Lake Roosevelt Updates
- Details
- Published: Friday, 08 May 2020 21:43
National Park Service
Modified Operations Due to COVID-19: Visit www.nps.gov/laro for updates on available facilities and operations. As of this writing, boat launches are open. However, all campgrounds, restrooms, water services, trash collection, the visitor center and education programs are unavailable.
Boater Self-Certification Required: Beginning May 1, 2020, boater Self-Certification will be mandatory for all boaters to defend against aquatic invasive species (AIS), particularly Quagga and Zebra mussels. More information can be obtained by visiting the park website at www.nps.gov/laro or at all Lake Roosevelt boat launches.
In 2018, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area implemented a voluntary boater Self-Certification program to heighten awareness of this national problem and help boaters take part in keeping the waters of
Lake Roosevelt clean from these unwanted hitchhikers. Remember, the health and protection of Lake Roosevelt is the responsibility of all who recreate there.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species hit a new peak in 2019. WDFW inspected more than 32,000 watercrafts, a 31% increase from 2018. About one third of inspected watercrafts came from known infested waters in other states. WDFW detected 18 vessels carrying invasive mussels and 1,200 vessels that failed to meet the clean – drain – dry requirements.
The state also ramped up its efforts to prepare for a possible invasive mussel infestation with a first-of-its-kind mock exercise involving state, federal and tribal governments. Located on Lake Roosevelt in the Kettle Falls area, the exercise included deploying and testing a containment system, boat inspections, public notifications, a decontamination station, shoreline surveys by trained mussel-sniffing dogs, and in-water monitoring by skilled divers and scientists.
Spokane Tribe of Indians receive compensation for lands flooded by Grand Coulee Dam
After decades of effort, Congress passed legislation that the President signed on December 20th, 2019 to compensate the Spokane Tribe for ancestral lands flooded by the building of Grand Coulee Dam.
The tribe will receive $6 million a year for 10 years, and $8 million a year after that. Funds will come from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which markets wholesale electrical power from Grand Coulee Dam and 30 other federal hydroelectric projects in the Northwest.
Said Carol Evans, chairwoman of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, “Financial compensation is a semblance of justice, but we never will be as we were in the past. This will not bring back the salmon lost or lands flooded, however it will help the Spokane People move forward and heal.”
The legislation is similar to the compensation system established for the Colville Confederated Tribes in 1994. The Colville Tribes received a lump-sum payment of $53 million and receive $15.2 million in annual payments from BPA.
WA Department of Health Receives ATSDR Grant
The Washington Department of Health received a cooperative agreement grant from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) entitled APPLETREE (ATSDR’s Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure).
Said Dr. Jennifer Sabel with WDOH, “With this cooperative agreement, we will be able to enhance our efforts to conduct site assessments for potential human health threats and address community health concerns more fully within Washington State. Over the next six months we will be working on hiring needed staff to complement current program staff and initiate the work plan we submitted with our grant application.”
“For our communities, additional resources such as this are nothing but positive,” said Forum Executive Director Andy Dunau. “We were pleased to write a letter of support during the grant process.”