8/10 What’s Happening

Fires still impacting backcountry trails

A slew of backcountry fires throughout the Cascades have limited or cut off user access to numerous trail systems in recent weeks.

One of two recent lightning-caused wildland fires in the William O. Douglas Wilderness — the 100-acre Boulder Creek Fire northeast of Bumping Lake — has prompted closures of several trails — American Ridge (trail No. 958), Goose Prairie (972), Kettle Creek (957) and Bumping Lake (971).

The district’s other wildland blaze, the 20-acre

Wildcat Fire on the backside of Russell Ridge above Rimrock Lake, hasn’t impacted any trail systems and was effectively controlled by Monday.

To the north in Chelan County, officials battling the 2,065-acre Wenatchee River Fire Complex called the blaze 100 percent contained as of last Wednesday, and the 9712 road leading to the Devil’s Gulch area — which had been closed to non-fire personnel during the fire — is once again open to recreationists.

West of Wenatchee, though, all of the road closures associated with the Swakane Fire (a 19,291-acre blaze which began July 10) remain in force, including Burch Mountain Road from the end of the pavement; Swakane Road from Highway 97A to Nahahum Saddle; Mills Canyon at Old Camp Road (out of the Entiat Valley); and at the Mills/Dinkelman Junction below the Entiat Ridge and Summit Road.

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Stehekin bus tours resume after fire

The Rainbow Bridge Fire, 21?2 miles up the Stehekin Valley from the west end of Lake Chelan, has pretty much kept recreationists from taking the Lady of the Lake boat run to Stehekin, which serves as the eastern gateway into the North Cascades National Park.

The 3,710-acre fire has closed the entire Rainbow Loop, Boulder Creek and Rainbow Creek trails, as well as the Rainbow Lake Trail from its junction with the Rainbow Creek Trail to Rainbow Meadows; Summit Trail from Lake Juanita to the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area boundary; and the Purple Creek Trail . Campgrounds in those trail systems are also closed.

But as it turns out that despite those trail-circuit closures, it’s pretty much business as usual in Stehekin itself. The fire has moved uphill, away from the valley floor, and all of Stehekin Valley’s businesses are open. The popular Rainbow Falls bus tours have resumed, and the Stehekin Valley Ranch — the largest lodging destination for Stehekin visitors — has remained untouched by the fire and, remarkably, mostly smoke-free.

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Trail watch group cleans up Ahtanum

Two weeks ago some 40 volunteers associated with the All Wheelers Off Road Club and the Yakima/Kittitas ORV Trail Watch Association turned out to help clean up the Ahtanum State Forest, a popular trail-use destination managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

In addition to the All Wheelers, other groups represented included the Jeeping Nomads, Insanity Fab, Outlaws and Ridgerunners.

ORV Trail Watch is a non-profit organization that, in addition to organizing clean-up and trail-maintenance work parties, is focused on educating public-land users on proper trail stewardship and reporting violators to authorities. For more information, check out the group’s website at orvtw.org.

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Cowiche Canyon looking for docents

The Cowiche Canyon Conservancy wants to be able to provide its visitors something often associated with larger, well-established tourist/recreation destinations — docents, those well-informed and helpful volunteers who can enhance the visitors’ experience.

The Conservancy is putting out a call for prospective docents who can lead interpretive walks, guided hikes or bike rides; answer questions at trailheads; provide community outreach at events; and help teachers on school field trips.

Prospective docents, who must be 18 or older and would need to be (or become) Conservancy members, should plan on attending one of two orientations — noon on Aug. 31, or 7 p.m. Sept. 2, at the Allied Arts Conference Room (5000 W. Lincoln Ave.). To RSVP, call 509-248-5065.

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Bird Alert

Some of the popular birding places around the country are spots where most people wouldn’t think to look for birds.  Sewage treatment plants are great places to see shorebirds and waterfowl. Some of them are set up to encourage birders to visit.

One of the top birding spots near Austin, Texas, is the Hornsby Bend Treatment Plant, which has several covered observation platforms and trails through the woods on the grounds. Someone 10 years ago or so wrote a book on birding the sewage treatment plants in Washington.

The Grandview Sewage Treatment Plant is one of the best places in Yakima County to see shorebirds during spring and fall migration. A recent visit there found seven species of shorebirds, including one solitary sandpiper and five red-necked Phalaropes.

The settling pond at Costco has been drained down, which has produced muddy areas for shorebirds to rest and feed. One Baird’s sandpiper, two Least sandpipers and 10 Killdeer were there on Aug. 4.  A few days earlier 35 Killdeer were feasting there.

The newest discovery for urban birding is the settling pond just south of Walgreens at West Nob Hill Boulevard and South 64th Avenue. The muddy areas on Saturday had a few shorebirds including one semipalmated sandpiper and two Least sandpipers, plus a California gull.

A birder who lives on Konnowac Pass is enjoying the start of fall migration. The edges of the pond has two Least sandpipers and one solitary sandpiper. The trees around the house had one red-breasted nuthatch, one olive-sided flycatcher, three black-headed grosbeaks, two orange-crowned warblers and four Bullock’s orioles.

The trees and bushes around a house on West Parker Heights Road are full of birds. The list includes one red-breasted nuthatch, one house wren, 10 cedar waxwings, two orange-crowned warblers, two Wilson’s warblers, four black-headed grosbeak, and two Bullock’s orioles.

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

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AROUND AND ABOUT

• The Mailbox Peak Road and access to the Mailbox Peak Trail, on state DNR land near North Bend, closed Monday and will stay that way on weekdays only through Aug. 21 to repair storm damage.The area will be only on weekdays.

• The state parks commission will hold a public dedication of the Confluence Project’s “Story Circles” art installation Aug. 27 at Sacajawea State Park, off Highway 12 east of Pasco. Festivities will include original poetry readings, music, and various speakers, including the installation’s artist and architect, Maya Lin.

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ON THE CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY: The Yakima Valley Audubon will host a trip to Wenas Lake to view shorebirds. Participants should meet trip leader Andy at 5 p.m. at the 40th Avenue Bi-Mart parking lot.

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

THURSDAY: The Cascadians’ Pokies will head to Mount Rainier National Park for a hike on the East Side Trail, north from the Grove of the Patriarchs. For meeting time and place, call Jeanette Werkhoven at 509-901-0678. Just a note, in case you’re curious: Many of the Cascadians’ other normal weekly hikes are suspended for this week because of a large backpacking trip that involves many of the usual hike leaders.

MONDAY: The Mount Adams Cycling Club’s newest ride, a 23- to 30-miler, will take off at 5:45 p.m. from YAC Fitness (formerly Gold’s Gym) in Terrace Heights. Expect a pace in the 13- to 16-mph range.