Outdoors Briefs

Fish donation

Thousands of the rainbow and cutthroat trout fry that will be stocked in Pend Oreille County fishing lakes and rivers this year are compliments of the Public Utility District No. 1 of Pend Oreille County.

The Pend Oreille PUD has contributed $10,800 to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Colville Fish Hatchery, which has been struggling to stay operational since 1998 budget deficits forced funding cuts.

For the past two years, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation paid to keep the hatchery functioning. Last year, the Colville Tribes covered $68,000 of the $78,000 annual operating costs.

Aerial counts take off

Airborne biologists are busy across Idaho as weather conditions for counting big game have improved in recent days.

The herds in about one-third of Idaho’s 99 hunting units will be surveyed this winter. Manpower, equipment and funding constraints do not allow surveying in all units every year. However, aerial surveys have been stepped up considerably since 1998 when big game hunters started paying slightly more for their tags. That money goes mostly toward improved surveys.

These direct observations of wintering big game animals are compared with prior surveys of the same areas. This information will be combined with hunter harvest data to aid the department in coming up with recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission for fall hunting seasons.

Report reminders sent

About 35 percent of Idaho’s big game hunters are getting reminders that they haven’t sent in their mandatory hunter harvest reports.

Hunters must complete the report before they can buy a new license.

Volunteers, reservists aid wildlife

In 1999, more than 5,000 volunteers and reservists gave 100,000 hours of labor and more than $200,000 worth of equipment and materials toward Idaho Fish and Game programs and projects.

The calculated monetary value of time and materials came to a total of more than $1 million.

Volunteers and reservists participated in most phases of Fish and Game operations, serving more than 100 functions ranging from computer programming to picking up road kill to relocating big game and birds.

Idaho parks pass discounted

Monday is the deadline for purchasing Idaho’s State Parks Passport at a discount.

The annual pass, which replaces a motor vehicle entrance fee or boat launching fee at any Idaho State Park, is available for $25 from any park or at the regional office at 2750 Kathleen Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. Tuesday, the fee increases to $35. Info: (208) 769-1511.