Milfoil sighted in Priest Lake
As officials in northern Idaho begin an aggressive eradication campaign against Eurasion milfoil, the invasive weed has found its way into another lake.
Two organizations, the Idaho Eurasian Milfoil Task Force and the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, said the weed has been spotted in Priest Lake. Officials will discuss measures to beat back the weeds as early as Wednesday.
State Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, has been outspoken about the need to address the burgeoning milfoil problem. He said he has put up at least 100 educational posters in Bonner County about the invasive species.
SCA members say they hope he’ll take immediate action to protect Priest Lake.
“It is a tragedy that the most pristine large lake in the lower 48 states is now under assault from numerous quarters including rampant development, invasive fish species and now Eurasian milfoil,” SCA Executive Director Mark Sprengel said. “This lake is a treasure that needs to be protected at all costs.”
Sandy Daniel, vice chairman of the task force, said the group has enlisted the services of a diver to begin plucking weeds from two locations in Priest Lake.
Coeur d’Alene
Moscow man drowns in lake
A Moscow, Idaho, man drowned in Lake Coeur d’Alene on Saturday afternoon after his boat capsized.
John J. Rogalski, 73, was trying to tow a log in his 12-foot aluminum rowboat around 12:30 p.m. when it overturned and he fell into the water near Conklin Park Marina, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department press release.
An onlooker dove into the 8-foot-deep water and pulled the man to shore. CPR was performed, but resuscitation efforts failed, according to the release.
Rogalski was not wearing a life jacket.
Spokane
Man rescued from Spokane River
Rescue crews pulled a man out of the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon after he fell into the river underneath the Post Street Bridge.
Rescuers rappelled down to the river and used kayaks to reach the man, who held onto rocks in the water for about two hours. He suffered a broken ankle, hypothermia and cuts to his face and was transported to Deaconess Medical Center, according to a Spokane Fire Department spokesman.
The injured man, whose name was not available, fell about 40 feet, said Spokane Fire Department Battalion Chief Bruce Moline.
STANLEY, Idaho
Search for missing hiker called off
One day after Idaho Gov. Jim Risch met with the family of a hiker missing in the Sawtooth Mountains, volunteers continued combing the rugged terrain, but came up empty.
The air search for Jon Francis, 24, was called off as the sun set Friday and is not likely to resume, said Brad Hoaglun, Risch’s spokesman. Any further search efforts likely will be orchestrated by volunteers, he said.
“They scoured the mountain from every which way and it doesn’t look good,” Hoaglun said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has urged searchers to keep looking.
According to friends, Francis told co-workers at a Bible camp near Ketchum that he planned to climb Grand Mogul peak in the Sawtooths. Searchers think he made it to the top but they don’t know what happened to him on the way down.