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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coeur d’Alene Eagle Watch Week a victim of government shutdown

Bald eagles perch in a tree at Higgens Point on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. Coeur d’Alene’s annual Eagle Watch Week was canceled on Wednesday due to the federal government shutdown. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Coeur d’Alene’s 27th annual Eagle Watch Week was canceled on Wednesday due to the federal government shutdown.

The week is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Idaho Fish and Game. It was set to start on Thursday. Traditionally the week is based out of the Mineral Ridge boat launch and the Mineral Ridge trailhead parking areas along the eastern shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

BLM spokesperson Suzanne Endsley announced the cancellation Wednesday.

“Due to the lapse in funding of the federal government budget, Eagle Watch Week (Dec. 27 through Dec. 31), at BLM’s Mineral Ridge boat launch and trail head parking areas is canceled,” she said via email. “The public is welcome to visit these sites, however no interpretive information or spotting scopes will be available during this time.”

Due to the shutdown, Endsley was not able to comment further.

The shutdown, which started on Saturday, is the third government shutdown of the year.

Yellowstone National Park has remained open during the shutdown, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported. Concessionaires in the park have pitched in for road grooming, making travel within the park possible.

Glacier National Park also planned to remain open during the shutdown with limited services but officials warned conditions are subject to change, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Both Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks have remained partially open.

The New York Times reported on Monday that several states wrote checks to the federal government prior to the shutdown in hopes of keeping national parks open. Keeping national parks and other federal properties open during the partial shutdown could cost those states more than $590,000 per week, the Times reported.