It was only days ago that the gridwork streets, hidden meadows, and preening orchards were chock full of canopies bursting with white and pink blossoms.
Their ornate branches arched over mangled manhole covers to make a wondrous pathway forward. They exploded from trees long forgotten in spaces that are now overgrown and left untended by time. They erupted from the trimmed limbs of shapely trees that predictably grew tired of sitting dormant after so many months.
The long rest is over. The sun is out. More colors are coming.
Matted yellow grasses, stomped into submission by endless gray skies, unrelenting rainstorms and feet of frigid snow, now wrench skyward and swell their cells with the green of life. Tulips lurch through the mulched mycelium and stretch their fragile rainbow array of petals without fear of ripping. They sense that life is to be lived.
Poppies pop up from protected corners in the garden. Sheltered from the threat of late spring storms they grow slow and deliberate, a remnant of homesteaders who came before and now are gone. Crow’s toes and fairy bells blow up in bluebell patches beneath the shade of tall tilting timbers.
Dandelions, though, stand fully exposed and fearless. They summon the cosmic rays that emit from their namesake orb and absorb the ensuing windfall of photosynthesis like great-grandpas finicky satellite dish that goes static in a stiff breeze.
Along the river shore the bodies of bent over reeds and sagging brushy bushes are coming back to life. Waxy leaves unfurl in real time vernation and sleepy eyed roots begin to tap down into the slowly receding waterline. Even noxious weeds are in full resurgence. Each day they stand taller, grow fuller, and conspire to send their seeds and regenerative root clusters sailing on the current.
Back in orchard tended and forgotten, and out on Main Street, the fickle flowers have already seen their best days come and go. What were once satin soft folds surrounding sweet wells of pollen are now browning around the edges and shriveling from the effects of sogging rains and bursts of brittle baking sun.
Each day dependable birds descend upon those branches. They hop from twig to fork in search of the last reserves of nature’s sweet nectar. They flutter their wings to lose the dew and peek their beaks into every flower that has not yet lost all of its luster.
As they shimmy about, safe inside the flexing arms of the flowering fortress the thirsty birds incidentally knock loose the last of those petals. One by one they fall slow like snowflakes and cover the ground beneath the tree’s rain shadow. Some catch a breeze and blow away forever. Others attach themselves like superhero capes to the shells of sneaky snails who are just looking for a home.
Eventually, each tree is left standing nearly naked with its baby leaves not fully formed and its ornate boa accoutrements gone for good. The bloom of spring is so fleeting it can seem sad when it’s all over.
Like stepping barefoot on a honey bee the sting is real but the best way to forget about the disappointment at hand is to remember that summer once again promises to be full of fruit.
FISHIN’
This Saturday will mark the traditional lowland lake opening day in Washington. Anglers in Centralia can ring in the occasion with the 51st annual Lions Club fishing derby at Borst Park Pond.
The event is open to youths age 3 to 14 years old. Last year more than 200 young anglers registered for the free event. Loaner equipment will be available for any anglers who do not have their own gear. Participants will receive a free hot dog and a carton of milk to keep their hunger at bay while their lines are taught. There will be a drawing for prizes at noon. Those prizes include fishing gear and bicycles.
Centralia Lions Club president Bill Scholl recommends that anglers use powerbait for the best odds at hooking thousands of hatchery trout.
“I like to see the kids that catch their first fish ever,” Scholl told The Chronicle.
Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and fishing will continue the rest of the day.
The opening of the traditional lake fishing season will help anglers who have been displaced from the Chehalis River in recent weeks. Winter steelhead fishing is all over on the Chehalis and the WDFW followed up that regulation change by cancelling the sport fishery for spring Chinook.
However, the loss of the spring king season won’t mean much to most anglers according to “Long Leader” Lloyd in the sports department down at Dennis Company in Montesano.
“I know they are not going to open them for spring salmon, which nobody catches spring salmon on the Chehalis anyways. I heard that there’s a run and the only way to know is if you see some seals in the river,” Lloyd said. “The only thing happening right now is on the ocean. Bottom fish is open since mid-March and of course surf perch are open year round from the beach.”
Lloyd added that trout fishing in most rivers will be shuttered until June.
“Of course if you want to do some catch-and-release sturgeon fishing, that’s open all year long but it’s always catch-and-release on the Chehalis,” Lloyd noted.
He pointed out that May and June are typically the hottest months for sturgeon fishing on the lower Chehalis River with plenty of river monsters biting from the mouth up to Montesano and some sturgeon even sneaking up beyond the big bend at Elma.
