The Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Washington State University will celebrate the tribe’s purchase of WSU’s Camp Roger Larson at Cottonwood Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene, northeast of Worley, Idaho, a 36.46-acre parcel with 700 feet of water frontage. A joint press conference and reception will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, at the Camp Larson mess hall.
The event will commemorate the return of one of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s aboriginal campsites along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. Last September, the Washington State University Board of Regents of Washington State University approved the sale of the camp to the tribe for $1.4 million, along with a $1 million pledge from the tribe over five years to support Native American education programs.
Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman Ernie Stensgar and WSU President V. Lane Rawlins will discuss the sale and the educational programs that will be funded as a result.
“The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is pleased with the recent purchase of Camp Larson and also with the commitment WSU has shown to the Tribe’s culture, heritage and education goals,” Stensgar.said.
“We are very pleased that we were able to offer this important historical site to the Coeur d’Alene tribe and know that they will preserve the site and benefit from its use,” Rawlins said. “We also believe that this will open doors for more communication and greater friendship between the tribe and WSU.”
In a demonstration of good faith and commitment, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and WSU have agreed to implement a series of cooperative educational programs.
The tribe and the university are working on an educational needs assessment to identify baseline educational needs of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and to develop specialized tutoring programs for the community. Youth sports programs, WSU scholarship opportunities, teacher recruitment and retention efforts, cultural sensitivity workshops and educational support programs for Native American parents who are advocating for the individual academic plans for their children are all part of the overall program.
“This agreement solidifies a true collaborative partnership between WSU and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe as a model for providing solutions to historical obstacles that have impeded the advancement of education in Indian communities,” Stensgar said.
The tribe plans to renovate Camp Roger Larson’s facilities so that one day it can be utilized for events such as youth camps, retreats and sobriety camps.
“Our plan is to utilize the facility in a variety of ways that include traditional and social activities as well as learning and healing — a source for the renewal of our spiritual strength,” Stensgar said.
To reach Camp Larson from U.S. 95 in Worley, go north on Cave Bay Road for about one-half mile, taking a right onto S. Cottonwood Road. Follow the Cottonwood Bay and Camp Larson signs along S. Cottonwood Road for about five miles to the intersection with Farup Road, taking a left at the intersection into the entrance to Camp Larson.