WDFW plans National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration

A day full of activities on the shore of Diamond Lake is planned for Saturday to mark National Hunting and Fishing Day.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians are partnering to host a free celebration at Camp Cowles in Pend Oreille County.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The event is family oriented and targeted toward introducing youths to a number of outdoor activities, according to a WDFW news release.

Participants will see educational displays and will be able to take part in hands-on activities including fishing, fly tying, flint knapping and shooting bows, pellet guns, .22 caliber rifles and 20-gauge shotguns.

The first 500 youth participants will get a bag with safety-related items, the release said, and there will be drawings and giveaways.

National Hunting and Fishing Day was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and formalized by Congress in 1971.

Washington extends comment period on black bear timber damage permits

Washington wildlife managers are extending a public comment period on changes to the way the state gives out black bear timber damage permits.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday that people will have until Oct. 27 to comment on a proposed permitting process for landowners who want to kill black bears that have damaged commercial timber.

Black bears sometimes peel bark and eat tree parts, causing permanent damage to the tree and financial losses for the tree’s owner, according to WDFW.

The agency’s proposal would identify how many permit applications it receives and whether the application was approved. The permits specify how many bears a permit-holder may kill, and it would prohibit the killing of female bears with cubs.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will accept in-person and virtual public comments on the change at a public hearing during its Oct. 26 to 28 meeting in Olympia.

More information on the proposal and the process for commenting is at wdfw.wa.gov/about/regulations/development/black-bear-timber-damage-depredation-permits.

Arctic grayling found in unusual spot in Montana

Arctic grayling have been confirmed in a stream where they don’t belong near the town of Anaconda, Montana.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday that the colorful salmonids had been confirmed in Warm Springs Creek after anglers reported catching a pair of them.

After the reports, FWP staff surveyed the creek and found two more grayling. The agency said that’s a sign that there are more grayling in the creek, though not in high densities.

The rare fish, which have a sail-like dorsal fin, are native to Montana but not to Warm Springs Creek or the Clark Fork River drainage. The species was stocked in the creek and nearby mountain lakes from the 1930s to the 1950s, but the population didn’t persist.

FWP said in a news release that the fish likely escaped from a nearby fish hatchery, where they’re raised as part of the state’s recovery program.

Officials are evaluating the escapement possibilities and will fix the problem before bringing more grayling to the hatchery.

While the agency does that work, it will move grayling out of the hatchery.

FWP intends to keep naturally occurring fish in the state’s rivers and streams, so the agency is asking any anglers who catch a grayling not to release it. The agency wants anglers to keep the fish and report it to officials by calling 406-493-2694. FWP recommends freezing the fish until it can be turned over to the agency.

Washington Ornithological Society to hold meeting Oct. 2

The Washington Ornithological Society is holding its first monthly meeting of the season next month.

The organization will meet Oct. 2 to hear Rebecca Heisman present “Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research,” according to an email from the group.

Heisman has researched the ways scientists study bird migration, and she’s written a new book: “Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.”

The meeting will be conducted virtually over Zoom. Sign-in will begin at 7:15 p.m., and the meeting will start at 7:30 .