For anglers who’ve got an eye on river flow the Wynoochee River was reportedly running at 671 cubic feet per second above Black Creek and 206 cfps at Grisdale on Wednesday.
Last weekend the WDFW reopened the lower Columbia River for a surprise two-day sport fishery for spring Chinook. With that late-breaking opening in the wake now there are limited opportunities to fish in the lower stretches of the mighty river. Sturgeon fishing is limited to catch-and-release from Buoy 10 up to McNary Dam at the moment but relaxed regulations are coming down the pike. Beginning next month anglers will be able to catch and keep sturgeon from Bonneville on down on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between May 13 and June 5.
The report was slightly more upbeat on the Cowlitz River last week, but that’s what happens when you’re one of the only rivers still open for any fish at all. Spring chinook harvest has been, and remains, closed on the Cowlitz but steelhead are still a valid option. Last week the WDFW sampled 39 bank rods below with the I-5 Bridge with one steelhead on a stringer and three Chinook released. Between the I-5 Bridge and the Barrier Dam another 15 bank rods showed one keeper steelhead while 80 rods on 25 boats kept eight steelhead, released two others, and released two Chinook.
At the Cowlitz salmon hatchery separator last week crews retrieved 432 winter-run steelhead, 13 spring Chinook adults and one cutthroat trout. Fish handlers then released 27 winter-run steelhead adults and one cutthroat trout into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton. Another 21 winter-run steelhead and two spring Chinook were plopped into Lake Scanewa near Randle. Additionally, 114 steelhead were trucked back down river and recycled from the I-5 Bridge in order to give anglers another shot at some steely action.
On Monday river flow below Mayfield Dam was reported at 2,990 cubic feet per second. That flow had dropped only slightly by Wednesday but Tacoma Power warns that river flow could be increased to 3,500 cfps by Thursday morning before dropping back down for the rest of the week. Water temperature has been just below 48 degrees with ten feet of visibility.
Elsewhere, 27 bank anglers on the Kalama River had no catch to show the WDFW last week but 18 rods on 10 boats kept three Chinook and released two steelhead. On the Lewis River nine bank anglers had no catch and two boat rods were also skunked.
HUNTIN’
Earlier this month Washington state made a move that will expand the wardrobe options for hunters. Now, instead of being limited to safety orange when out in the field hunters will also be able to suit up in pink attire.
“Orange will always be the classic safety color, but I think our state’s hunters can appreciate something new and different – and because fluorescent pink doesn’t blend in with anything else in the forest or field, it also offers the excellent visibility we need for safety,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, in a press release.
“This idea received unanimous support in the Legislature, and I can see hunter pink being very popular with both women and men, especially because pink is also linked to the fight against breast cancer,” added Wilson, who was in the midst of breast cancer treatments while the bill was making its way through the house and senate.
Washington becomes the 10th state to allow pink clothing to count as hunting safety gear. A press release noted that since the WDFW implemented hunter orange requirements associated injuries and unsafe incidents have decreased significantly. Hunters are currently required to wear a minimum of 400 square inches of flourescent orange exterior during specific hunting seasons. Pink will be added to the short list of acceptable colors in July.
“By adding fluorescent hunter pink, we are providing more choices to our hunters,” said David Whipple, hunter education division manager, in a press release. “Women are one of the fastest-growing hunting groups, though we believe that this option will feel inclusionary to all new hunters. This attention is also helping to highlight the safe behaviors for continued reductions in hunter injuries and incidents.”
Back out in the field the statewide wild turkey hunt is winding up. That hunt began on April 15 and will continue through May 31. Odds are particularly enticing in the northeastern portion of the state but some random gobblers can be found in the evergreen hills as well.
Cougars are legal to bag in most parts of Washington for a couple more days. However, hunters should be sure to check quota numbers that dictate closures before heading out into big cat country. Those hunts will all come to a close on April 30, but coyote hunts will remain legal all year round.
Additionally, roadkill salvage is legal in Washington in almost all instances. State law allows for the harvest of most road rashed deer and elk with the use of an emergency permit provided by the WDFW. However, deer are not legal for salvage in Clark, Cowlitz or Wahkiakum counties in order to protect endangered populations of Columbia white-tailed deer.. Permits are available online and must be obtained within 24-hours of any deer or elk salvage. Permits can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/game_salvaging/application.html.
SHRIMPIN’
Shrimp enthusiasts will be able to snag some Puget Sound prawns to toss on the barbie beginning May 11.
That start date is about one week later than last year. Shellfish officials noted that the delayed opening was due to tidal conditions.
