OUR GEM: Youth Water Summit recognizes 2026 student leaders

The University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene's Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is proud to recognize the North Idaho winners of the 2026 Youth Water Summit. This annual event empowers high school students to investigate and address real-world water issues in their communities through hands-on research, innovation and public presentation.

Held May 19 at Kootenai County Fairgrounds, the Summit brought together 300 high school students from across North Idaho. The event marked the culmination of The Confluence Project, a yearlong field science program led by experts from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Panhandle Health, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Idaho Extension Water Outreach — IdaH2O and Idaho EcosySTEM. 

First-place winners were recognized for their outstanding research and presented projects on a wide range of local water issues. These students conducted clear scientific investigations, addressing topics from sediment impacts on fish habitat to post-wildfire erosion and its remediation. Their research was hypothesis-driven and solution-oriented. We are proud of all the hard work these students accomplished this year. 

First-Place Projects 

Each first-place winner received a scholarship from North Idaho College. 

Post Falls High School: Jeremiah Clark — Effects of Audible Sound on Stagnant Freshwater Dissolved Oxygen Levels 

Coeur d'Alene High School: Isabella Schmehl — Biochar Application to Mitigate Erosion 

Sandpoint High School: Vivian Haag — Sediment in Runoff Affecting Fish Spawning in the Pack River 

Wallace High School: Ashley Schwartz and Kora Foust — Rose Lake, Dual Threats from Metals and Microplastics 

Kellogg High School: Isabella Hollis and Nevaeh Schabell — How does oil pollution affect the aquatic environment? 

Paradise Creek Regional High School: Braydon Yaggi and Karly Bergley — Daphnia Pool Party 

Lake City High School: Alistair McIntire and Logan Nelson — Mitigating Contaminants in Private Wells 

Second-Place Projects 

Post Falls High School: John Misner — The Green Filter: Lemna Minor 

Coeur d’Alene High School: Roby Emerson, Jacob Melun and Colton Rush — Algae Effect on Bass Spawn 

Sandpoint High School: Olivia Donahe and Ila Paulk — Stopping the Spread 

Wallace High School: Anthony Frank — Human Waste in the Waters… 

Kellogg High School: Richard Bewick, Gabe Johnson and Darren Ruggaber — Water Quality & Swimming 

Paradise Creek: Arlo Woodland and Kylera Masters — Flow Force 

Lake City High School: Darby Kellner and Rylie Hendricks — Hydro Starts at Home 

Third-Place Projects

Post Falls High School: Kaitlin Andrews and Kailynn Watson — Nature’s Role in Reducing Arsenic 

Coeur d’Alene High School: Katarina Roos — Reducing Fertilizer Runoff on Lakefront Properties 

Sandpoint High School: Bode Eacret, Grady Przybylski and Braden Buckhout — Golf Course Effect on Water Bodies

Wallace High School: Henry Larson and Marley Pearce — The Fork Off 

Kellogg High School: Abie Torres and McKayla Sims — Overall Effects of Lead Pollution at Bull Run Lake 

Paradise Creek: Jeremy Vivar and Rosetta Lindsey — Microorganisms in Paradise Creek 

Lake City High School: Emerson Hayes and Tiffany Babine — Air of the Algae 

Aubrey Salie — Life of the Lake People 

Second and third place winners were also awarded, with second place winners receiving commemorative coins from Sunshine Mines and third place winners receiving gift cards from local businesses provided by the Panhandle Kiwanis. Other major sponsors include Kootenai County Aquifer Protection District, Johnson Surveying, Stonehenge Development and Government, Hecla Mining, Ardurra Group, TC Energy and Idaho Central Credit Union. 

“The Youth Water Summit is a chance for students to demonstrate how competent they are with scientific inquiry,” said Mike Wood, IWRRI Outreach and Education Coordinator. “The Confluence Project has equipped these young people to be tomorrow's STEM leaders in water and natural resources.”

For more information about the Youth Water Summit, visit iwrri.uidaho.edu/education-confluence/.

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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 Environmental Alliance, Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce and Kootenai County.