Lake Roosevelt News

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It is a unique crossroads where many species of plants and animals coexist unlike anywhere else.” 

Sound familiar? The National Park Service (NPS) isn’t describing Lake Roosevelt; it’s describing the Niobrara (pronounced Ni-o-brear-ah) River. In 1991, Congress designated 76 miles of this 568 mile river stretching across Wyoming and Nebraska as a National Scenic River.  Flowing through the Great Plains, the Niobrara is a marvel of culture, history and environment.

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Thank you to the 40 plus people who joined the Forum for our 2023 Upper Columbia Bus Tour!

Enjoy these slides from past houseboat tours.

  • Slide 1

    Four houseboats took 48 elected officials, opinion leaders, natural resource managers, stakeholders and concerned citizens on a day long house boat tour from Keller Ferry to Seven Bays Marina.

  • Slide 2

    Presentations on the RI/FS, fisheries, lake operations, shoreline management and other topics were given at stops. Here, Mitch Combs (WDFW), Brent Nichols (Spokane Tribe of Indians) and Holly McClellan (Colville Confederated Tribes) present on sport and native fisheries.

  • Slide 3

    Andy Dunau, the Forum’s Executive Director, introduces Mark Jensen (Grand Coulee Power Manager) to talk about Grand Coulee Dam and lake operations. Matt Wilkening with EPA is in background preparing to talk about the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS).

  • Slide 4

    Lyle Parker with Dakota Columbia provided the boats, captains and expert information on the up to 1.5 million people who visit Lake Roosevelt each year. Visit dakotacolumbia.com to learn more about rentals and great things to do.

  • Slide 5

    Wildlife viewing always makes a trip on Lake Roosevelt special. Said one participant, “Watching an eagle chasing an osprey with a fish was definitely the highlight.”

  • Slide 6

    More wildlife common to the area.

  • Slide 7

    Participants listening to a presentation at one of the stops.

  • Slide 8

    Stevens County Commissioner Steve Parker enjoys the day. Said one of the county commissioners, “As a new commissioner with over 100 miles of border with the Columbia I truly needed this view and information of the river and its’ projects and concerns."

  • Slide 9

    Geology and rock formations continuously change. Compare this with backgrounds of other slides from the show. You see dense stands of Ponderosa pine and high desert shrubs. They combine for a unique experience and ever changing views along the lake.

  • Slide 10

    Fran Marcus (Mayor of Marcus) and Dennis Jenson (Marcus Councilman) enjoy the day.

  • Slide 11

    Many thanks to the people who contributed to making this an enjoyable and very valuable day to learn about Lake Roosevelt and interact with the people who help preserve and protect it for all.

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It’s been over seventy years since Grand Coulee Dam forever altered native fish migrations. With the completion of the new Barnaby Creek Culvert, the Colville Tribe, with funding from the Bonneville Power Administration, have taken another step towards returning kokanee and rainbow trout to their historic spawning grounds.