Eagle watchers warned not to stop on roadway

Idaho State Police are cautioning eagle watchers at Lake Coeur d’Alene not to stop in the middle of the roadway on state Highway 97, or they risk getting a ticket. Some motorists have been stopping in the travel lanes along the two-lane highway that runs from Wolf Lodge Bay down the east side of the lake to Harrison. It creates a safety hazard for other motorists. As a result, police have increased patrols in the area and are writing tickets for the violations. Highway 97 has a limited number of pull offs for stopping. Police said eagle watchers should instead go southeast along East Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive to Higgens Point where there is a large parking area and pathways for viewing. Eagles congregate there because it is near a spawning area for kokanee salmon, a wintertime food for the birds. The drive is reached from a traffic light on Sherman Avenue immediately west of Interstate 90 on the east side of Coeur d’Alene.