Information
for all of
Shopper Country
Snow
On Monday,
May 13, the snowline, above which snow covered the ground, in many places
on the westside was about 3,500 feet, and on the eastside about 4,200 ft.. In the peculiar deep-snow Lone Pine area down
south of Mt. St. Helens at 3,500 feet there were still one to five feet. At
4,500 ft. such as White Pass, Potato Hill and Bumping Ridge there were one to
four feet of snow, except in the snowier Cayuse Pass area there were still
eight feet. Up higher around the Cascade crest above 5,000 ft. the snow depths
were six to twelve feet, except far over on the eastside at high places like
Lost Horse and Green Lake there were only zero to two feet.
In the past week snow pack in the high country melted down by one
to two feet.
Snow
Depths Monday, May 13
Place Elev. Ft.
Packwood 1,000 0
Hwy 12-123 Jct. 1,600 0
Hwy12
Palisades 2,500 0
Hwy 12 Dip 3,100 0
Spencer
Meadow 3,400 1
Lone Pine 3,800 5
Crystal
Lodge 4,400 4
Potato
Hill 4,500 3
White Pass 4,500 2
Cayuse
Pass 4,700 8
Morse Lake 5,400 6
Paradise
Lodge 5,500 11-12
Pigtail
Peak 5,900 7
Corral
Pass CG 6,000 6
Crystal
Top 6,300 7
Sunrise 6,400 6
Green Lk 6,000 2
Lost Horse 5,000 0
Bumping Rdg 4,600 1
Rocky Point 3,800 0
Rimrock Lk 3,000 0
Rimrock Retrt 2,300 0
Oak Ck Game 1,700 0
Naches 1,500 0
Through the past week the temperature
range at White Pass at 4,500 feet elevation was 40° to 75°, and Paradise at
5,500 ft. on Mt. Rainier was 40° to 72°; at Camp Muir at 10,000 ft. on the
mountain was 21° to 48°.
White Pass Ski Area
Update Mon., May 13:
At 5:00 p.m. on Mon., May 13, White Pass Ski Area at the lodge
had 24 inches of snow and temperature 39°, and at the top had 84 inches and 33°.
Spring
Season Pass Sale through May 31st. Adult-$419 Junior-$219. Full
details at skiwhitepass.com
Highway Conditions
At 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 13:
White Pass Highway US 12 is open, with the roadway bare and wet and raining, temperature
at 39°, with no tire restrictions, with two feet of snow alongside the highway.
Afternoon temperatures have been running 44° to 75°.
Cayuse Pass Highway WA123 is OPEN!
Snow is being removed on Chinook Pass
Highway WA410 and Stevens Canyon Road in Mt. Rainier Park. Opening dates
for all will be before Memorial Day!
Chinook Pass Update-- Updated: May 8
It's too soon to tell when crews will reopen Chinook
this year, but the goal is by Memorial Day weekend.
Please
do not attempt to pass the gate on foot or bike as avalanche
conditions are extremely high right now.
Skate
Creek Road #52 between Packwood and Ashford is still CLOSED, with crews working
on a slide and repairing culverts, possibly will open about May 16.
Dial
511 for current highway and pass information.
The Sky
Sun and Moon Rise/ Set:
Wed. 5/15 Sun 5:35am/ 8:37pm
Moon 27% Waxing 5:42pm
Wed. 5/22 Sun 5:28am/ 8:45pm
Moon 92% waxing 11:17pm
This press day May 15 is 145 days after
the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. Our day is six
hours and 28 minutes longer than it was on Dec. 21.
On this press day May 15 we are 37 days before the longest day of
the year, the Summer Solstice, the technical beginning of summer, on June 21. Our
day then will be 48 minutes longer than it is now.
We are 67 days in Packwood and 73 days in Yakima before the average
hottest day of the year. The hottest daily average temperature in Packwood is
85°, occurring on July 21. The hottest daily average temperature in Yakima is
89° on July 28.
We are also 138 to 140 days after the average coldest day of the
year. The lowest daily average temperature in Packwood is 35° and occurred on
Dec. 26; in Yakima it is 27° and occurred on Dec. 28.
Remember that the daily average temperature is the average of the
daily high and the nightly low temperatures.
Science
Exciting Website
Links Mount St.
Helens Science to
Classrooms around
the World
An interactive, multi-media website is being unveiled by the
Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount St. Helens Institute in commemoration
of the upcoming 33rd anniversary of the May 18, 1980 eruption (http://www.mshslc.org). The website combines
photographs and scientist interviews to chronicle the story of 30 years of
change and discovery in North America’s most celebrated natural laboratory and
classroom.
“It’s great to have
an opportunity to extend the educational impact of our award-winning exhibits
and share this special place with students, teachers and volcano enthusiasts,”
said Bob Varner, Acting Monument Manager. “Online learning is an important part
of the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center’s effort to share the
wonders of nature through science, the arts and adventure recreation,” Varner
added.
The goal of the website is to deliver the amazing story of
nature’s destruction and renewal by combining scientist stories and photographs
with supporting FAQs, Useful Links and educational materials. The website is
the result of a collaborative effort between volcano scientists and educators
and creative partners in the IT Industry (Second Story Interactive Studios and
Gravitate).
“If you can’t make it
to the volcano to experience the power of nature first-hand, our mshslc.org website is the next best
thing,” said Peter Frenzen, Monument Scientist. “It’s
exciting to share the excitement of science discovery and the amazing story of
Mount St. Helens with so many people,” Frenzen added.
Federal Agencies
Are Promoting
GO-Day,
Get Outdoors Day
All Day, Saturday, June 8
Get OutDoors Day is a blending of 3
events into one great day: Get Outdoors Day, NW National Park Family Day, and
the Fort Vancouver Brigade Encampment, an 1840’s fur trade encampment
re-enactment. There will be 50-60 booths with hands-on recreation activities
such as climbing, fishing, dutch oven cooking, camping, hiking, orienteering, Frisbee golf, and archery. Since
Get Outdoors Day is a nationwide fee-free day, the Fort will be open and free
to the public all day.
The National Park Service at historic Fort Vancouver in
Vancouver, WA will be helping kids scale the climbing wall, playing the hoop
and stick game, use a fishing pole, go geocaching, pitch a tent, digging for
fossils and archaeology, and meeting Smokey Bear.
