The air is crisp and fresh on this brilliant afternoon. I step out of my car just as the rain has ceased and the clouds begin to break. Sunlight spills onto Cougar Bay Preserve, illuminating all 88 acres of this pristine treasure nestled on the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene.
As I walk toward the trailhead, I take in the fields of cattails and sedges flanking the meager parking area. Two paths lay ahead: the trail to the left borders the expansive wetland and, the trail straight ahead ascends into a dense forest of larch and Douglas fir. My unfamiliarity with wetlands makes the trail to the left too alluring to ignore.
It is likely many residents have driven by Cougar Bay Preserve without a second thought as to why it is there or how it impacts the lake and our community. The land and adjacent wetland was once owned by Crown Pacific Timber Company to the west and Mr. John C. Pointner to the east. In the late 90’s, the Nature Conservancy purchased a portion of the Preserve from Crown Pacific with the intention to prevent development.
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A few years later, the Bureau of Land Management, in conjunction with Kootenai County, was looking to purchase land for public access, given that much of the lake’s shoreline is privately owned. Much to their surprise, Pointner, who has been described as the original conservationist, offered his property to the BLM, but with stringent stipulations. He required the BLM to name the area the Mr. John C. Pointner Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary and was adamant that, upon his death, he be buried on the property. To this day, he is still a part of this sanctuary.
Cougar Bay is home to numerous waterfowl, including a few rare migratory birds such as common loons, long-tailed ducks and even American white pelicans. Today, I have the fortune to encounter a few white swans.
I stand admiring their gorgeous arched necks as they float in and out of the willows when I hear ice cracking. I walk just beyond the bend to see if I can get a glimpse at what is making this ruckus. There, in the water just at the edge of the last remaining ice is a furry brown creature. At about 5 pounds it is too small to be a beaver. Upon closer investigation, I realize it is a muskrat.
I have encountered more wildlife on my short walk than I have seen in my two decades on the lake. It is at this point that I realize I am in one of Lake Coeur d’Alene’s true treasures.
By Meegan Corcoran
As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2016