Adventure briefs for July 17

Twanoh hosts Shellfest event

ShellFest 2016 is coming to Twanoh State Park in Mason County on Saturday.

The annual event includes exhibits, a shellfish lunch, children activities, beach walks led by local experts, touch tanks and education about restoring and protecting shellfish beds in Puget Sound and the coast as part of the statewide Washington Shellfish Initiative.

The event is set to take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the park, 12190 E. state Route 106, Union. The 182-acre marine camping park on the southern edge of Hood Canal has 3,167 feet of saltwater shoreline.

The lunch will be provided by Hama Hama and Seattle Shellfish from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch is free, but there is a suggested donation of $7 a person or $20 a family. Proceeds from the lunch will benefit the Washington State Parks Foundation.

Admission to the event is free, but a Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to the park.

Lake Sammamish beach closed

Sunset Beach at Lake Sammamish State Park is closed to the public this summer due to construction and renovation work to improve the beach, swimming area and habitat.

Washington State Parks said the work is expected to continue through November.

Temporary fencing has been installed around the swimming beach area to prevent access during the work. The Sunset Beach parking lot, picnic area and bathhouse will remain open.

The project is intended to improve water quality for swimming, provide a better sandy beach for sunbathing and restore wetlands and the shoreline. Other projects include adding an ADA-accessible path to the swimming area, building a discovery sandbox for kids and installing new benches in front of the bathhouse.

Visitors can check the status of the beach closure at parks.state.wa.us.

Women can learn outdoor skills

Women can sign up now for a September workshop during which they can learn the basics of fishing, hunting, and other outdoor skills.

Certified and experienced instructors will teach 21 classes throughout the weekend on skills. Topics will include archery, freshwater fishing, fly fishing and fly tying, big-game hunting, map and compass reading, survival, birding, Dutch oven cooking, backpacking, duck hunting, wildlife awareness and wilderness first aid, according to a news release from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The workshop is scheduled for Sept.16-18 at Camp Waskowitz in North Bend. The annual workshop is presented and coordinated by Washington Outdoor Women, a nonprofit program teaching women outdoor skills and natural resource stewardship. Now in its 19th year, the program is an educational outreach program of the Washington Wildlife Federation.

The registration fee is $295. Partial scholarships are available from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for first-time participants.

For more information, go to washingtonoutdoorwomen.org.

This story was originally published July 17, 2016 at 4:55 AM with the headline "Adventure briefs for July 17."