Lake Roosevelt Forum
Annual Report

MISSION & BACKGROUND

The Lake Roosevelt Forum's mission is to establish a dialog based on trust and respect of all views that seek common ways to protect and preserve the quality of the environment and enhance the quality of life as they relate to the lake and economies of the region.



The backdrop for Forum activities is the unique and distinct needs of Lake Roosevelt, which resulted from creating a reservoir to support operational capacity at Grand Coulee Dam. Two Indian tribes, federal agencies, state agencies and four counties have specific interests in the management of the lake. Individually and collectively, they seek to meet a diverse set of environmental, economic and cultural needs.

2006 saw the Forum continue to successfully engage in a set of public outreach activities intended to further strengthen collaboration and cooperation among the many stakeholders with interests in and around Lake Roosevelt.


2006 ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS

Print Materials

The Lake Roosevelt Forum Newsletter is directly mailed to over 2500 individuals. This year's stories highlighted lake operation forecasts, water quality, the Forum Conference, fishery activities, updates to EPA's RI/FS, Student Discovery Week, the Columbia River Water Management Program, and other information regarding recreational opportunities, community development and the environment. The "Getting To Know" section continued to introduce readers to individuals involved with Lake Roosevelt. Copies of newsletters can be viewed at www.lrf.org/Newsletters.html.

The fourth annual Enjoy Lake Roosevelt user's guide was created. This guide helps visitors learn about the varied recreational resources and regulations for enjoying Lake Roosevelt. The Forum updated the guide and printed 10,000 copies for distribution. The user's guide can be viewed online at www.lrf.org/Rec/Rec-EnjoyLR.html BACK TO TOP

Public Meetings and Conference Activities

In April the Forum's 2006 Conference, entitled "Moving Forward," was held. The conference set record attendance, with over 250 participating. Over 75 presentations occurred over a three day period, resulting in timely information on a range of environmental, economic and community issues being shared.

In September, the Forum hosted a public meeting in Colville. The meeting focused on EPA updating the public on results from their sediment sampling and fish tissue studies. Additionally, Teck Cominco discussed and introduced the project management team they assembled to coordinate continuation of the Lake Roosevelt RI/FS.

The Forum also hosted an educational house boat tour for over 60 stakeholders in September. Five houseboats toured an area from Kettle Falls to Evans campground. At various locations, the boats stopped and presentations were provided on fishery, water quality and other critical issues.

In November, the Forum hosted a stakeholder meeting to update counties, agencies and others regarding the Columbia River Water Management Program. This program is considering drawing Lake Roosevelt down in the summer to meet downstream fishery and other water resource needs. It is also considering development of a large storage project in the area. BACK TO TOP

Student Discovery Week

The Forum hosted and coordinated the Eighth Annual Lake Roosevelt Student Discovery Week. Held in May, students and teachers visited 6 unique discovery zones around Lake Roosevelt. Each site had specific activities and resource specialists that focused on unique aspects of the Lake s ecology, economy and/or culture.

This year, 596 students, and 64 teachers and parents from 10 schools participated. They visited one of six zones that agencies developed with the Forum. Sponsors of zones included the Bonneville Power Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Confederated Tribes of The Colville Reservation, the National Park Service, the Volunteer Net Pen Project, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Lincoln and Stevens County Noxious Weed Boards. BACK TO TOP

Web Site Development

The Lake Roosevelt Forum web site hosts comprehensive information regarding historical, recreational, environmental, operational, cultural, educational and other information of value to the general public, resource specialists and others. Much of the web site contains information developed specifically by the Forum. This is in response to information concerning Lake Roosevelt often being highly fragmented and difficult to access. The web site can be viewed at www.lrf.org.

Results from the year's web traffic activity are very encouraging. Over 146,000 page views were requested, an increase of fifteen percent from the previous year. Monthly, 2,300 to 3,300 individuals visit the web site. As expected, peak traffic continues to be highest during summer months when recreation activities peak. The attached bar graph shows page views and unique users visiting the web site each month.

Web site information was updated throughout the year, including planning for new features and pages to be developed in 2007. BACK TO TOP