Field Reports: Campfires, target shooting restricted on Eastern Washington wildlife areas
From staff reports
Washington officials announced this week that it was restricting campfires and target shooting in the eastern part of the state to limit wildfire risk.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release that restrictions would begin July 1 on most of the agency’s lands in the eastern region.
That means campfires, including those in fire rings, will be prohibited at the agency’s wildlife areas. Gas-fueled camp stoves and lanterns will be allowed.
Target shooting will be banned in all but two places – the Methow Shooting Range and the Asotin Creek Shooting Range. At those ranges, shooting will be allowed from sunrise to 10 a.m. through Aug. 15.
After Aug. 15, target shooting will be banned on all WDFW managed lands.
Smoking outside, chainsaws and driving off of developed roads will also be prohibited.
The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.
Forest Service closing meadow along Little North Fork Coeur d’Alene for restoration
The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday that it will close a meadow on the Little North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River for a restoration project next month.
The meadow complex near Hudlow Junction will close to hiking and camping on July 8 to allow for restoration work that is scheduled to last more than a year.
Restoration will be aimed at improving habitat for westslope cutthroat trout, including putting large wood in stream channels to provide cover, modifying the stream channel and flooding sidechannels by mimicking beaver activity, according to a news release.
Weeds will also be treated and the meadows will be replanted.
Crews will start staging equipment and materials in the meadow this year before building log jams and beginning excavation work. The installation of beaver dam analogs will come in 2025.
The meadow is popular with RV campers and off-road vehicle riders, but the Forest Service said both uses are illegal there.
Holly Hampton, the Forest Service’s Coeur d’Alene River district ranger, said in the release that the use is “untenable in the long run in terms of resource damage.”
“One outcome of the restoration work is the meadow will be inaccessible to vehicles, bringing the site in line with its designation as a non-motorized area,” Hampton said.
Campers have other options along the Little North Fork, which drains into the main North Fork Coeur d’Alene River a few miles north of Kingston.
Restoration is expected to continue into fall 2025.
Information sought on common loons killed in Okanogan County
Two adult common loons and their chicks were shot and killed last weekend, and wildlife officials are looking for help in finding out who did it.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release late Thursday that the loons and chicks were killed near Chesaw, Washington, on the weekend of June 22.
WDFW officers responded to a report of the dead loons near Beaver Lake and found two adults and one chick that were killed. Another chick had been seen earlier in the day, and witnesses told the officers they’d heard gunshots the previous evening.
Illegally killing a common loon is a misdemeanor that comes with a penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $500 per violation. A penalty of $2,000 per bird can also be assessed.
WDFW is asking anyone with information about the incident to report it by calling 877-933-9847. They can also email reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov or text tips to 847411.
A reward of $6,000 is being offered for information that leads to convictions.
Bureau of Land Management wants input on Yakima River Canyon
The Bureau of Land Management wants the public’s help in determining the future of managing the Yakima River Canyon south of Ellensburg.
A series of public listening sessions are planned and the agency has made available an online story map where people can provide feedback at hub.blmyakimarivercanyon.org.
The agency said in an email that it wants to hear from people about its facilities, developed and undeveloped sites, nonmotorized use and habitat conservation.
About 9,000 acres in the canyon split by the famous trout river are managed by the BLM, including 647 acres the agency acquired this year.
The listening sessions are planned in Seattle and at multiple locations in the canyon. They are scheduled as follows:
• July 1, REI Flagship Store at 222 Yale Avenue in Seattle, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• July 3, Big Pines Recreation Site, Canyon Road in Ellensburg, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• July 3, Umtanum Recreation Site, 16338 Canyon Road in Ellensburg, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Sept. 21, Canyon River Ranch, 14700 Canyon Road in Ellensburg, 8 a.m. to noon.