If you want to catch some Humboldt squid, head to the Westport Boat Basin.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife earlier today announced there would be no daily limit on Humboldt squid in Marine Area 2-2, the Grays Harbor area. The previous limit was five per day.

The limit change is in effect through Sunday.

A large number of dead and dying Humboldt squid are in the Westport Boat Basin. These squid have spawned and increased harvest will not pose any conservation concerns for this species, said a new release from the department.

Janine Clayton has been named the new supervisor of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. She is expected to start her new job in early December.

Clayton, a 25-year Forest Service veteran, has most recently been working as the assistant director for minerals and geology in the U.S. Forest Service’s Washington, D.C., office.

The announcement was made Friday.

Clayton succeeds Claire Lavendel, who was the supervisor from 1999 to
2008. Lavendel is now director of Recreation, Lands and Minerals in the Forest Service Pacific Northwest regional office in Portland.

“I’m looking forward to being back in the Northwest and to discovering the Gifford Pinchot,” Clayton said in a news release from the agency. “I’m excited about the opportunities to work with communities, agencies and our partners. I’ve heard good things about them and know there is a good foundation on which to build.”

Clayton once worked an area mining geologist based in Corvallis, Ore., from 1989 to 1997. She also served as the acting forest supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in 2005, and worked as a reclamation and energy minerals program leader in California for eight years. Clayton served as acting regional assistant director for natural resource management in Vallejo, Calif., in 2001, and was an area mining geologist in the Northwest for eight years. She holds a master’s degree in geology and a bachelor’s in anthropology and geology.

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, named after the agency’s first chief, covers 1.37 million acres in southwest Washington, including the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Mount Adams and
seven wilderness areas.

A 33-year-old mushroom picker was rescued by Lewis County Search and Rescue on Sunday morning according to a statement released Monday by Lewis County's Sheriff office.

A search was launched after the sheriff's office received a call that the Glenoma woman was past due at a 11 p.m. Saturday.

The woman was not dressed appropriately for the cold and had a medical condition, the statement said. The search, which included a team of trained search dogs, started at midnight while temperatures were near freezing.

By 6 a.m. Sunday, 40 more rescuers from Lewis, Thurston, Cowlitz and Pierce counties joined the search.

The woman was found at about 9 a.m. According to the statement she was cold, wet and hungry but had no other problems resulting from her medical condition.

She told deputies she got lost once it became dark.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield issued this statement:

“Becoming lost is, for the most part, preventable if you take the necessary precautions. Unlike most hunters, many mushroom pickers are historically ill prepared or equipped to deal with harsh weather conditions or spend the night in the woods. Often they become lost or disorientated because they spend so much time looking down at the ground while searching for mushrooms and not watching for landmarks to help find their way back. As with any travel in the woods or backcountry, be prepared and aware of your surroundings. A simple map and compass could have prevented this incident. Had this incident occurred later in the year when conditions are much colder and rain more likely this may very well have been a recovery instead of a rescue situation."

All eight South Sound athletes who qualified for the Ironman World Championship, finished the grueling triathlon Saturday.

An Ironman triathlon is a 2.4-mile swim, 112 mile bike and a marathon run in succession.

Elizabeth Thiel, 30, of DuPont and Caroline White, 23, of Lakewood had the best performances of the locals. Thiel's time of 11 hours, 12 minutes, 36 seconds was best of the South Sound competitors. Thiel finished 24th in her age group.
White had the best finish of locals, taking 12th in her age group in 11:36:08.

Nancy Larson, 57, of Kent and Jennifer Block, 47, of Puyallup each finished 30th in their age groups.

Gary Tucci, 52, of Puyallup paid $55,100 in an online auction for a spot in the race, but proved he fit in as well as those who qualified. Tucci finished 76th of 99 competitors in his age group with a time of 13:11:07. Tucci raised much of the money he paid for his spot in the race. The money went to several charities including the American Cancer Society. Tucci's brother, Joey, died of cancer in 2000.

SOUTH SOUND IRONMAN FINISHERS