Idaho Ponds Might Get Stocked With Rainbow Trout

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a plan that would develop a number of Idaho fishing ponds that could be stocked with rainbow trout each spring.

The proposal, being developed by the department’s Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, will allow anglers to keep their catch from the ponds. Ponds would be stocked from May through September.

As the ponds are developed, stocking of non-native rainbow trout in the Coeur d’Alene River would be discontinued.

Public comment is invited prior to Nov. 3. Comments should be mailed to the Fernan Range Station, 2502 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 83814. Questions should be directed to Ed Lider, project team leader, at the ranger station, (208) 769-3000.

Four sites are under consideration:

Bumblebee Meadows: The open meadows have been used as a source of hay in the past, but currently are employed as dispersed camping sites.

Graham Creek: This is an open meadow that is beginning to close in with coniferous trees.

Graham Creek Meander: An area of Graham Creek along Forest Road 208.

Clee Creek Meander: An area of Clee Creek along Forest Road 208 that has an existing pond with adequate depths for fish.

The Clee Creek Meander site could be used in its present state.

Trust taps Landers

“The Best of the Inland Northwest Outdoors,” a slide show by Rich Landers, Spokesman-Review outdoors editor, will be a feature attraction at the Inland Northwest Land Trust annual meeting Thursday.

Members of the trust also will describe two area properties with spectacular wildlife conservation values that recently have been permanently protected from development.

The trust is a non-profit organization that helps landowners preserve the natural character of their lands with conservation easements and other tax incentive programs.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the SIRTI Complex, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd., Room 409. For directions, call 328-2939.

Albino deer protected

If Montana deer hunters see white, they can’t shoot.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has adopted a regulation that prohibits the taking of any deer exhibiting more than 75 percent white coloration in central Montana’s Golden Valley County this fall.

Albino deer have been witnessed in the area surrounding the community of Ryegate for a number of years. Area residents had requested a prohibition on hunting for several years to preserve the unique animals.

Hunters will be required to report kills

Idaho hunters will have a new responsibility next season. Big-game hunters will be required to report their kills to the Fish and Game Department beginning in 1998.

With the addition of a separate deer tag for the Clearwater Region and the shift to zone hunting for elk, the need for the best possible harvest information has increased, said Steve Huffaker, department wildlife bureau chief.

The hunting season changes and mandatory reporting provisions were approved by the state Fish and Game Commission in early October.

“It is the responsibility of hunters to help the department manage wildlife by providing harvest information,” he said.

In addition, the state telephone survey will be upgraded and continued, he said.

, DataTimes