Rebuilding home

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Contractors began work Nov. 13 on Phase 2 of the Pack River Delta wildlife restoration project, which includes the addition of eight islands and 10 borrow areas. The work encompasses the central and southern portions of the delta — north of the BNSF railroad line — which are part of the Pend Oreille Wildlife Management Area, co-managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The construction and operation of the Albeni Falls Dam altered the hydrology of Lake Pend Oreille, which resulted in the loss of wetland habitats in the Pack River delta,” Pete Rust, mitigation staff biologist for IDFG, told the Reader.

According to Rust, officials in 1988 estimated that the dam, which was completed in 1955, flooded approximately 6,600 acres of wetlands and marshes. Shallow waters are crucial for waterfowl, who require such habitat to forage for food.

“You can still see the old cedar stumps on the Clark Fork and Pack River deltas when the lake is lowered to winter levels,” said Rust.

An aerial map showing the areas of impact in the Pack River Delta. Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

IDFG completed phase 1 of the Pack River project in 2009, and Phase 2 will build on that work by repairing and creating new islands using on-site sand and silt, and lining the banks with rock to prevent erosion.

“The ‘holes’ or ‘borrow areas’ where the island-making material comes from will be several feet deep, hold water longer throughout the fall and gain water earlier in the spring, which should provide resting areas for waterfowl and other migrating species,” said Rust. 

IDFG will also line the habitat with more than 80,000 native plants, including willows and dogwoods.

“We are most hopeful that bull trout will benefit from the restoration work — as they are considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act — and their recovery depends on cold and clean water, as well as complex shoreline habitat,” said Jennifer Ekstrom, the North Idaho lakes conservation associate with the Idaho Conservation League. “We also hope that other native fish like westslope cutthroat trout will benefit from this restoration.”

Based on observations from a similar project completed in April 2022 on the Clark Fork Delta, Rust believes that waterfowl will be the first to benefit from the restoration.

IDFG has begun early discussions of a third phase of the restoration, which would potentially affect the area south of the railroad line. Officials estimate that Phase 2 will be completed in early spring 2024.

“Wetland areas are extremely valuable because they provide high-quality habitat for waterfowl, waterbirds and numerous other species of wildlife, as well as help to stabilize streambanks, improve water quality and contribute to the diversity and abundance of palustrine habitats [wetlands with vegetation that grows out of the water],” said Rust.

Because the delta is a popular spot among locals for hunting, trapping and other recreational activities, IDFG will also add a new access site off of Highway 200. This, according to the ICL, will include a small parking lot and gravel boat ramp.

“Ideally, the parking lot would be constrained to the area already encompassed by the existing pullout along the highway, and the boat ramp would be exclusively for non-motorized watercraft,” said Ekstrom. “This solution would ensure that increased motorboat traffic does not scare the fish, increase the risk of introducing or spreading invasive species or disturb sediment in the shallow areas.”

IDFG will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. at the Sandpoint High School to discuss the restoration project and address any questions or concerns that residents may have.

For more information, visit: idfg.idaho.gov.