SANDPOINT, Idaho— In response to litigation from the Center for Biological Diversity and Idaho Conservation League, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday ordered the Idaho Club to stop construction on a commercial marina and lakeside housing development at the mouth of Trestle Creek on Lake Pend Oreille.

The creek accounts for more than half of the annual spawning sites in the Pend Oreille Basin for bull trout, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act.

“It’s a tremendous relief that the Army Corps made the right call by stopping work on this highly destructive development,” said Sarah Brown, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Northern Rockies program. “The developer completely ignored permit conditions meant to protect the imperiled bull trout, tearing up their critical habitat and causing serious damage. The Corps now needs to take a hard look at its approval for this project, which never should have been authorized to begin with.”

Last week, the Center and ICL, represented by attorneys from the Center and Advocates from the West, sued the Corps and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approving the development. The agencies’ approvals were contingent on the developer meeting certain conditions that have been violated, triggering an immediate need to reassess the project.

The Corps’ permit authorized marina construction only after completion of the planned reroute of Trestle Creek’s North Branch and only during specific seasons to protect bull trout. The permit also required the North Branch to be dry during construction. Despite those conditions, work began while the creek was flowing.

As the work continued, the Center and ICL urged the Corps to take immediate action to halt further harm to bull trout.

In a Dec. 22 letter the Army Corps told the Idaho Club that ongoing construction work violated its permit conditions. The Corps said construction cannot continue in the North Branch of Trestle Creek until the stream is dry and barred work in the marina area until restoration of the North Branch is complete.

The North Branch, which flows directly into the construction site, has run continuously this year because of increased precipitation. Dry conditions are not expected until August 2026.

“We’re glad to learn the Corps took action to stop the Idaho Club's very damaging work that is in violation of their permit conditions, and urge them to reevaluate the entire project,” said Jennifer Ekstrom, the Idaho Conservation League’s North Idaho director. “Unfortunately, significant harm has already occurred to this critical habitat. We will continue watching to ensure the stop work order is adhered to and will continue to seek repair and restoration of the damage done.”

Based on the developer’s permit violations, the Corps and Fish and Wildlife Service will now coordinate to evaluate the developer’s noncompliance and address resulting issues. While the agencies engage in that process, the Center and ICL’s lawsuit challenging the agencies’ approvals of the project will proceed.

“The federal agencies backtracked on their prior findings that the marina and houses were likely to harm bull trout in Trestle Creek,” said Bryan Hurlbutt, staff attorney at Advocates for the West. “The Fish and Wildlife Service’s own scientific findings reveal that residential development and urbanization are some of the biggest threats to bull trout.”

Bull trout have been protected since 1999, when they were listed as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. In 2010 the Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat for the trout, including Trestle Creek. Trestle Creek also provides important habitat for other animals including bald eagles, migratory birds, beavers and kokanee salmon.