Tree planting this weekend; volunteers needed

From Sara Gregory:

Fish and Wildlife has two volunteer habitat projects this month and they need your help. If you want the opportunity to participate in projects that will benefit wildlife on your public lands, then please raise your hand to help out on one or more of the following projects:

The first begins tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 3 and continues through Sunday. The work is called stream bank stabilization on Middle Crab Creek. Fish and Wildlife will equip an ATV with a high pressure water drill to bore holes and plant cuttings.

Crews will meet in Ephrata and caravan to site or simply arrive at the work area; read below. Rubber boots and waterproof pants are recommended.

The second planting will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday the 18th.

This work will include riparian planting on Middle Crab Creek for a day or so. Fish and Wildlife will provide a shrub planter and lay down fabric mulch. Volunteers are needed to cut the cloth to free seedlings and stake down the cloth.

Contact is Sara Gregory at 509-770-3142. Sara is the assistant District Wildlife Biologist for Grant and Adams counties.

From Rich Finger:

Just a reminder about the willow and dogwood planting for this coming weekend, tomorrow and Sunday. We will be getting started at 9am on both days, but you can arrive and depart as you wish.

A few ducks are in the area and there are decent numbers of pheasant out there if you want to do some hunting before or after.

Contact Rich at 509-750-0618.

Direction to the work site from Moses Lake:

Go North on Stratford Rd. to Rd. 16 N.E. Turn Left on 16 and continue West on the Gravel road until you cross Homestead Creek. Take the second dirt road on the Left headed South. This is a very rough road and if you have a low clearance vehicle I wouldn't recommend you continue on to the work site. Hitch a ride with someone that has a high clearance vehicle.

From the Soap Lake area:

Take Rd.20 N.E. going East until you reach Willow Lake Rd. Turn Right on Willow Lake Rd. and go South. Just before you reach Homestead Creek you'll see a dirt road to the Right leading back to the job site.

We'll be using the newly purchased water jet stinger purchased by the Columbia Basin Pheasants Forever chapter to make holes for the shoots to be put in and the dirt stomped in around them. It will be wet work so dress accordingly.

Lunch and water will be furnished by the Moses Lake chapter of Washington Waterfowl Assoc.

Fishing:

Anglers have been reeling in hatchery steelhead at a rate of about a fish per rod during the special fishery that opened in mid-October on the upper Columbia River and key tributaries.

Note: Virgil Redwine notes the fishing was good before the recent rains, but the action has slowed considerably because of the rain.

There are a lot of extra hatchery steelhead that need to be removed, and anglers are doing a good job of it, according to Fish and Wildlife. The problem is there is not a lot of wild fish returning this year, which limits the amount of time we can leave the fishery open. The immediate goal is to keep it going through November, but anglers should keep an eye on the Fish and Wildlife website for any updates.

The hatchery-steelhead fishery opened Oct. 16 by special rule on the Upper Columbia River from Rock Island Dam to Chief Joseph Dam, and on the Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat, Methow, and Okanogan rivers. Similkameen River opens for hatchery steelhead retention under the same rule Nov. 1.