Feral pig removal effort begins

What, feral pigs in Grant County? Read on.

Starting last Friday, July 29, Fish and Wildlife is conducting a month-long effort to remove feral pigs from part of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area in Grant County. Public access will be closed in the area involved in the pig eradication.

The closure will be in effect through Aug. 31 on about 1,300 acres of the Desert Unit of the wildlife area.

A team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will attempt to locate and remove feral pigs, which have been spotted in that area over the past year.

The pigs are considered an invasive species, so the plan is to use bait to attract the animals and shoot them from a helicopter.

According to the Washington Invasive Species Council, feral pigs can be extremely destructive to fences, fields, wetlands and other wildlife habitat. They can also transmit diseases and parasites to livestock and people.

The USDA is currently working in 39 states to control feral pigs, which cause an estimated $1.5 billion a year in environmental damage nationwide. Fish and Wildlife started receiving reports of the pigs last July. A Fish and Wildlife employee shot a pregnant sow two months later and they have been seen on remote cameras during the past year.

According to Fish and Wildlife, August was picked as the time of year when the Desert Unit is least visited by wildlife viewers, anglers and hunters. Signs will be posted in the closed area, which is expected to open on Sept. 1.

Fish and Wildlife allows angling special

Fish and Wildlife is offering current freshwater or saltwater fishing license holders the opportunity to upgrade to a combination license for under $28.

The upgrade will give those anglers all the fishing privileges of a combination license at the cost they would have paid if they had purchased one originally.

Freshwater fishing license holders can purchase an upgrade to a combination license for $27.85 and current saltwater fishing license holders can upgrade to a combination license for $27.30.

By purchasing the upgrade, freshwater license holders will gain access to saltwater fishing, shellfish and seaweed. Saltwater license holders who upgrade to the combo license will gain access to fishing in lakes and rivers, as well as opportunities for shellfish and seaweed.