Participants will be invited to nearby follow-up activities
called EchO events occurring throughout the summer,
which include introductions to mountain biking and fly-fishing, hikes with
rangers to see wildlife, kayaking and rafting and much more.
These activities are
especially valuable to single-parent families.
Gifford Pinchot
National Forest
Receives $69,600
to Connect Youth
to Nature
Vancouver, WA – A
recent grant awarded by the Chief of the US Forest Service to Mount St. Helens
will help provide more opportunities to get kids in the woods.
This competitive grant provides $69,600 for Mount St. Helens,
part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, to work with partners to expand
and add innovative forest-based education and wellness programs. These programs
will include multi-day educational adventures, field-based research and career
development opportunities.
“The Gifford Pinchot National Forest community is passionate
about getting kids outside where they can be active and stay fit,” said Gifford
Pinchot Deputy Forest Supervisor, Garth Smelser. “We
are all excited about how this award will support our continued efforts to
teach youth why nature matters and how it provides.”
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest will implement Children’s
Forest projects in the coming months working closely with partners such as the
Mount St. Helens Institute, Vancouver Summer Adventures and local schools.
Obama Government
takes aim at
3D-printed guns
President
Barack Obama’s State Department, until recently run by Hillary Clinton and now
by John Kerry, says posting instructions for the gun online may be illegal.
The online blueprints for a fully functional 3D-printed
high-strength plastic gun- reported in the Shopper last week- have disappeared faster than a speeding bullet.
On Wednesday, the State Department ordered the company that
posted the schematics, Defense Distributed, to remove them from the web. (Watch
a Defense Distributed video explaining the gun above.)
The drawings had already been downloaded over 100,000 times
before they were removed on order of the federal government.
The cockamamie explanation
of why posting the blueprints was illegal went as follows.
According to the State Department, publicly posting the instructions
may have violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which
governs the "transfer of, and access to" certain weapons and their
technical details. By posting the files to the web where anyone in the world
could download them, the company may have inadvertently violated those export
restrictions.
"Please note that disclosing (including oral or visual
disclosure) or transferring technical data to a foreign person, whether in the
United States or abroad, is considered an export," the State Department stated in a letter.
"A terrorist, someone who's mentally ill, a spousal abuser,
a felon or any other American can essentially open a gun factory in their garage,"
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last week.
Editor’s note: Senator
Schumer should know that any American always could open a gun factory in our
garage.
Lower Cowlitz
Fishing
Anglers should note: The south side of the river from Mill Creek to the Barrier Dam is closed
to all fishing from May 1 through June 15 per permanent regulations.
Don Glaser, Barrier Dam Campground, Salkum,
reported last week: “The Cowlitz
seems to be at a different level every day. One day the fishing can be spotty
and slow and the next day can be fantastic. On those days everybody hooks fish,
lands fish, all nice, brand new bright fish. Some of the springers still have sea lice on them so they are really traveling.
“Fishing has been slower
for the boaters. When the water is so high it is hard to back bounce, to find
soft spots where the fishing is decent. When the fish are traveling like that
it’s hard to get in front of them. The guys that know the bottom of the river
and where the fish are moving have all caught fish. This one guide has been
working every day. He gets from one or two fish all the way up to six fish a
day. He does put in long hours but the fish are nice fish. He works the top six
miles from here to Blue Creek.
“The plunkers on the lower Cowlitz, from the mouth of the
Cowlitz to Olequa, which is about six miles below the
freeway, has been fantastic. Those plunkers are getting
fish every day. Spring Chinook, the late winter runs, summer run steelhead are
showing up. Some of the holes down at Camelot, Castle Rock, down by the fairgrounds,
Preacher Bar hole above Castle Rock, have yielded between 12 to 20 fish a day
per hole. All they are doing is plunking shrimp & eggs, the old Cowlitz
River Cocktail, is the way to go for those guys. When the water is this high
you want to fish close to the banks because that’s where the fish are traveling.
“The Toutle has been
clear, not super clear, but not dirty like it used to be and that’s why the
guys on the lower Cowlitz are doing so well.
“We used to see the bulk
of the fish in May. Now it’s even all the way through May and in June, the last
five or six years anyway, is when we see the bulk of the run. So the bulk of
our run is still to come.
“We are seeing a lot of
fish in the high teens or mid twenties. We’ve even seen two or three in the thirties.
And that is some big fish. And they are beautiful fish. Whatever they were
eating out in the ocean has been fantastic.
“There is a lot of
fishing left on the springers. You have the rest of
May, all of June and two weeks in July. That’s the way
it’s been for the last five, six, ten years.
“Swofford has been
putting out some nice fish. Riffe, and the arm that goes out of Swofford in to
Riffe, has been good for small mouth bass the last week and a half. The water
in the channel has warmed up a couple of degrees so they are doing well up
there.
“You have to put your
time in when fishing for coho in Riffe. When the fish
move around then you can get into them. But as the water comes up you have to
work for them. The higher the lake the more the fish are spread out. The guys
that are out there in boats working for them are all getting their fish.
“Not a lot of people are fishing Mayfield,
but some of the guys that are fishing it are picking up limits. There have been
a few complaints that the fish aren’t the nicest fish, but every once in a
while they will hook a nice coho.
“There have been some
nice limits on rainbows at South County Park in Toledo. That’s
all stocked by the Mossyrock Trout Hatchery. A lot of the fish go from a
pound and a half all the way up to three pounds apiece. And they are beautiful
rainbows.
“There is a lot of
fishing in the area so take a day and go fishing!”
Tacoma Power reported for the
week ended May 13:
“Last week Tacoma Power recovered
245 spring Chinook adults, 24 jacks, 84 winter-run steelhead and 15 summer-run
steelhead during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
During the past week Tacoma Power employees released 38 Chinook
adults, ten jacks and four winter-run steelhead into the Cispus River above the
mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek, and they released 61 spring Chinook adults, three
jacks and three winter-run steelhead into Lake Scanewa above Cowlitz Falls Dam.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 5,240 cubic feet
per second on Monday, May 13. Water visibility is 11 feet. River flows could
change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this
possibility.
“On Monday, May 13, Riffe Lake was at 752
ft. elev., 26 feet below full level, nine
feet higher than the week before.
