Kootenai Environmental Alliance

The Kootenai Environmental Alliance (KEA) is the oldest nonprofit, membership supported conservation organization in Idaho founded in 1972.  Led by an all volunteer Board of Directors, we work to conserve, protect, and restore our environment for the health and wellbeing of future generations, with a specific emphasis on the Idaho panhandle and Coeur d'Alene basin. Our area boasts a thriving tourist economy due to its natural beauty, but also includes one of the largest Superfund clean-up sites in the United States due to historical mining practices.  These practices have resulted in widespread heavy metal contamination along much of our rivers and in the sediment of Coeur d’Alene Lake.   

KEA believes that an informed public is essential to safeguarding our environment and hosts a number of events annually to both educate the public and advocate for environmental causes.  We direct our advocacy and education within three pillars of focus including Terrain, Water and Climate.  Our work varies from public facing outreach to collaboration with similar organizations on environmental causes.

Our public facing outreach includes,

• North Idaho Green Summit is an annual immersive half-day workshop exploring our community’s environmental success, our challenges and offering attendees ways to get involved. This event includes 6 formal presentations from local environmental professionals and volunteer activists, as well as a variety of info booths hosted by local organizations.

• Earth Day Celebration along with the Coeur d’Alene Public Library engages the public with entertainment, kids activities and a variety of info booths hosted by local environmental organizations.

• 5th Grade Water Festival is an annual all-day educational event hosted by KEA and Trout Unlimited among other local groups. With help from a dozen high school Environmental Education student volunteers, 250 5th graders rotate through 4 educational stations learning about the Water Cycle, Animal Tracks, Native Fisheries, and the Flora and Fauna of Idaho forests. During the lunch break a local falconer introduced her rehabilitated birds of prey, sharing their unique characteristics and splendid beauty.   

• Green Screen Series and Eco Film Forum is a monthly event held from November through March in which we present an environmentally focused film at our local public library.  After the film, KEA leads a discussion on the film which includes guests who provide a local perspective on the film’s subject matter. 

In addition to these annual events, we also host trash pick ups during the year and are working with our local schools to increase awareness of stormwater impact on our local lakes.

Our Collaboration efforts include

• Coeur d’Alene Climate Adaptation Project (CCAP) is an in-depth research project with a report published on the KEA website and is focused on the impact that climate change is already having and will continue to have on our home town Coeur d’Alene, ID.  Report available at https://funnels.kealliance.org/ccap-project-report.

• North Idaho Small Waterways (NISW) is a coalition of representatives from 6 north Kootenai County small lakes including Fernan, Hayden, Hauser, Spirit, Twin Lakes, and Lake Cocallala, as well as the Spokane River.  The NISW prioritizes and addresses the shared issues that threaten the health of these small waterway gems. KEA facilitates NISW activities as part of the Steering Committee, and is an active participant in meetings and workshops.  

• Wildlands Alliance is a coalition of grassroots conservation groups including KEA whose mission is to build a vision for preserving the last best wild lands in the region.   With the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act as a guide, the Wildlands Alliance evaluates and maps areas of ecosystem significance to inform the vision for a regional, long term advocacy platform to manage our public lands for the benefit of generations to come.

In addition to these more formal activities, we also support more small-scale efforts to limit unchecked growth, maintain green space, protect our aquifer, and promote any activity that supports our mission to Conserve, Protect and Restore our environment.