Long Beach to be open for razor clam digging
LONG BEACH — Razor clam digging will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday on the Long Beach peninsula.
Three beaches — Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch — will be open all three days. Mocrocks will be open Saturday and Sunday, while Copalis will be open Saturday only.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gave the final approval for the digs on Friday after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat.
Low tides are -1.2 feet at 7:36 a.m. on Saturday, -1.5 feet at 8:23 a.m. on Sunday and -1.5 feet at 9:11 a.m. on Monday.
All diggers age 15 or older must have a license to harvest razor clams. A new 2012-13 license is required.
Dan Ayres, state coastal shellfish manager, urged diggers to get a new license before heading to the beach.
“It can be very frustrating to be stuck in line waiting to buy a license at low tide,” he said.
Washington’s licensing cycle is April through March.
An annual razor clam license for state residents is $11 and $18.70 for non-residents. A three-day license costs $6.60.
Diggers can take 15 razor clams per day. They must keep the first 15 clams dug and each diggers clams must be in a separate container.
Mount Hood Meadows announces schedule for rest of season
Mount Hood Meadows is scheduled to operate daily through April 29 and then on weekends into May, the resort announced.
The current plan is to be open the first three weekends in May, depending on weather, snow conditions and skier use. That makes May 20 the tentative closing date.
Night skiing is done for the season and the cross-country season also is over.
The resort will offer spring nordic skiing on a special track at the base area for six days in June in conjunction with nordic skate skiing clinics for juniors and masters.
The dates are June 1-3 and 8-10.
Mount Hood Meadows has received 503 inches of snow since tallying started in November. The seasonal average is 430 inches.
Oregon Wildlife program to discuss Pacific lamprey
PORTLAND — A free program about Pacific lamprey will begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ecotrust Building, 721 N.W. Ninth Ave., Portland.
Ben Clemens of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will present the program to Oregon Wildlife in the Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center of the building.
Registration is required at the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation website. The address is www.owhf.org/discoveringwildlife.
For more information, call 503-255-6059.
Hunting regulations to be set April 13-14 in Olympia
OLYMPIA — Hunting regulations for the 2012-14 seasons will be adopted when the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meets here April 13-14.
The panel will convene at 8:30 a.m. both days in room No. 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E. Hunting seasons are on the agenda for April 14.
The proposed hunting rules are available online at http://bit.ly/qZ6EMZ. Among the items are adding a day to the western Washington elk season and allowing waterfowl hunters to use electronic decoys.
The commission also will consider a request by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to buy 1,144 acres along Asotin Creek in Asotin County and 49 acres on the Methow River in Okanogan County for fish and wildlife habitat.
