(Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a story about a turtle gone missing. Part 1 is available here.)
It was early spring time and the old soil in the backyard garden was just beginning to show signs of new life. Volunteers from last year’s crops popped up haphazardly and weeds were beginning to get a head start while they hoped nobody noticed.
To my father, the shifting seasons signaled that it was high time to turn the compost pile that had been sitting undisturbed since the garden was put to bed the previous fall.
I was eight years old and just beginning to learn about all the ways to while away the time in the garden. The compost pile was fascinating to me from the get go. I loved the way it steamed throughout the winter. I found it curious the way that such a bulging pile of leaves and vines, sour manure and stale dirt could so casually condense into a writhing mass of spongy loam bursting forth with rolly-pollies and newfound fertility.
By far though, the gobs of fat bottom earthworms were the best part. Of course worms are phenomenal for soil health. And they are renowned for enticing dimwitted rainbow trout onto the end of a hooked line. But I wanted those compost wigglers for another reason entirely — I had a hungry turtle to feed.
Last week I detailed my personal shortcomings which allowed my pet turtle Botticelli to “run” away while I forgot to keep watch. Unfortunately, all valiant attempts to locate the turtle on the lam were unfruitful and the fifth Ninja Turtle was never seen again. Luckily for me, neighbor Bob down the street had no shortage of box turtles in his garage, leftover from his cross country trip to Arkansas, and for the price of few future front yard mowings was able to procure myself not one, but two new turtles to take the place of Botticelli. Unfortunately for eight year old me, sometimes the most painful of lessons managed to elude my grasp the first time around.
At first I kept my new turtles safe inside the house in their terrarium. But changing the water every day was laborious and turtle poop stinks. Eventually my father let me move the turtles outside into a large brick planter box that was too high for them to crawl out of. It was a good summer time move and they seemed to be happy turtles. So of course, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to bring them out for a little more so they could romp in the yard.
Still traumatized by losing Botticelli due to my own absent mindedness, I vowed to pay close attention this time and keep my turtles corralled. As you have likely guessed, it was a fool’s errand. For reasons that escape me now I once again became distracted and found myself inside the house for I’m sure what was supposed to be a brief in-and-out mission. But time is relative, and its peculiar manifestations are particularly disruptive to the perceptions of an eight year old.
I remember when I remembered that I forgot about my turtles again. It hit me in a cold flash that made me stand erect with electricity as a burst of adrenaline surging through my heart. I ran outside and found one turtle determinedly romping across the yard as if he knew where they were giving out free turtle wax. On the run I scooped him up and began searching frantically for his female companion.
“She’s just a turtle,” I thought. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
Boy, was I wrong.
Round and round the yard I went, peeking behind trees and wheelbarrows, looking under blueberry bushes and next to the sandbox. She was nowhere to be found.
Sad, embarrassed and mad at myself I put my lonely turtle away and went to find my father to confess my repeat offense. He helped me to search, but it was no use. He could tell I was crushed under the weight of my own disappointment but also confirmed that we would not be getting any more turtles. They were obviously just too much for an easily distracted boy to care for.
Still, I still had one turtle left and I tried to make up for his lack of companionship by making sure his diet consisted of the finest offerings I could muster. I would cut up fresh fruit and feed it to him regularly. He seemed to enjoy the cocktails, but the best feedings by far were plump earthworms straight from the ground.
Placing the live worms in front of the turtle seemed to elicit a primordial predator response from deep within the hollow of his shell. Where he would typically move molasses slow and methodical in pursuit of rapidly browning bananas, he would lunge with purpose when it came time to hunt worms. His shiny head snapped like a raptor and strong arms slapped sharp claws that shredded fleeing nightcrawlers.
Mr. Turtle spent the winter living all by his lonesome in a glass cage in the basement. I tried to keep him happy with regular fruit offerings, but earthworms are mighty hard to come by in the winter. With the turtle’s happiness at heart I was singularly focused when my dad said that he was headed out to the turn the compost pile with his shovel and pitchfork — I knew there would be fresh earthworms for the taking and Mr. Turtle would soon be living his best life as a cold blooded killer.
Dawdling a bit as I put on my boots to head outside I was caught off guard when my dad burst back through the door a short while later.
He’d found it, he exclaimed in a panting excitement that left me anxious.
“It was in the compost pile all along!” he hollered flush with excitement.
“What was in the compost?” I asked, worried that my father had actually gone and lost his marbles in the garden.
