Coeur d' Alene Reservation Localities Idaho United States

The Coeur d' Alene Reservation covers 345,000 acres in North Idaho, spanning the rich Palouse farm country and the western edge of the northern Rocky Mountains. "The Rez," as the locals call it, includes the Coeur d' Alene and St. Joe Rivers, and Lake Coeur d' Alene itself, considered to be one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the world. The Coeur d' Alene River, meanwhile, would be equally beautiful. However, it still suffers desperately from heavy metal pollution. One hundred years of silver, lead and zinc mining in Idaho's Silver Valley resulted in the dumping of mine waste and tailings into the upper river and its tributaries. The 72 million tons of mine waste dumped into the basin also represent a deadly threat to Lake Coeur d' Alene. The Coeur d' Alene Tribe and the United States Government have each filed suit against the mining industry in an effort to restore the river and its watershed.

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