August 2, 2009 in Idaho

Tribe restoring sturgeon habitat

Kootenai Indians gather cross-border policy team

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Sue Ireland, Kootenai Tribe fish and wildlife director, talks about the tribe’s long-term plan for the Kootenai River watershed.
(Full-size photo)

BONNERS FERRY – Four-inch long sturgeon frolicked in a hatchery tank – comically flipping onto their backs to feed, then wriggling right side up.

Barely a year old, they looked ancient. Long snouts, sharklike tails and the sturgeon’s bony armor hinted at the species’ prehistoric origins, which date back 150 million years.

“They’re mysterious, beautiful creatures,” said Sue Ireland, fish and wildlife director for the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the hatchery’s operator. “It’s important that we do everything in our power to help them survive.”

As part of aggressive plans to keep the Kootenai River’s white sturgeon population from sliding …

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