more than just a little patch of green grass. In addition, the Lake Pend Oreille Management Plan discourages the use of pesticides and fertilizers within 20 feet of surface waters (www.tristatecouncil.org/ reports.html). If you are considering purchasing shoreline property and there is an existing vegetative buffer, the best thing to do is retain it, as long as the species present are not a problem. Invasive species have gotten an edge over natives partly due to people not knowing what will happen
when exotic species are released locally. For this reason, Bonner County now requires that shoreline landowners plant only “beneficial species,” for which there is a list available at the planning website, along with the Land Use Codes relating to buffers (www.co.bonner.id.us/planning/ index.html). For all new construction on Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend Oreille River, or the Clark Fork River, a 40 foot vegetative buffer must be maintained. For new construction on other rivers and streams in Bonner County, there is a 75 foot setback, of which the first 40 feet need to be a vegetative buffer. In Sanders County, there is no set ordinance in place, but the County Planner can recommend setbacks. Any streamside work must have approval of a 310 Permit, which can be obtained from the Green Mountain Conservation District. Avista Utilities owns the majority of the shoreline associated with Noxon Rapids and Cabinet Gorge dams on the lower Clark Fork River. Avista, along with the signatories of the Clark Fork Settlement
Agreement have developed and implement a Land Use Management Plan that provides guidance as to what activities can occur on Avista lands. “The focus is to maintain the native vegetation along the shoreline as much as possible, while still allowing for public use,” says Nate Hall, Terrestrial Program Leader for Avista. “This is done for a multitude of reasons including providing important fish and wildlife habitat, preventing erosion, preventing the runoff of lawn chemicals from reaching the reservoirs in surface
runoff, and also to maintain the rural and rustic character of the shorelines.” Another great local resource is the “Lake*A*Syst” program, a voluntary educational program aimed at assisting shoreline property owners in making well informed decisions for the management of their lakefront property. The new Lake*A*Syst Coordinator Molly McCahon is working hard to inform folks about how they can protect water quality. She sees the new Bonner County Land Use Codes as a step towards better buffers and a more informed populace. “I am developing a plant list, derived from the counties beneficial plant list, which will list the native plants available at our local nurseries,” says McCahon. “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for landowners to purchase native plants, as well as encourage nurseries to carry a diverse selection.” McCahon recently took over the Lake*A*Syst program and is anxious to get started working with landowners this Continued on page 34
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May 2009| The River Journal - A News Magazine Worth Wading Through | www.RiverJournal.com | Vol. 18 No. 5| Page 13