“Now the Mossyrock Park, Kosmos and Taidnapam
North launches are usable. The launch at Taidnapam Park is not
usable due to low water.”
Mt. St. Helens
Mt. St. Helens Day
is coming on May 18 – the 33rd Anniversary
of the eruption.
Windy Ridge Viewpoint south of Randle has its
access road #99 blocked by snow. The
road usually opens in spring about May 18 Mt. St. Helens Day.
Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helen's Crowning Jewel, accessed
by Highway 504 from I-5 is open until fall. Located at the end of State Highway 504, a drive of 52 miles east from
Castle Rock, in the heart of the blast zone, the observatory hosts interpretive
displays that tell the biological, geological, and human story of Mount St.
Helens. Visitors to JRO can enjoy multiple award-winning films, listen to
ranger talks, observe the landscape, purchase
souvenirs, set off on a hike, or get a light lunch from the food cart.
Stay tuned for information on the summer 2013 Music on the Mountain
series, three evening concerts to be held throughout summer at the JRO outdoor
amphitheater.
Coldwater Ridge Science and Learning Center has a new
multi-use life, acting as a base-camp for researchers and school groups,
hosting community events, college trips and programs. For info on events or to
reserve the building call 360-449-7831. It also will be open this coming
Saturday, May 11; see above.
Both Johnston Ridge Observatory and Coldwater Center are reached
via Washington Highway 504 which extends east from
Castle Rock on Highway I-5.
Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake near
Highway I-5 is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Climbing
permits for Mount St. Helens are on sale.
Even though a large number of permits is sold, demand is so great
that, last year, for example, most of them were sold in a very few days. So if
you intend to climb, order your permits now!
Climbing permits are required above 4,800-foot elevation on the
volcano year-round. From April 1 to Oct. 31, a fee of $22 is charged for each
permit. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. PST on Feb. 1, permits may be purchased online
through the Mount St. Helens Institute’s website at www.mshinstitute.org.
Between May 15 and Oct. 31 there is a limit of 100 permits per
day to help manage impact on the mountain’s natural regeneration. These permits
help balance the protection of natural resources and visitor safety with the
thrill of climbing one of the most active volcanos on
the world.
Details about climbing Mount St. Helens are available online at . http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mountsthelens/home
Information about guided climbs and field seminars offered by the
Mount St. Helens Institute is at: http://mshinstitute.org/index.php/programs/index
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad Weekend Rides
Begin May 24
Being drawn through the verdant timbered forest behind the thunderous
slow chug of a smoke-billowing steam locomotive, a rider on the Mount Rainier
Scenic Railroad feels suspended in time. The plaintive wail of a vintage locomotive
whistle sends a lonesome echo rolling against the hillsides as travelers relax
to a pace of a bygone era.
From its station at Elbe, through Oct. 28, trains depart on Saturdays
and Sundays at 10:00 am, 12:45 and 3:30 pm. The beautiful two-hour trip runs
from Elbe to Mineral and back. Tickets range from $16 to $21 depending on age,
with children under four free. Tickets are available at the Elbe station on
train days and online at www.mrsr.com.
Northwest Trek
Zipline Is Open
Northwest Trek is a 723-acre wildlife park located on Highway 161
six miles north of Eatonville. Its primary features are its 38 species of
Western Washington wildlife, with a motorized tram tour which takes visitors
through a 435-acre free-range area with elk, deer, bison and others, and paved
walking paths through fenced enclosures containing bear, wolves, beaver, wolverines
and many others. All is ADA-Accessible.
Entrance fees are $8 to $17.
Hours now are:
March 18-June 30
Mon-Fri:
9:30am-4pm
Sat & Sun:
9:30am-5pm
Info: www.nwtrek.org
State Discover Pass
required to park in
State Parking Lots
The Washington State Discover Pass is entirely a Washington State
program. The Discover Pass does not apply to anything on National Forests. U.S. Forest Service employees can’t answer
most questions about it.
A single, state recreation Discover land pass now can be used on
either of two motor vehicles.
Questions about the Discover Pass may be answered by calling the
Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in Yakima 509-575-2740, or by
calling the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources in Ellensburg 509-925-8510.
Westside-
Packwood, Randle
& Morton
Dog Mountain Fire
Dog Mountain Fire south of Glenoma is apparently
fully contained and most firefighting crews have gone home.
“waDNR_fire”
tweeted last Thursday, May 9: “#DogMtn 80% Contained, 160 acres, cooler temps
helping with firefighting efforts.”
Lava Thin Timber Sale
Open For Bids
Lava Thin Timber Sale is advertised for bids. Proposals are due by 10:00 am on May
28th. For more information visit the
ranger station at Randle or call them at 360-497-1100.
Fishing and Hunting Westside
General Lakes, Ponds and
Reservoirs Fishing Season is open year-round. However many of the most popular large "traditional"
lakes close in winter but OPEN from
April 27 through Oct. 31.
General Fishing Season
in Rivers, Streams and Beaver Ponds are CLOSED from Oct. 31 until the first
Saturday in June!
However many waters have
different seasons specified than the above, so…
READ YOUR PAMPHLET!
See also reports on the Lower Cowlitz above.
Alder Lake is open
year-round. Boat launch at Alder Park is open year-round. Limit is five fish.
Leech and Dog Lakes at
White Pass- open for fishing year-round.
Carlisle Lake near
Onalaska –Open year-round. Small former mill pond,
a favorite for kids. Stocked heavily for April 27. The repair and new paving of Carlisle Lake Boat Ramp and Parking Lot
are completed and beautiful!
Silver Lake near
Castle Rock- (3,000 acres) Open year-round with min. size 9 inches, limit 10. Silver
Lake is the best largemouth bass fishing in Washington.
Swofford Pond (240
acres) Open year-round.
Long Lake- Open
year-round.
Mayfield Lake (2,200
acres) is open year-round. Mayfield offers good fishing for yellow perch,
rainbows, catfish, german browns, a few largemouth
and smallmouth bass, bluegill and crappie. Tiger Muskies pretty much quit
biting through winter’s low water temperatures.
Mineral Lake- Fishing is
open!
Riffe Lake (11,830
acres) behind Mossyrock Dam is open year round.
