Innocuous apples and bananas have been at the core of a growing controversy lately. It seems that many lovers of the outdoors have the outlandish audacity to pack fresh fruit with them when they set off on day hikes, mountain ascents and epic treks along the spiny edge of the Pacific Crest Trail as it wends from Mexico to Canada. What’s worse, if you believe hot collared stewards of the outdoors who have been furiously hammering away at their keyboards, hikers sometimes even leave their apple guts and banana peels behind in the wilderness rather than toting them along for the rest of the journey as a token offering to end of trail trash can.
Make no mistake, safety is not a primary concern here. Nobody is worried about a Mario Kart-style wipeout on a banana peel. Instead, the crux of the issue apparently revolves the idea that those natural food leftovers are somehow degrading the environment by their very presence. Authors and supporters of the “Leave No Trace” ethos have begun a lambasting assault on adventurers who leave their cores and peels behind as if nature has no intrinsic method of dealing with the colorful organic deposits.
As it happens, though, nature does have a way of dealing with natural debris like apples and bananas. Biodegradable food byproducts, by their nature, break down into unrecognizable detritus with the help of the elements and biological underworld of the outdoors. The disappearing process takes anywhere from two to six weeks in most areas and the soggy conditions of western Washington typically accelerate that process. This is hardly a permanent stain on the bucolic purity of the wilderness.
Authors have made the point that most nature trails on the west coast do not wind through apple orchards, and they certainly do not pass through banana groves, so the byproducts of those fruits are by definition non-native and intrusive. One author even noted with visceral pomp, while presumably typing with one hand and patting himself on the back with the other, that he has taken up the habit of eating apples whole and putting the seeds in his pocket to dispose of at the trail’s end. Talk about fruit of the loom.
Well, kudos to him, but at the risk of upsetting the all the fruit loops out there, I call bologna.
I understand that a hike in Washington’s woods would normally not pass by a banana tree, but I would also point out that a true unadulterated walk through the woods would likewise not take place on a manmade trail that has been cleared with the help of ripping chainsaws and other equipment. Likewise, trailheads, mile markers and designated viewpoints do not exist in nature. If you want a primordial experience in the out of doors, try hiking through a blackberry bramble mixed with poison oak on a desolate flank of an anonymous mountainside. You’ll have to cut your own trail with grit and fortitude or follow in the dung laden hoof prints of some nimble footed ungulate, but then again, nobody will raise any quibbles about the placement of your fruit rubbish, or, conversely, your quizzical habit of hoarding seeds and browning banana peels in your pants.
And really, what would be so bad about a wayward apple tree sprouting up along the Pacific Crest Trail? Would that not be an uplifting godsend for hungry hikers who happen by at the right time of year? It makes me wonder if in these dystopian days Johnny Appleseed would be handed a citation by power tripping park rangers and written off by ZipFile zealots as a litterbug for his seed sowing, pot-hatted amble around this great nation.
On the whole I am a proponent of the Leave No Trace mindset. It is of course important to preserve our landscapes and natural environments for posterity. I would only argue that fruit is not the ingredient that will wind up as nature’s undoing. When too much attention is focused on self-serving minutia like fruit peels and seeds we wind up missing the forest for the trees. If you want to talk about environmental degradation let’s talk oil and coal trains, offshore drilling, overharvest of fish, dams that choke the life out of rivers, fracking, mineral extraction near national monuments, styrofoam mountains in our growing landfills and islands of plastic in the warming acid filled ocean. Those are all a better place to start.
In the meantime keep on trekkin’, and simply reach back to heave your leftover fruit farther off of the trail and out of sight where it can biodegrade in peace and away from the bright lights of manifest controversy.
FISHIN’
The spring Chinook fishery on the lower Columbia River is primed for a wild weekend of hatchery fishing. That fishery, which is currently closed, will open up below Bonneville Dam from May 27-30 for Memorial Day weekend. Then in June as many as 13 days will be added to the docket, beginning on June 3. The exact end of that opening will be contingent upon harvest guidelines.
“A lot of anglers have asked that we structure the spring chinook season so that it dovetails with the summer fishing season, beginning June 16,” said Ron Roler, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife policy advisor, in a press release. “The fishing schedule approved today offers a good chance of reaching that goal.”
When the fishery reopens it will once again be open from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upriver to Beacon Rock for boat anglers while bank anglers will be allowed all the way up to the deadline below Bonneville Dam. Anglers will be allowed to keep one adult hatchery Chinook per day as part of their two adult salmonid limit. No hatchery salmon, steelhead may be retained and all sockeye salmon must be released before June 16.
Additionally, anglers will be allowed to retain hatchery steelhead and hatchery Chinook jacks in the lower Columbia River from the I-5 Bridge down to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line from May 31 through June 2. The salmon and steelhead season above and below Bonneville Dam will reopen on June 16.
Last week on the lower Columbia River below the I-5 Bridge anglers made an estimated 6,982 trips and caught 699 adult Chinook as well as 230 summer steelhead. From May 16-19, the first four days of the jack Chinook and steelhead season 73 anglers sampled by the WDFW below the I-5 Bridge caught just 10 steelhead. During the most recent lower Columbia fishery (May 20-22) that reached from Bonneville down to the Rocky/Tongue Point line the WDFW sampled 979 salmonid anglers with a haul of 99 adult and 11 jack Chinook as well as 26 steelhead. All told, through May 22 the WDFW estimates that there have been 101,000 fishing trips to the lower Columbia River with 10,923 adult springers kept and another 2,258 released.
