D.F. Oliveria

Twenty-five years from now, a new generation will applaud the foresight of recreationists who pushed hard for the 62-mile Centennial Trail, linking Lake Coeur d'Alene with Spokane's Riverfront Park.

So, the five "human smolts" who swam the Snake River to dramatize the plight of salmon don't understand what dams are for? How about low-cost electricity? And the Port of Lewiston? And recreation? But social progress doesn't seem important to "The Fishy Five," who completed a combined swim of 470 miles from Redfish Lake to Lower Granite Dam, near Lewiston, on Tuesday. Said one of the fry: "That's why they call it a 'dam.' You've damned this river." The "Fish First!ers" want us to spend $710 million to retrofit four dams for bigger spring spills (one of the options being considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). But no one knows if the tactic would restore salmon runs without serious side effects. One thing's for sure, though: The five used the right visual bait to attract a school of journalists (read, suckers). Film at 11. Budding Beavis hangs rat, shoots moon

A compromise proposal involving the timber industry and two major environmental groups offers the best hope for reintroducing grizzly bears to the Bitterroot Mountains. The plan, aired last week, calls for local control of the program and reintroduction of the bears as an "experimental" population. That means the grizzlies wouldn't have the full protection of the Endangered Species Act if they move outside their ecosystem.

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? If allegations are true, Mayor Paul Korman of Spirit Lake, Idaho, helped himself to a lot of free lunches during his last seven months in office - about $1,600 worth on the city's tab. Or enough to buy a Big Mac for every man, woman and child in his small town. Korman reportedly had a fondness for the barbecued pork and chicken at the Blanchard Inn Steakhouse & BBQ (giving new meaning to the term "pork-barrel politics.") In announcing his resignation for health reasons, Korman told the monthly Spirit Lake Journal: "Serving as mayor was a very rewarding experience." So it seems. Stop! In the name of common sense It's hard to say which side was goofier at the Aryan Nations' annual wiener roast and cross burning - the goose-steppers or the made-for-TV taunters who danced to golden oldies such as "Stop! In the Name of Love." But I do know who was more dangerous. The Rev. Richard Butler's compound has spawned an alumni list that includes bombers, murderers, bank robbers and counterfeiters. Dumb and Dumber faced off Friday at the entrance to the Aryan Nations compound north of Hayden Lake, Idaho. Michael Moore of the Fox network's "TV Nation" thought it'd be good fun to expose the neo-Nutsies to a little ZOG multiculture. So, Fox hired the Class Act dance troupe of Spokane to high-step to the old Supremes number, prompting 20 supremacists, across the fence, to seethe, stiff-arm and spit. Fortunately, no one got hurt. Next time Moore wants cheap thrills, though, he should try lighting a match in a dynamite shed.

Coeur d'Alene's can-do volunteerism has brought the community some major amenities in the past decade - a City Park band shell, a senior center, a cancer center and a new city library. Lake City residents have given time, materials and money to make a great place better. But one project has fallen through the cracks: Coeur d'Alene Skate Park. After six years of planning and fund raising, the park remains only 30 percent finished - with money available to complete only another 30 percent by summer's end.

A Huckleberry Past caused CdA Councilman Mike McDowell to see red. You know, the one that painted Mike as less than environmentally minded. At first, I couldn't figure out why he was upset. No one on the CdA council would be mistaken for an Earth Firster. Then, I realized that Mike's facing re-election. 'Tis the season that local pols grow a green thumb to prove their environmental moderation. Some even talk about "quality of life" and attend Kootenai Environmental Alliance luncheons. Hypocrisy? Maybe. But the tactic works. Ask Kootenai County Commissioner Bob Macdonald. In this year of environmental backlash, however, I didn't think it was necessary.

FBI Director Louis Freeh took a good first step toward restoring his agency's credibility last week by demoting Chief Deputy Larry Potts. Of course, some argue persuasively that Potts should have been suspended for mishandling fatal sieges at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas - rather than assigned to an FBI training facility. Errors by Potts, other FBI officials, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Marshal's Service partly were responsible for the deaths of a North Idaho mother and her 13-year-old son, 87 Branch Davidians, including 25 children, and five federal agents.

Hmmm. Webster's New World Dictionary describes a "volunteer" as "a person who chooses freely to enter into any transaction with no promise of compensation." Obviously, the teens paid by Kootenai County Commissioner Dick Compton's campaign to do phone work last fall weren't volunteers - though no one bothered to withhold taxes from their pay or file Internal Revenue Service paperwork. They simply were told to fib that they were volunteers if anyone asked. Or so they say. Compton, who worked the phones alongside the young guns hired by telemarketer Q&A; Communications, denies knowing anything about the arrangement. And Q&A;'s Sandy Clark disputes claims made by three Coeur d'Alene teens. But why should they lie again? Said 14-year-old "volunteer" Sarah Swearingen: "I couldn't understand it. If we were volunteers, why'd we get paid?" Out of the mouths of babes ... Forget about the weather; where's my letter?

