Field reports: Clagstone Meadows timberland access to open Aug. 1

Sun., March 26, 2017

TIMBERLANDS – Access easements will allow public access to the 13,169-acre Clagstone Meadows private timberlands in Bonner County, starting Aug. 1, the Idaho Fish and Game Department says.

Under the terms of a new Forest Legacy conservation easement, the forested area will continue produce timber to local mills while it benefits wildlife, local economies, clean water and recreation and will be protected permanently, says J.J. Teare, regional wildlife habitat manager.

Clagstone Meadows is Stimson Lumber Company’s largest contiguous holding in Bonner County.

As part of the easement, 8,847 acres of Clagstone Meadows and 1,263 acres within the Cape Horn area will be open for conditional public use, Teare said.

Year round recreational opportunities will be available after four access points are designated. Only non-motorized daily use will be permitted. Horses are excluded under the easement.

Kids get opportunity at pheasant hunting

HUNTING – Little Canyon Shooting’s annual kid’s day pheasant hunt on April 9 is open to 150 resident or nonresident youths ages 10-17 at the Peck, Idaho, preserve.

The free kids day includes guided pheasant hunting, sporting clay shooting, practice on the .22 rifle range and life size targets on the archery range.

All participants will need a hunter safety certificate. Idaho residents will need an Idaho hunting license while nonresidents will need a 502 class nonresident shooting preserve license.

Colville Reservation closes some roads

TRAVEL – The Colville Tribe’s Business Council announced on Wednesday a temporary closure of most roads that are not state or county highways withing the 1.4-million acre Colville Indian Reservation.

In a period of extremely wet conditions, the closures are intended to “protect natural resources, road infrastructure, water quality and public safety,” the Tribe says in a release.

“Road closure signs will be installed for clarification, but closed roads are not limited to those with signage,” says the official decree. “Roads designated as closed to entry will be closed to all motorized vehicles including ATVs, UTVs, and passenger vehicles. Off-road travel will also be restricted to non-motorized vehicles under this shutdown.”

The closure will be re-evaluated weekly, the release says.

Washington geology program Monday

ENVIRONMENT – A free program, “Exploring Washington Geology,” geared to non-geologists, will be presented by Gene Kiver, EWU geology professor, on Monday at 7 p.m. at The Lair Auditorium, Building 6, Spokane Community College, 1810 Greene St. in Spokane.

High water affects fish stocking, boating

FISHING – Hatchery trout releases in Spokane region fishing lakes may be delayed because of high water, but should still be stocked before the fishing season that opens April 22.

“We’ll hold the trout in the hatcheries as long as we can to let flooding subside to be sure as many fish as possible are available for fishermen,” said Chris Donley.

Flooding this month has caused water to flow out of some lakes above fish screens that help keep fish in the lakes, he said.

“Some fish were washed out of some lakes, and maybe into other lakes,” he said. “We can’t do anything about that, but not all of the carryover fish will be lost.”

A bigger concern for boaters and anglers will be debris floating in lakes, said Randy Osborne, fish biologist.

Sprague Lake, for example, likely will have considerable debris because of the flooding through the valley and town of Sprague, he said.