Field reports: Bridge-access law benefits paddlers

PADDLING – Northwest paddlers could benefit from a new law that requires the Washington Department of Transportation to consider access to the water when building or refurbishing bridges.

A law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee last month seeks to improve public access at bridge rights of way by requiring the state to include a formal evaluation of opportunities for water access within the public rights of way on future bridge projects.

“When a bridge is constructed, it represents an important opportunity to evaluate how the public is using the site for river access and identify opportunities to both improve public safety and enhance the quality of the user experience,” said Thomas O’Keefe of American Whitewater.

The bill was reintroduced this year with the support of American Whitewater and the Northwest Marine Trade Association.

“This is a big deal for our friends in the paddling community,” said Peter Schrappen, NMTA’s vice president.

“Unfortunately, our state’s Department of Transportation has periodically built bridges and wiped out access to the water. An example of this occurred on Highway 2 over the Wenatchee River. While this doesn’t always happen, this bill provides a safeguard for us.”

About 11 percent of the Washington’s population participates in nonmotorized boating and the number of participants grows every year, American Whitewater says.

Butterfly classes

offered in Spokane

NATURE – The new Spokane chapter of the Washington Butterfly Association is offering field trips and classes this spring. Coming up:

Butterfly Class for adults 55 and up, May 3-13, will meet mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to learn to identify 30-plus local butterfly species, where to find them and which plants make best garden plants for them. Concludes with field trip.

Register through the Community Colleges of Spokane Act 2 Program at sccel.spokane.edu/Act2.

Family Butterfly Class, sponsored by Spokane Parks and Recreation, May 19 at 7 p.m., a child-friendly intro to local butterflies followed by a field trip on May 21. Sign-up: (509) 625-6200.

Hawk Creek Butterfly Walk, May 18, to look for swallowtails plus blues to sulphurs and many others in Lincoln County near Lake Roosevelt.

Preregister: Sue Orlowski, (509) 202 5168.

Wildlife refuge

inspires contest

PHOTOGRAPHY – There’s still time to visit a refuge in Stevens County to snap a great shot and enter the 2015-16 photo contest.

The Friends of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge are again encouraging shutterbugs to look closer at the refuge southeast of Colville. The group’s 11th annual photo contest continues until Aug. 15.

Roads opened April 15 on the 40,198 acre refuge expanding the photo opportunities, organizer Joel Anderson said.

Contest categories are animals, plants, human use and scenic.

Email onionjoel@gmail.com for rules and entry forms.