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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Trail work continues at Glenrose, Fishtrap

From staff and wire reports

TRAILS – Volunteers organized by the Spokane Mountaineers and Washington Trails Association continue to dig into building, re-routing and maintaining nonmotorized trails in the region. Current emphasis is on the Fishtrap Lake area and the Glenrose unit of the Dishman Hills.

Mountaineers crew leader Lynn Smith said he’s filled his quota of 20 volunteers to work on Sunday at Glenrose Conservation Area, one of roughly five work days he’s planned for the several hundred acres of forest and open space secured through the Spokane County Conservation Futures Program.

“We’re working step by step, first trying to make the ravine areas more passable 12 months a year,” he said. “Some of the existing routes are steep and slick when muddy or snow covered, he said.

A season of work is planned to have some trails in good shape when the county develops a public parking area later this year.

Last weekend a crew devoted a day to building about 500 feet of new trail, he said.

Crews also have worked this spring with BLM toward completion, possibly this year, of a new trail at Fishtrap Lake.

The Mountaineers also partner with the Forest Service each year to maintain the popular trails to Stevens Lakes and Lone lake south of Mullan, Idaho.

“We’re always looking for more volunteers,” Smith said, noting that volunteers keep coming back because the work is fulfilling and fun.

Contact Smith by email, kslynndeb@hotmail.com.

Buttercup Hike at Dishman

HIKING – The 51st annual Buttercup Hike, set for Saturday at the Dishman Hills, has evolved into two hikes, one beginning at 9 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. from Camp Caro.

The hikes will be led by Dishman Hills Conservancy member Art Zack, who has expertise in ecology and the hills. While looking for the season’s first blooms of the season, he’ll also share the history and importance of the open spaces the conservancy is preserving in Spokane Valley.

The guided hikes are free, but hikers are asked be prepared for rain showers and to register on the conservancy’s website, dishmanhills.org.

The group’s annual auction and dinner is April 15.

Club offers bird dog training

HUNTING – The Spokane Bird Dog Association is inviting hunters with dogs to join them for training days this month at their Espanola training grounds west of Medical Lake.

A session for retrievers starts on Saturday at 8 a.m. A training day for both retrievers and pointing dogs is April 22. Fee for retrievers is $5. Pointers are $20 to cover cost of live birds.

Sign up: Doug Koenig, 509-850-1839, email dougkoenig@windermere.com.

Kid Fishing Day sign-up

FISHING – Registration is underway for the annual Kids Fishing Day on May 6 at Clear Lake, sponsored by area sportsmen clubs, the Kalispel Tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Volunteers are meeting to rig up 950 rod-reel combos to be used by anglers ages 5-14.

Kids who sign up for a time slot will be able to catch and keep up to three stocked trout and keep the fishing gear when they’re done.

Families must register and pay $10 per kid by mail by April 21 after downloading a form from the Washington Fish and Wildlife youth fishing webpage, wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/youth.html.