Managing Idaho's Landscapes for Ecosystem Services: Coeur d'Alene

Managing Idaho's Landscapes for Ecosystem Services seeks to:
1. advance understanding of changes in ecosystem services at the interface between urban and rural environments, 2. relate those changes to societal and climate drivers, and 3. provide science-based tools and training to inform policy decisions about the sustainable management of these ecosystem services.

Coeur d'Alene Study Site: The socio-economic wellbeing of the CDA area is dependent on maintenance of high-value, lake-based recreation ecosystem services. However, urban and exurban growth are increasing the vulnerability of recreational activities to algal blooms, cyanobacteria outbreaks, and mobilization of metals. What is the sensitivity of the CDA SES to changes in lake trophic status?
In the Coeur d’Alene (CDA) system, as in many other lake systems located near urban centers, society is not directly dependent on the lake system for food provision, direct water supply, or other lake resources. Rather, the community is indirectly connected to the lake as a source of recreational/aesthetic enjoyment and added economic value to property.
Eutrophication—the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients (e.g., phosphorous, nitrogen)—is the most common impairment of lake ecosystems. Eutrophication reduces water clarity, promotes large algae masses, and increases density and distribution of native and invasive aquatic plants.
Researchers are investigating the causes and extent of nutrient loading in lakes surrounding CDA (Fernan Lake, Lake Coeur d’Alene). They seek to develop an integrated model of the social and ecological relationships and their sensitivity to changes within the system.
In the larger CDA area, researchers are also using models to determine if water quality and clarity have an effect on waterfront property values.