Restoration Partnership
The Restoration Partnership is a collaborative effort to restore natural resources in the Coeur d’Alene basin that were injured due to historic releases of contaminated mine waste. Natural resource restoration, simply put, refers to the process of returning our natural resources—such as fish, wildlife, plants, wetlands, birds (particularly waterfowl), surface waters, and soils/sediments—to a healthy condition. Restoration can occur in numerous ways.
The Restoration Partnership was formed by the Coeur d’Alene Basin Natural Resource Trustees, which are the US Department of Interior (represented by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management), Coeur d’Alene Tribe, US Department of Agriculture (represented by the US Forest Service), and state of Idaho (represented by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality).
The Restoration Partnership developed a draft restoration plan for the Coeur d’Alene basin that identifies priorities and strategies to guide future projects. A draft environmental impact statement (EIS) was also prepared to analyze several alternatives and their possible effects. The goal is to engage the public in the effort to return natural resources harmed by past releases of mine-waste contamination to a healthy condition.
To view the draft Restoration Plan and EIS, provide comments, and get more information, please visit the interagency Restoration Partnership website.