“The turtle!” he exclaimed. “She’s been hunkered down and keeping warm in the bottom of the compost pile all this time.”
Sure enough, when I followed my dad back outside there was my missing turtle, sleeping soundly inside the incubating guts of the compost pile. Picking her up gently, I brought the prodigal turtle inside and reintroduced her to her long lost mate. That reunion included a choice selection of fresh dug worms and they seemed like happy turtles again.
Thanks to that serendipitous recovery from my youth I still get excited to turn the compost pile as an adult. You just never know what you might find, and, after all, Botticelli is still out there somewhere.
FISHIN’
Beginning March 17 anglers on the Cowlitz River will be limited to just one adult hatchery Chinook salmon per day. That daily limit will allow for up to six hatchery Chinook per day, of which only one may be an adult. That rule change will be in effect from the mouth up to forest Road 1270, including the Cispus River and Lake Scanewa.
According to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife a poor return hatchery Chinook means fish managers needed to make adjustments to allow more fish to be collected for broodstock. Only about 5,000 spring Chinook salmon are expected to return to the Cowlitz this year, which is roughly 70 percent fewer than the five-year average. The press release noted that with the rule change in place it is likely that a full season will be offered, with some fish even trucked above Cowlitz Falls Dam for upriver fishery and reintroduction purposes.
Up at Barrier Dam Campground, Karen Glaser is trying to look at the ongoing salmon fisheries through rose colored glasses when asked if the actions is beginning to pick up.
“I wish I could say yes but I haven’t heard a whole lot,” said Glaser. “I’ve heard that they are getting a few down in the lower river and up here the guys who are putting their time in are getting a few.”
Glaser said she has seen a few springers landed and a few steelhead have been hauled in over the last week, but the the bite has been maddeningly sporadic.
“I heard the hatchery took in their first springer Monday,” noted Glaser. “It’s still not red hot. We’re just not getting any big numbers.”
Sampling conducted by the WDFW last week confirmed the results that Glaser has been observing. A total of three steelhead were kept by 58 bank rods below the I-5 Bridge, while two boats had no catch. Meanwhile, 45 bank rods kept two adult springers and two steelhead. Boat anglers had a much more productive time with 18 steelhead kept, three steelhead and two cutthroat trout released. Additionally, last week workers recovered 14 winter-run steelhead during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. On Monday river flows at Mayfield Dam were reported at approximately 5,080 cubic feet per second with water visibility of nine feet and water temperature is 43.3 degrees F.
Additional tributary sampling by the WDFW showed 26 bank rods released one steelhead on the Kalama RIver and 22 bank rods hat no catch at all on the Lewis River. Counting bank and boat rods last week a total of 16 steelhead with intact adipose fins were caught by 78 sampled anglers on a smattering of major lower Columbia River tributaries in the area including the East Fork Lewis, Grays and Elochoman rivers, Skamokawa, Mill, Abernathy, Germany and Salmon creeks.
On the Columbia River salmon fishing is currently open by boat from Buoy 10 all the way to Beacon Rock, while bank anglers can line up all the way to Bonneville Dam. Beginning Friday the fishery for spring Chinook will extend from the Tower Island power lines upstream to the Oregon/Washington border above McNary dam in addition to the banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines.
As it stands now, springers have been finding their way up a few lower Columbia tributaries faster than they are the main river. At last count more spring Chinook had been recovered in the Lewis River (10) and at Willamette Falls (5), than the three fish at Bonneville Dam. Last weekend the WDFW sampled six boat anglers between Buoy 10 and the Wauna power lines with just one steelhead released. The WDFW calculates that between March 1-11, anglers on the lower Columbia made 4,943 trips and caught 24 adult spring Chinook and 56 steelhead. Three salmon and 44 steelhead were released. During the month of February anglers on the lower Columbia made 3,638 trips and kept 18 spring Chinook while releasing 64 steelhead.
In the words of WDFW fish biologist Joe Hymer, Columbia River fishing is “Not hot but at least we sampled a couple fish.”
On the Chehalis River guide boats have been seen plying the waters between Porter and Malone and between Independence and Galvin. A few bank rods have even been settling in near the confluence of the Skookumchuck but bank action has been particularly slow. Some area anglers are beginning to switch their attentions to their bass set ups in anticipation of rising water temperatures. Once the new season takes hold bass will be biting on the mainstem Chehalis, Swofford Pond, Riffe Lake, and other area waters.
