Berry permit sales to start Monday

Commercial huckleberry permits for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be sold beginning Monday.

Commercial permits cost $40 for 14 days or $75 for the season and are required for anyone who picks more than three gallons or sells any huckleberries.

Huckleberry picking for personal use, defined as three gallons per person per season, is free with no permit needed.

The permits are available at the Mount Adams or Cowlitz Valley ranger district offices or the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument headquarters.

Due to the late snow melt and cool weather, huckleberries may be later in ripening in many forecast locations this year.

Commercial huckleberry permits come with camping conditions. Rakes or mechanical devices are not permitted.

Commercial picking is not permitted in legislated wilderness areas, the legislated portion of the Mount St. Helens monument or in a portion of the Sawtooth Berry Fields reserved for the Yakama Indian Nation.