Tribe Prefers Placid Solution

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has not given up the idea of controlling the northern part of Lake Coeur d’Alene, its attorney said Wednesday.

But, Ray Givens added, he hopes that wouldn’t require the kind of court battles that confirmed tribal ownership of the southern third of the lake.

“If there was ever a situation that calls out for a reasoned political solution, it’s this one,” Givens told members of the Coeur d’Alene Basin Commission.

Dick Panabaker, chairman of both the basin commission and Kootenai County Commission, noted that there are people with “extremely bad feelings” about tribal management of the lake.

“They say, `I’m native American, too. I was born here. I didn’t take anything from anyone,”’ Panabaker said.

Givens’ response: “Although they themselves didn’t steal anything from the tribe, the U.S. government definitely did.”

He said the tribe wants to treat non-Indians as neighbors when it comes to lake matters, such as issuing fishing and boat licenses.

But, he said, tribal leaders won’t tolerate the attitude of “`By God, this is my lake, my grandparents homesteaded here.’ If there’s one thing that’s going to see this lake locked up quick, it’s that kind of attitude.”

With the first summer recreation season under tribal management approaching, reaction to the idea has been mixed, Givens said.

“Some people who wanted to set up fishing tournaments were very polite and easy to deal with. Others have been jerks,” he said. “The jerks may not get in the door.”

Commissioners had invited Givens and state attorney Steven Strack to update them on issues related to ownership of the lake and the Coeur d’Alene River.

The state lost its bid to retain control of the southern part of the lake, which falls within reservation boundaries. The state is challenging that U.S. District Court decision; Strack said an appeals court decision could be anywhere from six to 18 months away.

Meanwhile, the tribe is diving into management of the southern part of the lake and, Strack said, state employees have been told to cooperate with the Indian managers.