On Monday, May 13, Riffe Lake was at 752 ft. elev., 26 feet below
full level, nine feet higher than
the week before.
Now the Mossyrock Park, Kosmos and
Taidnapam North launches are usable. The launch at Taidnapam Park is not usable due to low water.
Lake Scanewa behind
Cowlitz Falls Dam (610 acres) is OPEN
for salmon fishing year-round as of May 1, reported by WDFW Biologist Joe
Hymer. Through the week ended May 13, Tacoma Power employees released 61
spring Chinook adults, three jacks and three winter-run steelhead into Lake
Scanewa.
Tilton River- from its
mouth to the West Fork is open for salmon from the first Sat. in June through
Dec. 31, and open for other fish including steelhead from the first Sat. in
June through Mar. 31 the following year. Above the West Fork it's closed from Nov.
1 until the first Sat. in June. The
Tilton is closed to all fishing now until June 1.
Cispus River –
Fishing seasons are too complex to report here for the lower stretch of the
Cispus River from its mouth at posted markers at the Lewis County PUD kayak
launch on Lake Scanewa upstream to the North Fork. Read your pamphlet. Above
the North Fork fishing season is CLOSED from Nov. 1 until the first Sat. in
June.
The North Fork of the Cispus has no open season for salmon; it is
CLOSED year-round, reserved for salmon breeding only.
Upper Cowlitz River from the posted PUD sign at Lake Scanewa on Peters Road, upstream to the confluence
of the Ohanapecosh River and the Muddy Fork five miles above Packwood, fishing
seasons are too complicated to print here- read your regulations!
Above the confluence of the Muddy Fork and Clear Fork five miles
upstream from Packwood, fishing season is open from the first Sat. in June
through Oct. 31. When it’s open, the limit is two trout with minimum size 8
inches, except release cutthroat.
On the lower Cowlitz below Mayfield Lake, fishing seasons for
salmon, trout and other species are open in various months, but are too complex
to report here; read your regulations.
Skate Creek- It’s official
that Tacoma Power and the WDFW will NOT be stocking Skate Creek with catchable
trout in the future. This is in
order to comply with new State regulations prohibiting stocking catchable trout
species in anadromous waters. Skate Creek qualifies as “anadromous waters” because of the ongoing salmon/steelhead
reintroduction program for the upper Cowlitz River. Skate Creek was a natural
salmon- and steelhead-bearing stream until the Mayfield and Mossyrock Dams were
constructed, halting the natural runs of salmon to the upper Cowlitz River and
its tributaries. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife- WDFW- has been
trying for decades to restore these runs using adult salmon and steelhead
caught at the Barrier Dam in the Lower Cowlitz and trucked up to the upper
river. Natural runs have not been established, according to WDFW, partly because
the salmon and steelhead fingerlings are eaten by the planted
trout.
Forest
Roads Westside
All forest roads above about 3,500 feet now have a foot or
more of snow and are impassable to
vehicles unless they are plowed.
Roads formerly gated and
closed to vehicles, open only to winter recreation, are now open to all vehicles,
but many still have impassable snow.
Call 360-497-1100 for information on Cowlitz Valley Ranger Distict forest roads.
A new free 2013 MVUM book
has replaced last year’s eleven maps. The book shows what roads can be
driven, what roads can be camped alongside, what trails are useable for
motorized, etc. It is complicated! We all should get study the new book.
#1260 Packwood Lake Rd. is driveable to the trailhead parking lot.
#21- #23- #56 to Orr Ck Sno*Park and #25 to #2517 junction
near Wakepish Sno*Park are reported open, in good
shape, probably bare and dry.
#21 Johnson Ck. 5/13
Packwood End: Snowfree for 3 mi. beyond the Johnson Crk. Bridge but several
miles below Hugo Lake, reported by Donna Breidenstein of Packwood. Thank You, Donna!
Randle End: 5/9 Open to #56 junction
and 2.5 miles beyond to a half mile beyond Cat Creek
and Chimney and dispersed camping.
#23 Randle-Trout Lake 5/2 Open to Dark Meadows Trailhead. Babyshoe Pass at elev. 4,350 ft. is impassable with about three feet of snow.
#2329 High Lakes- 1/7- Rd. #2329 at elevs. 4,000 to 4,500 ft. is impassable with three
feet of snow.
#25 Iron Ck./ Elk Pass- 5/2 A vehicle has driven to #99 jct. Beyond there to Elk Pass at elev.
4,000 ft. it is impassable due to snow..
#26 Quartz Ck- 1/7- is
gated closed, also blocked with over three feet of snow.
#29 McCoy Ck- 4/8 Cecelia Briggs of Randle reports to us
that there is a washout about 12.5 miles up #29. Thank You Cecelia!
#4510 Summit Creek- 4/18 A vehicle has made it to Summit Creek
Campground, blocked by snow beyond there.
#47 Willame Crk.- 5/2 Open to near the Rd.
#84 junction, far enough for salal picking.
#52
Skate Creek Forest Highway- 5/2 Open snowfree to Rd.
#47 junction. From Forest Service
on 5/7/2013: “First I apologize
for how long it’s taking to get the 52 road open. With getting snowed out for a couple days
and helping get the campgrounds open on time, we are making progress. We finished digging out and back filling
two slumps at mp15.6 last week. We
still have about 8 miles of drainage and trees to remove. Then patch the potholes. We
are looking to be done by the end of the day on May 16th.”
#56 Orr Creek- 5/2 open
two miles beyond the Sno*Park.
#5603
Spring Crk.- 5/2 Open for 1.5 mi.
#76 Greenhorn- 1/10 The slide blocking one lane is now cleared, both lanes are
open.
#84
Silver Pass- 1/7- Impassable due to snow.
#99
Windy Ridge/Wakepish- 5/2- Rd. #99
at elevs. 2,800 to 4,300 ft. is open to vehicles but impassable due to snow, might
be open to Windy Ridge before Memorial Day.
Campgrounds Westside
All concessionaire camp-grounds are closed.
Quite a few people are
enjoying camping in the snow, many more than in past years.
Some campgrounds are not gated and may be used. Walk-in use of
gated campgrounds is allowed. Campers must leave nothing, pack all their garbage home.
Tentative campground
opening dates are:
May 17: Iron Creek,
Tower Rock, Beaver.
