The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers demands the removal of hundreds of trees along a levee mainly because regulations require it. Local government tells anguished citizens that there is no choice but to comply, otherwise there will be no relief funds in case of a flood. But, the Corps failed to account for the presence of endangered species. The Corps runs afoul of the Idaho more »
Our many friends and neighbors on the east side of Coeur d’Alene Lake alerted us to the disturbing report that the venerable Camp Easton, a Boy Scout Camp for some 90 years, is in the process of being sold to a developer. Indeed, an offer from Discovery Land Company exists for the 383 acre camp, along with a “significant proposal that would fully fund building more »
Idaho’s tradition of fierce protection of private property rights is well known and well established. The State of Idaho has legislated layers and layers of protection for the wide majority of Idahoans who particularly value the rights that accompany the ownership of land. However, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld – property rights are not absolute. The right to own property is not the more »
BNSF and Kootenai County appear to have resolved differences over conditions of operation at the poorly located railroad refueling station over the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer near Hauser. Recall that BNSF objected to tougher new conditions the County proposed last year, and ran immediately to the courthouse. Now, scheduled for a hearing before a hearing examiner September 1st, are a new set of conditions that BNSF more »
Rosenberry Trees Petition By popular demand: download a copy here, circulate it to friends and neighbors, and return it to us at KEA! UPDATE: Here’s the online version. Link to it, email it, post it to your facebook friends!
Intern Kayla Baker reports on the excellent IdaH2O Master Water Steward program she attended last month. Programs like these (including forestry and master gardening) at the University of Idaho Extension could be threatened in the Kootenai County budget process. The IdaH2O Master Water Steward Program, offered by the University of Idaho Extension, is only a year old but shows promise in educating North Idaho citizens more »
Last night, the Coeur d’Alene city council was briefed on the recent edict to remove mature trees from the levee embankment along Rosenberry Drive. Faced with a deadline to respond to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers certification inspection, the City agreed to file a mitigation plan which would allow work to begin on items unrelated to the trees. But the plan would also say more »
We were pleasantly surprised when we heard that, last Thursday, the Kootenai County Commissioners had rejected a proposal to eliminate water quality protections in an ongoing subdivision development above Hayden Lake. The Commissioners voted 3-0 to overturn a hearing examiner decision that would have removed development restrictions on the Falls at Hayden Lake subdivision. In a hotly contested hearing process in 2008, the 46-lot Falls more »
On Tuesday evening in Sandpoint, the Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a continuation of a hearing to approve the proposed Sandpiper Shores development at the northern end of Priest Lake. The proposal would take some 72 acres and subdivide it into 14 single family lots to include a boardwalk, beach and shared dock. The application clusters the development, purporting to protect some more »
Big milestones were reached this past week with our wonderful Roots CSA in Dalton Gardens. First, after a late start to the growing season, the CSA team delivered a first round of produce to regular and low-income subscribers: bitter greens (bagged), Asian greens, kale, mustard greens (twine bundle), broccoli, bunching onions, lettuce, spinach, salad greens mixed assortments, cabbage, raddish, and red leaf lettuce. As a more »
