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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Field Reports: Prescribed burns planned for North Idaho

From staff reports

Prescribed burns began Friday on U.S. Forest Service land in North Idaho and are expected to continue through the spring.

The Idaho Panhandle National Forest announced in a news release that burns are planned in the following areas:

  • Priest Lake Ranger District: projects north of Priest River in the vicinity of Jasper Mountain and Quartz Creek.
  • Bonners Ferry Ranger District: projects in the Boulder, Snow, Hellroaring, and Twentymile Creek drainages.
  • Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District: the Ridge Creek project in the drainages of Chilco, Conie, East Fork Hayden, Middle Fork Hudlow, and West Fork Hudlow Creeks, as well as projects in the Burnt Cabin drainage and near Prichard.
  • St Joe Ranger District: projects in the Kelly Creek drainage (south of Avery), and another 12 miles east of Avery in the Malin Creek drainage.

Some areas may be closed to the public for several days for safety concerns. Smoke may be visible.

Burns are also planned at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. The National Park Service said in a news release that the agency planned to burn about 31 acres north of Boyds and south of Napolean Road in Ferry County.

Northern pike suppression work ongoing

Crews are working to kill northern pike in Lake Roosevelt as part of annual efforts to control the numbers of the voracious predators.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians have all been setting gillnets on the upper half of the lake to kill pike before they spawn.

WDFW and Spokane Tribe crews began their work in the first week of April, according to WDFW spokesperson Staci Lehman. The Colville crews started in mid-March.

Netting is planned for May in Lake Spokane to monitor for a resurgence of pike there. Biologists say that capture work since 2021 has knocked the northern pike population down significantly, and that monitoring will be done to make sure they haven’t returned.

Netting is also planned for Nine Mile Reservoir in early June.

Northern pike are invasive and pose a threat to native fish populations.

Dutch oven cooking class planned for Farragut State Park

Experts will help you learn how to cook over a fire with a Dutch oven next month at Farragut State Park in Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced in a news release that the Introduction to Dutch Oven Cooking class will be held at the Farragut Shooting Range Center on May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Instructor John Kunkle will go over the basics of cooking with cast iron cookware around an open campfire. The course is geared toward adults new to Dutch oven cooking.

Participants will get to enjoy a lunch prepared by the instructor.

The class costs $10. Registration information is available online at www.register-ed.com/events/view/227955.