In brief: Forest Service will forego construction on Bog Creek Road

Federal agencies on Wednesday agreed to forgo planned summer construction on the Bog Creek Road project in North Idaho.

The agreement shuts down restoration on 4.9 miles of road No. 1009 and allows moving forward with decommissioning approximately 26 miles of roads in the area, which improves wildlife habitat and is necessary to meet grizzly bear recovery standards.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection received approval to reconstruct the road, located just south of the Canadian border.

In addition to reconstructing this road, the project would also increase motorized traffic on other nearby roads in crucial habitat for imperiled grizzly bears, mountain caribou, wolverines and other wildlife in the Selkirk Mountains.

In a March lawsuit, conservation groups said the two federal agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act and National Forest Management Act by failing to consider the road project’s impacts on grizzly bears and their habitat.

Crossing the Selkirk Mountains near the U.S.-Canadian border, the Bog Creek Road cuts through prime habitat for grizzly bears, Canada lynx, wolverines and other sensitive wildlife. The road has been overgrown with trees and vegetation for decades. The Forest Service closed Bog Creek Road in the late 1980s to protect Selkirk’s grizzly bears, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Customs and Border Protection officials contend that a restored road is necessary to monitor border security. The agency is able to access the border through other avenues.

Commission hearing on Columbia River policy

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a decision on a proposed land acquisition in Kittitas County and hear updates on a number of other topics at its June meeting – including the status of the endangered Mazama pocket gopher and the impact of solar farms on habitats and wildlife.

The commission’s work began with meetings of the Columbia River Policy Workgroup and Wolf Committee on Wednesday. Today, the Big Tent, Wildlife and Fish committees will meet. The Fish Committee will discuss and take public comment on the North of Falcon salmon-season process and Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan.

At the full commission meeting on Friday, commissioners will be briefed on budget and legislative considerations for the 2021 legislative session, development of a long-term strategic plan for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and target shooting on WDFW-managed lands.

The commission is also expected to vote Friday on whether to proceed with a 318-acre land acquisition in Kittitas County at the northern end of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. The property includes a mile of the mainstem Taneum Creek, which is critical habitat for the Mid-Columbia steelhead. Funding is provided through a state grant administered by the Recreation and Conservation Office.

On Saturday, the commission will hear about challenges associated with solar farm site selection and potential impacts to wildlife habitat, and the collaborative work of the department and Yakama Nation to restore fish populations.

The commission will take open public comment on Friday and Saturday morning, and will also accept public comment on a number of the topics being discussed.

The meeting will be available to the public through webinar or conference call. For more information on how to participate and to view the full agenda, visit wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings .

BLM restores overnight camping at some sites

With the lifting of public health and safety restrictions enacted by Washington State officials, the Bureau of Land Management on Monday announced the Spokane District is opening certain developed sites in Washington to overnight camping. The BLM is working with federal, state and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a case-by-case basis.

This week, the following sites will begin to reopen access to overnight camping:

• Blind Island
• Coffeepot Lake
• Lakeview Ranch
• Pacific Lake
• Patos Island
• Posey Island
• Rock Creek/Escure Ranch
• Twin Lakes
• Yakima River Canyon (Umtanum, Big Pines, Lmuma and Roza)

Be sure to call (509) 536-1200 or (509) 665-2100 to confirm the site in which you’re interested is allowing camping. The public should still follow local area health orders, practice “leave no trace” principles, practice social distancing and avoid high-risk outdoor activities while recreating.

The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. At the Spokane District, our operational approach will be to examine each facility function and service provided to ensure those operations comply with current public health guidance, and to regularly monitor these. We continue to work closely with the Department of the Interior and follow CDC guidance to ensure public and employee spaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers.

The BLM encourages responsible, local recreation to avoid putting strain on other communities. The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating on public lands prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.

Details and updates on operations will continue to be posted at blm.gov/oregon-washington/covid-access-restrictions and social media channels. Updates about BLM operations will be posted on www.blm.gov.

Fishing opportunities close to home this June

Anglers have long known that spending time in the outdoors can bring peace and solace when times feel challenging. Fishing opportunities abound this month on Washington’s rivers and lakes, offering a great way to get outside and embrace the return of summer.

Other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors this month include:

Trout: The statewide trout derby kicked off May 23 and continues through Oct. 31.

Columbia River sockeye: Opens on a large portion of the Columbia River on Tuesday, with a two-fish limit.

Puget Sound rivers: Anglers can fish for hatchery chinook salmon in several rivers in north Puget Sound, including the Skagit, Cascade, North Fork Nooksack and Skykomish.

Shrimp: Some marine areas in Puget Sound will open for recreational spot shrimp fishing today.

As you head outdoors this month, please remember to follow the WDFW’s responsible recreation guidelines . For more information about fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities this month, see the WDFW’s Weekender Regional Reports .

Skagit River closing to sockeye fishing

The Skagit River will close to sockeye fishing Tuesday through July 15 due to low projected returns, fishery managers with the WDFW announced Friday.

With an expected return of as many as 13,242 or as few as 8,056, forecasted returns of wild Skagit sockeye are the lowest they’ve been in the past five years and potentially below fishery manager’s broodstock goals.

”Given this forecast, largely as a result of poor ocean conditions, we’re taking these steps to ensure we’re meeting our commitments to conservation,” said Brett Barkdull, WDFW fish biologist.

The closure begins at the highway 536 bridge (Memorial Highway Bridge) in Mount Vernon to Gilligan Creek.

The river remains open for gamefish fisheries. Fishery managers will continue to monitor other area rivers and streams.

”Assuming this closure helps us to meet our sockeye Skagit River management goals, we’ll be prioritizing providing a future harvest opportunity at Baker Lake–something we heard was important to anglers as part of this year’s salmon season-setting process,” said Barkdull.

Anglers are encouraged to visit fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/ to see in-season rule changes.

In addition, the Hoh River is closed until Sept. 15 for all fish, including gamefish and salmon, to support the conservation of wild summer-run chinook salmon.

The locations affected are

• Hoh River (Jefferson County), from Olympic National Park boundary near the mouth upstream to Olympic National Park boundary above Morgans Crossing boat launch.
• South Fork of the Hoh River (Jefferson County) from mouth upstream to Olympic National Park boundary.