May 23: Adams Fork,
Big Creek, Blue Lake Creek, La Wis Wis, North Fork, Atkisson Group, Moss Creek, Oklahoma, Panther Creek,
Paradise Creek, Peterson Prairie.
June 28: Horseshoe
Lake, Keenes Horse Camp, Killen Creek, Olallie Lake, Takhlakh Lake, Walupt Lake, Walupt Horse
Camp.
For information about next summer, and to make reservations visit
recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777. The hoodoo.com reservation site is not yet
100% operational for this year, but the recreation.gov site is operational and
where appropriate may lead you to hoodoo.com.
Trails Westside
Higher trails have snow but many low trails may now be open. Trails above about 3,500 feet have snow.
Much trail information is
available at WTA.org
•
#2000 Pacific Crest Trail is entirely snow-covered with up to 11 feet of snow.
Some lower elevation trails that will melt
earlier or have
less snow in winter are:
•
Woods Creek Watchable Wildlife Area Trails off of Road #25 south of Randle offer
high-density populations of wildlife, varied forest types including mature stands
up to 400 years old. NWFP is required.
• North Fork Loop.
• Covel Creek/ Cispus.
•
#275 Kraus Ridge offers a trip through old growth.
• #290 Layser Cave Trail, 1/4 mile, to the prehistoric
native shelter.
• Blue Lake ORV Trail-
4/11- is now open.
Permits
Many people continue to
cut firewood and salal for landscaping and arrangements.
Bear Grass and mushroom permits are being purchased.
In general, a permit is required to remove anything from the
National Forest. Permits are being
sold at the Ranger Station for firewood, posts and rails for fencing, commercial
salal, ferns and beargrass. Free use permits are available for landscape rocks.
A complete table of permits for Forest Products only is
at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/
giffordpinchot/passes-permits/
forestproducts?cid=
stelprdb5167185
Firewood
New 2013 Firewood Permits
for cutting on the westside in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest are
available at the ranger station and cost a minimum of $20.00 for four cords. The
new permits are Foam Green. Sites above about 3,500 feet elevation are probably
not accessible due to snow two feet or more deep.
The May firewood list is
out and available.
Current firewood location lists are available monthly. Check the
list to make sure wood is legal for firewood. Only firewood painted yellow is
legal for cutting, unless it’s in a designated, posted cutting area and noted
in the current monthly firewood list. You
MUST have the firewood LIST in your possession when cutting firewood. You may
be cited if you don’t have the list with you.
Books
The non-profit Discover Your Northwest or DYNW sells outdoor
books and other items at ranger stations to help us learn about the forest and
to raise funds for interpretive projects and programs that very limited Forest
Service budgets cannot fund.
Butterflies of the Pacific
Northwest, 192 pgs., by William Neill, $18.00.
Eruptions of Mt. St. Helens,
Past, Present & Future, 93
pgs., by Robert I. Tilling, Lyn Topinka and Donald A. Swanson, $6.95.
Ticks and What You Can Do About
Them, 72 pgs., by Roger Drummond, Ph. D.,$7.95.
Wayside Wildflowers of the Pacific
Northwest, 272 pgs., by Dee Strickler, $19.95.
All prices are plus tax.
Randle Cowlitz Valley
Ranger Station Info
The ranger station is now
able to accept payments by credit card.
Ranger Station will be
CLOSED on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.
Open 8:00-12:00 and 1:00- 4:30 Mon.-Fri.
Address: P.O. Box 670, 10024 Hwy. 12, Randle WA
98377.
Teletype for hearing/speech impaired 497-7566. Regular phone
(360) 497-1100. Report fires (360) 494-0603.
Web: www.fs.fed.us/gpnf.
Local Packwood and National Forest information is also available
at Destination Packwood office at 103 Main Str. E., caddy corner from the
library park on Highway 12 in Packwood, phone 360-494-2223.
Mt. Rainier
National Park
Conditions in the Park
The information folks at Mt. Rainier National Park report that SPRING IS COMING:
•
Westside
Road is now open to Dry Creek.
•
Cayuse
Pass is open
•
Chinook
Pass clearing has begun, is hoped to be open by Memorial Day.
•
Stevens
Canyon Road clearing started, expected to be open May 24.
•
Paradise
Inn prepares for May 22 opening.
•
Gate
between Longmire and Paradise is now open 24hrs daily.
•
Skate
Creek Road clearing is in progress.
•
Jackson
Visitor Center is open daily.
•
Most
other facilities are planned to be open May 24.
Yet, there is still time to enjoy spring snowshoeing and cross
country skiing in the sunshine. As of May 13, there are still 11 feet of
snow at Paradise.
Paradise at 5,500 ft. elevation
has 11 to 12 feet of snow as of Monday, May 13. Afternoon temperatures at
Paradise through the past week have been 48° to 72°.
Sunrise Park at 6,400 ft. elev. on the northeast side of Mt.
Rainier has six feet of snow as of May 13.
The historic Paradise Inn OPENS
May 22.
For guest information visit: . http://www.mtrainierguestservices.com/
The National Park Inn at
Longmire is open daily for meals and lodging year-round. The dining room
closes promptly at 8:00 pm. To reach the front desk at Longmire Inn call
360-569-2411. The Longmire Museum is open 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. daily.
Call 360-569-2275 for lodging reservations at Longmire.
The Henry M. Jackson Memorial
Visitor Center is open daily.
Opening up soon, probably
by May 24, are: Cougar Rock, Ohanapecosh and White River Campgrounds, Ohanapecosh
Visitor Center, White River Wilderness Information Center and the road to Sunrise.
Westside Road is open to Dry Creek.
Paradise has three webcams at http://www.skimountaineer.com/MtnWebCams/Rainier-MtnWebCams.html?size=med
Park Roads
The
National Park Highway from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise is open 24/7 unless closed by weather conditions.
At 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 13:
White Pass Highway US 12 is open, with the roadway bare and wet, raining, temperature
at 39°, with no tire restrictions, with two feet of snow alongside the highway.
Afternoon temperatures have been running 44° to 75°.
Cayuse Pass Highway WA123 is OPEN!
Snow is being removed on Chinook Pass
Highway WA410 and Stevens Canyon Road in Mt. Rainier Park. Opening dates
for all will be before Memorial Day!
