Out & About: Plenty of activities to sample at Spokatopia at Camp Sekani Park

OUTDO – A family-friendly outdoor adventure festival on July 11 will offer introductions to a wide range of activities on and off the Spokane River in Spokane Valley, along with music, freeride bike stunts and brews to create the festival atmosphere.

Spokatopia will run 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Camp Sekani Park.

Participants will have a chance to try stand-up paddleboarding and SUP yoga, kayaking, disc golf, rock climbing, mountain biking, geocaching, rafting and canoeing.

Vendors of gear and other outdoor products will have booths.

Demo bikes, paddle sports gear, slacklines and other gear will be on hand for festival goers to try out, according to organizers from Spokane Parks and Recreation Department.

Live entertainment will start at 4 p.m.

Entry to the festival is $5.  The fee is waived for participants who sign up for “Outdoor Adventure Excursions,” which cost $8-$20 and offer a deeper introduction and instruction into the activities featured at the event. 

Parents must accompany youths in the tour sessions.

Preregister for the special excursions online at spokatopia.com.

One of the stand-up paddleboard sessions already has a wait list.

Marijuana pulled in Clark Fork Delta

OUTFIELD – Workers in the major project to shore up island erosion and restore wildlife habitat in Idaho’s Clark Fork Delta are doing a little unexpected weeding.

Illegal marijuana growing plots have been discovered two consecutive years, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reports. The most recent pot plots were recently found and destroyed.

The incidents may spark a new media marketing campaign: “Read the paper, stay out of prison.”

With workers doing surveys and construction in the multimillion-dollar delta project, there’s probably never been a worse time to raise illegal weed on the islands.

“The Clark Fork River delta islands are popular with canoeists, kayakers and other recreationists, and it is an important hunting area in the fall,” said Phil Cooper, Idaho Fish and Game Spokesman. “Due to the fact that grow patches are sometimes protected by the growers, recreationists heading to the islands are advised to stay clear of patches of marijuana plants they may encounter and report them.”

Fireworks outlawed on public lands

OUTLAW – Seems like a silly reminder considering the weather and conditions the Inland Northwest has endured this month, but here goes:

Igniting fireworks is prohibited on all national forests and most other state and federal public lands.