Field Reports
HUNTING
Hunter ed jamboree
For the second year, Washington is satisfying the annual fall crush of interest in hunter education courses with a three-day jamboree-style course at Diamond Lake.
Designed to handle up to 150 students, the course is scheduled for Sept. 9-11 at Camp Cowles, a Boy Scouts of America facility on the lake’s north shore, 10 miles west of Newport. No overnight accommodations will be available at Camp Cowles. Students will have to be picked up and returned for the 21/2-day session.
Similar to most states, Washington law requires that anyone born after 1971 must pass a certified hunter education course before they are eligible to purchase a hunting license.
Students at the jamboree will be organized into groups and rotated through sessions covering all the course requirements for hunter education, including wildlife identification and management, hunting rules, safe gun handling and live-fire shooting skills. Traditionally, these lessons have been taught in shorter sessions during weekly classes that span six or more weeks.
Classes will be held Friday, Sept. 9, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 10, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 8:30 a.m. until the coursework is complete.
Each student will have to show he can handle at least a 20-gauge shotgun and a .243-cal. rifle.
Pre-registration is required by calling Chuck Ray, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife eastside hunter education coordinator (509) 754-4624, ext. 23. In the Newport area, call Greg Koehn (509) 447-2604.
In-person registration will be available through Aug. 28 in Spokane at The General Store, 2424 N. Division St. and at Sharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop, 1200 N. Freya Way. Cost is $20.
Rich Landers
HIKING
Teens improve trails
Teenagers from the Eugene-based Northwest Youth Corps were in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests have been working to construct 800 feet of boardwalk along the Blacktail Lake Trail north of Lake Pend Oreille in the Lightning Creek drainage.
The boardwalk will help convert the route through marshy areas into a hiker-friendly trail.
The work is part of a work and recreation program that helps the youths learn about the environment while engaging in challenging projects that help them prepare for future employment.
This particular project was sponsored and funded by the Sandpoint Ranger District and the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute.
Info: (541) 349-5055 ext. 206 or e-mail CariP@nwyouthcorps.org.
Rich Landers
HUNTING
Hunter bags ram tag
Randy Pittman of Hancock, Md., has won the lottery drawing for the first tag offered in nearly a decade to hunt Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington.
Pittman’s name was drawn from more than 3,400 tickets for the coveted tag.
Donny Martorello, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife bighorn manager, said bighorns haven’t been hunted in the Blues since a disease outbreak decimated the herd nine years ago.
The herd is recovering and Pittman will be allowed to hunt for his bighorn sheep between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 in Game Management Units 166, 169, 181 and 186, where he should see some large rams, experts say.
The lottery was conducted for the state by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, which transferred $61,434 in raffle proceeds to the WDFW for bighorn management. The foundation chipped in an additional $5,000 earmarked for bighorn research in the Blues.
Rich Landers
ACCESS
Olympic Peninsula detour
Anglers and recreationists heading to the Olympic Peninsula this week should note that the Hood Canal Bridge is set to be closed from 10 a.m. today through 5 p.m. Thursday.
Rich Landers
OFF-ROAD VEHICLES
Kawasaki ATVs recalled
More than 150,000 Kawasaki Motors Corp. all-terrain vehicles are being recalled over safety concerns, the government said this month.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the 2001 through 2005 models of the Kawasaki Prairie and Brute Force ATVs can develop steering-control problems that could cause injury or death. The CPSC said Irvine, Calif.-based Kawasaki has received three reports of injuries resulting from the defect.
If either front wheel of the ATV experiences a major jolt while the steering is fully turned to either side, such as after a drop or jump, it could cause suspension damage and loss of steering control. Kawasaki has received 42 reports of ball joint separation, which could lead to the steering problem.
The specific models affected by the recall are: the Prairie 300, Prairie 300 4x4, Prairie 360, Prairie 360 4x4, Prairie 400, Prairie 400 4x4, Prairie 650 4x4, Prairie 700 4x4 and Brute Force 650 4x4.
The ATVs were sold at Kawasaki dealers nationwide from August 2000 through July 2005.
The CPSC recommends that consumers stop using the vehicles immediately and contact an authorized Kawasaki dealer for a free repair. Info: (866) 802-9381.
Associated Press