PREDATORS — Like the cormorants that move in ahead of them, California sea lions are leaving their original saltwater hunting areas to chase fish inland as they go up the Columbia River.

At least three, and maybe four of the big marine mammals this year have managed to find their way up the Columbia 146 miles from the Pacific Ocean to cross above Bonneville Dam.

The sea lions have in recent years increased their presence in the waters below Bonneville Dam, feeding on salmon and steelhead spawners that are looking for an upstream passage route.

More recently they’ve been seen at The Dalles Dam, which is another 45 miles upstream from Bonneville.

Tribal spokesmen say the sea lions have been raising hell for tribal gillnets in the area.

PUBLIC LANDS — The Eastern Washington Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will hold a meeting on May 23 in Moses Lake focusing on the East Side and San Juan Resource Management Plan and the Forest Plan Revision for the Colville National Forest.

The meeting will run 10 a.m.-4 p.m in the Hardin Room of the ATEC Building at Big Bend Community College, 7662 N.E. Chanute St. 

The meeting will be open to the public and there will be an opportunity for public comments at 10:00 a.m.

The Eastern Washington RAC is comprised of 15 members from a variety of backgrounds who are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. The Eastern Washington RAC provides advice to the Bureau of Land Management Spokane District Manager and the Colville National Forest Supervisor regarding management of federal public land in eastern Washington.

For info about the Eastern Washington RAC contact the Spokane BLM District Office, 1103 N. Fancher Rd, or call (509) 536-1200.

MOUNTAIN BIKING — The Spokane Fat Tire Trail Riders Club is showing of the new Anthills feature film Strength In Numbers as a fundraiser for local trail projects.

Check it out May 25 The film at Spokane Falls Community Colleges SUB Lounge. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:15. Tickets available online in advance,$12 (w/service fee) or $14 at the door.
  

MOUNTAINEERING — At 73, Tamae Watanabe is the oldest woman to summit Mount Everest — again. The last time she made the record, she was 63.

She reached the top with four other team members Saturday morning after an all-night climb, Asian Trekking says. The Japanese mountaineer was leading Asian Trekking's International Everest Expedition 2012.

In 2009, Kay LeClaire of Spokane briefly held the distinction of being the oldest woman on top of the world.

Ang Tshering of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association in Nepal tells The Associated Press that the team is in good condition and heading back to the base.

Asian Trekking has a list of Watanabe's other mountaineering feats, which have taken her all over the world, including Alaska's Mount McKinley in 1977.

The oldest man to climb Everest was Min Bahadur Serchan, who was 76 when he reached the highest point on Earth in 2008, according to the Guinness World Records. Radio Australia News reports the youngest person to climb the mount was 13-year-old American Jordan Romero in 2010.

See EverestNews reports here.

PUBLIC LANDS — They're at it again.   As though it's a rite of spring for lame brains, some four-wheel drive enthusiasts are ripping into soggy national forest lands for a few thrills that will leave ruts and plant damage for years to come.

Some of the most serious offenses are occuring in Idaho.

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest law enforcement officers are asking for any information pertaining to the mudbogging damage in the areas behind Fish Creek Campground and the Milner Trail. 

Last weekend, jerks a full size vehicle bypassed the posted sign and mudbogged in the creek behind site #8 at Fish Creek Campground.  They created a diversion in the main stream course and broke down the stream banks to flood their playground.

Another mudbogging site (above) was also found off the Milner Trail where extensive damage occurred in a meadow.

Contact: Jill Forth, Law Enforcement Officer, at 208-983-4054.

RESERVOIRS — The level of Lake Roosevelt was 1243.30 at 10 a.m. today as it continues to rise slowly.

“The prediction calls for the level of the lake to be in the 1245-1246 range for this weekend,” the Bureau of Reclamation says. “Next week the level of the lake is predicted to rise less than 1 foot per day resulting in the lakel level being in the 1250-1252 range over Memorial Day weekend.”

Daily lake level forecast by phone: (800) 824-4916.

Better yet, check out this new NOAA site with Roosevelt levels and a list of boat launching elevations on the same page.

RIVERS — Moon Pass, the route over the Bitterroot Mountains between Wallace and Avery, is open according to Shoshone County Public Works.

The road is a popular shortcut from I-90 to the St. Joe River.

Gold Pass out of St. Regis, Mont., remains blocked by snow.

BOATING — A boating safety class that satisfies Washington’s driver certification requirements will be offered at the Northtown Mall 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday next week (May 21-24) in honor of National Safe Boating Week.