Chinook Pass Update-- Updated: May 8
It's
too soon to tell when crews will reopen Chinook this year, but the goal is by
Memorial Day weekend.
Please
do not attempt to pass the gate on foot or bike as avalanche
conditions are extremely high right now.
Skate
Creek Road #52 between Packwood and Ashford is still CLOSED, with crews
working on a slide and repairing culverts, possibly will open about May 16.
Dial
511 for current highway and pass information.
Park Information
Everything you could ever want to know about Mt. Rainier National
Park is available at . www.nps.gov/mora or by calling 360-569-2211.
Eastside-
Naches Area
Clear Lake is open for fishing year-round.
Leech Lake at White
Pass is open for fishing year-round. It was all thawed on May 10.
Dog Lake at White Pass- open for fishing year-round and soon. It is
all thawed on May 10.
Rimrock Lake (2,530
acres) is open for fishing year-round. On Monday, May 13, it was ice-free and coming
up- 95% full at 2,922 feet elevation, four feet below full, five feet higher
than last week, with discharge at 922 CFS and inflow 2097 CFS.
Passes & Highways
At 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 13:
White Pass Highway US 12 is open, with the roadway bare and wet and raining, temperature
at 39°, with no tire restrictions, with two feet of snow alongside the highway.
Afternoon temperatures have been running 44° to 75°.
Cayuse Pass Highway WA123 is OPEN!
Snow is being removed on Chinook Pass
Highway WA410 and Stevens Canyon Road in Mt. Rainier Park. Opening dates
for all will be before Memorial Day!
Chinook Pass Update-- Updated: May 8
It's
too soon to tell when crews will reopen Chinook this year, but the goal is by
Memorial Day weekend.
Please
do not attempt to pass the gate on foot or bike as avalanche
conditions are extremely high right now.
Skate
Creek Road #52 between Packwood and Ashford is still CLOSED, with crews
working on a slide and repairing culverts, possibly will open about May 16.
Dial
511 for current highway and pass information.
Eastside Naches
Forest Roads:
Expect roads above 3,500 ft. elevation to have snow, and up to
five feet of snow at 4,500 ft. elevation.
Gather up and have in your vehicle the Ten Essentials before you go driving in the forest! Leave a note saying where you’re going and
when you’ll return where it can be easily found in case your friends need to
reach you.
#1500
Rattlesnake- 5/2 Snowfree for 12.5 miles.
#1500
Bethel Ridge- 5/2 Snowfree for 5.3 miles.
#1503- 5/2 Snowfree for 2.2 miles.
#1504- 5/2 Snowfree for 6.3 miles.
#1701 Bald Mountain- 1/18 Watch for logging operations near the road.
#1705-
5/2 Snowfree for 8 miles.
#1709-
5/2 Snowfree for 5 miles.
#1900 Little Naches- 5/2 Snowfree for 6.4 miles.
#1901-
5/2 Snowfree for 2.8 miles.
Be cautious; roads in spring can be muddy or slippery.
Campgrounds
Campgrounds planned to
open by May 10 are: Cottonwood, Cedar Springs, Sawmill Flat, Little Naches,
Windy Point, Willows, Indian Creek and American Forks. Most others are hoped to
open by Memorial Day.
Garbage, water and privy services are planned to be operating
when the campgrounds open.
Two Group Sites with buildings, the large American Ridge Lodge
and American River Guard Station, are available for rent via the contacts
below.
Reservations are made
for next year at Recreation.gov, and from there go to hoodoo. There have been problems as tent sites aren’t showing up. Reserve your campground
sites now!
Boy Scouts will be holding
their spring camporee at the Nile over Memorial Day weekend May 26, 27, 28.
Medieval Re-enactments
will be going on around Naches May 20- 27.
Trails
Motorized trails are CLOSED until June 15. Crews are beginning to log out these trails.
Hikers and horse riders
are enjoying trails until they reach snow.
Volunteers are needed to
open and clean motorized trails. Volunteers donated 1,700 hours to trail
maintenance last year. Call or visit the ranger station below for information
and to volunteer.
Trails above about 3,500 feet have snow as of May 6. Higher
trails have up to 12 feet of snow.
Complete campground, road and trail conditions may be found at: .
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ okawen/alerts-notices/?cid= stelprdb5308313
Boulder Cave and its trail are CLOSED for the winter.
TWIG- the Trails and Wilderness Interest Group meets on announced Tuesdays at 7:00
p.m. at the Ranger Station; please come to the back door.
Permits-
Forest Products
Permits are required for gathering forest products including mushrooms,
firewood, transplants, rocks and minerals, posts and poles, floral cuttings,
cones, and boughs. Free use permits are available for small quantities of
certain items for personal use.
Glass Timber Sale bid
packets are available at the Naches Ranger
District. Bid opening will be Thur. morning May 16, 2013, at the Forest
Supervisor’s office, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee WA98801, phone 509-664-9200.
Mushrooms- Reports are
mushrooms aren’t being found yet in the Naches District area.
Picking of less than three gallons of mushrooms per day does not
require a permit.
Naches District office
will issue commercial mushroom permits; however picking for commercial
purposes- more than three gallons per day- is allowed only in the Cle Elum area up north.
Picking beyond three gallons a day requires a commercial mushroom
permit. Permits cost $20 for four days, $50 for 30 days, or $100 for the entire
spring season through July 31, 2013.
Camps are being set up for
commercial mushroom pickers and pickers will be required to use these camps if
they stay overnight in the forest. Where needed garbage dumpsters and
portable toilets will be set up. Garbage, campfires
and sanitation will be closely monitored.
The Forest Service
anticipates large numbers of mushroom pickers in the areas burned by fires
last summer.
The Northwest Forest Pass or NWFP is sold at the ranger
station and at Rimrock Grocery, Slim’s Market at
Naches, and BiMart Store at Yakima.
The Washington State Discover Pass is required at Washington
State Wildlife parking areas and at some other Washington State areas on land
owned by Washington State. It is entirely a Washington State program.
The Washington State Discover Pass is not useable at any U.S.
Forest Service sites or anywhere on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service
or the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. U.S. Forest Service employees can’t answer
questions about it. Questions about the Discover Pass may be answered by
calling the Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in Yakima 509-575-2740,
or by calling the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources in Ellensburg
509-925-8510.
