Adventure briefs: State creates new steelhead advisory group

State creates new steelhead group

People are being sought to serve on a new ad hoc advisory group that will help develop management options for Puget Sound steelhead.

The group will meet twice a month through December to develop recommendations that support conservation objectives and improve sustainable fishing opportunities for steelhead in Puget Sound tributaries, according to a state Department of Fish and Wildlife news release.

The primary task will be to develop fishery and hatchery management strategies tailored to specific watersheds throughout Puget Sound, said Jim Scott, special assistant to the department’s director. As part of that effort, the group will also be asked to help identify a new wild steelhead gene bank in north Puget Sound.

The agency expects to make a final decision on river-specific management strategies and a gene bank in north Puget Sound later this year.

Applications must be submitted in writing with the following information:

Applicant’s name, address, telephone number and email address.

Relevant experience and reasons for wanting to serve as a member of the advisory group.

Applicant’s effectiveness in communication.

Name and contact information for any individual or organization submitting a nomination.

Applications must be received by Sept. 1. They may be submitted to Cathy Davidson by mail: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA, 98501; or email at Cathy.Davidson@dfw.wa.gov. For more information, contact Scott at 360-902-2736.

New Junior Ranger characters

Washington State Parks has a new cast of Junior Ranger characters to help encourage children to get outdoors.

Among the new characters are:

Bagley beaver: Named after Daniel Bagley, a pioneer who came to Washington in a covered wagon in 1852. He was one of Washington’s first historians.

Ruth the deer: Named after Ruth Peeler, one of the first citizen park commissioners and a catalyst for the State Parks interpretive program.

Wallace the red-tailed hawk: Named after Wallace Falls State Park.

Belle the raccoon: Named after Belle Reeves, the first woman Washington Secretary of State (1938-1948) and one of the first members of the State Parks Commission.

Matilda the snowshoe hare: Named after Matilda Jackson who moved to Chehalis with her husband, John R. Jackson, in the 1840s. The Jacksons were two of the first Euro-American settlers north of the Columbia River. Their reconstructed homestead cabin is preserved as the Jackson House State Park Heritage Site.

Blake, also a snowshoe hare: Named after Blake Island State Park, a marine state park in Puget Sound.

Meeting on Westport park

Washington State Parks will hold a workshop Wednesday to gather public input on park naming, land classifications and possible concession operations at Westhaven and Westport Light state parks.

In December 2015, State Parks acquired a 297-acre property between Westhaven and Westport Light state parks. Having created one larger park, State Parks wants to hear ideas on what the new park should be called.

The meeting will be from 6-8 p.m. at McCausland Hall, 2201 Westhaven Drive, Westport.

Information on the project and a comment form are at parks.state.wa.us/900/Real-Estate-Policy-Update.

This story was originally published August 27, 2016 at 5:52 AM with the headline "Adventure briefs: State creates new steelhead advisory group."