Recreation Report, Highway Shopper Newspaper, Washington State

Fishing:

General Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs Fishing Season is open year-round. However many of the most popular "traditional" lakes are open to fishing only from April 26 through October 31.

General Rivers, Streams and Beaver Ponds Fishing Season is open from June 1 through Oct. 31. Many waters have special seasons and rules different from the above, as specified in the Sport Fishing Rules Pamphlet. Read your pamphlet to see which dates apply!

Lower Cowlitz River- Bank anglers are catching some steelhead while boaters are catching spring chinook. Some spring chinook are returning to the salmon hatchery.

Reminder: 2008 fishing licenses became effective April 1.

Fish plants last week.
Lewis County:

Borst Park Pond Apr. 21
Rainbow 390 Triploid each1.6#

Carlisle Lake Apr. 21 .
Rainbow 330 Triploid each 1.6#
Rainbow 8,250 each 0.4#

Mayfield Lake May 2 .
Rainbow 5,990 each 0.4#

Mineral Lake Apr 22 .
Rainbow 15,160 each 0.4#

Plummer Lake Apr 22 .
Rainbow 4,025 each 0.3#

So. Lewis Co. Park Pd Apr 22 .
Rainbow 3,010 each 0.3#

A customer at Fish Country Sports in Salkum reported to us last week, "Three guys were at the Barrier Dam on Saturday, fishing from the bank off the long gravel bar and down by 'my' special cottonwood tree. They caught six salmon and took three home. They were seeing a lot of unclipped fish. They took four steelhead amongst the three of them using handmade jigs bought at Fish Country. On one particularly nice one the hook held especially well; it penetrated the lip all the way and in came that big 'ole fish."

Don Glaser at Barrier Dam Campground reported to us last week, "As for the water, when we checked it the other day it was 46º. That's cold water. And the Columbia is still cold and there's not a lot of fish moving. There are some moving with the tides, so we get little pushes of fish. They are getting some summer-run steelhead. It's really early for the Cowlitz. It used to be in the old days they used to be early like now. They've taken some early summer-runs and some late winter-runs. The winter-runs are a month and a half late. A big surge of them came in last week and they have a lot of them in the steelhead hatchery down below Blue Creek. And they're still getting them up here in the hatchery. They're not imprinted, but they are getting fish up here.

"The salmon are on again, off again. The bankers are doing the bulk of the catch. They've caught decent fish off and on. But they've got to fish either late at night or there's not a real consistent bite. One day can be good, and then the next two days are poor, then it's good again. They're catching them on sand shrimp, eggs, various spoons, and a lot of jigs tipped with sand shrimp.

"There was a boat in last night, he caught two springers, lost one and broke a line. They caught those on herring. The boaters just haven't been doing real well. They have released so many smolt or baby fish in the Cowlitz that fishermen are having a hard time with bait right now. The little guys keep attacking the bait, and the fishermen can't get to the big ones. So they're putting up with the bait eaters. But you've gotta have baby fish to grow into big ones, so they're putting up with the bait eaters. And they are getting fish.

"They are behind in the hatchery because the fish are late. They'll be here. You've got some warm weather coming up, and then you have the month of June. That's when the bulk of the spring chinook come. It used to be May, but now it's June, even two weeks into July. So they have a lot of time for spring chinook.

"Swofford Pond is not doing much. There will be two, three days in a row where they won't pull a single fish out of there. They stocked it heavy with trout, but they aren't biting. The bluegills aren't biting. It's the cold water. At Riffe, they are getting limits at the dam, limits on spoons, Kastmasters, Little Pixies; they're just throwing spoons at 'em. Yesterday, everybody that was up there was limiting out on silvers.

"At Mayfield, Friends of the Cowlitz have released 18,000 rainbows. And they are all nice, big fish. They had to go deep to catch them, but this last week they did well because the fish weren't down that deep. We will release another 12,000 on May 23, just in time for the holidays.

