Hike Conditions Hazardous

Backcountry hiking in the Wenatchee National Forest is difficult and even dangerous due to late spring conditions.

Trails are wet and snowy beyond the 5- or 6-mile point on most trails, causing a delay in trail maintenance.

Hikers will encounter snow at elevations between 4,500 and 5,500 feet, with serious avalanche hazards.

The greatest avalanche hazard occurs in late morning and early afternoon. Hikers should not cross a snowfield without assessing the hazard for that area. Travel in the area of the pass is not recommended due to large amounts of snow.

Climbing is also not recommended at this time in the higher elevations as rocks continue to fall in most climbing areas.

Those venturing into the backcountry should be prepared for winter-type snow conditions and bring appropriate clothing, food, gear, water, etc.

Clean sponsor needed

Riverfest ‘95 Spokane River Clean-Up Day has been postponed until 1996 for lack of a sponsor.

The cleanup, coordinated by the Northwest Whitewater Association, has zeroed in on a 9-mile section from the Maple Street Bridge through Riverside State Park.

Riverfest attracted 250 volunteers the past two years and gleaned 20 tons of trash from the river and its shores, said Sherrie Rockser, Riverfest coordinator.

“We built a great event over the past two years,” Rockser said. “We thought about trying to do it without sponsorship, but we were afraid the quality of the event might suffer.”

While Rockser continues the hunt for sponsors to help pay for picking up and hauling away the trash, she maintains hopes the event will grow enough to clean the entire river.

Mountaineering at the pass

John Roskelley, Lou and Jim Whittaker and Tom Hornbein are among numerous mountaineers and business people and politicians in a coalition raising money for a mountaineering interpretive center along the North Cascades Scenic Highway at Washington Pass.

“The Northwest has a strong history of mountaineering both here and around the world,” said group spokesman John Hogness. “The center will tell visitors about the history and spirit of mountaineering, and about mountains. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people stop at Washington Pass and they learn very little about what is around them.”

The 1,200-foot center is designed and would be maintained by the Forest Service along with the trails and water system that are in place.

Proponents hope to raise $1.2 million in tax-deductible donations in time for construction to begin next year. Info: (509) 996-2585.

Out-migration attacked

The 1995 out-migration of Idaho Salmon has been botched by the federal agencies appointed with ensuring safe passage for the migrating fish, according to an Idaho Rivers United report.

The report maintains endangered fish were unnecessarily killed in dam turbines and that federal agencies fell short of their own target for spilling water to provide the fish with safe passage through the dams.

“The Clinton Salmon Recovery Plan has already failed,” said an Idaho Rivers United spokesperson.

According to the report, more than 1.5 million young salmon died in the turbines in the first three dams on the Snake River by June 8.

After the report was released, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation for violations of the Endangered Species Act.

Fish derby this weekend

The $500 Northport Fishing Derby is scheduled Friday through Sunday on Lake Roosevelt.

Entry fee is $10 per species, walleye or trout, or $5 for youths 16 and under. Entries are available at the Northport Exxon. The contest boundary is from China Bend to the Canadian border.

Info: (509) 732-4495.

, DataTimes