Ione man cited for killing loon

WILDLIFE – Working from a citizen’s tip, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department officers have cited Charles I. Fraley, 22, of Ione for killing a protected common loon at Yocum Lake last month, according to Tom Metzger, Pend Oreille County prosecuting attorney.

The carcass of a male common loon with a bullet wound to the neck was found by a Forest Service employee in a search for evidence on June 22. Loon Lake Loon Association members assisted.

The loon and its mate had been raising one small chick at the time, said Dan Poleschook Jr., an association member, who has been studying northeast Washington loons for a decade. The female was seen after the mid-June incident, but the chick is missing.

The protected waterfowl, revered for their yodeling call, were one of only 10 nesting pairs of common loons in eastern Washington.

Fraley faces a fine of $271 and federal charges are possible, said Mike Whorton, state Fish and Wildlife regional enforcement captain.

Rich Landers

Idaho sport club toasts 75 years

HUNTING – The Bonner County Sportsmen’s Association, one of the oldest hunting-fishing groups in the region, is celebrating its 75th anniversary of community service with a Wild Game Potluck dinner at the Wily Widgeon at the Elks Golf Course in Sandpoint on Saturday starting at 6 p.m.

Reservations requested, (208) 266-0141, to assure enough beverages.

Rich Landers

Rehabs proposed for trout lakes

FISHING – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department will hold public meetings on proposals to treating more than two dozen lakes and one stream in Eastern Washington with rotenone.

Waters in this region proposed for rehabilitation to remove non-sport fish starting this fall include:

•Fishtrap, Hog Canyon, Fourth of July and West Medical lakes west of Spokane plus Cee-Cee-Ah Creek in Pend Oreille County.

•Beda, Brookies, Dune, Harris, Canal, Heart, June, Pit, Sedge, North Teal, Tern, Windmill Pit lakes and 16 Desert Wildlife Area ponds in Grant County.

•Buck Lake in Okanogan County.

Meetings in this region are at 6:30 p.m.:

Tuesday at Kalispel Tribe Camas Center near Usk.

Wednesday at WDFW Eastern Region Office, 2315 N. Discovery Pl. in Spokane Valley.

Decisions on the proposals will be made in late August.

Rich Landers