USFS issues redds warning for Middle Fork
STANLEY, Idaho — U.S. Forest Service officials are asking boaters on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River to steer clear of chinook salmon spawning redds as they navigate the 100-mile-long National Wild and Scenic River in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.
The chinook spawning season on the Middle Fork occurs for about a month, starting Aug. 15. Officials from the agency have marked key salmon spawning habitat so boaters know which areas to avoid.
The Middle Fork Outfitters Association has recruited volunteers to work at the Boundary Creek and Indian Creek launch sites to inform and educate outfitted and private float groups about the importance of steering around the spawning grounds as they float the river.
Chinook season opens Saturday on parts of Snake
Portions of the Snake River will open to fall chinook fishing in Idaho and Washington Saturday.
The daily bag limit in Idaho and Washington will be six hatchery chinook.
Washington licensed anglers must cease fishing for salmon and steelhead once their adult daily limit for either steelhead or salmon has been reached.
The season in Washington is open from the river’s mouth to the Oregon state line in Hells Canyon.
Idaho’s season will be open from the Idaho-Washington State line to Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River as well as a short section on the Clearwater and Salmon rivers.
Fisheries managers are expecting a return of more than 18,000 adult fish, including about 12,000 hatchery fish and more than 6,100 wild fish to return to the Snake River and its tributaries this fall.
Women invited to fly fishing clinic
Members of the Kelly Creek Flycasters and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are co-sponsoring a fly fishing clinic for women.
The clinic includes three classroom sessions at the Fish and Game regional office on 16th Street in Lewiston, two casting lessons at the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds and a weekend fishing trip on the North Fork Clearwater River. The classroom and casting sessions will be held Aug. 29 and Sept. 5. The fishing trip will be held Sept. 7 to 9.
The clinic is designed for beginning and novice fly fishing adults. Young women ages 14-17 are welcome to attend as long as they are accompanied by a participating adult. The clinic will cover all aspects of fly fishing, including gear, stream entomology, fish habitat and fly casting skills. Cost is $75 per person, to be paid in advance. More information is available by visiting kellycreekflycasters.org or by contacting club member Peg Kingery at pkingery@alumni.uidaho.edu.
Trail maintenance talk is Aug. 25
SPALDING — In honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System and Nez Perce National Historical Park, Sandra Broncheau-McFarland will give an hour-long presentation focused on strengthening trails and best practices in trail and land management and resource conservation at the park’s Spalding Visitor Center Aug 25. The program starts at 10 a.m. in the park’s auditorium.
Broncheau-McFarland is the administrator of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) National Historic Trail for the U.S. Forest Service. She started her 28-year career as an archaeologist and moved on to work as an interpretive specialist and tribal liaison officer before serving as the trail administrator. She also worked for Nez Perce National Historical Park as an archaeologist at Big Hole National Battlefield.
The visitor center is 12 miles east of Lewiston at 39063 U.S. Highway 95.
Elk herd draft plan open to public comment
OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting public comments through Sept. 15 on a draft plan for future management of the Blue Mountains elk herd in southeastern Washington.
The draft plan for the herd is posted on the department’s website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02010/.
State wildlife managers will also accept comments on the draft plan at two public meetings at the end of August. Those meetings are set for:
- 6-8 p.m. Aug. 29: CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, Room 109.
- 6-8 p.m. Aug. 30: Dayton Memorial Library, 111 S. Third St., Dayton, Wash., Delany Room.
Written comments can be submitted online to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BlueMtns or mailed to Blue Mountains Elk Herd Plan, Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2315 North Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, WA 99216-1566.
Department wildlife biologist Paul Wik said the herd has experienced significant habitat changes and has a history of conflict on agricultural lands. The herd numbers between 4,250 and 4,700. It has been declining for the last two years and is below the department’s objective of 5,500 elk.
“Conditions have changed since the last herd management plan was adopted 2001, requiring an update in our management priorities and direction,” he said.
The new draft plan includes several strategies to address those and other management issues.
Key goals of the proposed plan include:
- Reducing elk/human conflicts, including minimizing elk damage on private property;
- Offering sustainable hunting opportunities, including general season and permit hunts and
- Coordinating and cooperating with the Nez Perce Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation on herd management.
The department will consider comments received online and during the public meetings in drafting the final version of the plan.
Parking lot work to close Little Goose Landing
STARBUCK, Wash. — Little Goose Landing, located about 2 miles east of Little Goose Lock and Dam on the south shoreline of the lower Snake River near here, will be temporarily closed starting Monday until Aug. 26, to accommodate asphalt maintenance work.
Workers from the Army Corps of Engineers will repair cracks in the parking lot and access road and apply a seal coat.
Visitors seeking boat-launching facilities or camping sites are encouraged to consider several other nearby locations on Lake Bryan.
