If you ask me the stubborn and stinging chill of winter is saddled with a bad rap.
Maybe it’s because Ol’ Man Winter always arrives like some dastardly desperado in the night. Riding bareback on an ice-white horse with a pair of double-barrel cold blasters slung across his bony chest and a smoldering stogie stuck like a fire log between his chattering teeth.
But who can ever be sure?
The dependable villain always forces town folk to scurry in search of shelter, feeling remorseful if they haven’t already stocked the cupboards. The huddled masses say they don’t enjoy the bone battering cold as they collectively daydream of sun soaked summer days gone by. And the trees, so sensitive to autumn’s advances, shed their leaves in protest and then stand naked and defiant on every hillside and street corner.
The elders are all too familiar with the phenomenon. Their compounding concentric rings and crows’ feet faces mark the many winters already gone by. So one by one they reserve themselves to survive another slow burning meditation through the darkness. Just waiting for their fingertip leaves and hairy-toe grasses to grow green and then the songbirds in their hair to sing again.
But some of the sylvan creatures can’t stand to simply wait around for their feelings to change. When they stop they wind up thinking about it all and that leaves them feeling cold. So they’ve found it’s best to just keep moving. That’s why the hideaway hermits from gnarled family trees that make their way out in the hills and hollers just keep picking away at their wood pile. They know well that good firewood is sure to warm you up at least three times — Once when you cut it. Once when you stack it. And once when you burn it.
As long as the blood and sap of their kin runs warm those splintered bones of old timbers that succumbed to the merciless onslaught of time and stress were still very much alive. The long strand fibers of evergreens have always formed the building blocks of their unlikely survival. From wagon wheels to log cabins, and pole barn to axe handle, the trees had always provided places to be safe and the means with which to continue.
For a part-time lumberjack, there’s something intoxicating about the whole affair — loading timbers by hand with pitch and sawdust everywhere. Chainsaw exhaust and frosted breath hanging in the air. The business end of a workman’s maul and the shimmering edge of a wood-handled ax. The splendid crack and quartering of yet another round on the chopping block. One by one they all tip over and everything else falls into place. Tucked away in the shed the sturdy stack accrues a workingman’s security more valuable than Wall Street’s stocks and bonds.
Neighbors and friends and loved ones young and old come and go from one another’s homes like holidays and the sniffles. But where there is a well stoked wood stove everyone inevitably winds up lingering by the radiating warmth of the hearth for at least a little while. Since the days of caves and mastodon pajamas it’s just the way it’s always been.
As I swept up the final dustpan of last year’s ashes from the woodstove and carried them to the garden it became clear that winter is the original communal experience. Tossing the ashes into each bed dust quickly billowed in the prickly air. As a cold air pooled in my body like ice water on a sunburned stomach it reminded me that summer is full of freedom. It’s all unbound expanses for exploring and overt independence with no shirts and no shoes while fall is for feasting carefree on the combined spoils of the seasons.
Winter, on the other hand, forces us together out of necessity so that we might once again fend off the threats of winter’s masked marauder. It is that timeless struggle to sustain one another through the longest and leanest hours of dark and cold that bonds us even once spring has set us free or the reaper has put us in our grave.
FISHIN’
Nobody around these parts likes to complain about a string of sunny days, except when the fish aren’t biting and you need something to blame.
It’s coho season on the Chehalis River right now and anglers are steadily squatting on the banks while boats run the straights. Still, it seems the fish simply aren’t very hungry, or they’re not there at all.
The entire Chehalis River system, including the mainstem and assorted tributaries, are currently open for all sport angling efforts. With no rain forecast until at least next Thursday, it might be best to throw small lures near the weeds. At least then you might catch a lunker bass looking for a final top water feast before winter. In a best case scenario, salmon anglers are allowed to keep two adult coho per day. All other salmonids must be released.
Down on the mighty Columbia River coho are open to sport anglers from Tongue Point/Rocky Point up to Bonneville Dam. That includes tributaries like the Cowlitz River, where anglers can also keep steelhead. On Monday flow below Mayfield Dam was reported at 3,540 cubic feet per second. Water visibility was reported at 10 feet with a temperature of 50.7 degrees.
