A veteran’s story and thoughts on protecting the Kootenai River

I am 36 years old. At this point in, what I like to think of as being, my young life, I have served my country and community in both the United States Marine Corps and as a Sheriff’s Deputy for the past 18 years. Public service, and all the emotional trauma and baggage that come with responding to society's darkest and ugliest scenes, have consumed my entire adult life. While I wouldn’t trade my experiences, many of which are rewarding beyond comprehension, for anything, my professional choices have left some deep and painful emotional scars. Thankfully, I have learned that those scars do not have to be permanent. I have been blessed enough to find true and lasting healing, and I have found freedom from my heavy burdens. Much of that peace has been found in the healing waters of the Pacific Northwest’s unsung hero, the Kootenai River. A river worth protecting, and a river worth keeping wild.

As I write this, I am looking out my window at a foot of snow in the dead of winter. However, if I close my eyes, I can feel the bright sun warming me through my skin all the way to my bones. I can smell the cool water as I drift through the rocky canyons crowned with tall pine and fir trees. Floating along, my emerald green highway widens and becomes more shallow. I lean over the edge of my raft and peer into clear water. Large numbers of big mountain whitefish hover above the flat gravely river bottom, waiting for a meal that I hope will consist of my maggot and corn covered hook. Continuing my journey, I look up in awe as I pass one of North Idaho’s more prominent peaks, Katka Mountain. I hear the rumble of an approaching train winding its way along the river’s edge in true western Americana fashion. After the train fades away, it’s back to peace. Only the sound of the river rolling and boiling over the rocks is left. Continuing west along the river’s watery road, I glimpse a mule deer doe feeding on some tall grass where the river bank eases down to a swirling eddy. She seems unconcerned by my presence. My rod bends as a heavy rainbow trout strikes a lure I was dragging through some riffles. Full of heart pounding excitement, I reel in the fish while an eagle screams to announce his presence as he soars on the thermals above my head. I land the fish, a keeper! With dinner in the raft and a soul filled with peace, I can think of only one word to describe the experience, freedom!

I have spent many warm summer days floating along the Kootenai River, experiencing the healing and freedom I described above. The river never fails. It is constant. Always there. Always willing to give life to those willing to seek it. Now, it is important that I tell you, I am not the only soul blessed by the Kootenai. I am not selfish with my discovery. As the Idaho liaison for the Armed Forces Initiative of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I have taken a number of my fellow military veterans and first responders down the mighty Kootenai to experience for themselves the freedom and healing only the river can provide. 

Just recently, I took a coworker of mine to float and fish the river. Like me, he is a Marine. He is also a K9 handler where I currently work. His dog had just been shot in the line of duty. While the brave K9 warrior survived, the emotional toll on my brother was heavy. I knew he needed a break from the grind of life at work in the city. We spent a beautiful summer day on the river. He caught some great fish, and with each fish he landed, his smile got bigger. I’ve known this man for a while, and to this day that was the most relaxed I have seen him. At the end of the day, as we drug the rafts out of the water, he expressed his gratitude. “This is what I needed, brother! I can keep going.” His is just one of many stories. I have taken groups of up to 12 veterans down the river. Each trip ends in similar fashion, a hand shake, a hug, a smile, and a healed hero. 

I share these stories with you to shed light on the critical role the Kootenai River has played in my life and the lives of others. This river, which has carved its way through the Rocky Mountain landscape of Canada, Montana, and Idaho, has served as a critical source of healing and recreation for generations. With abundant mountain whitefish and multiple species of trout to include bull, westslope cutthroat, and rainbow the Kootenai River also has a potential to be a fishery above the rest. I say potential because The Kootenai watershed has been plagued with pollution for many years. This amazing and wild river is in danger, and it is our responsibility to protect it.

Much of the pollution is the result of coal mining operations in British Columbia. The method used by miners to extract the coal results in selenium seeping into streams and rivers. High selenium concentrations in the river degrade water quality and clarity, poison fish and degrade their ability to reproduce, and pose a threat to human health. Talk to any old timer living along the Kootenai River, and they will tell you how dramatically the river has changed for the worse. Idaho Fish and Game has even had to implement strict size and bag limits for trout harvests, and they have made it illegal to fish for the prehistoric sturgeon. Imagine, if you would, a clean river where Canadians and Americans can safely harvest and consume fish from the river, and where parents can let their kids swim without concern. Protecting this river for future generations is essential to preserving a way of life for PNW residents. 

There is hope. Our Idaho, Montana and British Columbia BHA Chapters recently teamed up to make our voices heard through a letter to the International Joint Commission to push for wastewater treatment at the scale needed to curb this transboundary pollution. However, they have a long road ahead as governments have competing interests between the need for energy production and protecting wild places. While we shouldn’t have to sacrifice one for the other, it is critical to take action and make yourself heard. It is my duty, and yours, to stand up for our natural resources. This we must do for the sake of the fish, wildlife, and humans who will always, until the end of time, seek the life-giving waters of the Kootenai River.