Tickets are still available for the Southwest Washington chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association’s 12th annual fund raising banquet to be held on Friday, May 10. It will be held at the Clark County Event Center.
An annual CCA membership is included in the ticket price. There will be auctions, raffles, and games. Items to be auctioned include a stay at a Mexican villa, a private crawfish boil, artwork, fishing gear, fishing trips, a bear hunt in Idaho, and more.
The money raised will be used to protect marine resources in Washington.
The event starts at 5 pm. Tickets are $75 per person or $140 for couples. For tickets or more information, call 360-694-4300 or go online to www.ccawashington.org/swwa.
Volunteers sought by Cape Horn Conservancy
The Cape Horn Conservancy is preparing for another season of work to maintain the popular hiking trail. They are looking for volunteers to man the work crews for the work dates scheduled for summer 2019.
The available dates are: Saturday, May 18; Saturday, June 15; Friday, June 28; Saturday, July 13.
The work parties will be clearing debris to help drainage, reconstructing trail tread, and brushing back foliage. Prospective volunteers should go to the Conservancy website volunteer section and fill out a volunteer form. A work party leader will then get in contact with you.
The conservancy will provide tools and hardhats, and volunteers should dress with long pants, long-sleeved shirts, work boots, and bring work gloves. They should also bring a lunch and water. The work days generally start at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.
For more information, contact Barb Seaman, President, Cape Horn Conservancy, 360-607-2058.
2019 pikeminnow bounty program begins
The 2019 pikeminnow bounty program began on May 1 in the Snake and Columbia rivers. The program offers a cash reward for registered anglers catching and turning in pikeminnow over 9 inches in length.
Anglers can earn from five to eight dollars a fish, with pay increasing as the anglers catch more fish.
The program is designed to reduce the numbers of large pikeminnow, which prey on out-migrating salmon and steelhead smolts. The program will run through Sept. 30.
The largest recipient of pikeminnow bounties last year made $71,000. The states have also specially tagged 1,000 pikeminnow, and they are worth $500 apiece.
The program was started in 1990 and has been credited with reducing pikeminnow predation on salmon and steelhead by 40 percent. Anglers have removed over 5 million pikeminnow over the course of the program.
While the program is designed to reduce the population, these fish are native to the Northwest, so the goal is not to wipe them out. The idea is to reduce the numbers of larger, smolt-chomping pikeminnows.
The fishery website has details on how to register for the program and applicable state fishing regulations. Anglers will also find resources on the site to help boost their fishing game, including maps, how-to videos and free fishing clinics.
For more information about the 2019 Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery visit http://www.pikeminnow.org/ or call 800-858-9015.
The program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife.
