We can still save Trestle Creek and uphold Idaho’s Lake Protection Act

By Jennifer Ekstrom
Reader Contributor

In a remarkable show of unity and determination last year, our community rallied against a proposed expansive marina at the mouth of Trestle Creek on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. Despite ongoing complications, we can still stop it from happening.

Last summer’s saga involved three affiliates of the The Idaho Club submitting an application to the Idaho Department of Lands for a community dock. The application is part of the private club’s strategy toward their broader plan to build a 105-slip private marina covering 15,550 square feet, alongside a luxury residential development — all at Trestle Creek. More than 1,300 comments from the public flooded in and hundreds showed up at a public hearing, reflecting our community’s deep-seated disapproval of the project.

Paddlers explore the serene water near the mouth of Trestle Creek and spot two bald eagles resting in the trees. Courtesy photo.

IDL has a legal obligation to protect public trust values such as water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, aquatic life, recreation and aesthetics. In order to carry out their plans, The Idaho Club wants to dredge nearly 14,000 cubic yards of dirt and lakebed, including the removal of an island, and discharge more than 10,000 cubic yards of this material into wetlands and waterways in order to straighten and harden the shoreline. This would dramatically diminish the quality of nature at the site and the public trust values. The development would cause significant impacts to water quality, spawning habitat for bull trout and kokanee, beavers that live there, and nesting and roosting habitat for eagles and other birds. This proposed large private marina is designed for exclusive use by The Idaho Club’s members and is not in the best interest of our greater community.

Despite the overwhelming objections and legal complexities surrounding the project, IDL Director Dustin T. Miller approved the lakebed encroachment permit for the marina on Oct. 27, 2023. However, before that permit was issued to the applicants, a land transfer of one of the three parcels threw a wrench into The Idaho Club’s plans. 

The change in ownership has rendered the application and its approval invalid. 

According to Idaho’s Lake Protection Act, community docks require participation from three adjacent shoreline owners. The Idaho Club no longer meets the criteria at this location. Moreover, the transferred parcel’s shoreline was factored into the dock’s proposed size calculation, further complicating the issue. The two remaining shoreline owners who are affiliated with The Idaho Club could qualify for a “two family dock,” with a maximum of 1,100 square feet, in comparison to the 15,550-square-foot marina they are seeking to build for their members. 

The Idaho Conservation League alerted IDL to the non-compliance in early December, prior to the permit being issued, but acknowledgement and action from IDL and Gov. Brad Little’s office has been lacking. This delay jeopardizes the integrity of Idaho’s environmental laws and undermines the community’s efforts to protect Trestle Creek.

Now, more than ever, we must voice our concerns and demand accountability from our state leaders. If we wish to see Trestle Creek and other special places preserved for future generations, we must ensure that Idaho laws are upheld. No one is above the law — especially when it comes to our clean air, clean water and special places. It is imperative that Little and Miller recognize the invalidity of the permit application and take immediate action to declare the application invalid.

As residents of this wonderful lakefront community, we have a responsibility to protect our natural assets and hold our elected officials and regulatory agencies accountable. We urge each and every one of you to reach out to Little and Miller, expressing your concerns about the non-compliance of The Idaho Club’s permit application. Together, we can ensure that Trestle Creek remains a symbol of our commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible development.

Use this link to easily send an email to Little and Miller: idahocl.org/trestlecreek. 

Then call the governor’s office directly at 208-334-2100. Ask him to declare The Idaho Club’s community dock application for Trestle Creek invalid. 

The time for action is now. Let’s stand together and safeguard the future of Trestle Creek and all it provides and represents. 

Jennifer Ekstrom is North Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League.