By Susan Drumheller, North Idaho Associate-
The proposed Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail project just got a little smoother with the award of a National Park Service grant to the Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail.
The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail would connect Sandpoint’s City Beach with the north shore communities of Ponderay and Kootenai along Lake Pend Oreille’s shoreline, providing much needed access to the lakeshore and a greenbelt for bicyclists, dog walkers and other non-motorized users.
The agency’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Service Program will be assisting the Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail – led by the Idaho Conservation League – with planning and public involvement. The Park Service has assigned a community planner to the project for the coming year, with the possibility of extending the assistance for a second year.
The Friends have spent much of the past year generating community interest and momentum in the project, which helped land the National Park Service grant.