On the Cowlitz River last week 743 adult spring Chinook, 68 jacks, 79 winter steelhead and 34 summer steelhead were recovered at the salmon separator. Springers have been biting throughout the river and the summer steelhead run will soon outpace winter steelies in the system. From June 1 through July 31 barbed hooks will be allowed for salmon, steelhead and cutthroats from the Lexington Bridge up to the barrier dam deadline. Also beginning June 1 the trout limit below Blue Creek will shift to five fish per day. Up to three of those fish may be hatchery steelhead but wild cutthroats must be released. River flow at Mayfield Dam on Monday was recorded at about 5,210 cubic feet per second.
Elsewhere, anglers on the Kalama River are still catching some springers and steelhead. Anglers will be happy to note that as of June 4 there will no longer be a minimum size requirement for hatchery trout.
The bite on the Wind River has died down considerably in the last few weeks. Last weekend nearly 200 fish returned to the Carson National Fish Hatchery, which brought the yearly total to 500 fish. Apparently the fish are there, they just haven’t been biting. On the other pond, Drano Lake has been producing some spring Chinook still with a few summer steelies making their way into the catch as well.
Salmon opportunities will also be opening up on the Grays, Lewis, and Klickitat rivers in the coming days as well. Be sure to check the WDFW fishing pamphlet for specific information regarding those openings, daily limits, bait and gear allowed.
Last week in the John Day Pool boat anglers averaged one legal sturgeon per four rods. The fishing got hot just in time to close it down though and Sunday, May 29 will be the last day for sturgeon retention. On that day the WDFW expects that harvest guideline of 500 fish will have been reached. As on the lower Columbia, catch and release fishing will still be allowed.
Boat anglers have been hooking a pittance of walleye on the lower Columbia in the Woodland area but the John Day Pool was where the real action was last week. Boat anglers there averaged 3.5 walley and a whopping 22.5 bass per rod. Shad fishing is also increasing in both effort and catch. Last week the bite was best good boat anglers in the Longview area, while Steamboat Landing Dock in Washougal and the outflow below Bonneville were also hot.
Last week vandals cut the net pens at Mayfield Dam on the Cowlitz River and released 100,000 juvenile Chinook salmon. So far 25,000 of the four inch fish have made it into the separator at the dam but the rest are lingering in the lake. Officials are concerned that a mass out migration could clog the separator, but if they fish linger too long in the lake they may wind up gobbled up by predators. Death by turbine evisceration is another option if the fish miss the separator. A Free Willy moment this was not. In official sanctioned efforts crews also released 4,000 rainbow trout into the lake last week. A total of 72,000 fish are slated to be purposefully planted there through August.
The bite has been better at Riffe Lake lately though, especially on the south end of the lake near the dam, while Lake Scanewa at old Cowlitz Falls is scheduled to be 20,000 catchable sized rainbows from June through August. Lots of fish have also been biting at Swofford Pond, where 4,000 rainbow trout are scheduled to be dumped next week. South County Park Pond in Toledo, also called Wallace Pond by those in the know, will receive 800 rainbows next week.
Swift Reservoir is also due for a trout dump of 4,500 catchable sized rainbows in advance of its trout and kokanee fishery beginning June 4 and WDFW crews plan to begin stocking Goose Lake with catchable size trout this week. Some 6,000 cutthroats and 1,500 browns will be stocked. Crews noted that there is no notable snow on the road from Trout Lake but downed trees at the boat launch are preventing boat trailers from accessing the lake.
Lastly, several streams will open up to fishing on Saturday. Those creeks receiving catchable sized rainbows in advance of the fishery include Canyon Creek in Clark County (5,500 fish), upper LIttle White Salmon River in Skamania County (3,000) and Spring Creek in Klickitat County (3,000).
HUNTIN’
The WDFW is looking for applicants to fill as many as 20 positions on a waterfowl advisory group that will represent a wide array of stakeholders while advising the WDFW on issues like hunting regulations, access and conservation projects that are funded by the sale of specialty duck stamps.
Members will be appointed by WDFW Director Jim Unsworth to three year terms that will begin on July 1. The WDFW hopes to fill the positions with as assortment of applicants from varied backgrounds who are able to effectively communicate with state officials as well as the general public.
“The department carefully considers applications received for advisory groups,” said Don Kraege, WDFW waterfowl section manager, in a press release. “We value the experience that longstanding members bring to the table, but we also want advisory groups to represent a wide diversity of interests with regard to wildlife management across the state.”
Applications must be submitted by June 17 and include a name, address, telephone number and email address. The applications must also detail relevant experience, examples of effective communication, the reason for applying and any waterfowlers that the applicant represents.
Applications can be submitted to Don Kraege at the WDFW by mail at 600 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA 98501-1091, or by email at don.kraege@dfw.wa.gov. For more information, contact Don Kraege at (360) 902-2522.
Last but not least, turkey season will gobble to a close on Tuesday, May 31.
WILDLIFERS
The WDFW is seeking advisors to fill up to 10 positions on a council specializing in “non-hunted” wildlife. The advisory group will provide recommendations and council on animals ranging from butterflies to killer whales. Again, WDFW Director Jim Unsworth will be tasked with making appointments based on applicants interested in wildlife and their ability to effectively communicate with the state and citizens. Applications must be received by June 20.
The WDFW is hoping to obtain applications from all regions of Washington, as well as representatives from academia, agriculture, timber industries, hunting and fishing groups and conservation organizations. Citizens with specific experience in marketing, social science, and natural resource economics are also encouraged to apply.
Applications or nominations must include a name, address, telephone number and email address as well as an explanation of interest and the reasons the individual would make a good representative. Those nominating another individual must include their own information as well.
Nominations should be submitted to Penny Becker, Wildlife Diversity Division Manager, by email at Penny.Becker@dfw.wa.gov or by postal mail at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA 98501.
