Annual Rivers of History Tour
Register
Date and Time:
Sat, Sep 13, 2025; 8:30 AM
- 3:30 PM
(Pacific)
Add to Calendar
09/13/2025 8:30 AM
09/13/2025 3:30 PM
America/Los_Angeles
Annual Rivers of History Tour
Saturday, September 13, 08:45 AM - 3:30 PM, meet in Coeur d'Alene at Cedars Floating Restaurant parking lot (where the lake gives birth to the Spokane River). Bring a sack lunch, water, weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes. We will carpool.
Cedars Floating Restaurant on Blackwell Island (where the Spokane River begins just off of Hwy 95)
Webinar URL:
47.67583800,-116.80473600
John Osborn
john@waterplanet.ws
MM/DD/yyyy
amOUuwqNAzpGSXwtHmnd12740
Organized By: Upper Columbia River Group
Location: Cedars Floating Restaurant on Blackwell Island (where the Spokane River begins just off of Hwy 95)
Map | Directions
Event Organizers:
John Osborn
john@waterplanet.ws
5099391290
Carolyn Leon
lonestar4@aol.com
5092302116
8:45 Meet at Cedars Floating Restaurant parking lot, where Lake CDA gives birth to the Spokane River
9-10a CDA Tribe representative (invited) discusses CDA Lake history and current water quality issues
11-12:30p Hecla Mine in Burke Canyon (above Wallace) Sharon Bosley, BEIPC, discusses mining pollution and cleanup at Hecla mine in Burke, then shows a completed project in Nine Mile Canyon
1-2p Brown bag lunch in Smelterville Park; Dr Osborn discusses the bag house fire and lead poisoning, followed by Panhandle Health District discussing lead testing
2:30-3:30p Jeff Juel discusses up-slope logging resulting in the Coeur d'Alene's toxic floods, followed by Rev Tom Soeldner discussing river ethics at Cataldo Mission
One of the earth's most beautiful lakes and headwaters for the Spokane River, Lake Coeur d'Alene is polluted. The lake has become a tailings pond for the Coeur d'Alene mining district -- with 60-80 million tons of toxic material on the lake bottom and more upstream. To know the lake is to know its watershed:
bulldozing of logging roads and clearcutting and
mining's riches and wreckage that together create the
Coeur d'Alene's toxic floods. During the 1996 flood event, over a million pounds of lead flowed into Coeur d'Alene Lake and, some, into the Spokane River. In the decade after Expo '74, major battles erupted here over logging and mining pollution.
We honor the Coeur d'Alene Tribe for their leadership in protecting Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Given the past, this tour is also future and solution focused:
- how do we protect Lake Coeur d'Alene and our lake-based economies?
- will state and federal agencies commit to keeping the forests standing to reduce toxic floods into the lake and Spokane River?
- what must we all do to help with cleaning up the mine wastes and protecting human and environmental health in the basin?
Links:
Level: Easy
Bring: Weather appropriate clothing, walking shoes, sack lunch, and water.
Carpool: We will carpool. Please let us know if you can help by driving your vehicle and transporting others.
Note: Carpool transportation is at the sole risk of the participants.
More info