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Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Idaho Complete Historic Water Rights Settlement

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the State of Idaho announced the completion of a historic water rights settlement agreement on March 5, 2026, resolving federal reserved water rights of the Tribe after adjudication began in 2008. Governor Brad Little, Attorney General Raul Labrador, and Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman Chief Allan signed the agreement in Boise, with 18 parties including Avista, multiple North Idaho cities, PotlatchDeltic entities, HECLa Limited, and water rights associations participating. The settlement aims to protect Coeur d'Alene Lake and provide water reliability for all North Idaho water users, avoiding continued litigation that had created uncertainty for cities, farms, and businesses across the basin.

FWS Awards $6.6M to 35 Tribes for Wildlife Conservation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding $6.6 million to 35 federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native tribes across 15 states for conservation projects under the Tribal Wildlife Grants program. Nine of the awarded proposals went to tribes that have never received Tribal Wildlife Grants funds before. Since 2003, the program has awarded more than $131 million supporting 732 conservation projects, with over 100 million acres of habitat influenced or managed by 575 federally recognized tribes. Projects include salmon monitoring, Apache trout recovery, Roosevelt elk habitat restoration, fisher population research, green crab removal, and lake whitefish reintroduction.