. We are already seeing green sprouting from the trees and the soil – and from the bottom of the lake in some of its shallower reaches.
It’s hard, as individual property owners, to embrace the impact that a single decision – like proceeding with a project before permit approval – has on our surroundings. The effect isn’t immediate, and it isn’t a direct reaction to our choices. It takes time for the chain reaction to play out. Ask the 5, 10, 15, and 20-year residents whether Hayden Lake’s water is as clear, or the bottom as sandy, or the shoreline as raw and unfettered as it used to be.
Northwest Expedition Academy 5th Graders brought their Ecosystem studies to bare on a sticky question with the aid of the HLWID.
The elevation of Hayden Lake, like other small lakes in North Idaho, is not managed. There are no dams on the streams that feed the lake, no gates open or close to control storage levels. There are also no controls on the out-flow. The lake elevation is entirely subject to Mother Nature and human usage.