"And there are a few muskies starting to bite at Mayfield. And we are starting to see a lot of small fish, bait fish, closer in, so that means the water is starting to warm up a little. Looking long range, it's supposed to warm up and they are predicting warmer than normal temperatures thru the end of May. All we need is a couple of degrees on that water and that's all it will take.

"The water level is still running at 5,000- 5,070, excellent water conditions for fishing, but what if they don't get enough water in the big lake at Riffe. I know it's doubled now, triple of what's coming in, but it's not melting fast enough. When are they going to get the lake full-- who knows? They are going to try to get the lake full, but that means they have to lower the Cowlitz down to almost nothing. Are they going to be in violation, who knows? They have to get the river way down to get the lake way up, so it's a balance."

Silver Lake was planted with 3,276 catchable size rainbows on Mar. 31 and 10,000, five-oz. rainbows.

Swofford Pond (240 acres) During the week ending April 14, the seasonal releases of catchable hatchery rainbow trout in the Cowlitz River basin continued with the release of about 3,500 trout. Open year-round.

Mayfield Lake is open year-round. Friends of the Cowlitz volunteers have gotten their 65,000 rainbows to raise in net pens in Lake Mayfield for next summer's fishing. They have begun releasing them and will continue releasing pens of about 6,000 each into early summer. Feeding them every other day is a lot of work! Thank You Friends of the Cowlitz!

Tiger Muskies are starting to bite as the water warms.

Riffe Lake (11,830 acres):

On Monday, May. 12, Riffe Lake was at 708 feet elevation, seven feet higher than the week before, now 70 feet below full level of 778 feet. This low water condition has exposed a lot of bank usually underwater and, with an article written in the local paper, many people are visiting the lake. A reminder - it is unlawful to artifact hunt on the Cowlitz Wildlife Area and, furthermore, a permit is required to remove any resources natural or cultural.

Boat Launches: No boat launches are now useable. The Mossyrock Park, Kosmos, Taidnapam Park and the new Taidnapam North launches are not usable. However the parking lot at Taidnapam North is open.

Riffe is open for fishing year-round.

Lake Scanewa- During the week ending May 5, Tacoma Power employees released 178 steelhead and 1 spring chinook adult into Lake Scanewa at the day use site.

Scanewa fishing season is closed until June 1. Check your regulations.

The Lewis County PUD's Bud Allen Campground on Lake Scanewa will open May 16. The nearby free Day Use Area and boat launch are open year round. These are located southwest of Randle, down Falls Road about 3 1/2 miles.

During the week ended May. 5, Tacoma Power recovered 248 winter-run steelhead, 11 summer-run steelhead, 12 spring chinook adults, three spring chinook jacks and three cutthroat trout at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations.

Tacoma Power employees released 178 steelhead and one spring chinook adult into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site. Eight radio-tagged steelhead adults were released into the Cispus River, and eight radio-tagged steelhead adults were released into the upper Cowlitz River during the week.

Tacoma Power employees transported 41 steelhead to the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery for brood stock, and they released 12 winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately at 5,030 cubic feet per second on Monday, May 5. Water visibility is 16 feet. Flows may change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.

Tacoma's fish hotline is 888-502-8690.

Snow- As of Monday, May 12, the ground was covered on the west side down to about elevation 2,500 feet. Snow depth at 3,000 ft. at such places as Packwood Lake and Longmire on the westside was about three feet and on the east side at places like Rimrock Lake there was no snow. In many places around White Pass elevation of 4,500 feet snow stood around three to seven feet deep. On the west side at the top of White Pass Ski Area, Chinook Pass and Paradise elevations of 5,500 to 6,500 feet snow was ten to sixteen feet deep, and on the east side it was five to eleven feet deep.

Sno*Park Signs have been removed and Sno*Park permits are no longer required. However, on the Westside Gifford Pinchot National Forest, snowmobiles may still be ridden on roads which are clearly made impassable to vehicles by deep snow.

Mountain Highways-

White Pass on Highway US 12 on Monday, May 12 at 11:47 am was bare and dry, air temperature 40º, with about five feet of snow alongside the highway. No restrictions.

