Since time immemorial, Lake Coeur d’Alene has been central to the lives and culture of people in North Idaho.

“We view this place as a sacred spot, right at the beginning of the Spokane River,” said Gene Hemene James, vice chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council. 

The lake is also part of a complex watershed shaped by more than a century of mining in the Silver Valley. Though decades of cleanup, restoration and monitoring have produced measurable progress in parts of the watershed, present-day development and recreation continue to put pressure on the lake’s health. 

James and other speakers discussed the lake’s past, present and future Monday morning at the McEuen Park Pavilion for the launch of Love Our Lake Week, a series of public events organized by the Our Gem Collaborative. 

This partnership of scientists, educators, local governments, nonprofits and community leaders works together to support lake health. 

Rebecca Stevens, restoration coordinator for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, explained that about 83 million metric tons of contaminated waste sit at the bottom of the lake, the result of historic mining activities in the Coeur d’Alene Basin. 

“Even though you can’t see it, it’s a reality,” she said. 

Contaminants continue to flow into the lake. 

“This contamination will continue to come down until the upstream source is turned off,” Stevens said, adding that the Environmental Protection Agency is doing remediation work. “The Tribe is heavily involved in keeping an eye on that because of the cultural connection the Tribe has with their aboriginal territory.” 

Major concerns exist for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Stevens said. The Coeur d’Alenes once gathered water potatoes, a traditional food source, along the lower Coeur d’Alene River. Contamination halted water potato harvesting in some areas. 

“That is an insult to injury for the Tribe not to be able to gather their food staples, their traditional medicines, because of the impact from historic mining,” Stevens said. 

James said the Coeur d’Alene Tribe will continue the fight to protect the lake, alongside local, state and federal partners. He said he expects it to be the work of generations. 

“We look at it as a battle, just as we did in wartime 500 years ago,” he said. 

Jamie Brunner, Lake Coeur d’Alene management supervisor for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, said learning about the lake’s health and sharing that information with others is a way that all residents can contribute to the fight. 

“We all have something we can do to protect the lake,” she said. 

Love Our Lake Week continues at 6 p.m. tonight at Vantage Point Brewing with watershed and lake trivia. 

The Rose Creek Singers, a group of women drummers from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, will make a guest appearance at the popular Music at McEuen concert series from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. 

Community members will gather from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Yap-Keehn-Um Beach near the North Idaho College campus for talks on sturgeon nose canoe building by Coeur d’Alene Tribal members, aquatic invasive species prevention, a native plant presentation and Cougar Bay restoration highlights. 

Attendees can bring their own canoe, kayak or paddleboard for a self-guided paddle of Cougar Bay after the talks. 

From 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the Harbor Center, community members can take part in family-friendly learning stations on lake science, watershed awareness and ways to protect local waters. 

Info: iwrri.uidaho.edu/ourgem

    Greg Sletten studies a handout during Monday’s discussion about the health of Lake Coeur d’Alene.