7/27 What’s Happening

East Valley grad earns NRA award

Michael Schmits, a recent graduate of East Valley High School, has earned the Distinguished Expect Award, the National Rifle Association’s highest qualification for .22-caliber smallbore rifle marksmanship.

Schmits, a longtime member of the Tieton Junior Rifle Club, shot consistently high qualifying scores in four positions — prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. He has joined the Army and leaves for duty next month.

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Deadline for deer-hunt drawing set for Aug. 18

Hunters have until Aug. 18 to apply to apply for a limited entry deer hunt in the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area in Northeastern Okanogan County.

Eighteen applicants will be chosen during a random drawing on Aug. 19 and receive access permits to the Charles and Mary Eder Unit near Oroville.

For more information, call 360-902-2515 or visit the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and click on “outdoor links.”

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Spade Creek Bridge closed to stock animals

Due to unsafe conditions, the Spade Creek Bridge on the Pacific Crest Trail has been closed to use by stock animals.

Hikers can still safely cross the bridge, located a quarter-mile northwest of Waptus Lake.

A detour is available. For more information, contact the Cle Elum Ranger District at 509-852-1100.

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Meetings will focus on fish elimination

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s plan to eliminate undesirable fish from several Eastern Washington lakes and streams will be discussed at three meetings this week.

The waters proposed for treatment, and the fish species that would be targeted, are: Beda Lake (sunfish and bass), Harris, Sedge, Tern, and Dune lakes (sunfish and bass), Heart, June, North-North Windmill, North Windmill, Windmill, Canal, and Pit lakes (sunfish, yellow perch, bass, and carp), North Teal, South Teal, Herman, and Lyle lakes (sunfish, yellow perch, bass, and carp), Upper Caliche, Lower Caliche, and West Caliche lakes and drainage (sunfish, yellow perch, and carp), Martha Lake (sunfish, yellow perch, and bass) and Cee Cee Ah Creek (brook trout).

The meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. today at the Kalispel Camas Wellness Center in Usk, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the WDFW Region 2 office in Ephrata and at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Natural Resources Building in Olympia.

For more information, visit the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and click on “outdoor links.”

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Woodcutting limits apply in state forest

Fire dangers has led the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest to institute woodcutting restrictions in parts of Yakima, Kittitas and Chelan counties.

Under the current restrictions, loggers must shut down chainsaws and other equipment by 1 p.m. and maintain a fire watch for one hour following shut down.

Personal-use woodcutting permit holders should check with their local ranger station for the current restrictions in the area.

Industrial Fire Protection Level maps are available by visiting the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and clicking on “outdoor links.”

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BLM institutes fire closure in Spokane area

The Bureau of Land Management has instituted a regulated fire closure on lands administered by the Spokane district.

Counties effected by the closure are: Yakima, Kittitas, Klickitat, Benton, Grant, Chelan, Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman.

Activities prohibited during the fire closure are:

• Operating motorized vehicles off developed roadways.

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire — including charcoal briquette fires. Liquefied and bottled gas stoves are permitted only in areas of at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

Fires within BLM-provided steel rings in improved campgrounds are allowed in only the Yakima River Canyon, Coffeepot, Liberty, Copaka, Washburn, Pacific Lake and Twin Lakes sites.

• Smoking while traveling in timber, brush or grass areas, except in vehicles, boats on rivers or lakes, and cleared areas at least three feet in diameter.

For more information, call 509-536-1200 or visit the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and click on “outdoor links.”

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Mount Rainier to host Keep Wildlife Wild

Mount Rainier will host its second Keep Wildlife Wild Day on Saturday in the Paradise area.

Interpretive rangers and biologists will present talks on native wildlife throughout the day.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, visit the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and click on “outdoor links.”

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State parks seek safety board members

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking nominations to its Boating Safety Advisory Council.

The commission is looking for people to represent boating interests in the areas of safety education and fishing.

The deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 19.

For more information, call 360-902-8847 or visit the outdoors section of sportsyakima.com and click on “outdoor links.”

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BIRD ALERT

Fall hummingbird migration has already started. Five immature and one handsome male Black-chinned Hummingbirds have been visiting feeders at a house on the south side of the Yakima airport for the past few days. Several immature Rufous hummingbirds have been chasing each other around a yard southwest of the airport. A Calliope hummingbird visited a yard in Terrace Heights last week.

Years ago it was thought that hummingbirds migrated south on the backs of Canada geese. Surely a bird as small as a hummingbird couldn’t migrate south under its own power. They do, though, of course. One benefit for them migrating in July and August is that there are lots of flowers in bloom along their migration route.

The hummingbirds that nest in our area are heading for their winter territories in northern Mexico and south through Central America.  A small number of Rufous hummingbirds spend the winter on the Gulf Coast.

During the heat of the summer, it is important to clean your hummingbird feeders every three or four days.  The summer heat can cause mold in the sugar water, which is hazardous to the hummingbirds. Clean the feeders in hot water with a little bleach. Rinse them well to remove all of the bleach.

People sitting on deck at their house near Tampico watching the Cowiche fire on July 18 were surprised to see a flock of 15 gulls flying west over their house. These were quite likely California gulls, which migrate over the mountains to spend the winter on the coast.

Three common nighthawks were seen flitting along I-82 near milepost 13 Saturday morning. Nighthawks have been rather scarce in the Yakima area this summer.

A birder visiting the east end of Cowiche Canyon on Sunday morning was surprised to find three male lazuli buntings still singing. Most birds have quit singing by this time of the summer. Several yellow-breasted chats and canyon wrens responded to their song being played on an iPod.

Many birders carry iPods loaded with all of the North American bird songs. The iPods are hooked up to small, battery-powered speakers. When a bird song is played, that species may pop up to the top of a bush to give the birder a good view.

Please call your bird sightings in to the Yakima Valley Audubon phone line at 509-248-1963.
— Denny Granstrand

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On the Calendar

Today: The Cascadians’ Tuesday hikers group will be doing the Goat Lake Loop, a 13-mile hike with 1,900 feet of elevation gain. For more information, call Greg Wallace at 509-453-2374.

WEDNESDAY: The Mount Adams Cycling Club’s weekly 24-mile Naches Loop ride will begin at 6 p.m. at the Fred Meyer/Key Bank parking lot. For more on the club and its ride schedule, go to www.mountadamscycling.org.

THURSDAY: The Cascadians Pokies are planning a Thursday hike from Sunrise at Mount Rainier National Park to Burroughs and/or Emmons Vista, depending on the amount of snow in the areas. For more information call Marion Mann at 509-452-4263.

SATURDAY: The Cascadians’ Saturday hikes group will head to Norse Creek, an 81/2-mile hike with 2,900 feet of elevation gain. For more information, including meeting time and place, call Kim Hull at 509-452-0756.

MONDAY: Mount Adams Cycling Club members and guests will take off at 5:45 p.m. from Yak Fitness (formerly Gold’s Gym, on Keys Road in Terrace Heights) for the first outing on the club’s newest weekly ride.

Unlike the Wednesday Naches Loop rides, the Monday routes will vary, typically either a flat, Moxee-area loop ride of 20 to 25 miles or a more rigorous Konnowac Pass loop of about 30 miles. Pace will be 14 to 16 mph. Guests are welcome, but will need to sign a liability waiver.