Lake Coeur d'Alene

Lake Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho is 30 miles long with over 100 miles of shoreline. Home to bald eagles, Chinook salmon, northern pike, and other wildlife, Lake Coeur d’Alene is a popular tourist and fishing destination. The lower third of the lake is owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. After the Tribe’s Lake Management Department staff detected the invasive aquatic weed Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM), the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council voted in support of EWM control efforts.

In 2006, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe was awarded ISDA funds to survey and treat EWM in tribal waters. A 2007 pre-treatment diver survey mapped EWM presence in most of the 3,000 acre Lower Lakes area and over 25 miles of Coeur d’Alene Lake shorelines. Additionally, rake survey data was collected at 298 survey points.

Diver hand removal and bottom barrier placement are necessary in areas where herbicide treatment is not appropriate. Divers were able to remove 50-80% of the Eurasian watermilfoil from a 1.5 acre area. In other areas, twenty bottom barriers were installed. It was found that the barriers controlled 100% of the EWM directly beneath them, with additional plants surviving outside the barrier areas.

Post-treatment surveys are of key importance in estimating the effectiveness of herbicide treatments. These surveys also revealed the presence of upstream sources of Eurasian watermilfoil fragments which must be eliminated in order to meet the goal of Eurasian watermilfoil control and eventual eradication from the lake system.

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Photos of the Lake Coeur d'Alene Eurasian Watermilfoil Control Program

Aquatic Survey Rake
Eurasian Watermilfoil survey with aquatic rake 		Eurasian Watermilfoil in Harrison Slough
Milfoil in Harrison Slough		 Diver checking bottom barriers in Lake Coeur d'Alene
Diver checking bottom barriers near docks
Harrison Slough
Harrison Slough, Lake Coeur d'Alene 		Coeur d'Alene Tribe Survey Lake sBoat
Coeur d'Alene Tribe Survey Boat		 Round Lake
Round Lake, part of the Coeur d'Alene River System

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Aquatic Species Found in Lake Coeur d'Alene

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Invasive Species Watch List

Ponds, lakes and streams in this area may be at risk of invasion by the following aquatic or riparian weeds. If you think you have detected these or any other invasive weeds, contact the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Lake Managment Department at 208-686-1424.