The Columbia River ecosystem and its primitive inhabitant, the sturgeon, will be honored here Saturday, Sept. 15, at the 22nd Annual Sturgeon Festival.
The free, one-day festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way in Vancouver. The festival is hosted by the City of Vancouver in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
While sturgeon have top billing, the popular festival features a variety of entertaining and educational activities for all ages. Special events include a live reptile show, two live bird shows, Eartha the Ecological Clown, and from 3-4 p.m. a group walk to the Columbia River.
WDFW will also dissect several species of fish to give festivalgoers an understanding of the sturgeon’s unique anatomy. For a schedule of events, see the City of Vancouver website.
Prevalent in the Columbia River, the sturgeon is a primitive fish that has not changed substantially since it emerged millions of years ago. Sturgeon are a long-lived species, reaching five to six feet in length by the age of maturity. A few sturgeon in the Columbia River have been verified to be over 80 years old.
Vancouver Wildlife League meets Sept. 5
The Vancouver Wildlife League will hold its monthly meeting on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. at the WDFW Region 5 Office in Ridgefield. The public is invited to attend.
Members can bring old fishing gear to be refurbished and donated to kids that want to learn to fish. There will be a raffle held for two kokanee trolling rods, and Chris White will talk about the upcoming pheasant releases for the western Washington pheasant release program.
Hunting Prospects available for upcoming seasons
September marks the start of hunting seasons for deer, elk, waterfowl, and upland game birds in many areas of the state. To help hunters have a successful hunting season, The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released its annual Hunting Prospects, which provide guidance and hunting information for each district.
The Hunting Prospects can be found on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/prospects/.
WDFW has also launched a hunting regulations web map, which allows hunters to find permit and general season hunts based on location, date, weapon choice, and more.
Although some game populations are still recovering from the harsh winter of 2016-17, recent surveys indicate 2018 should be another good year of hunting.