Cayuse Pass Highway 123, as of May 12 is still closed for the season from the park entrance near Ohanapecosh to Crystal Mountain Boulevard. Enumclaw crews have reached the pass clearing snow with the goal of reopening the road soon after May 9. Crews began clearing snow during the first week of March. They encountered two feet of snow at the Mount Rainier National Park gate and snow depths increased rapidly as they moved toward the summit. Crews report snow depths of 22 feet at the summit. They hoped to open on May 9, but now expect a later opening, not later than May 22.

Chinook Pass Highway 410 remains closed from milepost 57, near Crystal Mountain Boulevard, to milepost 74.5, near Morse Creek. On April 7 eastside WSDOT crews started the process of reopening the pass. Weather and work progress permitting the target date to have the road open is May 22.

Fishing:

General Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs Fishing Season is open year-round. However many of the most popular "traditional" lakes are open to fishing from April 26 until October 31.

General Rivers, Streams and Beaver Ponds Fishing Season is open from June 1 through Oct. 31.

So read your regulation pamphlet!

Tacoma's fish hotline is 888-502-8690.

Mineral Lake fishing season is open from the last Saturday in April through Sept. 30.

Bill Evans of Mineral reported for the week ended May 4, "Blue skies, Sunshine, add a few showers, and fishermen you have the ingredients for a great week of fishing at Mineral Lake. The lake produced more large fish and nice limits. The bait of choice was a variety of power bait egg colors. For those who preferred trolling the black Wooly Bugger was very productive.

"For those fishermen who still-fished used a 4- to 5-foot leader with a slip sinker, the trolling was about 3 to 4 feet below the surface.

"Rowen Toralba from Sumner, WA, after a hard day of fishing on the Mineral Lake Resort Dock was taking a nap. His friend noticed Mr. Toralba had a strike on his pole and woke him up. After about 10 minutes Mr. Toralba landed an 11 lb. pound 29" trout. He was using Yellow power bait eggs.

"Michael Muyskens of Castle Rock, WA landed a very nice 5 lb. pound 24" trout trolling a black Wooly Bugger.

"I have been asked by a lot of people what the difference is between a triploid and a diploid. Hopefully this will clear up the difference. A triploid egg is a rainbow trout egg that either heat or pressure is applied destroying the sex gene. Therefore all of the energy goes into the growth of the fish. The diploid is a regular rainbow trout. Most rainbow trout are released into lakes after one year in the hatchery. The diploids are kept in the hatchery for two years thus releasing a larger and much hardier fish. The hatcheries are clipping the adipose fins of the triploid to better track and identify them."

Skate Creek fishing is closed until June 1. It's open from June 1 through Oct. 31.

Packwood Lake fishing opened Saturday, April 26. However the road is blocked by snow above Snyder Lake, several miles below the trailhead. The Northwest Forest Permit (NWFP) is required at the parking lot. When roads melt out, only the upper trail is open to hikers; the lower trail is closed by the Forest Service for repair.

Walupt Lake fishing opened Saturday, April 26. However both road accesses are blocked by snow for over ten miles below the lake.

Knuppenburg Lake near White Pass is open year-round; as of May 9 it was still 15% frozen.

Backbone Lake, a small lake at 2,100 ft. elev. is open to fishing year-round; however access to the trailhead over Jody's Bridge is not allowed even to foot traffic.

High Lakes: Open season year round but road access is impossible, blocked by snow.

Alder Lake is open year-round. Boat launch at Alder Park is open year-round. Limit is five fish.

Read the regulations on each water you intend to fish!

Tilton River- From its mouth to the West Fork, the Tilton River is open for salmon June 1- Dec. 31, and open for other fish including steelhead June 1- Mar. 31. Above the West Fork it's open from June 1 through Oct. 31. During the week ended May 5, Tacoma Power employees released 12 winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.

Cispus River- In the Cispus River anglers are allowed to retain whitefish and other game fish such as bass, but not trout. Trout are protected to prevent juvenile steelhead, which are trout, from being taken; a natural run of steelhead is being nurtured in the Cispus. The new rule extends to the June 1 regular fishing season opener and applies to the Cispus River from the Lake Scanewa mouth at posted markers at the Lewis County PUD kayak launch upstream to the North Fork.

Also in the Cispus River up to the North Fork the adult coho limit is increased from two to six fish. Wild coho must be released.

From its mouth to the North Fork it's open for salmon year-round, for steelhead from Nov. 1- May 31. The Cispus above the North Fork and the North Fork itself have the general stream season June 1- Oct. 31.

Upper Cowlitz River -

In the upper Cowlitz River anglers are again allowed to retain whitefish and other game fish such as bass, but not trout. Trout are protected to prevent juvenile steelhead, which are trout, from being taken; a natural run of steelhead is being nurtured in the upper Cowlitz. The new rule extends to the June 1 regular fishing season opener and applies to the Cowlitz River from the posted PUD sign at Lake Scanewa on Peters Road upstream to the mouth of the Ohanapecosh River and the Muddy Fork.

Also in the Cowlitz River above Cowlitz Falls Dam the adult coho limit is increased from two to six fish. Wild coho must be released.

From the upstream end of Lake Scanewa to the Muddy/Clear Fork confluence five miles above Packwood, salmon season remains open all year with a release requirement on all wild non-fin-clipped salmon.

There are additional complications so read your regulations!

Upstream from the confluence of the Muddy and Clear Forks all fishing seasons in the Muddy and Clear Forks and the Ohanapecosh River are closed Nov. 1 through May 31.

Fishing seasons on the lower Cowlitz River below Lake Scanewa are too complex to report here. Read your regulations!

Mt. St. Helens:

On Mt. St. Helens Day, Sunday, May 18, no volcano passes will be required.

Johnston Ridge Observatory is planned to be open on May 16.

Forest Road No. 99 to Windy Ridge on Mt. St. Helens is closed by deep snow.

Cascade Peaks Restaurant and Gift Shop on FR 99 will not open this year.

The Mt. St. Helens website has a new high definition web camera to give web visitors a more detailed view of the mountain, the crater and the growing domes. See http://www.fs.fed.us/ gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

Coldwater Center has closed and will not open in 2008 for lack of funds.

Mt. St. Helens Highway SR 504 - By May 8 Mt. St. Helens Highway SR 504 was open about 2 mi. beyond the entrance to Coldwater Center-- which is closed and won't open this year-- and on to the entrance to the parking lot at Coldwater Lake. It was planned to be open the rest of the way to Johnston Ridge Observatory by May 16.

Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except holidays. This center is operated by the Washington State Parks Department.

Admission to the State-operated Silver Lake center for those 18 and older is $3 or $1 for those 7 to 17, and free for ages up to 6. An annual Northwest Forest Pass allows its holder- one person- entry to any visitor center.

Mt. St. Helens Climbers- During the April 1 to October 31 climbing fee season, climbers are required to pickup permits at the Lone Fir Resort during business hours. The Lone Fir is located on State Route 503 in the town of Cougar, WA at 16806 Lewis River Rd.

Volunteers are needed at Mt. St. Helens many times during the year, for a day, a week or the entire summer. Work of many kinds and for varying durations are needed, such as visitor information, assist with climbing and backcountry management and maintain trails etc. Visit www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/ volunteering or call 360-449-7887 for information and for a volunteer packet.

Forest Roads above 2,500 feet are closed by snow.

New website for latest Gifford Pinchot road conditions: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/current-conditions/roads.shtml

Nearly all roads in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest were also damaged by the heavy rains and windstorms in 2006. On the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, two priority sites have been identified for repair in 2008. This summer work will begin on Forest Roads 21 & 23.

Continue to write your congressional representatives asking them to better fund Forest Service road maintenance. Many people set aside time to write one letter to Congress per week.

#1260 Packwood. Lk: As of May 5, open to MP 3.5; 1/2mi past Snyder Lk. to 6in stiff snow, farther possible w/ 4x4?

#1270 Backbone Ridge is closed indefinitely to vehicles, hikers and all other use because of flood damage to the Clear Fork "Jody's" Bridge. There is no access to the Muddy Fork dispersed camping area or Backbone Ridge trail or Riverview Trail except by wading or boating across the river. Crossing Jody's Bridge on foot is dangerous and prohibited. The near short part of the broken bridge is not strongly supported and probably will fall down to the gravel bar. Citations costing $125 per person are being issued to people who hike across the bridge.

#21 As of May 5, Johnson Crk; Randle End: open to MP 21 just beyond 56 jct. and Adams Fk. C.G.; one ft. of hard snow

#21 Johnson Ck; Pkwd end: As of May 5, open to Sno*Park at MP 7.4 blocked by one foot stiff snow.

#23 Randle-Trout Lk: As of May 5, open to MP 21, 1.4 mi. beyond the Cispus Bridge- 6 in. stiff snow; no snow at MP 16 Blue Lk. Cr. and trailhead.

#2329 High Lakes: As of May 5, at Takhlakh, a snowmobiler reported there's 9 ft. of snow; he looked down on privy roofs.

#25 Elk Pass or Iron Creek Road- As of May 5, is impassable at MP 13.5 by one foot of heavy snow beyond the Benham Creek crossing.

#26 Quartz Creek- Slide at mile post 9.4. Road also closed for the foreseeable future by slides at mile post 14 and 14.3 between Norway Pass and Ryan Lake road closed.

#47 Willame; Randle End: As of May 5, barricaded at MP 3.5 for East Fork washout one mile farther; drive over hundreds of small alders down on road; East Fk. washout won't be repaired soon.

#47 Willame Packwood End: As of May 5, open to MP 3.2, a half mile beyond Hendricks Pass jct., a foot of heavy snow.

#4710 Skyo Rd: As of May 5, open to Skyo Spur on left, MP 4.0, then continues open beyond there.

#5270 Butter Creek- As of May 5, open to MP 1.2 at the high point before it starts down into Butter Creek, where there are 12 in. of hard snow.

#52 Skate Creek is closed-- As of May 5, is closed between Willame jct. and Big Crk. and gated at both ends to traffic. This year unseasonably deep snow has temporarily slowed or halted plowing. In addition to other damage a large slide/avalanche, 280-foot-long will have to melt further before it can be removed and repairs made. The estimated opening now is by the end of June.

#5601 Adams Fk: As of May 5, one ft snow at 56 jct

#56 Orr Crk: As of May 5, snow-covered from Adams Fork C.G. and Cispus Bridge; apparently can drive over one ft of compacted snow or ice to sno*park.

#76 Greenhorn: As of May 5, open all the way

#99 Windy Ridge is closed by snow and gated.

Trails:

Ticks are out in the lower elevations. All trails above 2,200 feet have snow and those above 4,500 ft. may have eight feet and more.

Take the Ten Winter Essentials and let someone know where you're going.

To hike in the William O. Douglas or Goat Rocks Wilderness areas you must fill out a Wilderness Pass available in a box at trailheads. Place one copy in the box and attach the string copy to your pack so it is visible.

New Interagency Passes are on sale at ranger stations- see the information box run frequently in the Shopper for more of the many details:

• Annual $80

• Senior Lifetime $10

• Disability Lifetime Free.
The new Interagency passes replace the Golden passes but the Golden passes remain good until they expire.

Interagency, Golden Age or Golden Access Passports are accepted in lieu of the NWFP wherever it is required.

A pass is required at the following Cowlitz Valley District and nearby trailheads, interpretive sites and other sites: Bear Meadow, Berry Patch, Blue Lake, Blue Lake ORV, Coldwater Lake, Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, Harmony Viewpoint, Independence Pass, Johnston Ridge Observatory, Lahar Viewpoint, Meta Lake, Miners Car, Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center, Norway Pass, Old Man Pass, Packwood Lake, Walupt and Windy Ridge. This list may not be complete and there may be other sites where a pass is required, so ask at the ranger station and watch for signs.

Study the Forest Service brochures or web site to understand the complex system of passes, permits and fees.

The Interagency, Golden and Northwest Forest Passes provide funds for maintenance of recreation sites. Last year the Gifford Pinchot National Forest was able to invest $1.5 million dollars from NWFP fees into recreation sites on the Forest.

Always make sure someone knows where you're going and be prepared for all weather with the Ten Essentials.

Due to congressional cuts in funding, only limited maintenance is possible. No funds are available to maintain wilderness trails. Many trails are maintained by volunteers. High or wilderness trails may have many trees across them making passage by stock difficult or impossible.

Please volunteer for some healthy and fun exercise helping to keep your trails in shape. Call Steve Hoecker at 360-497-1157 to volunteer.

The following include low elevation trails normally usable throughout the year:

#162 Riverview is inaccessible due to damage to the Clear Fork "Jody's" Bridge on Road #1270. Hikers are prohibited from walking on the bridge and many citations have been issued for doing so.

#247 & #247A Woods Creek Area Trails are open from the parking lot. The trail has a figure eight loop and is about 3 miles long.

#275 Kraus Ridge offers a trip through old growth.

#290 Layser Cave Trail, 1/4 mile, to the prehistoric native shelter. A pass is no longer required.

#74 Lower Packwood Lake "Pipeline" Trail is closed for repairs until July.

#78 Packwood Lake- open to hiker and stock use only. It now has about three feet of snow.

#2000 Pacific Crest Trail- all of it now has up to ten or more feet of snow.

Forest Service Campgrounds:

Higher campgrounds now have a foot or more of snow, and most cannot be reached by vehicle because snow blocks their roads.

All of the concessionaire campgrounds, which are the larger campgrounds, are still closed. Tower Rock, North Fk., Iron Ck., La Wis Wis and Big Ck. Camp Grounds appear now to be able to open by Memorial Day weekend, maybe the weekend before Memorial Day. A few of those snowbound remain open without water or other services, and have no fees. Also the smaller Forest Service- operated campgrounds may be open without fees. To camp in these campgrounds you must have the Northwest Forest Pass or equivalent, and you must pack your own garbage. If gated, you must carry your equipment in and pack your garbage out.

All the larger, more improved fee-campgrounds are operated through the summer by a concessionaire; make fee-campground reservations for next summer on the web at recreation.gov or by phoning 877-444-6777. Group site reservations are available about 360 days in advance.

The Lewis County PUD's Bud Allen Campground on Lake Scanewa will open Friday, May 16. The nearby free Day Use Area and boat launch are open year round. These are located southwest of Randle, down Falls Road about 3 1/2 miles.

Forest Service Maps are available at local businesses and the ranger station.

In general, a permit is required to remove anything from the National Forest including firewood, berries and mushrooms. One exception is that berries for personal use may be removed without a permit. Mushrooms for personal or commercial use require a permit. Removal for commercial use requires a different permit than for personal use. Contact the ranger stations for complete permit information.

Mushrooms on May 3 in the Packwood area were half dried-up and half still barely good enough to eat; try collecting in higher and in damp locations.

Permits are being sold for firewood, commercial huckleberries, mushrooms, commercial beargrass and salal, and posts and rails for fencing. Free use permits are being processed for landscape rocks.

Firewood- 2008 Wood Permits are yellow and are now on sale. The pink 2007 permits have expired. Firewood permits are being sold on the westside Gifford Pinchot National Forest, but on the eastside Naches Ranger District firewood gathering has ended until May. In the westside Gifford Pinchot Forest, firewood permits are available at the Ranger Station and cost $5.00 per cord but the minimum purchase is $20.00 for four cords.

Little if any firewood is being marked now because the roads are obstructed by snow. A new list of firewood is prepared and available at the Randle Ranger Station on the first workday of each month. Obtain permits and information about firewood sites at the "Special Forest Products" door at the Randle Ranger Station. Unmarked wood is not legal for firewood; older marked firewood with green paint is no longer valid. Firewood now must be painted yellow or in an area or along a road signed or listed by the Forest Service. The Forest Service points out that buying permits for six cords at one time is less expensive per cord than buying four then two cords.