The eight-hour course will be taught by the Spokane Sail and Power Squadron.

• Preregister: 328-6165.

Any Washington resident age 40 or younger must have a Washington boater safety certificate to operate a vessel in state waters. Next year the requirement will extend to age 50.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — National Migratory Bird Day has inspired several upcoming events in the Inland Northwest:

Saturday (May 19): Birding activities at Blue Creek Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene, 9:30 am-12:30 pm, an event for all ages. Info: BLM wildlife biologist Carrie Hugo, 208-769-5048; or Suzanne Endsley, BLM public affairs, 208-769-5004.

Saturday (May 19): “Floods, Flowers and Feathers,” a new festival at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge that will feature elements of the Ice Age Floods that shaped the land along with the flora and fauna that flourish in this special channeled scablands habitat, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Info: (509) 235-4723. Some events can be reserved online.

May 26:  Bird Walk at Turnbull Wildlife Refuge to see birds in breeding plumage. Info: Marian Frobe, 328-0621.

June 2: a birding field trip to Hawk Creek area of Lake Roosevelt. Novices will be teamed with experts in groups. Contact Nancy Williams by May 22nd at (509) 536-1281, or e-mail nwilliam@blm.gov.

SALMON FISHING — The spring chinook fishery will reopen this weekend (May 19-20) for two days of fishing on a section of the Columbia River stretching 163 miles upstream from Bonneville Dam, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon.

Anglers fishing those waters will be allowed to keep two marked hatchery adult chinook per day. All wild, unmarked chinook must be released unharmed.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed to the two-day opening after the run forecast for upriver spring chinook was raised from 202,000 fish to 216,500 fish. (The original forecast recently was downgraded by nearly a third).

Cindy LeFleur, WDFW Columbia River policy manager, said the two states will meet May 22 to consider additional openings – both above and below Bonneville Dam – if the estimated size of this year’s spring chinook run continues to rise.

“All eyes are on the fish counts at Bonneville Dam right now,” LeFleur said. “This run is one of the latest on record, so we really have to gauge from one week to the next how many spring chinook are still coming.”

This weekend, boat and bank anglers can fish from the Tower Island powerlines to the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles upriver from McNary Dam. Bank anglers can also fish from the powerlines downriver to Bonneville Dam.

Those waters have been closed to fishing since May 6, pending a run assessment.

• WDFW emergency regulations are posted online.
• Click here for details on Washington fishing seasons and regulations.
• Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information, (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. 

SALMON FISHING — The spring chinook salmon fishing season on the Icicle River in Chelan County will open Saturday (May 19), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon.

The closing date, subject to change, is July 31.

Daily limit:  Daily limit two salmon, minimum size 12 inches. 

Location: Icicle River, from the closure signs located 800 feet upstream of the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam.

Read on for details.

SALMON FISHING —  Snake River spring chinook fishing will close one hour after sunset Friday (May 18) below Ice Harbor Dam and near Little Goose Dam.  

The closure does not affect spring chinook fisheries in the six miles below Lower Granite Dam, or in the Clarkston area. Both will remain open until further notice, according to an announcement just released by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fishery managers.

“Because wild salmon in the run are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, these fisheries must be managed within the ESA guidelines,” said John Whalen, WDFW’s eastern region fish program manager. “Based on the most recent chinook run estimate, the catch rates we are seeing, and the projected harvest, the allowable salmon catch for the Snake River will be reached sooner than we estimated.”

Read on for the details about the season closures:

MOUNTAINEERING — Three people who bought books by mountain climber Greg Mortenson are taking their claims of fraud against the humanitarian to a federal appeals court. 

Last month, U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon dismissed their lawsuit that alleged that Mortenson, his publisher, his co-author and his charity lied in his books “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones Into Schools” to boost sales and donations.  

Haddon called the case flimsy and “fraught with shortcomings.”  

The Associated Press reports today that on Wednesday, attorneys for the readers from Montana and California filed a notice of appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A fourth plaintiff from Illinois has dropped out of the lawsuit. 

The best-selling memoirs recount how Mortenson started building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The lawsuit was filed last year after media reports that Mortenson fabricated parts of them.
  

ENDANGERED SPECIES — Montana wildlife officials say a Canadian caribou has wandered into northwestern Montana for the second time this spring, and this one has the potential to make history. 

Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife manager Jim Williams tells KCFW-TV the possibly pregnant cow is from a herd that biologists brought to British Columbia to augment an existing herd. 

