Save Cougar Bay

Protecting the Pilings at Cougar Bay

Kootenai Environmental Alliance has joined forces with the Cougar Bay Osprey Protective Association, Inc. to preserve the cultural, recreational, and biological values of Cougar Bay – the last quiet Bay on Coeur d'Alene Lake. We are supporting an application to keep the log pilings and log booms in Cougar Bay for osprey habitat consistent with quiet recreation.

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Why is Cougar Bay Important?

Cougar Bay provides a unique refuge for quiet enjoyment with cultural significance within minutes of downtown Coeur d’Alene. As the last undeveloped shallow bay in Coeur d’Alene Lake’s northern end, Cougar Bay contains rich wildlife habitat in its water, wetlands, and upland.

Moreover, the pilings and booms are observable as a historical testament to the community’s cultural logging roots.

In addition, the Bay provides a unique opportunity for quiet recreation on a lake otherwise bustling with noise and excitement. Cougar Bay represents only 1.3% of Lake Coeur d’Alene’s surface area. This small portion of the Lake is crucial to kayakers and other smaller watercraft users who desire an escape from the noise and wakes of powerboats, which are present on more than 98% of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Powerboats are still allowed in Cougar Bay, but they must obey the no-wake designation, which is emphasized by the presence of the pilings and booms.

In fact, one might say that Cougar Bay is to Lake Coeur d’Alene what Tubbs Hill is to the city of Coeur d’Alene. Like Tubbs Hill, Cougar Bay allows for public enjoyment and nearby quiet recreation in our beautiful North Idaho surroundings.

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Why Protect the Pilings and Booms?

The existing log booms and pilings in Cougar Bay remain quite valuable even though the historic timber mills are gone. Protecting the pilings and booms in Cougar Bay will serve residents and tourists by protecting valued existing recreational opportunities, preserving existing wildlife habitat and biological integrity, and conserving a cultural and historical community artifact.

The pilings provide nesting and perching sites for osprey and other wildlife, while the booms protect non-motorized recreation and shoreline habitat by vastly diminishing wave and noise disturbances. Additionally, they serve as a constant and forceful reminder of the area’s no-wake designation. This protection from wave and noise disturbances creates a place on the Lake where wildlife can flourish in their natural habitat.

The pilings and booms themselves are an increasingly rare historical and cultural remnant, which will continue to remind the community where we came from. The removal of pilings near the mouth of the St. Joe River, along with planned removals along the Spokane River, make the existence of booms and pilings in Cougar Bay even more important, both for the protection of wildlife habitat and as a historical and cultural artifact.

Finally, removing the pilings and booms will not only be expensive but could also disturb the lakebed. This would allow dangerous heavy metal sediment, which is presently contained underneath the water, to escape into the Lake and flow down the Spokane River. The cost of removing Cougar Bay pilings is estimated at more than one million dollars.  By simply preserving the pilings and booms, this cost can be avoided. This feasible alternative will also protect wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and a community artifact.

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History of Conservation

Resulting from much previous hard work, Cougar Bay’s shoreline is mostly preserved in its natural state. Today, permanently protected public lands and privately held conservation easements safeguard most of Cougar Bay’s surroundings.

In 1992 a subdivision was proposed along the Bay’s northern shore, but Friends of Cougar Bay formed to oppose the new development. Under immense pressure, the developer finally sold the land to the Nature Conservancy, which in turn transferred the land to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Later, the same developer bought land on the Bay’s western hillside and proposed a new development. The Rural Kootenai Organization formed in response and challenged the proposal for nine years, eventually negotiating a 35-acre conservation easement in 2001 to serve as a buffer between Cougar Bay and the housing development.

Finally, in 2003, the Bureau of Land Management purchased the remaining undeveloped hillside to the south of the Bay. These three portions of land now serve as a buffer to protect Cougar Bay shorelines for the primary purposes of non-motorized recreation and wildlife habitat protection.

Now we must save Cougar Bay itself to ensure that previous community efforts to preserve its shoreline are not reversed. Your recreation, your environment, and the preservation of our community’s roots depend on it.

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