The Watershed Advisory Group (WAG) met for its monthly meeting at the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger office in Smelterville on Thursday afternoon.

The group meets regularly for the purposes of water quality improvements and protection in the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River Sub-basin.

Among the various topics discussed, the group began discussions for its 2017 Respect the River campaign.

Over the years, Kajsa Van De Riet with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (as well as a WAG member) believes the “Respect the River” signs have helped reduced the amount of garbage in and around the river, but the group believes there are things it can do better.

“It’s hard to say exactly how much the signage and cleanups have reduced trash along the North Fork,” Van De Riet said. “We’ve certainly had many Dumpsters full of litter that have been picked up. I think that when we’ve had a River Ranger and river cleanups with a more active presence along the river, it has made a visible difference. There’s still a lot of garbage out there, and a lot of work to do. If we could just get people to pack out what they pack in, we’d be in much better shape. We all love the river and need to take better care of it.”

One of the ideas the group has is one where the Respect the River message is seen more frequently through multiple signs instead of just the one banner hanging from the Silver Bridge.

“We’re now talking about potentially installing a new sign right there at Bumblebee bridge where the vault toilet is,” Van De Riet said. “We’d like to include educational information about cutthroat trout and other fish that live in the river, along with maps and information about how to take care of our river with respect. Signs alone won’t solve the problems here, but we hope they’ll encourage people to take better care of this amazing natural playground.”

Signs can be expensive though, some ranging well over the $500 mark, so the decision to invest in and install one won’t be lightly made.

This year’s flooding is also a concern because it has potential to pick up debris and trash left in the floodplain.

“A flood can wash (existing) trash away, but it can also wash more into a river from the adjacent floodplain,” Van De Riet stated. “I wouldn’t expect much of a clean slate this spring, but we’ll see. The other problem is that even if garbage, like thousands of aluminum cans, gets washed out of the North Fork, it’s just going downstream. Our best practice is to keep the garbage out of the water to begin with.”

Beside just the enjoyment factor the North Fork brings thousands of people each year, the environmental need for cleanliness is massive as well.

“One important benefit is basic sanitation and safety. Keeping human and pet waste away from the river is always a good idea when we want to be swimming safely downstream,” Van De Riet said. “Keeping glass out of the river is really important for obvious reasons. Glass containers are prohibited on the river, but glass ends up in the river anyway. Every year people and pets end up with their feet cut up from broken glass. Keeping trash out of the river and riparian areas also helps protect fish and wildlife, and their habitats. We’ve had deep holes in the river practically full of aluminum cans at different times, birds can get tangled up in fishing line, and garbage can be a temptation for wildlife.

“We’re also trying to encourage people to use designated access points and reduce trampling of banks, to not remove riparian vegetation along the river, and other steps to help protect the amazing trout fishery we have here.”

For more information on the Watershed Advisory Group contact Kajsa Van de Riet at (208) 666-4633.

For more information or to stay updated on the Respect the River campaign visit and like the Respect the River Facebook page.