10-12 What’s Happening

‘Fall Colors Fest’ ?set for Oct. 23

The Cowiche Canyon Conservancy is dedicating its Snow Mountain Ranch trails and launching its new docent program — docents being trained volunteers ready to assist and educate visitors — a week from this Saturday with its inaugural “Fall Colors Fest” at the Conservancy-owned Snow Mountain Ranch site.

The Oct. 23 event will feature a slew of guided hikes, six of them — two easy hikes, two medium and two moderately difficult (and lengthy) hikes — going off at 10 a.m. and four more (two easy and two moderate hikes) beginning at 1 p.m.

The day will begin with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony to reopen Snow Mountain Ranch, heavily burned during the mid-July Cowiche Mill Road Fire, has begun to “green up” following recent rains, Conservancy executive director Betsy Bloomfield said. The Conservancy board members and docents leading the hikes will share their knowledge of the area’s natural landmarks and cultural history as well as fire’s place in the landscape.

The difficult hikes will feature the Cowiche Mountain Loop Trail and the Bench Loop Trail, each one going to the top of Cowiche Mountain.

The event is free. To reach Snow Mountain Ranch, head west on Summitview Avenue about 11 miles from Yakima to Cowiche Mill Road, then turn left and drive 21/2 miles to the fenced parking lot marked with Cowiche Canyon Conservancy signs. There will be a check-in/sign-up table at the lot.

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Canyon Scenic Byway fundraiser coming up

A fundraising dinner for the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, at Canyon River Ranch Lodge in the heart of the canyon, roughly halfway between Selah and Ellensburg.

Although admission to the event is free, preregistration by this Friday (Oct. 15) is necessary so organizers can order food, and can be done online (www.cascadeland.org/events/YakimaScenicByway). And, obviously, it being a fund-raising event, those organizers will make an engaging pitch as to what the Byway will bring to tourism and industry along and near the canyon corridor — and why you might want to consider donating to the cause.

The Byway project is a cooperative effort of the Cascade Land Conservancy, the Kittitas Environmental Education Network, the Yakima Greenway Foundation and a slew of local, state, county and community groups.

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BIRD ALERT

In what may be a Yakima County first, a Ross’ goose was found this week hanging out with the Canada geese at Randall Park.

The Ross’ goose resembles a snow goose but is smaller, roughly the size of a mallard. While the possible origin of the bird is being debated — whether it is a wild bird or an escapee — most birders are just excited by the opportunity to see this diminutive little goose up close and personal.

Late-season reports this week included a turkey vulture riding the thermals above the Yakima River Canyon and a lone common nighthawk flying across the Selah ponds. One observer noted large numbers of barn swallows over a large field along Marion Drain.

And in the realm of interesting sightings come the following reports: eight purple finches in the ash trees and the nearby willows at the junction of Marion Drain Road and Lateral A; a western screech owl serenading a family near Tampico; and, at Fort Simcoe, at least six western scrub jays, several white-breasted nuthatches, western bluebirds and only one sighting of the elusive acorn woodpecker. The black bear population at the fort has jumped to at least seven bears, including two sows with cubs.

Please call your bird sightings into the Yakima Valley Audubon phone line at 509-248-1963.

— Kerry L. Turley

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AROUND AND ABOUT

NIGHT FISHING: Night fishing for salmon is now legal between Priest Rapids Dam and Rock Island Dam, the only steelhead fishery place where the night closure will not be in effect during the Upper Columbia River steelhead fishery. The Columbia from Priest Rapids upriver to the Chief Joseph Dam, including the Wenatchee, Entiat and Methow rivers, opened Sept. 8 and the Similkameen will open Nov. 1. Wild steelhead must be immediately released, while the rules call for mandatory retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead with a daily limit of four (20-inch minimum).

WINTER HOURS: The Cle Elum Ranger Station goes to winter office hours as of today, meaning the office (open at 7:45 a.m., closed at 4:30 p.m.) will be closed every mid-day from 12:30 to 1:15. It is also closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

ROAD CLOSURE: Logging operations in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will result in weekday closures ?(6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) of Forest Road 5270, which accesses the upper Tatoosh Trailhead, beginning Oct. 25. The logging operations are expected to be completed in two to four weeks, meaning the closures could impact hunters during the last week of the general modern-rifle deer season and during modern-rifle elk season.

ENTIAT BURNING: The Entiat Ranger District will soon conduct a series of fall prescribed burns totaling up to 1,000 acres, including 300 in the Moe Canyon area southwest of Ardenvoir in the Entiat River Valley and 400 in the Preston Creek area further up the canyon.

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ON THE CALENDAR

TODAY: The Cascadians’ “Tuesdays” plan a tough little uphill sweat-producer, a 101/2-mile hike to Ingalls Lake that will entail some 3,200 feet of elevation gain. The group meets at 8 a.m. at the 40th Avenue ?Bi-Mart parking lot and carpools from there. Bring lunch and lots of water; you’ll need it.

THURSDAY: The Cascadians’ Pokies group will head out on a “Zillah walk/apple harvest adventure.” For meeting time and place, call Irene Hlousek ?at 509-829-5687.

SATURDAY: The Cascadians will host a trek to Valhalla Lake, a 12-mile hike with 1,500 feet of elevation gain. For meeting time and place, call trip leaders Mike or Sue at 509-972-2615.