WDFW biologist at flyfishers’ meeting
The Methow Valley Flyfishers will meet on Tuesday (Feb. 17) at Liberty Bell High School, where the speaker will be Charlie Snow. He is a biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, working within the Methow River basin monitoring hatchery programs and conducting hatchery/wild interaction investigations with spring Chinook, summer Chinook and steelhead. Snow will discuss the steelhead hatchery program monitoring in the Methow River, and an upcoming steelhead radio-telemetry research project. The free meeting begins at 7 p.m. For more information, call 996-2359.
New Nordic event at Lake Wenatchee
The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club will host a new Nordic ski trek event, the Moose Dewlap Citizens Trek, on Feb. 21 at the Meadows Creek Loop area near Lake Wenatchee. The 43-kilometer route will take skiers along a lollipop-shaped course with 2,500 feet of elevation gain over the first half of the course. The event replaces the Hog Loppet Ski Trek, which has been cancelled twice in the past three years because of low snow and dangerous conditions.
For more information, call (509) 548-5477 or visit www.skileavenworth.com/events/moose-dewlap-citizen-trek. Registration is open online at: www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=3427.
Steelhead fishing opens on Methow, other rivers
Effective immediately, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will allow retention of hatchery steelhead on portions of the upper Columbia River and portions of the Wenatchee, Entiat, Icicle, Methow, Okanogan and Similkameen rivers until further notice. WDFW will close sections of the Okanogan River on March 1 to protect natural origin steelhead staging prior to spawning.
Steelhead fishing will be allowed on the Methow River from the mouth to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop. Fishing from a floating device is prohibited from the second powerline crossing (1 mile upstream from the mouth) to the first Highway 153 bridge (4 miles upstream from the mouth).
Visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations for details on fishing seasons and regulations.
WDFW seeks comments on hunting rules
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on proposed recommendations for the 2015-17 hunting seasons. Through Feb. 24, WDFW will accept written comments from the public to help finalize proposed hunting rules and regulations. To review and comment on the proposals, visit the department’s website at wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/seasonsetting. The hunting season proposals, which were developed after extensive public involvement, are also based on the objectives and strategies contained in the new 2015-21 Game Management Plan. Final commission action is scheduled to take place at its April 9–10 meeting.