A couple from Bellevue, Wash., made quite an impression at a Sandpoint movie theater over the Fourth - all bad. Apparently, inclement weather drove the two indoors, and they weren't any happier when "Apollo 13" was sold out. Then, they exploded like bottle rockets when several minutes were missing from the latest "Die Hard" incarnation. (Hey, if you've seen one Bruce Willis' smirk, you've seen them all.) The manager gave them a free pass, but eventually told them to leave when they continued to gripe. As did theatergoers. Viewers bellied up to the snack bar and began chanting for the obnoxious duo to get lost. Some customers followed the piqued pair to their car to make sure they had the right directions out of Dodge. Now, that's going the extra mile. Oopsies: Apparently, the photo published in Travel Holiday's summer issue of "North Idaho's lake country" shows the Vista House, 30 miles east of Portland, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Not the Maryhill Museum of Art, near Goldendale, Wash. (as reported in Huckleberries Past). Either way, it still was the wrong photo to illustrate S-R colleague Doug Clark's travel piece on North Idaho. And the photograph also was printed backward, making it difficult to tell which side of the river was pictured.

Supporters are trying to cast accused double murderer Ken Arrasmith as a Bronsonesque hero - a righteous avenger who gunned down two suspects to revenge a daughter's alleged rape. In cold blood. With 29 bullets.

Every slob that leaves a diaper, sock, candy wrapper or other litter on Tubbs Hill deserves a Hot Potato. And that goes for dog owners who take Fido on walks around the Coeur d'Alene refuge without a pooper scooper. Where do such people think they are? Home? Do they think mother, a sibling or a child is going to clean up after them? For you newcomers, Tubbs Hill holds a special place in a Coeur d'Alene resident's heart. It's a unique, 120-acre greenbelt along Lake Coeur d'Alene's north shore that provides waterfront access and some solitude. Everyone should hike Tubbs Hill at least once a year to appreciate its breathtaking shoreline setting. Those who trash it, trash Coeur d'Alene. And are no better than vandals.

The Superfund program, which fosters litigation instead of cleanup, unquestionably needs an overhaul. But a proposed Republican revision of the Superfund law goes too far. The plan seeks to absolve private-sector polluters of responsibility for toxic messes made prior to enactment of the Superfund law in 1980. Supporters of the revision argue, with some merit, that it is unfair to reach back in time to penalize polluters.

Everyone needs a hobby to unwind. Some people garden; others join barbershop quartets. Neal Degerstrom is more creative. But then, he has the loot to be. The Spokane mining magnate would relax by paying women $100, cash, to pose nude for private photo sessions. It's legal - but not something Degerstrom wanted his wife and three daughters to know about. They do now - thanks to a lawsuit filed by a former employee who claims he was fired for raising sex discrimination complaints against N.A. Degerstrom Inc. The suit accuses Degerstrom and his top executives of urging female workers to pose au naturel or to serve as topless barmaids on company excursions. Time will tell if those accusations are true. For now, Degerstrom - honored in 1991 by Inland Empire contractors for his "skill, integrity and responsibility" - wants his nude photos back; he claims he wants to destroy them. Maybe next time, Degerstrom should try stamp collecting. Philatelists generally don't weave such a tangled web. Promise Keepers restores marriages, families I haven't been to Promise Keepers, nor do I intend to go. A stadium full of weepy, soul-baring men isn't my idea of a good time. But I've seen the positive fallout from that 1990s spiritual phenomenon among men who have attended. I've witnessed a man who had treated his wife shabbily become a loving, faithful husband. I've seen spiritual wimps become church leaders and begin to take their role as fathers seriously. I've seen men learn to cherish their wives. Still, the movement has critics. Gay activists and some feminists accuse it of being anti-women, for white men only and, of course, intolerant. (In other words, they're afraid Promise Keepers is producing guys who'll raise their children to be Republicans.) But restored families speak eloquently against such criticism.

A Rathdrum woman discovered public service is alive after she penned a biting list last December, cataloguing what she wanted from her 12 days of Christmas. Marilyn Roberge's wish list included: "Eleven fewer bureaucrats basking in the Bahamas on my tax dollars."

Three cheers for baseball fans! No one - owners, players, sportswriters, even fans themselves - believed that addicts crazy enough to shell out $2 for lukewarm hot dogs ever would forsake their beloved Yankees, Braves or (fill in the blank). After all, "fan" is short for "fanatic." Maybe the true baseball fanatic hasn't abandoned the game this summer. But enough marginal "fans" have done so to cause heartburn from Dodger Stadium to Yankee Stadium.

