Moose on the loose

Linnette Jones called me on Saturday. She wanted my e-mail address in order to send me a photo of a moose she saw earlier in the day.

“I had to take the pictures with my phone as no one would have believed me,” she said. “It must have been scared as it was really running. First saw it when I pulled off Road 4 onto Road N. Then it decided to go to Wheeler.”

She followed the animal to near Columbia Bean & Produce.

The moose was seen on Tuesday in the same general area. Heather Svilar Gebelin featured the long-legged critter on her facebook page.

If you see a moose: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to hear about your moose observations while hunting, hiking, biking etc. this fall, especially in northeast Washington. This citizen science survey is designed to collect long-term data on the population status and trends of moose in Washington. Your observations will be very helpful in this venture. Report your observations online at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/viewing/moose/

June 11 and 12 is Free Fishing weekend

A week from tomorrow and Sunday is Free Fishing Weekend. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing in Washington. In addition, no vehicle access pass or Discover Pass will be required to park that weekend at any of the 700 water-access sites maintained by Fish and Wildlife.

Don’t touch young wildlife

With temperatures rising and summer drawing near, Fish and Wildlife is reminding campers, hikers and others who enjoy spending time outdoors to leave any wildlife they encounter alone.

With deer fawns, raccoons, seal pups, baby birds and other young animals now on view around the state, the department is receiving an increasing number of calls from people asking what to do with animals they have “rescued” from the wild.

Deer often leave their young for hours at a time to forage and avoid attracting predators with their own body scent. The best thing people can do if they find a fawn without its mother is to leave it alone, so its mother can return to it. Even with the best intentions, removing animals from the wild greatly reduces their chance of survival.

Tina Hamilton, statewide dispatcher for WDFW’s law enforcement program, has seen a marked increase in reports of “rescued” wildlife in recent weeks.