FORC preps for BOCC

PINEHURST — While much has been made recently surrounding the unrest of those existing along the North Fork region of the Coeur d’Alene River, a newly formed group is hoping to succeed where others have failed.

The Friends of the River Coalition or FORC, held their first formal meeting last week at West Shoshone Park which was essentially their first and only meeting before they go before the Shoshone Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) this afternoon.

Despite hearing several opinions from people both old and new to the situation, they landed on the idea of implementing a recreation district.

Much like the recent creation of Shoshone County’s new Ambulance District, a recreation district requires a petition to be filed with the county clerk, outlining the boundaries of the district, the name of the proposed district, and the maximum tax rate that would be imposed.

According to Idaho code, the proposed district would then be put to election and need a simple majority to be passed.

The group is opposed to the idea of adding a taxing district however, and are hoping that they might just be able to utilize the model of a recreation district and then seek alternative funding opportunities instead of adding another tax to Shoshone County residents.

According to FORC founder Dawn Wiksten, the proposed district would require multi-agency cooperation for both oversight and enforcement inside the district, which has long been a sticking point concerning the BOCC and the North Fork region.

One thing is for sure however, Wiksten and her fellow concerned citizens are in this for the long haul and realize that the process may not be a simple one, but also believe that people are fed up enough that this course of action will be supported despite other ideas and initiatives in the past failing.

“We’re gonna stay on them,” Wiksten said. “And we’re going to go forward with this into the future.”

FORC was created earlier this summer as a response to perceived misuse and summer overpopulation surrounding the Coeur d’Alene River primarily in the North Fork region, as well as various agencies regulations of the area.

“Our mission is to protect the beautiful and fragile Coeur d’Alene River Corridor,” Wiksten said. “In order to preserve the unique natural values of the river and bring awareness to the importance of preserving those values. Keeping the North and South Forks of the Coeur d’Alene River wild and beautiful is the core of our focus.”

FORC is meeting with the BOCC today at the Shoshone County Courthouse.