OUR GEM: Increase your environmental knowledge at the North Idaho State Fair

The North Idaho State Fair will soon be coming to the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. The fair provides a place for all to enjoy rides, events and other fun family activities. The fair is also a place to learn more about local environmental activities and healthy recreational habits.

Each year, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Panhandle Health District and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe team up to provide an educational booth at the North Idaho State Fair. Found in Building 1, this joint booth allows attendees to interact with volunteers and learn more about the Bunker Hill Superfund Site cleanup, lead exposure, water quality information and more. 

This year, the booth will also provide air quality information, highlighting the importance of burning clean, dry wood. Attendees can enter their name into a drawing for Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitors, moisture meters and even a woodshed! 

Each year, fair attendees are given the opportunity to play a fun trivia game that teaches participants how to avoid lead exposure, the importance of water quality and a little about the history of the Silver Valley and Lake Coeur d’Alene. Prizes are awarded to participants based on their willingness to learn. Free giveaways are also available, including the ever-popular Spokane/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Atlas and a handy map of Lake Coeur d’Alene, including water depth and useful information to protect the lake water quality while enjoying it. 

This year’s booth will highlight recently completed projects in the Coeur d’Alene Basin, many of which affect water quality. Such projects include the recently completed cleanup activities within the Nine Mile Creek drainage and the construction of a clean wetland area near Black Lake. Projects such as these are important to humans as well as the environment. 

As you’re enjoying this year’s North Idaho State Fair, remember to stop by the Bunker Hill Superfund Site booth in Building 1 to learn more about the exciting work happening in the Coeur d’Alene Basin. The fair runs Friday, Aug. 15, through Sunday, Aug. 24. For more information, visit www.nisfair.fun.

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The Our Gem Coeur d’Alene Lake Collaborative is a team of committed and passionate professionals working to preserve lake health and protect water quality by promoting community awareness of local water resources through education, outreach and stewardship. Our Gem includes local experts from the University of Idaho — Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Kootenai County, Kootenai Environmental Alliance and the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce.