Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 288
OLYMPIA – The first phase of the popular sport fishery for spring chinook salmon on the lower Columbia River will close at the end of the day Friday, April 8, one day earlier than previously expected. Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed to close the fishery based on projections that the catch of upriver chinook salmon will reach the initial 7,515-fish harvest guideline a day ahead of schedule. The closure includes fishing for salmon, steelhead and shad in the 145-mile section o... Full story
OLYMPIA – Black bears are beginning to emerge from winter dens across the state, prompting state wildlife managers to remind residents how to avoid possible conflicts with hungry animals looking to scavenge an easy meal. Reports of black bear activity have increased in recent weeks, many involving reports of bears getting into dog food, garbage cans, and bird feeders, said Rich Beausoleil, bear and cougar specialist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “Black bears are hun... Full story
Starting this month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) hopes to conduct controlled burns on parts of the Sinlahekin, Scotch Creek, and Sherman Creek wildlife areas in northeast Washington to reduce wildfire risks and enhance wildlife habitat. Depending on weather conditions and approval from the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), controlled burns could start as early as April 12 on a total of 27 acres of the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area in Okanogan County. Also... Full story
OLYMPIA – State wildlife managers are seeking public input on their recommendations to keep Columbian white-tailed deer and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies on Washington’s endangered species list. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) periodically reviews the status of protected species in the state. The public can comment through July 9 on the listing recommendations and recently updated status reports for Columbian white-tailed deer and Taylor’s checkerspots. The draft r... Full story
April is the month of Arbor Day and Earth Day, and this year both are promoting something we advocate for wildlife habitat -- tree planting. Arbor Day has always been about planting trees, starting in 1872 in Nebraska and officially celebrated nationwide on the last Friday of April. Washington state traditionally celebrates Arbor Day the second Wednesday of the month, April 13 this year. Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 at the start of the movement when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)... Full story
Action: Open the lower Yakima River to fishing for spring chinook salmon Species affected: Chinook salmon Dates: April 29 through June 15, 2016 Location: From the Hwy. 240 bridge in Richland (river mile 2.1) to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser (river mile 47.0) approximately 1,000 feet downstream of Prosser Dam. Reason for action: Yakama Nation (YN) and WDFW fishery managers are forecasting a total return of 4,610 adult spring chinook to the Yakima River in 2016 (3,100 wild and 1,510 hatchery... Full story
Action: Closes Sarg Hubbard Park Pond (Reflection Pond) to all fishing except those youths registered for the “Kids' Fish-In” event. In addition, the daily limit is reduced to two trout during the event. Effective dates: 12:01 a.m. April 20 through 4:00 p.m. April 23, 2016 Species affected: All game fish. Location: Sarg Hubbard Park Pond located on the Yakima Greenway in Yakima. Reason for action: This rule change is necessary to ensure a successful youth fishing event. Several thousand rainbow... Full story
OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers today approved nine days of razor clam digging beginning April 20 on the first of three ocean beaches. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the digs after marine toxin tests showed the clams on those beaches are safe to eat. Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, said the department added two days of digging at Copalis, which was not originally included in the list of tentative digs previously announced by the agency. The dig w... Full story
OLYMPIA – Anglers will have opportunities to fish for salmon in the ocean and Columbia River this year, although recreational and non-tribal commercial salmon fisheries in Puget Sound may be closed through much of the season. After lengthy negotiations, state and tribal fishery managers could not reach an agreement on salmon-fishing seasons in Puget Sound. An agreement must be reached in the next few weeks or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribes in western W... Full story
Action: Closes Columbia Park Pond to all fishing except those youths registered for the “Special Needs Fishing Event” on Friday, May 6, or the “Kids' Fishing Day” event on Saturday, May 7. In addition, the daily limit is reduced to three trout during the events. Effective dates: 12:01 a.m. May 4, to 3:00 p.m. May 7, 2016. Species affected: All game fish. Location: Columbia Park Pond located within Columbia Park in Kennewick. Reasons for action: This rule change is necessary to ensure success... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers have begun releasing more than 500,000 juvenile steelhead from five state fish hatcheries into Puget Sound rivers after receiving word from NOAA-Fisheries that those facilities meet federal environmental standards. For the past two years, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released steelhead from those five hatcheries into area lakes to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with wild steelhead protected by the federal Endangered Species Act (ES... Full story
YAKIMA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will hold public meetings this month to discuss target shooting options for the Wenas Wildlife Area located between Ellensburg and Yakima. The meetings will focus on the department’s plans to develop designated shooting areas to improve public safety and reduce fire risk while preserving target shooting opportunities at the wildlife area. The meetings are scheduled for: 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 26, at the Hal Holmes Center, 209 N. Rub... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers have decided to separately secure the federal permit required to hold salmon fisheries this season in Puget Sound. The decision was made Tuesday after negotiations over salmon seasons with tribal leaders again came to an impasse. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the tribes last week could not reach an agreement during the annual season-setting process. “We had hoped additional conversations with the tribes would result in fisheries tha... Full story
OLYMPIA – Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has closed public access to the Fir Island Farms Reserve, where work has begun to restore 131 acres of tidal marsh in the Skagit River Delta. Trucks and heavy equipment are scheduled to begin work next week in the second year of a two-year project to replace the existing mile-long dike with one designed to improve habitat for fish and wildlife, said Belinda Rotton, Skagit Wildlife Area manager. Rotton said the popular birding area, p... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking updated information about nine wildlife species as part of a review of native wildlife populations listed by the state as endangered, threatened or sensitive. WDFW will accept public comments through Feb. 25, 2017, on sea otters, grizzly bears, ferruginous hawks, northern leopard frogs, Larch Mountain salamanders, and four species of whales, including sei, North Pacific right, blue and fin. More information on these s... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and forest landowners are preparing to move forward on a joint strategy to help protect the fisher, a member of the weasel family currently under consideration for federal listing as a threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is accepting public comments through March 30 on a proposed agreement with WDFW that, if approved, will extend incentives to landowners who take steps to protect fishers that move onto t... Full story
Action: Kalama River anglers may keep up to 2 hatchery adult spring chinook beginning Saturday, March 10. Effective date: March 10, 2016 until further notice. Species affected: Chinook salmon. Location: Kalama River from boundary markers at the mouth to 1,000 feet below the fishway at the upper salmon hatchery. Reason for action: The preseason forecast is for 4,900 adult spring chinook to return to the Kalama in 2016. The hatchery escapement goal of 400 fish is expected to be met, leaving... Full story
Action: Anglers must release all chinook salmon. Species affected: Chinook salmon. Effective date: March 10, 2016 until further notice. Location: Lewis River from the mouth upstream to the overhead powerlines below Merwin Dam. Reason for action: The pre-season forecast is for a return of 1,100 adult spring chinook to the Lewis River in 2016 compared to a hatchery escapement goal of approximately 1,350 fish. The closure is necessary to provide the hatchery with as many returning fish as possible... Full story
Action: Steelhead anglers on these three Cowlitz County streams will be able to fish for hatchery steelhead. Effective date: March 16, 2016 through April 15, 2016 Species affected: Hatchery steelhead Locations: * Mill Creek. * Germany Creek, including all tributaries. *Abernathy Creek from the mouth (Hwy. 4 Bridge) upstream to posted markers 500 feet below Abernathy Fish Technology Center Reason for action: Hatchery winter steelhead smolts are released into Abernathy Creek as part of a hatchery... Full story
Several fisheries are set to open in the weeks ahead, and the year’s first hunting season isn’t far behind. With a new season of outdoor adventures about to begin, Washingtonians might want to consider purchasing 2016-17 fishing and hunting licenses before current licenses expire at midnight March 31. The cost of fishing and hunting licenses remains the same as last year, and most annual licenses include a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) vehicle-access pass. That pass all... Full story
OLYMPIA – Another decent return of hatchery chinook salmon to the Columbia River is forecast this year, but expected low returns of coho could put a damper on salmon fisheries in the river, along the coast and in Puget Sound. Forecasts for chinook, coho, sockeye and chum salmon, which were developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribes, were released today at a public meeting in Olympia. The forecast meeting marks the starting point for developing 2016 s... Full story
Temperatures are warming, birds are singing and the lower Columbia River will soon be teeming with spring chinook salmon. Spring is still a ways off, but February offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. State fishery managers expect about 299,000 adult spring chinook to the Columbia River this year. The fishery is open now below the Interstate 5 Bridge, but it usually doesn’t catch fire until March when fishing expands upriver to Bonneville Dam and beyond. For information about the... Full story
Spring may officially be several weeks off, but now is the time to get your bird nest boxes cleaned out and ready for new, incoming occupants. If you don’t already have nest boxes up, this is the time to either build or buy and place them, following our specs at http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/projects/nestboxes/index.html Many backyard birding enthusiasts who use nest boxes leave them up year-round and leave nesting materials in them through the winter, when some birds will use them as nightime r... Full story
OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers have proposed two days of razor clam digging in February at Copalis beach in addition to an approved a month-long opening at Long Beach that starts today. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has tentatively scheduled a dig on evening tides for Feb. 19 and 20 at Copalis, provided that marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. WDFW will announce final word on the dig about a week before it is scheduled to begin. The upcoming dig at C... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Natural Resources (DNR) will host a meeting next week in Ellensburg to discuss implementation of the Naneum Ridge to Columbia River Recreation and Access Plan. The meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Hal Holmes Center in Ellensburg. The public is invited to attend. The collaborative recreation plan, which was adopted by both agencies last year, encompasses 230,000 acres of DNR and WDFW lands s... Full story
