Susan Drumheller

Crow

Weather-weary Priest Lake residents finally got a break this weekend. The floodwaters receded, the sun made an appearance Saturday, the county lifted its emergency no-wake rule and boats are back on the water.

A movement to list bull trout as a threatened species isn't going to slow work on Idaho's bull trout recovery plan, state officials said Wednesday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that it's proposing to list the Columbia River system's bull trout as a threatened fish under the Endangered Species Act.

Record numbers of dead birds are turning up this year along the lower Coeur d'Alene River, and mining pollution has been fingered in several deaths. As of June 9, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has collected 311 dead birds and another 11 mammals and reptiles. Of 18 birds tested, 14 died of lead-poisoning unrelated to lead shot or sinkers.

Kurtis Robinson, at the Mica Bay boaters' park, is the new Kootenai County waterways department head. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Summer officially is only two weeks away, but North Idaho's lakes still are out of shape for the beachcombing and water-skiing season. Still bulging from melting snow and back-to-back rainstorms, waterways are cold and bobbing with logs, root wads and other junk.

Feeling a rush. Jamie Sharp, Kellogg superintendent of public works, stands in Milo Creek's new route, down the middle of Market Street. He isn't sure how the city will pay for the damage. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Fit to be tied. Excited children barrel through the ceremonial ribbons at the entrance to the new playground on Saturday. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Milo Creek is insisting on a new home. The creek jumped out of its aging underground system of culverts and pipes two weeks ago and still is flowing through downtown streets.

1. Campground contentment. Jenny McCarty, right, and Marcia Burnett put the rain cover over their tent Friday evening. They were able to get a campsite at Mokin Bay without a reservation. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review (ran only in the Idaho edition) 2. Sharon and Gene Bruce shave a patch of Rosie's mane in preparation for their weekend camping trip. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 3. Campground contentment. John Totten of Spokane relaxes by the fire at Farragut State Park. He had reservations to ensure he had a spot for usually busy Memorial Day weekend. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review (ran only in the Spokane and Regional editions)

Back-country horseman Kelly Laga says he doesn't have a problem getting away from it all. "It's rare we see anyone else. It's also rare that we have good trails," he said. "No one wants to put up with deadfalls and things."

Idaho's Republican senators asked their fellow lawmakers Wednesday to help clear up one of the Inland Northwest's messiest environmental disputes. Sens. Larry Craig and Dirk Kempthorne introduced legislation designed to end expensive litigation and jump-start cleanup in the Coeur d'Alene basin, which is lined with toxic tailings from a century of mining activity.

Memorial Day weekend is coming too early for the national forests in the Inland Northwest. Some campgrounds are closed.

Pulling together. Members of a hazardous materials team, volunteer firefighters and others work on pumps to remove water from a bermed area around the opening to underground diesel fuel tanks at the Gateway Marina in Harrison, Idaho, on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Wilderness advocates may boycott Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth's field hearing on public access to federal lands Saturday.

The battle of Bull Run 1. The Eastside Highway District is raising Bull Run Road to the delight of some residents and the dismay of others. Bull Run Lake is rising almost as fast as the crews can put down more fill. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. Curt and Barbara Dehart would rather have their view of the lake than a view of a dike being built along Bull Run Raod, where water is rising fast.

A new spin on golf 1. Chris Kiger aims straight down the 'airway' on a frisbee golf course being set up at Farragut State Park. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review 2. Below, Americorps volunteer Jason Midhun sets up a target. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Walls of sandbags erected two weeks ago on Harbor Island might not be tall enough to hold back the rising waters of the Spokane River. "This hot weather sort of caught us off guard," said Gordon Anderson, president of the Harbor Island Property Owners Association.

Warning: Contents can be hazardous. North Idaho College student Kym Morrison studies for final exams at an NIC beach picnic table surrounded by high water. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review <

Flood stage Traffic along state Highway 3 into St. Maries is narrowed to one lane to make room for fill dirt piled to raise the height of the dike on which the highway is built. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Uncle Sam wants help in rewriting mining regulations, but miners are complaining that the request came too late. As the Bureau of Land Management launches a series of public meetings today to review hard rock mining rules, the Northwest Mining Association is suing the agency over its newest mining regulation. The rule, issued in February, calls for mining operations on up to five acres of land to acquire a bond and show proof that they can cover the costs of reclamation and cleanup.

The Inland Northwest's whooping cough outbreak has struck nearly 300 people, but the new cases in recent days have been few. As of Friday, North Idaho had 195 confirmed cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, and Spokane County had 76.

Managers at Silver Mountain really didn't expect skiers to keep showing up for long after the ski season officially closed April 6. But Saturday - as May temperatures hover near 70 degrees - the gondola and lifts will still be running. "This is a record, as far as Silver Mountain is concerned," said mountain manager Terry Turnbow. "We really didn't think it would have this popularity." Blessed with a record snowpack of 508 inches last winter, Silver Mountain put out a challenge to skiers: As long as 1,000 customers showed up each Saturday, the ski hill would stay open. Other ski areas in the region closed in early April, although Schweitzer Mountain Resort extended its season one weekend. Now the closest ski areas still operating are Big Sky in Montana, Blackcomb in British Columbia, and Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood in Oregon. "We're the only game in town in Washington and Idaho," Turnbow said. The extended season has resulted in spillover business for area retailers, too. Vertical Earth in Coeur d'Alene is still renting snowboards and tuning some skis. "The telemarkers are still very adamant about being out there," said owner Mark Beattie. "Especially with the possibility of good weather this weekend, it's been very, very well-received and people are pretty stoked about it." On a couple Saturdays, the mountain drew close to 1,400 skiers. Last weekend, however, only 900 showed up. Turnbow figured that was because of Bloomsday and the weather.

Rev up the ski lift, and they will come. That's the adage this season for Silver Mountain. Mountain managers really didn't expect skiers to keep showing up more than two weekends after the ski season officially closed April 6. But this Saturday - as May temperatures hover around 70 degrees - the gondola and lifts will still be running.