COEUR d’ALENE — Hundreds of students from across North Idaho gathered this week at the Kootenai County fairgrounds for the 2025 Youth Water Summit.

The annual event, a partnership between the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene’s Idaho Water Resources Research Institute and North Idaho College, empowers high school students to investigate and address real-world water issues in their communities through hands-on research, innovation and public presentation, a press release said.

This year, 15 first-place winners received $1,000 scholarships via the North Idaho College Foundation. 

“We’re proud to support the Youth Water Summit and the students passionate about science and tackling real challenges in our region,” NIC President Nick Swayne said.

The summit marked the culmination of the Confluence Project, a yearlong field science program led by experts from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Panhandle Health District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission and IdaH20. 

“Participating in The Confluence Project and presenting their findings at the Youth Water Summit gave students valuable insight into our region’s water resources and our strengths and challenges,” said Mike Wood, IWRRI outreach and education coordinator. 

The following students won first-place prizes for their projects:

Coeur d'Alene High School: Jack Jenkins and Jane Dance — The Impacts of Waves 

Kellogg High School: Daton Colburn, Gage Nosworthy and Cayden Chonnerlaw — Climate Change’s Effect on Trout 

Lake City High School: Kira Taft, Taylor Wakefield and Leo Esler — Rooted Solutions 

Post Falls High School: Austin Hicks, Samuel Rangel and Gavin Schneider — Heavy Metals and Chemicals in Roof Runoff 

Timberlake High School: Kylie Mock and Nevaeh Mendoza — Microfibers Coming Out of Washing Machines 

Wallace High School: Jaedynn Hammerberg and Madison Johnson — The Role of Micro Invertebrates in Assessing Aquatic Health