Oregon’s Eagle Cap Opens To Skiers
Cross-country skiers who rise to the brief occasion can get a no-sweat taste of what it’s like to go backcountry skiing in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness.
The steepest tram in North America, which draws 30,000 visitors a year to the northeast corner of the state mostly during summer, is open for a brief holiday stint - Dec. 26-Jan. 4 - just for skiers.
The Wallowa Lake Tramway near Enterprise has been carrying tourists, hikers and skiers more than a mile up to the summit of Mount Howard for nearly 30 years.
Visitors ride gondolas that travel on overhead cables supported by 25 towers in a 15-minute ride to powder.
From the top, skiers can look from the Wallowa to the spectacular wilderness peaks including 9,839-foot Sacajawea Peak, the Benson Glacier, and the deep-blue waters of Wallowa Lake.
The tram was built in 1968 as access to a small local downhill ski area. A small ski lift ran until 1982. A small snowcat operation had a brief stint.
Now, the winter activity is cross-country skiing on marked trails, with access to great telemarking terrain. Info: (541) 432-5331.
Grouse hearings set
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a series of seven hearings Jan. 7-22 on its proposal to add sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse to the state’s list of threatened species.
The hearings will gather public comment on the draft listing proposals before a final version of the recommendations is presented in April to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Hearings have been scheduled for Mill Creek, Vancouver, Waterville, Davenport, Okanogan, Montesano and Moxee. The Waterville hearing, Jan. 13, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Waterville Fire Hall. The Davenport hearing, on Jan. 14, will begin at 5 p.m. in the Lincoln County Courthouse. The following day’s hearing in Okanogan, will start at 7 p.m. in the Okanogan PUD auditorium.
Sage grouse, historically found throughout much of the western United States, have declined in Washington to fewer than 1,000 birds in Douglas, Grant, Yakima and Kittitas counties. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, the rarest of six North American species of sharptails, once were plentiful in Eastern Washington. The population has declined to about 700 birds.
, DataTimes