According to WDFW sampling statistics last week the bulk of the effort was located close to the Barrier Dam while lower river anglers are waiting for more silvers to enter the system. Between the I-5 Bridge and the mouth last week the WDFW counted just nine bank rods with one keeper coho. Another 19 rods on seven boats kept a dozen coho and released three kings, two silvers and a jack. But between the freeway and the Barrier Dam the WDFW tallied 40 bank rods with two two steelhead on the string and 14 kings released. Another 17 rods on six boats kept four coho, released two kings, six silvers and one jack.
At the Cowltiz salmon hatchery separator last week fish handlers retrieved 2,751 coho adults, 275 coho jacks, 196 fall Chinook adults, 34 fall Chinook jacks, 71 cutthroat trout, and 79 summer-run steelhead. Hatchery crews also released 358 coho adults, 26 coho jacks, and one cutthroat trout into the Cispus River by Yellow Jacket Creek near Randle and deposited 348 coho adults, 28 coho jacks, and four cutthroat trout at the Franklin Bridge release site in Packwood. Another 1,004 coho adults, 104 coho jacks, 44 fall Chinook adults, one fall Chinook jack, and five cutthroat trout were put into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton and 621 coho adults, 88 coho jacks, and five cutthroat trout were dropped into Lake Scanewa in Randle.
According to WDFW creel checking three bank anglers on the Elochoman River released one steelhead and seven bank anglers on the Kalama River had not catch at all. Meanwhile, 17 bank anglers on the Lewis River kept one coho. Another 23 rods on nine boats kept 11 kings, two jacks, and three coho, while releasing seven kings, one coho and one jack.
HUNTIN’
Daylight savings time is nearly here and the rut is officially on for area ungulates. As a result the WDFW is advising drivers to watch out for frisky deer on area roadways.
“Your risk of colliding with a deer on rural and suburban roads is much higher during November,” explained Brock Hoenes, WDFW deer and elk section manager, in a press release. “Deer have started their mating season so their behaviors and movements are atypical in ways that make them very risky for motorists. For example, deer are less afraid of crossing a roadway and may be oblivious of their need to evade an oncoming vehicle.”
The WDFW provided a list of precautions that drivers can take to avoid animal collisions, including:
Slow down – Higher speeds mean you have less time to react and a greater chance of animal collision. Pay attention to the deer crossing signs and stick to the posted speed limits.
Eyes on the road - Stay focused on the roadway and scan for hazards near forests and farms.
Use high beams when appropriate – Deer are most active in the evening and early morning hours. Using high beams when there are no oncoming vehicles will allow you more time to react to a deer or other obstacle in the road.
Brake for one animal and expect more – Frequently, more than one deer will cross the road in quick succession. Don’t assume that you’re safe once a single animal passes.
According to a WDFW press release, State Farm insurance data showed that 1 out of 258 drivers in Washington hit a deer, moose, or elk during the last year. Repair costs for each incident came in at more than $4,000.
Since 2016 Washington law has allowed for the salvage of deer or elk that die of an accidental collision with a motor vehicle. However, deer are not eligible for harvest in Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties in order to protect an endangered population of Columbian White-Tailed deer. Anyone who takes possession of a roadkill animal must acquire a free permit from the WDFW within 24-hours.
Those permits can be obtained online at wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/roadkill-salvage. The public can view the locations of deer and elk collisions thanks to the data reported in those 6,030 permit applications. That data can be viewed online at data.wa.gov/d/mcp7-tcwf/visualization.
One popular way to cut down on the risk of deer collisions is to hunt them. However, you’ll have to wait awhile. General season hunts with modern weapons for black-tailed deer came to and end on Halloween but will strike back up again from Nov. 14-17. In the interim, modern firearm hunts for elk will take place in western Washington from Nov. 2-13.
Black bear hunts will remain open a couple more weeks through Nov. 15 and cougar season is open until at least Dec. 31. Hunts for forest grouse (Blue, Ruffed, and Spruce) are also open through the end of the year as are hunts for crows.
Pheasant hunts in western Washington are allowed from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm until Nov. 30. Likewise, quail hunts on the wet side of the Cascade Mountains will also end at dusk on Nov. 30.
Fall turkey season will continue in Game Management Units 101-154 and 162-186 through the end of the year. The limt is two beardless turkeys and two of either sex.
Duck season closed briefly on Oct. 30 but will reopen again from Nov. 2 through Jan. 26. In Goose Area 3, which includes Lewis County, goose hunts closed on Oct. 24 but will also reopen on Nov. 2. Goose Area 2 (Coastal) closed on Oct. 27 but will be open Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays from Nov. 2 through Dec. 1. Hunting in Goose Area 2 (Inland) closed on Oct. 27 but will reopen on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays from Nov. 23 through Jan. 12. However, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge will only be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only from Nov. 23 through Jan. 11.
