Out & About

Volunteers untrashed the Spokane River

OUTCOME – The Friends of the Falls recently released these admirable numbers from the seventh annual Spokane River Cleanup on Sept. 26:

•750 volunteers turned out.

•16,447 pounds of trash was collected, up from 12,020 pounds in 2008.

•5,207 pounds of that trash was recycled.

The 2010 cleanup is set for Sept. 25.

Uncovering stories of Ice Age Floods

OUTDATED – A powerful local story that shaped the region’s landscape is more than 15,000 years old but being told now in captivating detail by regional authors with a passion for geology.

Bob Carson, Whitman College geology professor, will discuss his book, “Where the Great River Bends: A Natural and Human History of the Columbia at Wallula,” on Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave., sponsored by the Ice Age Floods Institute.

Carson compiled the work of five experts plus recent and historic photographs to illustrate the human and natural history of the Inland Northwest shaped by unfathomable Ice Age Floods.

The book chronicles how the land and the people have been impacted by a volume of water comparable to Lake Erie rushing at around 60 mph and piling 900 feet deep as it gushed through the Wallula Gap (near Walla Walla).

Another local book explains the broader reach of these cataclysmic events and the life that has flourished in their wake: “On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A geological field guide to the Mid-Columbia Basin,” by Bruce Bjornstad.

The books are cornerstones to understanding the recently established Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail.

Info: www.IAFI.org and www.keokeebooks.com.

Take a shot at marksmanship

OUTCLASS – Marksmanship clinics for youths and adults are being offered in separate two-hour sessions this month by the Spokane Rifle Club.

Rifles and ammunition are supplied for the evening sessions, which emphasize techniques and safety at the club’s indoor range along the Spokane River.

The adult session is Friday followed by the youth session on Nov. 20. Cost: $23.

Preregister through Spokane Parks and Recreation, 625-6200 or www.spokaneparks.org.

Getting lead out for area loons

OUTLAW – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department has more than 100 proposals for fishing rules being considered for 2010.

Among them is a recommendation for new restriction on using lead weights weighing less than half an ounce or lead jigs measuring less than 1.5 inches while fishing at 13 lakes where common loons breed.

Comment deadline: Dec. 1.