The Ridge Creek Fire - Resourses and Links
Links to Stay Informed
August 30, 2023
All evacuations have been lifted for the Ridge Creek Fire including Bunco and Hayden Lake areas.
Honeysuckle boat launch - All lake users should be on the lookout for approaching aircraft. If emergency firefighting aircraft is in the area, boaters should clear the center of the lake and move toward the shoreline.
Additional Resourses
There is publicly available information on the fire that includes IR maps and shapefiles/kmls (all you need is google earth to open kml files- free download) of the fire perimeter, as well as incident action plans (IAPs). The maps are better than what is posted on FB or other sites. You can see how managers are sizing up the fire and what they expect to do on a given day.
What We Are Doing - - Current News and Projects
The Kootenai County Sheriffs Marine Patrol will be Understaffed in 2023
An article in the June 1, 2023 Coeur d'Alene Press describes an understaffed KCSO Marine Patrol that be on Kootenai County waterways during the 2023 boating season. Read the full story by staff writer Bill Buley here.
HLWA needs your help recording excessive wake incidents again this year. We can confirm that your reporting helps. KCSO does view the reports and map on our site and takes note of your reporting.
This year we are asking for your reports of property damage, personal injury and near misses. Click the button below to make a report and learn more...
Site Disturbance and Building Code Compliance
Site disturbance and building code compliance plays a vital role in safeguarding the environment, ensuring safety, promoting sustainability, and fostering a thriving community that attracts investment and maintains property values.
Common site disturbance violations include inadequate sediment and erosion controls, unpermitted land clearing, improper stormwater management, uncontrolled drainage, and unauthorized grading or excavation activities. These violations can lead to environmental degradation, sediment runoff into water bodies, increased flood risks, and damage to neighboring properties.
The Avista Project to Bury Vulnerable South Shore Power Lines is underway
HLWA began a dialogue with Avista in 2020 about the south shore power outages during the increasingly regular inland northwest wind storms. Avista has funded a project set to begin this year bury a half mile of overhead power lines.
The Hayden Lake Watershed Association Reports
Twice each year we like to bring you up to date on the issues and initiatives the Association has undertaken.

The 2023 Biannual Report
The 2023 Winter/Spring Edition of the HLWA Biannual Report is available.
The 2022 Biannual Report
The 2022 Winter/Spring Edition of the HLWA Biannual Report is available.
The 2021 Biannual Report
The 2021 Winter/Spring Edition of the HLWA Biannual Report is available.
STAY CURRENT ON ALL THINGS IN THE HAYDEN LAKE WATERSHED
Our bi-monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on HLWA meetings and initiatives. We partner with other community groups around the watershed to have a voice in the decisions our regulatory agencies are contemplating and will publish the agency meeting times and locations.