Restoration work at Blue Lake
Join the nonprofit National Forest Foundation on Aug. 23 to kick off the Blue Lake restoration campaign. Volunteers will repair portions of the existing trail system and rope off user trails in the fragile riparian and alpine habitat at Blue Lake, one of the most popular hiking destinations in the North Cascades. Meet at the Blue Lake Trailhead on Highway 20 near milepost 162 at 9 a.m.; work will continue until about 1 p.m. Register at www.nff.wildapricot.org/event-2003042. Call 996-4057 for more information.
Free day in state parks
Aug. 25 is a free day in Washington state parks in honor of the 99th birthday of the National Park Service. Day-use visitors will not need a Discover Pass. The Discover Pass will still be required to access lands managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural resources.
State Wildlife Plan
State wildlife managers are seeking public comments on updates to the State Wildlife Action Plan, which identifies 268 fish and wildlife species with the greatest conservation needs in Washington state. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife invites comments through Sept. 11 on the plan, which also describes the key risks to those species and conservation measures designed to ensure their long-term survival. The draft plan is available on the department’s website at wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/cwcs/, along with instructions for submitting comments.