He says if the caribou gives birth, it would be the first known caribou birth in Montana in over 50 years.  

A biologist in Libby is tracking the animal in the Purcell Mountains, near the Yaak River and anyone who spots a caribou is asked to report the sighting to FWP. 

In late April, state wildlife officials located a collared caribou that was feared dead, got it medical treatment and returned it to Canada.

PARKS — Washington State Parks officials have set meetings in Spokane to discuss potentially sweeping changes in management of facilities at Riverside and Mount Spokane.

The meetings will be at Spokane Public Library Shadle Branch, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. as follows:

• Saturday, 3:30-5 p.m., specific to Riverside State Park.
• Monday, 6 p.m-7:30 p.m., for Mount Spokane State Park.

Similar meetings across the state will gather public opinion on whether the state parks system would be operated as a private enterprise based on profits generated at the sites or as a public conservation asset.

Other options include turning over more parks to local communities to operate as a non-profit attractions, officials said.

Officials also are asking the public to help them rank the top features of their state parks and what needs improvement, said Virginia Painter, parks spokeswoman in Olympia.

The cash-strapped parks system is trying to make a five-year management plan. The Washington Legislature had voted to wean the parks from all state general funding in the next few years.

Rangers and other staff positions at Riverside and Mount Spokane state parks were cut by 40 percent in Jaunary.

Click here for information about the planning effort and making comments.

BOATING —The Bureau of Land Management’s Blackwell Island boat launch and recreation area will open on May 23 in one of the annual harbingers of th Lake Coeur d’Alene boating season.  

The popular site is just south of Coeur d’Alene along Highway 95.  

Season passes cost $40.  The annual pass covers both Blackwell Island recreation site and Mineral Ridge boat launch.   Daily rates at Blackwell Island are $6 per day.

BLM staff will be on-site during the Memorial Day weekend to sell season passes.  Cash or check is required for on-site purchases; credit card purchases may be made at the BLM’s Coeur d’Alene District office during business hours at 3815 Schreiber Way in Coeur d’Alene. 

Blackwell Island recreation site offers picnic facilities, including a large pavilion that is available on a rental basis; wildlife viewing along the boardwalk trail; walking paths and four boat launch lanes.

Info: 208-769-5000.

FISHING – Sign-up is underway for limited openings in a two-session fishing clinic for adults who haven’t been introduced to the sport.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council are teaming to teach non-fishing adults age 16 or older. 

The clinic involves an evening session on June 7 followed by a session at an area lake on June 9, which is free fishing weekend in Washington – no fishing license required.

Sign up: 892-1001 or email teamspokane@dfw.wa.gov.

Read on for more details.

HUNTING — Friday at midnight is the deadline to apply for special hunting permits for fall deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep, and turkey seasons in Washington.

Permit winners will be selected through a random drawing conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in late June. The special permits qualify hunters to hunt at times and places beyond those authorized by a general hunting license.

Applications may be purchased from license vendors statewide or online.

Consult the 2012 Big Game Hunting Seasons & Regulations pamphlet for details.

Read on for more information:

SALMON FISHING — Fishing for spring chinook on the lower Snake River could close after fishing hours on Friday because of the downgrading of the forecast from about 314,000 to 220,000 fish up the Columbia.

Anglers have been catching springers in the Snake, and they may be close to their quota given the reduced numbers of fish coming upstream.

Look for an announcement, possibly late today, that would close the Snake from Little Goose downstream on Friday night.

Fishing upstream in the Snake would likely close after the weekend, according to John Whalen, regional fisheries manager, who said fish managers would be meeting Monday to go over the numbers again.

FISHING IN YOUR DREAMS — Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute on Monday unveiled the world’s largest king salmon. Stretching nearly 129 feet, the fish-themed design will adorn a Boeing 737-800 this fall.

The new “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II” design is derived from an earlier version of the paint scheme Alaska Airlines unveiled on a 737-400 in 2005, which was re-painted with the carrier’s traditional Eskimo livery last year.

The new design is about nine feet longer than the original ’salmon plane’ and also features fish scales on the winglets and a salmon-pink colored “Alaska” script across the fuselage.

“This airplane celebrates Alaska Airlines’ unique relationship with the people and communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment to the state’s seafood industry,” said Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice president of the state of Alaska.

Last year, Alaska Airlines flew nearly 25 million pounds of seafood from Alaska to markets in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

And it flew a lot of fishermen back and forth, too.