Eastside Firewood
Cutting OPEN!
Permits went on sale on
Wednesday, May 1.
NO WOOD PERMITS OR PASSES,
ETC. ARE SOLD AFTER 4:00 P.M.! NO EXCEPTIONS! Employees must close and turn
in their tills at 4:00 p.m.
The office is open until 4:30 p.m. but only for answering questions.
Eastside
Prescribed Burning Season is beginning. Such burning reduces light flash
fuels, low branches and shrubs which would cause a much more serious fire if
they burned in hot dry summer weather. The burning is in cooperation with
Yakima Clean Air Authority, and it is not done when weather conditions would
cause serious smoke in residential areas.
Books
The non-profit Discover Your Northwest or DYNW sells outdoor
books and other items at ranger stations to help us learn about the forest and
to raise funds for interpretive projects and programs that very limited Forest
Service budgets cannot fund.
Birds of Washington, Field Guide, 305 pgs., by
Stan Tekiela, $13.95.
Discovering Washington’s Historic
Mines, Volume 3, 315 pgs., Northwest Underground Explorations, OSO Publishing, Soft
Cover, $39.95.
Edible and Medicinal Plants
of the West, 239 pgs., by Gregory L. Tilford, $21.00.
Field Guide to the Cascades
and Olympics, 302 pgs., by Rob Sandelin and Stephen R.
Whitney, $21.95.
All prices are plus tax.
Naches Ranger
District
Information
National forest maps are on sale at the Naches Ranger Station, Whistlin' Jack Lodge, Rimrock Grocery and Woodshed Store.
Naches Ranger Station web site is www.fs.usda.gov/okawen,
To contact the district: postal mail to: Irene Davidson, District
Ranger, 10237 Highway 12, Naches, WA 98937; Phone: Voice or TTY (509) 653-1401;
Fax: (509) 653-2638.
Ranger Station will be
CLOSED on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.
Open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon- Fri.
The office foyer is open 24 hours a day where handouts and forest
information are available to the public during non-office hours. Web:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/
For other area
information: . www.nachesvalleychamber.com
Elsewhere
in
Washington
Information
from Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia WA
98501-1091, phone 360-902-2256. Read your
regulations! Report
violations and dangerous wildlife at 877 933-9847. Reports below are by
or excerpted from WDFW reports.
Washington’s salmon fishing
seasons set for 2013
State and tribal co-managers yesterday agreed on a package of
salmon fisheries that meets conservation goals for wild salmon populations and
provides fishing opportunities on healthy stocks.
Washington’s 2013 salmon fishing seasons, developed by the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribal
co-managers, were finalized yesterday during the Pacific Fishery Management
Council’s (PFMC) meeting in Portland. The regulations cover salmon fisheries in
Puget Sound, Washington’s ocean and coastal areas and the Columbia River.
For details visit: .
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/apr1113a
Deadline to apply for special hunt permits is
May 22
OLYMPIA – Hunters have through May 22 to apply for special
hunting permits for fall deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep, and
turkey seasons in Washington state.
Permit winners will be selected through a random drawing conducted
by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in late June. The
special permits qualify hunters to hunt at times and places beyond those authorized
by a general hunting license.
To apply for a special hunt permit, hunters must purchase an application
and necessary hunting licenses for each species they wish to hunt.
Applications and licenses are available from license vendors
statewide or on WDFW’s website athttps://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wdfw/special_permits.html.
Applications must be submitted on that website or by calling 1-877-945-3492
toll-free.
Most special hunt permit applications cost $7.10 for residents,
$110.50 for non-residents, and $3.80 for youth under 16 years of age.
The exception is the cost for residents purchasing applications
for mountain goats, any ram and any moose, as well as “quality” categories for
deer and elk. Those applications cost $13.70.
Instructions and details on applying for special-permit hunts are
described on pages 86-87 of the 2013 Big Game Hunting Seasons & Regulations
pamphlet, available at WDFW offices, license vendors, and online at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations.
Additional information is available at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/faq.html.
Dave Ware, WDFW game division manager, reminds hunters to update
their email and mailing address in the system when purchasing their special
hunting permit applications and licenses. Each year,
hundreds of special hunting permits are returned due to invalid addresses.
Results of the special-permit drawing will be available online by
the end of June at
https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wa/specialhuntlookup.
Winners will be notified by mail by mid-July.
Ban on barbed hooks
applies on Columbia
River and tributaries
including Cowlitz
OLYMPIA – Starting May 1, anglers fishing for salmon or
steelhead on the Columbia River and most of its tributaries downstream from
Chief Joseph Dam will be required to use barbless hooks.
The new regulations, adopted today by the Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), expand on a similar rule currently in effect on
the stretch of the Columbia River that constitutes the border between
Washington and Oregon.
The new rules extend the ban on barbed hooks another 250 miles
upriver on the Columbia River and to dozens of its tributaries, including the
Cowlitz, White Salmon, Klickitat, Snake, Yakima and Okanogan rivers.
The waters in which the barbless hooks restriction applies
includes all or part of the Columbia, Cowlitz, Tilton, Cispus, Green,
Toutle and S. Fork Toutle. See the map at: .
http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/crss_endorsement/faq.html
Read the information yourself at: wdfw.wa.gov/news/apr2313b/
WDFW’s
Creel Checks report by Biologist Joe Hymer for the week ended Apr. 29 said:
Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz
River – Anglers are catching some spring Chinook
and steelhead throughout the river. Anglers should note the south side of the
river from Mill Creek to the Barrier Dam is closed to all fishing from May 1
through June 15 per permanent regulations.
Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery spring Chinook return as of
April 27 is 370 adults including 14 wild origin.
Hatchery escapement goal is 1,644 adults. Cowlitz River flow ranged between
6,000 and 14,000 cfs last week.
Cowlitz
Falls Reservoir (Lake Scanewa) (Lewis County): Effective
May 1, salmon season open year round.
Kalama
River – Overall, effort is light for steelhead. As of
April 19, a couple wild summer run steelhead had returnedto Kalama Falls Hatchery.
Kalama Falls Hatchery spring Chinook return as of
April 27 is 1 wild adult. The hatchery escapement goal is about 400 adults. Remains
closed to fishing for spring Chinook.