"This is a popular fishery, and the volume of boats using the ramps will require some patience and courtesy," said Don Velasquez, WDFW shellfish biologist, in a press release. "Fishers should allow extra time for launching their boats to ensure they’re in the water when fishing opens."
Spot shrimp, commonly called prawns, dominate the early season fishing returns. However, all shrimp species will be open from the get-go, including pink and coonstripe shrimp. Spot shrimp are the king shrimp in Puget Sound. They can grow up to nine inches long.
Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) is set to be open from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on May 11. In Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) shrimping will be allowed from 9 a.m. until 1 pl.m. on May 11, 15, 29 and June 1. Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound, Carr Inlet) will remain closed due to a low abundance of shrimp.
The WDFW will announce additional dates if sufficient catch quota remains following the first round of openers.
All open areas of Puget Sound have a daily limit of 80 shrimp during May. Traps can be set beginning one hour before official sunrise
WALKIN’
On April 30 sylvan caretakers will converge on Seminary Hill in Centralia in order to go on a guided wildflower walk.
The day’s events will be coordinated by the Friends of Seminary Hill Natural Area. That group is a non-profit organization that helps to maintain the Hub City’s 72-acre forest.
Prior to the wildflower foot tour a dedication ceremony will take place for a series of new informative signs. The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. with the wildflower walk beginning at 6 p.m. at the Barner Driver entrance. The wildflower walk will be led by Lisa Carlson, a botany professor at Centralia College.
The following week the Friends of Seminary Hill will hold their annual cleanup effort on May 4.
“It’s a hoot just to get together and do whatever you want on the hill,” said Brian Mittge, president of the Seminary Hill group. “We have projects laid out — it’s whatever sort of thing suits your fancy.”
Tools and other gear will be available for volunteers but anyone with their own implements of alteration are encouraged to bring them.
“The volunteers who created our group and successfully saved the hill 40 years ago are our inspiration,” Mittge wrote in a release. “We’re excited to honor them with a party on April 30, and with a work party on May 4.”
Additional information about activities at Seminary Hill can be found online at facebook.com/seminaryhill.
LURIN’
The WDFW is asking Washington residents to avoid a handful of behaviors that are known to attract bears and other wildlife during the stirring months of spring.
“Black bears are hungry when they emerge from their dens because they may lose up to half of their body weight during hibernation,” said Rich Beausoleil, bear and cougar specialist for the WDFW, in a press release. “Natural foods are scarce this time of year, so bears often start looking for the easiest source of high-protein food, which includes bird feeders, pet food, and garbage.”
According to Beausoleil bears are instinctively leary of of humans but are often enticed to ignore that natural tendency to avoid interspecies interactions if the payoff is right.
“When bears have learned to associate food sources with people, situations often end badly for the bear,” added Beausoleil. “The trick is to not make a human source of food easier for a bear to get than what nature provides – especially food that is high in fat and calories.”
Beausoleil noted that bird feeders are a common offender since their contents regularly contain around 2,000 calories per pound. To avoid conflicts, the WDFW suggests people take the following precautions to guard against attracting black bears to their homes or campsites.
Never intentionally feed bears or other wild animals.
Keep garbage cans in a garage or sturdy building.
Take down seed and hummingbird feeders until winter.
Remove pet food from wildlife accessible areas, and feed pets inside.
Clean barbecue grills after each use, and store them in a secure building.
Clean up fallen fruit or other possible attractants around your home.
Cage and electric fence your domestic fowl and livestock pens.
When camping, thoroughly clean:
all spilled food;
yourself and your children after eating (hands, face, and clothing);
all cooking utensils; and
seal uneaten food in airtight containers that are stored in bear-proof canisters or food lockers at least 100 yards away from camping areas.
Avoid storing food in your car. If necessary, ensure that food items are covered and out of sight or securely locked in the trunk.
"By following these recommendations, you can prevent virtually all negative interactions with black bears and other wildlife before they occur,” said Cole Caldwell, statewide human-wildlife conflict specialist, in a press release.
There are laws on the books to discourage the practice of feeding or baiting bears. Unintentional feeding can bring a fine of $87 while the intentional feeding of bears can result in a fine as high as $1,000.
SNOWIN’
If you’ve got a hankering to put planks to powder then you better get to gettin’ because shredding season at White Pass will only be open for two more days this season.
The ski area will open up this weekend for a few fare thee well runs before closing up for good on April 28. The nordic and tubing areas, as well as night skiing, are already closed for the season.
Temperatures on the slopes were edging up around 40 degrees on Wednesday with no new snow to report. Those conditions left a total of 96 inches of snowpack up top with just 40 inches down low.
