Comment Invited On Hound/Cougar Rules

Draft rules for using hounds to decrease the number of cougars in specific areas of Washington with the aim of increasing public safety are now available for public comment.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to consider the rules for adoption in a special meeting Sept. 16.

Public comment on the rules will be taken during the meeting, which will be held at the Wenatchee Red Lion, 1225 N. Wenatchee Ave.

The draft rules were developed by WDFW staff in response to legislation passed earlier this year. The bill, ESSB 5001, directed the commission to authorize the use of dogs for controlled hunts of cougars within areas of specific game management units (GMUs) for the purpose of meeting a demonstrated public safety need.

Although the state already has a general cougar season Aug. 1 through March 15 for hunting without the use of dogs, the new legislation calls for hound use in specific cougar problem areas. Statewide hunting of cougars with hounds was eliminated by a voter initiative in 1996, but since the initiative passed the number of complaints about cougars has risen markedly. The new legislation authorizes selective use of hounds as a cougar management tool.

After commission action, the new rules are expected to go into effect this December. Copies of the proposed rules and criteria are available at WDFW headquarters in Olympia or at WDFW regional offices in Spokane, Ephrata, Yakima, Mill Creek, Vancouver and Montesano. The proposals also may be viewed on the WDFW website http://www.wa.gov/wdfw on the Internet.

Written comments on the proposed criteria and rules may be submitted by Sept. 8 by mail to Sean Carrell, Enforcement Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia WA 98501-1091, or by e-mail to enforcement-web@dfw.wa.gov.

Cast for kids

Children with a wide range of disabilities will have the opportunity to fish during the CAST for Kids event at Potholes Reservoir near Moses Lake on Saturday.

CAST, which stands for Catch A Special Thrill, offers each participant fishing gear, a T-shirt and a hat.

For more information, call John Moody at (509) 754-0243.

Bull trout funding meeting

A public meeting will be held Aug. 17 in Cusick, Wash., to discuss state grant funding for Pend Oreille County projects to help recover threatened bull trout.

The meeting, sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Game and the Pend Oreille Conservation District, will be held at the Cusick School, 303 Monumental Way, at 6:30 p.m.