People are already coming in for salal permits as well as mushroom and wood permits.

Packwood Ranger Station is closed, probably permanently, after 70 years of service, due to ever-decreasing funding to Gifford Pinchot National Forest by Congress. Through the 1960's, '70's and '80's it had up to 100 year-round plus up to 50 summer employees whose wages contributed up to $2 million annually to the Packwood economy. Its employees were important leaders and participants in essentially all Packwood organizations and activities.

Packwood Ranger Station including 20 acres and numerous buildings will be auctioned by the Forest in coming months. Contact Kristie Miller, Cowlitz Valley District Ranger (360) 497-1105.

The closure of the ranger station was one of the results of the reduction in the timber industry caused by the measures claimed needed to protect the Northern Spotted Owl. Other businesses which closed for the same reason were Packwood Lumber mill with 200 jobs, the local medical clinic, the pharmacy and the grade school. The total number of family-support-wage jobs lost in Packwood was about 325, leaving only perhaps 25 such jobs in the area. Most remaining jobs are in retail stores, motels and restaurants. Total wages paid by Packwood businesses fell from about $12 million to about $5 million, and total income to Packwood households fell from about $20 million to about $12 million. Throughout the Pacific Northwest about 40,000 total jobs and about $4 billion in annual commerce were lost.

Write your congressional representatives- the westside Cascade National Forests, especially our Gifford Pinchot National Forest, are now very alarmingly under-funded and under-staffed. Year-round staff on the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, the combined former Packwood and Randle Districts, has fallen from 200 to about 23.

High Rock Lookout has been vandalized last year and probably won't be staffed this season.

Local Packwood and National Forest information continues to be available during business hours at the Destination Packwood office in the former clinic at the east end of Packwood, phone 360-494-2223.

Almost two million dollars has been approved for projects which benefit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Counties receive payments from the U.S. Government in lieu of taxes on federal lands, and invest between 15 and 20 percent of these funds in National Forests within their county. Lewis County receives about $5.5 million annually in such funds.

The non-profit Northwest Interpretive Association or NWIA sells outdoor books and other items at ranger stations to raise funds for interpretive projects and programs which very limited Forest Service budgets cannot fund. NWIA items make excellent gifts!

Noted items:

Wild Edible Plants of Western North America, pgs. 307, by Donald R. Kirk, $11.95.

Wildflowers of the Olympics and Cascades, by Charles Stewart, $11.99.

All prices are plus tax.

Woods Creek Stewardship Thin Project proposes to thin and restore up to 541 acres in Woods Late-Successional Reserve (LSR). Commercial thinning is proposed on up to 412 acres of managed stands that are less than 50 years old, from which up to 3.8 million board feet of timber would be harvested. Also six restoration projects are proposed including snag and down wood creation, road closures, stabilization and decommissioning, riparian and floodplain restoration, riparian conifer release, western red cedar underplanting, and salmon rearing habitat restoration. The project is located in the Lower Cispus River watershed south of Randle. The EA may be downloaded or a few CD's are available from:

E-Mail: news@highwayshopper.com Please phone or snailmail anything urgent or especially important.

Recreation Report from Shopper
for May 14, 2008

Here are the 2006 Fishing Prospects as predicted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Here are the2006 Washington State Spring Reports of Fish Stocked, Updated Weekly

Here are the Washington State Spring Plans for Fish to be Stocked in 2006

See the guide listing resorts, restaurants, motels and businesses serving every tourist need in this beautiful recreational area!

Publisher Dave Bunting displays his fish caught while on vacation in Minnesota. Together with his brother and fishing buddies, the four of them lined in 22 fish for the day. Dave caught 7 fish using a 24 inch twig with 15 feet of lead tied onto its end.
Photo taken 7/3/07

Quick clicks to our various areas:

Mossyrock- Salkum- Ethel- Onalaska Area
Randle-Packwood Area
Mt. Rainier National Park
Naches Area
General Information for All Areas including weather forecasts, El Niño reports, pollen forecasts, etc.

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