Coot and snipe hunts closed briefly in October but will reopen from Nov. 2 through Jan. 26. Mourning dove hunts came to an end for good on Oct. 30.
Bobcats, foxes, raccoons, cottontail rabbits, and snowshoe hares are all fair game through the Ides of March. And trapping seasons for beaver, badger, weasel, marten, mink, muskrat, and river otter all opened on Friday. Those animals will be legal to trap through the end of March.
Coyotes are, of course, open year round but they may not be hunted with the help of dogs.
CLAMMIN’
A week-long set of clam digs came to an end on Friday and conditions couldn’t have been better on the four beaches.
The next set of proposed clam digs are tentatively set to begin on Veterans Day. Those digs, which are dependent upon the results of marine toxin tests, would take place on the following dates, tides, and beaches:
November 11, Monday, 5:51 pm, 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
November 12, Tuesday, 6:27 pm, -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
November 13, Wednesday, 7:03 pm, -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
November 14, Thursday, 7:41 pm, -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
November 15, Friday, 8:22 pm, -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
November 16, Saturday, 9:08 pm, -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
November 17, Sunday, 9:59 pm, -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Additional digs have been tentatively scheduled through Dec. 29.
All diggers age 15 and older must possess a fishing license in order to harvest razor clams, with a daily limit of 15 clams per person. Diggers are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig regardless of size or condition. Additionally, diggers must keep their clams in a personal container.
As the winter clam digging season gets underway, the WDFW has been asking diggers to participate in a survey to determine which is the best way to hunt clams — Shovel or gun? A video on the highly controversial debate can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/y3n5w2tn. Succulent bivalve enthusiasts are encouraged to share their preference via social media using the hashtags #TeamClamShovel or #TeamClamGun.
WAGGIN’
The public has been given two extra weeks to provide input on the management of wolves by the state of Washington in the future. In particular, the state is seeking information on what sort of actions should be taken to control wolves once the animals have successfully increased their range and population and are no longer listed as for state protections.
The WDFW is seeking public input as it drafts a post-recovery wolfe management and conservation plan. The new deadline is 5 p.m. on Nov. 15.
“The current plan the department uses to guide wolf conservation and management was started in 2007 and developed over five years specifically to inform wolf recovery. Because wolves are moving toward recovery in Washington, it is time to develop a new plan,” said Julia Smith, WDFW wolf coordinator, in a press release. “This is just the start of the process, so if you don’t get your input to us by Nov. 15, there will be more opportunities in 2020.”
In the last twelve years the wolf population in Washington has increased by an average of 28 percent each year. Currently there at least 126 wolves, 27 packs, and 15 breeding pairs of wolves, primarily in the northeast quadrant of the state.
“Although it may be a few years before meeting wolf recovery goals, we want to proactively start the conversation about how we should conserve and manage wolves in Washington for the long-term in our state, post-recovery,” added Smith.
Additional information, including links to an online survey and commenting form, can be found on the WDFW website. Comments can also be mailed to Lisa Wood, SEPA/NEPA Coordinator, WDFW Habitat Program, Protection Division, P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504.
COMMENTIN’
A divisive proposal for Cooke Aquaculture to begin farming steelhead in Puget Sound is currently being subjected to a round of public opinion.
In 2017 at least a quarter million Atlantic salmon being farmed by Cooke Aquaculture escaped into Puget Sound after poorly managed net pen collapsed. The company originally blamed the escape on high tides caused by a solar eclipse before later revealing that the pen had become compromised by large accumulations of marine debris before it failed.
In early October the WDFW issued a SEPA mitigated determination of non-significance in regard to Cooke Aquaculture’s proposal to switch from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead using their existing Puget Sound infrastructure.
The proposal applies to four net pens currently being operated in Rich Passage and Skagit Bay. However, the proposal asks for three more net pens to be considered for operation in the future. If granted the permit would last for at least five years.
“We know that there is significant public interest in this proposal,” said WDFW director Kelly Susewind, in a press release. “We want to provide stakeholders with the best opportunity to make their voices heard in this process.”
The SEPA public comment period will remain open until 5 p.m. on Nov. 22
Written comments can be submitted online at wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/environmental/sepa/open-comments.
