Field Reports

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Women-only fat-tire weekend

Registration is open for the 12th annual Skurtzendirt, a June 25-26 weekend of mountain biking rides, instruction and camaraderie at Farragut State Park for women only.

Skurtzendirt is not competitive; it is a clinic, not a race, organizers emphasize. Participants are likely to get a little dirty as they hone riding skills near Bayview and learn to maintain their bikes, but the event has popular touches, such as biking attire fashion show and great food.

Susan DeMattei, a 1996 Olympic mountain biking medalist, is scheduled to return and join the other volunteer instructors from the Inland Northwest-based Skurtzendirt Mountain Bike Association.

Registration is limited and first-come, first-served. The event has filled quickly in the past.

Cost: $120, includes four catered meals, personalized instruction, camping fees, T-shirts, sample product goodie bags and more.

Info: Nancy Brown, (208) 691-3149; registration forms online at www.skurtzendirt.org.

Rich Landers

NATIONAL PARKS

Lights out for Yellowstone birds

Yellowstone National Park might alter how some developed areas are illuminated following the deaths of more than 120 birds two weeks ago.

Tens of thousands of birds were blown into the park by a spring snowstorm. Many were apparently disoriented and flew toward the artificial lights at Canyon Village, where they became stranded or collided with structures.

“There were 100 times more birds than I have ever seen here,” park ornithologist Terry McEneaney said. “It was unbelievable.”

At least 100 of the birds that died were eared grebes, which are noisy, slender-necked water birds that eat bugs and are partial to marshy lakes and ponds. McEneaney theorizes the birds were able to see roads and parking areas at Canyon Village and mistook them for ponds.

The grebes landed and, because they can only take off from water, were unable to leave. Predators — including coyotes, pine martens and hawks — quickly moved in.

“It was fascinating,” McEneaney said.

Other dead birds included eight American coot, three green-winged teal, three lesser scaup, three northern shovelers, two cinnamon teal, a western grebe, a ruddy duck and an American wigeon. Park officials gathered the dead birds and left them in the backcountry so that bears would not be attracted to the developed area.

Many other birds ended up in Hayden Valley along the Yellowstone River. In all, McEneaney estimated that up to 6,000 grebes, 1,000 avocets and 40,000 ducks converged on the park.

Associated Press

SHOOTING

See Knapp break target record

Exhibition shotgun shooter Tom Knapp put on a good show on April 2 at the Spokane Gun Club, breaking targets in all sorts of creative and skillful ways.

A free look at a video clip of Knapp breaking a world record is available now on the Federal ammunition company’s Web site. Last October, Knapp launched 10 clay targets into the air without assistance and dusted each one with an individual shot from his shotgun, shooting so fast it almost sounded like an automatic weapon.

Check it out at www.federalpremium.com.

Rich Landers