In brief: Clams infest five acres of lake

SANDPOINT – Dive teams from Bonner and Boundary counties in North Idaho say Asian clams have infested about 5 acres of Lake Pend Oreille, but the population might still be small enough to eradicate.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s invasive species bureau found the clams earlier this month, so dive teams were sent in last week to determine the extent of the infestation.

The dive teams searched along an area of Elliott Bay’s Hope Marine Services and Pend Oreille Shores Resort.

Agency spokesman Tom Woolf said there’s a concentration of clams along a boat ramp.

Woolf told the Bonner County Daily Bee that a population estimate will be determined using computer mapping.

He said it’s possible the clams could be eliminated using impermeable mats to smother them.

Yellowstone winter visits flat

POWELL, Wyo. – More than 89,000 people visited Yellowstone National Park between Dec. 15 and March 15 – a figure similar to the previous winter season.

The National Park Service says 89,279 people visited the park this winter. That was an increase of about half a percentage point from last season.

Snowmobile and snow coach visits were down more than 10 percent this year, but visitation stayed steady thanks to an increase in automobile traffic through the park’s North Entrance.

The Powell Tribune reports most Yellowstone visits come during the summer season.

For example, last July, the average day brought more than 3,900 visitors through the East Entrance – eight times the number of East Entrance visitors this entire 71-day winter season.