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March 28, 2024

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Out and About: Vancouver Wildlife League meeting set

By Columbian news services
Published: December 27, 2017, 10:55pm

The Vancouver Wildlife League will hold its monthly meeting on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. at the new Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Region 5 office in Ridgefield. The guest speaker will be Mike Hyneman, the President of Konezone.com. Mike will be offering tips for spring chinook.

The wildlife league has teamed up with Rods and Reels for Kids. The group’s mission is to refurbish old rods and reels to provide for kids of all ages that want to fish. Simply bring any usable rods and reels and they will clean and prep them and distribute them to local kids. Or, call them at 360-907-7161

Pikeminnow anglers dent population

Approximately 1,100 people removed 191,483 of the salmon-eating predators from the Snake and Columbia Rivers in 2017 and were paid nearly $1,542,000 for their efforts. The program, funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

“The program’s goal is to reduce the number of pikeminnow that prey heavily on juvenile salmon,” said Makary Hutson, BPA project manager. “Annual harvest rate estimates, which are calculated using data from tagged fish caught by anglers, indicate the 2017 season met our program targets, which directly benefits juvenile salmon making their way to the ocean.”

This year the top 20 fishermen registered with the Sport Reward Program earned an average of nearly $30,000 each. The top angler earned nearly $84,000, reeling in more than 10,000 fish over the five-month season.

The 2018 season is scheduled for May 1 through Sept. 30, 2018. For more information about the program call 800-858-9015 or visit www.pikeminnow.org.

Whale Watch week

Whale watch week is December 27 through 31 along the Oregon coast. Trained volunteers will be on hand at spots along the Oregon coast to help people see and learn about gray whales as they head south for the winter. Find out more at Whale Watching Spoken Here.

Growing elk herd causes concern

Viewed at a distance, the thousands of elk that form the Colockum herd are as majestic a sight as you’ll find in the rugged hills of eastern Kittitas County.

But they also pose a potentially fatal danger to drivers speeding past on Interstate 90 and are an economic detriment to hay growers.

The Colockum herd, which roams among Wenatchee, Ellensburg and the Columbia River, numbers 6,500. In winter the herd comes down from higher elevations looking for places to graze.

Sometimes the herd’s quest for food takes the animals to the freeway between Ryegrass and Vantage and they wind up on the roadway.

In winter 2016, about 60 elk were killed when they were struck by vehicles.

A bull elk weighs about 700 pounds and stands nearly 5 feet tall at the shoulder. That’s large enough to cause serious damage to a car.

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