543 Gaming. The tribe's Kootenai River Inn and Casino is a 30,000-square-foot resort, with a class II and class III gaming facility. The casino features over 400 slot machines, a 250seat bingo hall, a restaurant, and a hotel. There are several small retail and service establishments at the Kootenai River Inn and Casino resort. The Best Western Motel franchise has 65 hotel rooms and houses the Springs Restaurant, a 24hour deli, a video arcade, and a recreation facility featuring an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, an exercise room, a sauna, and a Jacuzzi. The facility is currently under renovation and will include a spa facility including four massage rooms, a flow- through tub, facials, manicures, pedicures, and a hair salon. The Kootenai River Inn and Casino is situated on the scenic Kootenai River in Bonners Ferry and does a thriving, though largely seasonal, business. The Kootenai River Inn and Casino employs approximately 160 people. Revenue from the casino has funded the development of the tribal medical center, scholarships for tribal members, various tribal programs, and generous donations to the local schools in the district. Fisheries. The tribal hatchery is co-managing a project with the Idaho Fish and Gaming Department designed to repopulate the Kootenai River with sturgeon, a fish of spiritual significance to the tribe. The project employs about six tribal members and six non-Indians. Other divisions of the tribe's fish and wildlife program include: improving the Kootenai River ecosystem, the wildlife mitigation project, wetland conservation, andTrout Creek biological assessment. Construction. A number of tribal members find employment through the construction industry. The tribal government has successfully created construction jobs for its members through development projects like the Kootenai River Inn. Tourism and Recreation. The Bonners Ferry region is extremely popular with outdoors enthusiasts year round, featuring excellent hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, skiing, snowmobiling, mountain climbing, and more. INFRASTRUCTURE The primary road access to the reservation is provided by Highway 95 (running north-south) and Highway 2 (running east-west). Electricity. The Northern Lights Power Company provides electricity to the area. Water Supply. The Bonners Ferry municipal system supplies water. The reservation's lagoon and individual septic tanks provide wastewater service. Transportation. The nearest commercial air service may be found at the Coeur D'Alene municipal airport, 90 miles away, and at the Spokane International Airport, about 120 miles distant. Additionally, there is a small private airport in Bonners Ferry. Commercial truck, bus, and rail freight lines serve Bonners Ferry, while Amtrak passenger rail service is available 30 miles south of the reservation. The Kootenai Tribe provides a 24-hour transportation service for elderly tribal members. Telecommunications. AT&T provides local telephone service. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES The tribe maintains a community center at its tribal headquarters, three miles west of Bonners Ferry. Education. The Kootenai Tribal School serves about 36 students in grades K-12. The school has a staff of three teachers, a counselor, a teacher's aide, a language teacher, a general assistant, a cultural teacher, and an administrator. Tribal elders often volunteer to lead classes in the Kootenai language. Students may also attend the local public school system. Health Care. The tribe owns and operates the Kootenai Tribal Clinic, located at tribal headquarters. The facility has a physician, a nurse practitioner, a community health representative, and a mental health counselor as well as two contract administrative health employees. These positions are direct tribal hires. A public health nurse also provides services once a month. Community health services include a well child program, diabetes, woman's health, and an immunization program as well as mental health counseling. The clinic also provides transportation and billing assistance. For health care services not provided by the clinic, tribal members are referred to outside providers in the surrounding area whose services are covered by contract health. The clinic includes two exam rooms, a laboratory, four business offices, a medical records room, and a reception lobby area covering approximately 720 square feet. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS The tribe maintains an environmental program that monitors air and water quality on tribal lands. The program has a staff of six. The program also assists in improving water quality for the Kootenai River, located within the tribe's ancestral lands. The tribe's environmental department also includes an environmental health program. The Panhandle Lakes Resource Conservation and Development Area projects include fuel for schools, community forestry assistance, noxious weed control efforts, a seedling and seed bank program, and a forestry assistance directory. 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 1234567890 Total area 1,974.77 acres Kootenai
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