Local Conservation club to hold monthly meeting
The Coastal Conservation Association of Southwest Washington will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Camas Meadows Golf Club, 4105 Camas Meadows Drive.
The public is welcome to attend.
WDFW Commission to take public input on hatchery reform, salmon management policies
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will take public input on various topics — including hatchery reform, salmon management in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, and several land transactions during an upcoming meeting in Olympia.
The commission, will meet Friday and Saturday in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. both days.
A full agenda is available online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings.html.
WDFW staff will provide an update on a review of the state’s hatchery and fishery reform policy, which is intended to improve hatchery effectiveness, ensure compatibility between hatchery production and salmon recovery plans, and support sustainable fisheries. Staff will discuss the process they will use to review the policy and the science behind it.
The public will have the opportunity to comment during the Friday meeting.
WDFW fish managers will also provide an update on the progress of the Willapa Bay Salmon Management Policy comprehensive review. That policy, approved by the commission in 2015, prioritizes recreational chinook fisheries in Willapa Bay while focusing commercial fishery opportunities on coho and chum salmon.
WDFW staff will seek guidance from the commission on priorities for the 2019-20 season.
Also at the meeting, state fishery managers will provide an overview of last year’s salmon fisheries in Grays Harbor, including an assessment of harvest levels and conformance with conservation objectives.
After staff presentations, the commission will take public input on both the Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor policies.
In other business, commissioners will consider three transactions, including the acquisition of 1,100 acres to protect waterfowl habitat in Grays Harbor County, an 80-acre conservation easement to protect Mazama pocket gopher habitat in Thurston County, and an easement to Ferry County for wellhead protection.
Additionally, the commission is scheduled to take action on proposed wildlife-rehabilitation rules and will hear a briefing on the Lower Columbia River sturgeon population and proposed 2019 fisheries.
ODFW eliminates bag limit on hatchery trout at Faraday Lake
Fishermen can keep all the hatchery trout they can catch at Faraday Lake under a new temporary fishing rule that took effect beginning Feb. 1 and continues through March 31.
Faraday Lake is a 25-acre reservoir created by an impoundment of the Clackamas River approximately two miles south of Estacada on Hwy. 224.
PGE, which owns the facility, plans to close the lake to public access from March 15 through the fall of 2020 so the company can make upgrades to its Faraday powerhouse. ODFW will suspend trout stocking at the lake during the construction period but wants people to get out and catch the many fish that are already there.
“This is a good opportunity to get out and put a nice stringer in your creel,” said Ben Walczak, ODFW district fish biologist. “We want people to get out and catch these fish so they don’t go to waste.”
For more information, visit ODFW online.
WDFW invites public comments on nine land conservation projects
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is inviting public comments on nine land conservation projects for potential funding that would protect fish, wildlife, and public access to the great outdoors.
Conservation projects proposed by the department range from protecting a saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca to shrubsteppe habitat for sharp-tail grouse and public recreation in Okanogan County. Descriptions of all nine proposed projects are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/acquisitions/.
The department will accept written comments through Monday, Feb. 25.
The department currently owns or manages approximately 1 million acres in 33 wildlife areas and more than 600 public water access sites. Those properties provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as fishing, hunting and other outdoor experiences for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians every year.
