Adventure briefs for April 24

Sign up for boating safety class

You can sign up now for the Point Defiance Marina’s ABC boating class that will begin in early May.

The classes will help students understand the basics of safe power boating and meet the requirements for the mandatory Washington State Boater Education card.

ABC Boating uses the same materials as the online America’s Boating Course developed by the United States Power Squadrons, a recreational boating organization that promotes water safety. Instructors are volunteer members of the Tacoma Power Squadron who have taken advanced squadron courses. Many insurance companies offer a discount to boat owners upon successful completion.

The five-session series will be held Wednesdays at the marina from 7-9 p.m. starting May 4. The cost is $50 and includes a manual, a chart and two related CDs. Interested boaters much register by Saturday.

For information, contact Gene Anderson at 253-591-5325 or genea@tacomaparks.com or visit pointdefiancemarina.com.

New permits allow release of steelhead

More than 500,000 juvenile steelhead from five state fish hatcheries are being released into Puget Sound rivers. The state began the release after receiving word from NOAA-Fisheries that those facilities meet federal environmental standards.

For the past two years, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has released steelhead from those five hatcheries into area lakes to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with wild steelhead protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, according to a department news release.

With the necessary federal permits, the department is again releasing smolts that will migrate to the ocean and return as adult steelhead after two years.

The hatcheries in northern Puget Sound currently releasing hatchery smolts are:

Wallace Creek: 27,600 fish.

Reiter Pond: 140,000.

Whitehorse: 130,000.

Kendall Creek: 150,000.

Tokul Creek: 74,000.

The Dungeness hatchery also has been approved to release 10,000 steelhead smolts on the Olympic Peninsula, but that won’t happen until mid-May.

New cabins at Lincoln Rock park

The Chelan Public Utility District and Washington State Parks have completed improvements at Lincoln Rock State Park, including new cabins.

Construction included eight new deluxe cabins, along with the expansion of a group camping area and a new interpretive trail. The improvements are part of the district’s 2009 federal license to operate Rocky Reach Dam, according to a State Parks news release. The district agreed to spend about $15 million on recreation projects for community and visitor access to the Columbia River and Rocky Reach Reservoir.

The new facilities at Lincoln Rock State Park were $5.1 million of that commitment. Chelan PUD built and owns the park, which is operated by State Parks.

Each cabin is 16-by-25 feet and has a bunk bed that sleeps three, a queen-size futon, three small end tables, a four-person dining table with chairs, a kitchenette with microwave and sink, counter space with cupboards and a bathroom with shower. The cabins also have heat and air-conditioning

The park is at 13253 state Route 2 E., East Wenatchee.

They are available May 15-Sept. 30. Reservations can be made at washington.goingtocamp.com or 888-226-7688.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Adventure briefs for April 24."