Renaming Roosevelt

National Parks

The official renaming of the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area, set for Wednesday, may be postponed following objections from the Colville Confederated Tribes.

The ceremony in Grand Coulee will continue as scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the recreation area, which borders the Columbia River for roughly 150 miles behind Grand Coulee Dam.

“Most people call it Lake Roosevelt so we figured it was appropriate to call it the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area,” said Vaughn Baker, National Park Service spokesman. “Calling it Coulee Dam NRA tended to confuse the public.”

While some national parks are created by an act of Congress, the Coulee Dam NRA was designated by administrative decision. Thus, the name can be changed by administrative decision, Baker said.

“But the tribe thinks maybe we should have considered other names,” Baker said, noting that the Colville Reservation borders a large portion of Lake Roosevelt. “That raises broader issues that couldn’t be resolved quickly.”

Meanwhile, severe spring drawdowns at Lake Roosevelt raised havoc with fish and fishermen. Anglers were not able to launch at the lake for weeks. Visitation has plummeted 23 percent from last year, the park reports. Boat launches are down 30 percent. , DataTimes