Posts Tagged ‘fishing’

Gifts for Outdoor Enthusiasts Offer Months of Enjoyment (Washington)

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

December 8, 2009
Contact: WDFW Licensing, (360) 902-2464

Olympia, WA – Gift shopping for a fish or wildlife enthusiast? The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) offers a variety of items for outdoor buffs on any gift list.

Shoppers can purchase recreational licenses and permits online, by telephone or at independent license vendors statewide. Applications for wildlife-themed license plates also are available online.

An annual resident adult freshwater fishing license is $26; a saltwater fishing license is $24.20; a shellfish/seaweed license is $14; and a combination fishing license is $48.20.

Resident hunting licenses vary with package options, ranging from a small-game license at $38 to a deer/elk/cougar/bear combination license for $81.20. Transaction and dealer fees are included in the price.

Fishing and hunting license fees include vehicle-use permits for access to 800,000 acres of wildlife lands in 32 wildlife areas and more than 600 water-access sites throughout Washington. Vehicle-use permits for access to these areas also can be purchased separately from recreational licenses for $14.

All annual licenses and permits are valid from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

WDFW licenses and permits can be purchased on a secure Internet site at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ , or by calling 1-866-246-9453. Recreational licenses and permits also can be bought at hundreds of license vendors throughout the state. Vendor locations are listed at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm . Shoppers will need the license holder’s WILD identification number, name and date of birth to purchase a fishing or hunting license.

Applications for wildlife-related license plate backgrounds or personalized plates for motor vehicles also are on-line at http://wdfw.wa.gov/license_plates/ . License plate background options include images of a bald eagle, killer whale, elk, mule deer or black bear. The wildlife-themed license plates cost $40.

Personalized license plate inscriptions, with a choice of up to seven letters or numbers not already in use, can be purchased for $49.75. A personalized license plate combined with any of Washington’s themed backgrounds is available for $89.75. These prices are in addition to standard vehicle-licensing fees. Proceeds from personalized and wildlife-themed license plates go to endangered-species recovery, habitat restoration and wildlife-management and protection programs.

Other WDFW products for holiday gift-giving include:

• Tickets for WDFW’s quarterly drawings for a lifetime of hunting and fishing privileges. Tickets are $7.05 for state residents and $13.59 for non-residents and are valid for all drawings within 365 days of purchase. For ordering information, see https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/
• Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary information on landscaping, supplemental feeding, nest boxes and other ways of creating year-round habitat for birds and other wildlife. The information packet costs $5. For ordering information, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/backyard/
• WDFW wildlife books-”Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest,” a 392-page guide to living and dealing with a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and “Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest,” a 320-page guide including specialty gardens for butterflies and hummingbirds, ponds and waterways, nest boxes and feeders and more. Each book costs $28 (including tax, postage and handling), and can be ordered at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/books_link.htm .

Visit the WDFW News Release Archive at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/

State DNR to hold public meeting on Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 6, 2009

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on a draft recreation plan for the Reiter Foothills Forest.
Reiter Foothills Forest is a popular recreation area located in eastern Snohomish County near Gold Bar and Index.

When: Wednesday, November 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: The Commons, Monroe High School, 17001 Tester Rd., Monroe

In 2007, the Washington State Legislature recognized the challenges of managing recreational use at Reiter Foothills Forest and funded DNR’s development of a sustainable recreation plan. For the past two years, DNR has worked with a diverse group of stakeholders – including citizens, user groups, representatives from conservation groups, and local officials – to create a recreation plan that identifies long-term recreation uses and addresses problems in the area.

In addition to Reiter Foothills Forest, DNR is also doing sustainable recreation planning for two other forest areas in Washington State: Ahtanum State Forest near Yakima and the western portion of the Yacolt Burn State Forest, north of Washougal.

DNR will release the draft Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan on its web site on Tuesday, November 10. DNR is requesting feedback from the public about the findings and recommendations in this plan. In conjunction with the public review of the plan, DNR is also conducting an official State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process. The public comment period runs from November 10 through December 4.

For more information about the meeting, contact Candace Johnson, 360-854-2803 or candace.johnson@dnr.wa.gov .

The public can provide all written comments about the Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan or the SEPA environmental analysis to:

Washington State Department of Natural Resources
SEPA Center
PO Box 47105
Olympia, WA 98504
sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov

Recreation On DNR-Managed Lands
DNR manages more than 5 million acres of state-owned forest, aquatic, agricultural, conservation and urban lands. Most recreation on these lands takes place in the 2.2 million acres of forests that DNR manages as state trust lands. By law, state trust lands are managed to produce income for schools, universities, prisons, state mental hospitals, community colleges, local services in many counties, and the state’s general fund. State trust lands are also managed to provide fish and wildlife habitat and educational and recreational opportunities.
DNR-managed lands provide 1,100 miles of trails, 143 recreation sites, and a variety of landscapes throughout Washington State. Recreational opportunities include hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, camping, motorized vehicle riding, mountain biking, and boating.

