Sides Sign Restoration Plan

The Omak Creek Watershed Plan, which restores more than 40 miles of anadromous fish habitat on the Colville Indian reservation, was signed at a ceremony with tribal leaders and Department of Agriculture officials.

The plan attempts to improve habitat, water quality and range management, as well as reducing sediment build-up.

Omak Creek supports the lone anadromous fish run entirely within the reservation boundaries. Construction of a sawmill and railroad had blocked migration of the fish since the late 1920s.

Kaczynski bought hunting licenses

According to Montana state records, alleged Unabomber Ted Kaczynski bought resident deer licenses in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Kaczynski purchased all three licenses at Garland’s Town and Country Store in Lincoln, Mont. Since Montana law does not require hunters to report if they are successful, there is no way to know if Kaczynski ate venison during those winters.

Idaho fears license rush

North Idaho hunters shouldn’t waste any time applying for deer, elk and antelope controlled hunt permits.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is worried that hunters will wait until the last minute to apply for licenses, causing delays and headaches. Sportsmen have until the end of May to apply.

A plan to use Point-of-Sale machines to handle the rush fell through when the supplier couldn’t guarantee that they would work flawlessly. As a result, the department is using the traditional system of application.

Applicants may also use the department’s new 1-800-TAG DRAW system, but should do so soon. Waiting until the last moment could be complicated by busy phone lines.

Endangered sockeye released

Inland Northwest anglers are asked to watch out for some 13,000 sockeye salmon smolts who will attempt a 900-mile journey from Idaho’s Redfish Lake Creek to the Pacific.

The fish, released in early May, will travel through the slackwater reservoirs of the Snake and Columbia rivers. The sockeye are 7 to 8 inches long and bear a resemblance to rainbow trout and steelhead smolts.

The easiest way to distinguish a young sockeye from trout and steelhead is to look at the tail. Sockeye tailfins are deeply forked, while rainbow and steelhead tailfins are squared off and slightly forked.

, DataTimes