Fees increase in Umatilla

Starting Friday, fees will increase for camping and recreating in the Umatilla National Forest straddling the Washington-Oregon border.

Fees at 13 campgrounds, currently $5-$10 a site, will increase to $8-$12, forest officials announced this week.

Changes in cabin rental fees will take effect later this fall, followed by increases in fees for other campgrounds in 2009.

Also in 2009, the forest plans to reinstate the Northwest Forest Pass recreational fee access program at popular trailheads. The cost to park a vehicle at these sites will be $5 a day or $30 a season.

The federal interagency and senior passes also would satisfy this requirement, said Joani Bosworth, forest spokeswoman.

Rich Landers

NATIONAL FORESTS

Hikers halt blaze

Missoula residents Betsy Hands and Paul Hubbard hiked into Crystal Lake near Condon, Mont., recently to get away from work-week stress and enjoy the backcountry.

As they neared the lake, a group of hikers who passed them a few moments earlier reappeared and called for help.

A campfire from another party had been abandoned, and had jumped outside the fire ring.

The fire was active and was torching areas far outside the campsite by igniting a system of shallow roots.

The two hiking groups scrambled to douse the blaze, about 300 feet from the lake.

Using their waterproof stuff sacks and an abandoned rubber raft to carry water, it took the hikers about 90 minutes to put out the fire.

Associated Press

NATIONAL PARKS

Fish stocking supported

The U.S. House has passed a bill that would continue fish stocking in North Cascades National Park if the National Park Service determines it won’t hurt lake ecosystems.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. An amendment limits the program to 42 lakes and to fish that are sterile and native to the Cascade Range.

The Park Service had asked Congress to grant it legal authority to continue stocking trout in the North Cascades, a practice fishermen began in the late 1800s. Most national parks have discontinued stocking trout in lakes that historically had no fish.

The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate.

Associated Press

CONSERVATION

Energy leases protested

Citing concerns for the future of game species and a popular hunting, fishing and recreation area, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is protesting an Aug. 5 Bureau of Land Management energy lease sale in Wyoming.

The sportsmen’s group said the sale covers nearly 170,000 acres of federal public lands to the energy industry for oil and gas development. Of that, development on 110,000 acres would comprise big-game migration corridors and crucial winter range, important sage grouse habitat and sensitive trout fisheries.

About 6,700 acres are on Little Mountain, south of Rock Springs and near Flaming Gorge Reservoir, where federal and state agencies have spent about $1.5 million in habitat restoration.

In the past 10 years, BLM has leased more than 12 million acres of public lands in Wyoming to the energy industry.

Staff and wire reports

NATURAL RESOURCES

Powell water restored

Lake Powell in Arizona has reached its highest level in six years, a sign that the Colorado River is recovering from one of the worst dry spells on record.

The giant reservoir hit its peak for the year late last month, 45 feet higher than it was in March before the river swelled with melted snow from the wettest winter on the Colorado watershed in a decade.

The runoff boosted water storage for Arizona and the other states that rely on the Colorado River and improved conditions for boaters and anglers, many of whom had stayed away from the drought-stricken lake since its decline.

Arizona Republic

HUNTING

Bighorn tag raises big bucks

Idaho Fish and Game officials say the state’s bighorn sheep tag lottery raised a record of more than $90,000 this year.

The drawing was held last week.

The winner of the lottery — Wausau, Wis. resident Thomas Dreyer — will be able to hunt for bighorn in Idaho’s Unit 11 in Hells Canyon. Lottery tickets start at $10 but the price decreases with quantity bought.

The money raised by the lottery goes toward Idaho’s Wildlife Health Laboratory in Caldwell. The lab investigates wildlife diseases of concern to hunters and the livestock industry.

Laboratory supervisor Dale Toweill said the program has raised $650,000 since 1992.

Associated Press