Field reports: Study shows Mount Adams glaciers shrinking faster
CLIMATE CHANGE – Portland State University researchers say the 12 glaciers on 12,276-foot Mount Adams have shrunk by nearly half since 1904 and are receding faster than those of nearby sister volcanoes, Hood and Rainier.
The study trends with a federal report suggesting water content of Cascade Range snowpacks could dwindle up to 50 percent by the 2070s.
Mount Rainier’s glaciers lost about 24 percent of coverage area since 1904. Scientists suggest that being just east of the Cascades Crest, Adams has received less precipitation.
Associated Press
Protection sought for shooting ranges
SHOOTING – A bill to protect shooting ranges from civil liability and noise pollution lawsuits has been introduced in the Washington Legislature.
Outdoor noise regulations would not apply to shooting ranges under the bill’s provisions.
Washington is one of only two states that does not have some form of a range protection law, the National Rifle Association says.
Several Washington shooting ranges are facing legal battles.
• NRA vehicle plates: Washington drivers may be able to license vehicles with a special NRA plate under a bill being considered in Olympia.
Proceeds would help fund hunter safety programs.
The state Department of Licensing currently offers 47 different special license plates.
Rich Landers
Trapshoot tally online
The Spokesman-Review Trapshoot, in its 94th year, began last Sunday at gun clubs in Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Results can be found online at spokesman.com/trap.
Final results of the eight-week event will be published in the newspaper’s Sunday sports section, March 4.
Glacier Park visitation down 15 percent
PARKS – Glacier National Park’s attendance declined 15.7 percent last year after a record number of visitors were logged during the park’s centennial celebration in 2010.
The National Park Service says 1.85 million people entered the park in 2011, compared to 2.2 million the year before.
The park’s peak summer season got off to a slow start because of cold weather from early April through June that delayed snowmelt and the opening of Going-to-the-Sun Road. The road’s July 13 opening at Logan Pass was the latest on record.
The Park Service says lodging in the park was down 22 percent, tent camping was down 6 percent and backcountry overnight stays were down 16 percent. Total overnight stays were down 10.8 percent compared with 2010.
Associated Press
N. Idaho man sues over poaching charge
HUNTING – A veterinarian accused of poaching an elk in North Idaho has filed a federal lawsuit against state Fish and Game Department officials.
Roland Hall is accusing the agency of civil rights violations, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution and slander.
Associated Press