Hmmm. S-R colleague Doug Clark nicely talked up the Hagadone Hotel, Hudson's Hamburgers and North Idaho's "vacationers' bonanza" in Travel Holiday's summer issue. But (heh, heh, heh) there was one small problem with the magazine spread. The main photo. You know, the one published above this cutline: "North Idaho's lake country remains relatively untouched by the tourist boom in Coeur d'Alene." CdA's tourist boom would have to reach all the way to the Columbia River in south-central Washington to touch that idyllic "lake" setting. Shown in the foreground is the Maryhill Museum of Art, 15 miles south of Goldendale, Wash. I can't repeat what the New York editor said when he learned his factfinder had goofed. But Clark groused, "It was a mess, but the check cleared." Separated at birth? Kootenai County Assessor Tom Moore doesn't look like British secret agent James Bond. But that didn't stop a KXLY-TV reporter from referring to him recently on the 5 o'clock news as "Roger" Moore. Onward. ... Tax activist Ron Rankin spotted ex-legislator Freeman Duncan waiting in a long line Monday to complain about his new property value. Freeman and Rankin's wife, Alice, waged a bitter campaign against each other a few years ago. Alice bugged Freeman then by characterizing him as a legislator "who never met a tax he didn't like." Chortled her hubby after last week's chance encounter: "I see he's got religion." Marshall mend incognito? Sandpoint City Clerk Helen Newton tells of seeing "Batman Forever" with grandson Jordan. When Jim Carrey first appeared on screen as "The Riddler," Jordan whispered, "Grandma, that's The Realtor." Carrey wasn't even wearing white shoes. ... Jim Ratliff Jr. of Mica Flats hated to see the baseball strike end. You see, he distributes videos. During the strike, Jim did land-office business with baseball flicks, like "A League of Their Own," "Major League" and "The Babe." If pro basketball strikes, too, Jim will have to stock up on "White Men Can't Jump" until Warner Bros. produces "Space Jam," Michael Jordan's galactic encounter with Looney Tunes.

Idaho cities and counties may not get it, but Gov. Phil Batt does: Voters don't want new taxes. Period. Rising property valuations and taxes from Sandpoint to Idaho Falls have infuriated taxpayers. Nearly 1,000 - 10 times more than usual - appealed their new property valuations to the Kootenai County Board of Equalization. The Bonner County School District mustered only 30 percent support for a $3 million levy needed for a new elementary and school repair.

The U.S. Supreme Court had an opportunity to settle a major part of the fierce school-prayer debate this week. And blew it. Americans on both sides of the issue were left hanging when the high court dissolved a ban on student-led graduation prayer in nine western states - without deciding the merits of the case, which began in Grangeville, Idaho. Prayer supporters counted the non-decision as a win. Americans United for Separation of Church and State was disappointed.

Next year, Idaho legislators and wannabes will razzle-dazzle you with sound bites about quality of life, lower taxes and responsive government. You can stop them in their tracks by asking this question: Do you think it's fair that part-time lawmakers get year-round health coverage ($2,795 per politician) when one in five Idahoans isn't insured? State Sen. Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d'Alene, and state Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Coeur d'Alene, consider it okey-dokey. Said Alltus: "For me, it's a significant cut in pay to be a legislator. Most of us work far more than what we get paid for." (I wonder how many legislators would quit if they didn't get the perk.) Ex-lawmaker Janet Jenkins, who tried in vain to do away with the privilege in 1992, provides the proper answer: "It is an inequity when taxpayers who can't afford insurance for themselves are paying for our insurance." ACLUers get overdue trip to woodshed

In "Huckleberries" past, you learned of "Gringo (Mike) Green" in Central America sending a letter to our CdA office "near Paul Bunyan's." Maybe Mike got the idea from a 1979 whitewater raft trip down the Salmon River. In the wilderness above Riggins, Mike's party stopped to visit legendary Buckskin Bill. The latter-day mountain man had arrived in Salmon River country during the Depression and survived by growing food and making guns, clothing and tools. During the visit, Mike noticed a letter, addressed simply: "Buckskin Bill, Somewhere on the Salmon River, Somewhere North of Boise, Idaho."

One of the hardest things to say in life is: "I was wrong. Will you forgive me?" Yet, those words restore relationships and free the one who committed the wrong from guilt, misguided pride and, sometimes, the bondage of hate. That's why apologies are important, even belated ones.

A national speed limit may fit the mother-may-I lives of teeming Eastern masses and hand-wringing social engineers, but it makes little sense here in the vast West. Anyone who has ever driven through Montana's Big Sky country, rural Idaho or the endless Nevada desert knows that. As do motorists ticketed for exceeding the absurd 55 mph limit along U.S. Highway 395, north of Washington's Tri-Cities.

Edinger vs. Macdonald. Mano a mano. Winner take all. Kootenai County politics may see a race for the ages next year if Dick Edinger- or brother Ron, for that matter - opposes Republican Commissioner Bob Macdonald. Dick announced this week that he may seek higher office after his term as an Eastside Highway District commissioner expires. The Edinger brothers and Macdonald share the same political friends and constituency. But the Edingers, while waiting for election night results last November, privately criticized Macdonald's performance and hinted that one of them may oppose him.

The current hubbub over a logging operation in the Boise National Forest proves timber companies must dot every "i" and cross every "t" when cutting the region's burned-over forests. A "fair" or even "good" salvage cut won't stop environmentalists from squawking about the damage - real and imagined - done to forest, streams and critters. Sloppy salvage efforts will undermine the important bipartisan work done by Northwest congressmen to expedite logging of the region's forests that were ravaged by wildfire last summer.