“We’re still a little early,” said Kurt Coleman at Tri-Mountain Sports and Radio Shack in Morton. “We’re still about a week or two early for bass, or anything. I don‘t think you can even get a boat in at Riffe Lake yet.”
Elsewhere the WDFW has resumed their trout stocking effort on area lowland lakes and deliveries were made to both Lewis and Cowlitz counties last week. South Lewis County Park Pond received 1,840 fingerling rainbow trout on March 8 and Kress Lake was planted with 2,880 fingerling rainbows that same day. The WDFW had no data on angler success on any lakes.
HUNTIN’
Well, well, well. Waterfowl seasons are officially over. The last opening came to a close in Area 2 on March 10 and now the window is finally set to shut on small game as well. Thursday is the final day for hunters to target snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbits, bobcat, fox and raccoon.
However, Cougar hunts will continue in most units until April 30, but hunters should check for closures in units with harvest limits before marking a mountain lion. Coyote hunting, on the other hand, never ends. It’s the law.
A few weeks later a statewide youth-only turkey hunt will serve to kick off the spring hunting season. That hunt is set to take place on April 7-8. Then, the general turkey season will open on both sides of the mountains from April 15 through May 31.
For those hunts the combined limit is three birds for the season, of which only two may be taken from Eastern Washington, with the exception of Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties where only one gobbler may be killed per person. A one turkey limit is also applicable in Western Washington, although two turkeys may be taken in Klickitat County. Only male turkeys, or those with visible beards, are legal for hunting.
Any hunter who would like to hunt with multiple tags next fall has until the end of the month to submit their applications. Applications received on time from eligible hunters will be entered into a drawing for 2018 multiple-season tags.
According to the WDFW those tags can “can greatly increase the opportunity for success in the field.”
The drawing is scheduled for mid-April. A total of 8,500 multiple season tags for deer will be handed out along with 1,000 multiple-season tags for elk. Winners will be allowed to purchase special tags to participate in archery, muzzleloader, and modern firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2018. Additionally, winners who purchase the multiple season elk tag are allowed to participate in general elk hunting seasons in both eastern and western Washington.
“This is a great opportunity for hunters to extend their hunting season this fall,” said Anis Aoude, game division manager for WDFW, in a press release. “The multiple season tag allows more flexibility, since winners do not need to choose one hunting method over another.”
The deadline to purchase the multiple-season tag is July 31. Hunters can apply only once for each species and are limited to harvesting one deer or elk. Applications cost $7.10 for residents and $110.50 for nonresidents. A hunting license is not required to submit an application, but winners of the drawing must obtain one before they can purchase a multiple-season tag.
CLAMMIN’
A two day cam dig set for Friday and Saturday has been approved on select area beaches. Those openings were approved after marine toxin testing concluded that the razor clams are safe to eat.
“Last weekend, we had a great turnout for the dig at Mocrocks,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for WDFW, in a press release. “We’ll have more beaches open for this upcoming dig and expect to draw some crowds, especially with the Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival on Saturday.”
Due to daylight savings time, Ayres noted that the best digging this week will likely take place before sunset each night. His general advices is to hit the beach about an hour or two before low tide, but digging is currently not allowed on any beach before noon.
The upcoming dig is approved on the following beaches, dates and evening low tides:
• March 16, Friday, 7:03 p.m.; +0.2 feet; Copalis, Mocrocks
• March 17, Saturday, 7:36 p.m.; +0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
State law allows diggers to keep up to 15 clams per day, so long as they keep the first 15 clams they dig. No high grading is allowed. Each digger must also keep their clams in their own private container and all diggers age 15 and up must have a license.
Additional digs have been proposed on coastal beaches between April 19-22. A final decision is expected to be announced about a week before those dates.
SNOWIN’
The good times continue to roll up on the mountain as prolonged precipitation in the region has created a steady system of fresh snowfall on the slopes.
On Wednesday the snow report noted light snow all over the mountain. Justin “the Cat Driver” reported that conditions were “very good,” particularly on the upper mountain. Four new inches of snow had accumulated in a 24-hour period at the summit with a perfect holding temperature of 27 degrees to keep the snow intact.
That new snow helped to keep the total snowpack at the base stacked up at 70 inches with 126 inches at the summit. Mountain temperatures peaked at 30 degrees at the base. Continuing bouts of snowfall are expected to continue through the end of the week, which should help to keep the slopes in good shape for weekend gnar shredders.
White Pass is currently operating daily from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m., but night skiing has ended for the season.
