It’s About Time We Acted To Protect Our Lake

As a lifelong resident of Coeur d’Alene (except for college) I have many memories of long sunny afternoons boating on Lake Coeur d’Alene. My parents bought our first boat in 1975 and we used it at almost every available opportunity from June through September each year. But over the past 20 years I have seen our watery summer solitude dissolve into a chaotic mass of boats and boaters.

Many Coeur d’Alene residents sit in church on Sunday morning, unaware of the east-bound cavalcade of boat-towing Washingtonians bound for the pristine waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Unfortunately, before these boats can pollute and overpopulate the lake, they must first get into the lake. Third Street dock (in Coeur d’Alene) is the primary entry point and because of its small size provides a show that rivals anything P.T. Barnum ever created.

I sometimes go to Third Street dock just to watch the show. Fights, middle fingers, and poor boat-backers are as regular at the constant influx of out-of-staters. Personal observations have led me to believe that 99 percent of the fighting, name calling, and obscene gestures could be avoided if everyone would just wait their turn.

Unfortunately, the problems don’t end at the boat dock. The dense boat traffic, added pollution, and loss of privacy take away from the whole lake experience.

Many North Idahoans, myself included, feel that our small “party” has been crashed by thousands of uninvited guests. Bear in mind that some of this hostility arises because Washingtonians pay no use fee, property taxes or even license fees to the state of Idaho. So, in fact, we suffer (both fiscally and environmentally) for our neighbors’ fun.

It’s about time the citizens and local government act to protect the sanctity of our lake. If this requires exorbitant out-of-state use fees or a daily limit on the number of out-of-state boats allowed on the lake, so be it. We need to act now so our children won’t be denied one of the greatest benefits of living in Coeur d’Alene.

MEMO: Your Turn is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a Your Turn column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write Your Turn, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615.