DNR’s main recreation focus is to provide trails, trailhead facilities, and a primitive experience in a natural setting.

Media Contact: Toni Droscher, Recreation Program Communications Manager, 360-902-1523 or toni.droscher@dnr.wa.gov .

Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009

Day Two – Wednesday, July 8, 2009

After a relaxing and leisurely morning in Conconully, Washington, we followed my cousin Frank and his wife Diane on their quad up to the Buck Mountain Lookout.

From the Shady Pines Resort, the Buck Mountain Lookout (48° 26′11N 119° 49′15W) is approximately a 15 mile drive (give or take a few miles) on mostly well maintained gravel road. From the West Fork Salmon Creek Road (County Rd. 2017), the road becomes NF-42 (Okanogan National Forest).

Somewhere in the vicinity of 48° 26′33N 119° 50′17W ( give or take a mile or so – I did not record the location with my GPS) there is a road to the left that leads to a gravel pit (I can’t remember if it’s marked or not – it’s not on the forest service map or my GPS). This road winds through the forest, passes a seasonal pond, then begins to climb and eventually meets up with Buck Mountain Road (that leads to the 6135 foot elevation summit and lookout tower. The last section of the road requires a high clearance vehicle (preferably four wheel drive to prevent causing damage to the loose road surface).

From the summit of Buck Mountain, you have a 360 degree view of the the surrounding countryside. From the forested mountains to the drier lands to the East and South. The lookout tower at the summit (maintained by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources) is a 20 foot tall wooded structure that is used for emergency use only. From the information I could find, the existing tower was built in 1961 and is listed on National Register of Historic places. Unfortunately (but probably a good thing), access to tower is restricted to DNR personnel.

Note: You can also drive to the Buck Mountain Lookout from SR-20. Its about 15 miles West of Okanogan, Washington just before Loup Loup Summit. The Buck Mountain Lookout trip is listed as Tour 30 in the book Washington Byways: Backcountry Drives For The Whole Family available HERE.

On the way back to Conconully, my wife experienced here first ride on a quad (as a passenger). from the smile on her face, I think she had a great time.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We did a little fishing where my daughter caught here first trout – one of the few caught from shore. Since the trout fishing was slow, I played around with an old Mepps spinner I had and caught quite a few small bass.

Note: This is the second installment of a five part series on our family trip to Conconully, Washington in July 2009.

Part 1: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.07.2009
Part 2: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Part 3: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.09.2009
Part 4: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.10.2009
Part 5: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.11.2009

Burley Mountain to Mt St Helens Tour 10.13.07

Each time I venture to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the South Cascades of Washington state, I am simply amazed at the beauty of the country. In this region, not only are you are surrounded by four major peaks of the Cascade Mountains (Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood), there is an extensive variety of terrain ranging from deep valleys and canyons to exposed buttes and cliffs, alpine meadows to old growth forests, and of course, the Mt. St. Helens blast zone. I could easily spend days or even weeks just exploring the region.

With that in mind, I decided to host a Backroad Drivers Northwest tour in the area just south of Randle, Washington. This region is an area which I am fairly familiar with having spent a lot of time hunting, camping and exploring with my father while growing up. The tour would follow one of my favorite routes in the area, Forest Road 77 from the Burley Mountain Lookout along the ridge past Pinto Rock and Mosquito Meadows. From Mosquito Meadows, we would would take FS 99 to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mt. St. Helens and follow FS 26 back to Randle.
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Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining

National Hunting and Fishing Day is an appropriate occasion for considering a legacy of a different kind - an unfortunate legacy that continues to negatively impact American hunting and fishing and that calls the future of our sport into question. More than a century of hard rock mining on America's public lands has left its mark on fish and wildlife populations. The TRCP is working to correct the problem, and we urge sportsmen to join in an effort to reform the 1872 Mining Law.

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Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 – Day One (08.10.07)

Today was going to be a very long day. Not only would I be attempting to reach my destination in Packwood, I would also have to include the drive from my home in the middle of Washington state to the southern border near Oregon to start the tour of the Washington Cascade Mountains. My goal was to complete the drive from the Oregon border to the British Columbia in four days.

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Kapowsin-Ohop Valley Backroads

Anytime I'm traveling through Eatonville, Washington to get back to my home in Edgewood, one of my favorite routes to miss the infamous State Route (SR) 161 traffic through Graham and South Hill is to take the leisurely scenic drive through the Ohop Valley, past Lake Kapowsin and into the Puyallup Valley to Orting.

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