Field reports: Wolf pack confirmed; another being hunted
WILDLIFE – The Colville Tribe confirmed Washington’s ninth wolf pack last week as it trapped and released a 104-pound gray wolf.
The new pack has been called the Strawberries Pack.
The wolf is the third to be captured, fitted with a GPS collar and released on the Colville Indian Reservation in three months.
The wolves captured and released in the spring were a 68-pound female and a 72-pound male as the tribe confirmed the state’s eighth pack, dubbed the Nc’icn Pack.
The tribe is working on a wolf management plan that’s separate from the Washington wolf plan adopted last year to deal with wolves as they naturally move back into their former range.
Meanwhile, Washington Fish and Wildlife officers confirmed on Friday that two more cattle had been killed by Wedge Pack wolves in northern Stevens County.
That brings the number of Diamond M Ranch cattle killed or injured since mid-July to at least 12.
Officers have been trying for two weeks to kill some of the Wedge wolves and disperse the pack.
Catch limits lifted at Fish Lake
FISHING – In preparation for a fall rotenone treatment to get rid of scrap fish and northern pike, catch limits have been lifted at Fish Lake off the Cheney-Marshall Road.
Fishing will close Oct. 21 so the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife can treat the lake to get rid of unwanted fish so it can be restocked with trout.
Cash-poor Corps shuts campgrounds
CAMPING – Citing budget cuts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed several campgrounds on the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities on Tuesday — weeks earlier than normal.
The move surprised campers used to taking advantage of nice post-Labor Day weather and peacefulness.
Conservation rallies set in Sandpoint
BENEFITS – Two land conservation groups are holding benefit programs in Sandpoint this week:
• Rock Creek Alliance 15th Annual Party, Thursday, 5-8 p.m. at the Pend d’Oreille Winery, (208) 265-8272.
• Wild & Scenic Film Festival for the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Conservancy, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., at the Panida Theater, (208) 263-9471.
Fly-fishing classes at Westslope shop
FISHING – Westslope Fly Shop in Spokane has a full slate of courses including Saturday on-water Spey-casting classes.
Seminars include Fall Trout Fishing, Saturday at 10 a.m., and Steelheading, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.
A series of fly tying classes starts Wednesday and runs through winter.
Info: 939-6043.
Season looms
STEELHEADING – Steelhead numbers at Priest Rapids Dam look promising, indicating a Methow River fishing season is likely but not before early October, state Fish and Wildlife biologists say.