Kalama
River (Cowlitz County) from 1,000 feet above the fishway at the upper salmon hatchery upstream to Summers Creek: Effective
May 1, anglers may retain up to 2 hatchery steelhead.
Lewis
River – Effort for steelhead is very light. 4 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Merwin Dam trap as of April 15. Spring Chinook returns to
traps on the Lewis as of April 29 is 2 hatchery adults. The hatchery escapement
goal is about 1,300 adults. Remains closed to fishing for spring Chinook. River
flow was about 6,000 cfs last week.
Washougal
River – Anglers are catching some steelhead.
Wind
River – Effort and catch is beginning to build. High
count for the week was 37 boats. An estimated 660 angler trips produced 115
adult Chinook kept last week.
Anti-snagging rule will be in effect from the
Burlington-Northern Railroad Bridge upstream beginning May 1. When the
anti-snagging rule is in effect, only fish hooked inside the mouth may be
retained.
Wind River from 400 feet below Shipherd Falls upstream, including all tributaries – Until further notice, closed
to all fishing.
Drano
Lake – Effort and catch is also beginning to build
here too. About 60 boats were observed last Saturday. Catch rates were nearly
identical to the Wind.
Klickitat
River – Light effort and only a single steelhead was
sampled last week. No reports of spring Chinook caught.
Bonneville
Pool – Bank anglers just outside Drano are catching
some spring Chinook.
The Dalles Pool – Effort and catch
is increasing. Bank and boat anglers are catching spring Chinook.
John
Day Pool – Bank anglers are catching some spring
Chinook; slow for boat anglers.
The Technical Advisory Committee(TAC)
met today but did not provide an upriver spring Chinook run update.
Counts total 24,300 adult Chinook at Bonneville Dam
through April 28. By this date at Bonneville Dam, passage is about 20% complete
based on the 5-year average and about 25% complete based on the 10-year average.
TAC will continue to meet weekly to review the
progress of the upriver spring Chinook run. The next scheduled TAC meeting is
Monday May 6.
Sturgeon
Lower
Columbia mainstem below Bonneville Dam – Effort
remains light with <100 boats even on a Saturday.
Mainstem Columbia and its tributaries from Buoy 10 to the Wauna powerlines including all adjacent Washington
tributaries – White sturgeon may be retained daily
through April 30. The daily limit is 1 fish. Through April the minimum size is
38” fork length and maximum size is 54” fork length. Catch-and-release only May
1-10. White sturgeon may also be retained daily May 11 through June 30 at which
time the minimum size will be 41” minimum fork length and maximum size 54” fork
length.
Effective through April 30, angling is prohibited
from a line between the upstream end of Sand Island, located east of Rooster
Rock State Park, to a marker on the Oregon shore downstream to a line between
the lower end of Sand Island and a marker on the Oregon shore.
All fishing for sturgeon will be closed from May 1
through Aug. 31 in the sturgeon sanctuary from Bonneville Dam downstream 9
miles to a line crossing the Columbia River from navigation Marker 82 on the
Oregon shore westerly to the boundary marker on the Washington shore upstream
of Fir Point.
The Dalles Pool – Slow for legal
size fish. Under permanent rules to protect spawning fish, closed to fishing
for sturgeon from John Day Dam downstream 2.4 miles to the west end of the
grain silo at Rufus, Oregon May 1-July 31.
John
Day Pool – Boat anglers are catching some legals; slow for legal size fish from the bank.
Under permanent rules to protect spawning fish,
closed to fishing for sturgeon from McNary Dam downstream
1.5 miles to Hwy. 82 (Hwy. 395) Bridge May 1-July 31.
Walleye and Bass
The Dalles Pool – Boat anglers
averaged a walleye per every 3.5 rods and 3 bass per rod. Bank anglers are
catching some bass.
John
Day Pool – Boat anglers did well for bass with over 8
fish kept/released per rod. Fishing for walleye was slower.
Trout
Catch success on opening day:
Lake Anglers Kept Rel’d #/Rod
Plummer 23 24 41 2.8
Carlisle 37 75 446 14.1
FtBorst 59 91
Mineral 67 171 95 2.6
Kidney 45 141 15 3.1
SwiftRes 25 109 13 4.4
Spearfsh 35 151 12 4.3
Rowland 51 162 225 3.2
HrseThf 51 115 19 2,2
Plants of trout in SW WA waters since April 11 (no
reports on angling success):
Kress Lake near Kalama – 2,851 catchable size rainbows
and 352 averaging 1.5 pounds each April 16-17, Opening day: – 53 anglers
w/114 kept, 18 released.
Horseshoe Lake near Woodland – 2,851 catchable size
rainbows April 15, Opening Day: – 18 anglers w/23 kept, 7 released.
Klineline Pond – 11,000 rainbows
averaging 2/3 pound each, 290 three pounders, and 75 ten pounders April 11 (kids
fishing event).
• Battleground Lake – 42 anglers w/51
kept and 4 released
Fort
Borst Park Pond (Lewis County): Effective May 1, open to
all licensed anglers until further notice. Two poles may be used with a
Two-Pole Endorsement.
Merwin Lake (Reservoir) (Clark/Cowlitz County): Effective May 1, kokanee limit is 10. Kokanee do not count as part of the trout
daily limit.
Fish
& Wildlife Commission takes action to address wolf attacks on domestic
animals
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) on April 26 enacted an emergency rule to permit ranchers, farmers, and
other pet and livestock owners in the eastern third of the state to kill a wolf
that is attacking their animals.
The action followed a special meeting of the Washington Fish and
Wildlife Commission, during which the commission members instructed WDFW
Director Phil Anderson to put the rule into effect. WDFW also is initiating a
public rule-making process for the commission to consider whether to adopt
permanent rules to address these issues, with a decision expected this fall.
Commission Chair Miranda Wecker of Naselle said the commission is striving to address the
legitimate need of residents to protect their domestic animals without
undermining the state’s long-term goal of supporting the recovery of gray
wolves. Without the emergency rule, animal owners would have had to obtain a
“caught in the act” permit from the WDFW director before lethally removing a
wolf.
Today’s action followed a request from 10 state legislators, who
urged the commission and the department to use their rulemaking authority to
address the concerns of residents whose communities are most affected by wolf
recovery.
