I had the chance to fish Sunday in the Anacortes Salmon Derby. I joined John Keizer and Ron Endsley aboard Keizer's Salt Patrol boat.

Although we came back to the dock empty-handed, I still had a good time.

Jeffrey P. Mayor/The News Tribune Some of the biggest salmon, including the winning fish at the bottom, are displayed after the Anacortes Salmon Derby Sunday.

Brian Darling of Anacortes took him the $12,000 first prize with a salmon weighing 18.62 pounds. Jamie Morrow of Mount Vernon won $4,000 for his 17.86-pound fish. Bill Lavalle of Snohomish took third place and $2,000 with his 17.7-pound fish.

There were 88 fish checked in on Saturday and just 26 fish on Sunday, a cold and windy day.

From the Associated Press:

Extreme skier Shane McConkey was killed jumping off a cliff with a parachute while filming a movie in Italy. He was 39.

His sponsor Red Bull confirmed his death Thursday.
McConkey was in Corvara, Italy, on a ski-BASE jump when he had a mid-air malfunction, Red Bull said in a statement.
Italian emergency responders arrived within minutes and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the sponsor.

“Shane loved life and innovated both sport worlds he touched, skiing and B.A.S.E. Jumping,” Red Bull spokesman Patrice Radden said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the sport he pioneered also carries inherent risks.”

McConkey founded the International Free Skiing Association and had grown popular in recent years for his BASE jumping competitions and big-mountain film exploits.

During his career he won the IFSA world tour of freeskiing in 1996 and 1998, and finished second in the 1999 Winter X Games Skier X competition. In 2001, Skiing Mag listed him as the top skier in North America, and Powder magazine readers voted him skier of the year three times.

McConkey lived and trained at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village south of Truckee, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Sherry, and 3-year-old daughter, Ayla.

Sunday we are going to take a look at Movie's filmed in Washington's outdoors. While Washington's outdoor makes a glorious set for Hollywood flicks. We'll look at 12 places you can recreate where movies were filmed on Sunday.

Until then here are 15 other movies that are at least partially filmed in Washington.

There must have been a collective sigh of relief this afternoon from recreational sportsmen and their advocates

The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources chose not to move Senate Bill 5127 to the full House for a vote.

This should put an end to the bill, the brainchild of Sen. Ken Jacobsen, who hoped to gut the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The proposal would have reduced the size of the commission from nine to seven members, and return the power to appoint a director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the governor. The bill have would reverse the current set up, as established by Referendum 45, approved by 61 percent of voters in 1995.

Frank Urabeck is an avid South Sound angler and has been monitoring the bill.

"This is one heck of victory," he said. "There was all kinds of ramifications if they had been able to shove this through."

Urabeck cautioned that while the conventional legislative route is closed for the bill, its backers could try to attach it to another piece of legislation.

I hope Jacobsen and other proponents have gotten the message that this issue should be dropped, now.

Even though there are more than 165 inches of snow on the ground at Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park staff is preparing for the transition to spring operations.

SNOWPLAY AND SNOWSHOE WALKS
The public snow play area at Paradise will close for the season on April 5. The area will be staffed through Sunday, and will remain open but unstaffed Monday through April 5. Beginning April 6, inner tubing runs will no longer be available because the equipment will be moved to other areas of the park to assist in spring opening.
The ranger-led snow shoe walks will also end on Sunday.
The new Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center will be open weekends only until May 4, when it will begin seven-day-a-week operations.

ROAD REPAIR DELAYS
If you are traveling between Longmire and Paradise this spring, expect up to 20 minute traffic delays where the road was damaged in January.
An avalanche wiped out part of the uphill lane on Glacier Hill. Delays are expected to be minimal until construction repairs begin. Repair work will start when weather and snow conditions permit.

PROJECTED OPENING DATES
Here are projected opening dates for facilities and roads around the park. Visitors should note that the dates are just projections based on current conditions and schedules, and are subject to change.
Highway 410/Cayuse Pass April 24 (tentative)
Highway 123 at the park boundary April 24 (tentative)
Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center (7 days/week) May 4
Paradise Inn May 15
White River Road to campground parking lot May 20
Highway 410/Chinook Pass May 22
Cougar Rock Campground and Picnic Area noon on May 22
Wilderness Information Center–Longmire May 22
Ohanapecosh Campground noon on May 22
Paradise Valley Road May 22
Ohanapecosh Visitor Center May 23
Paradise Picnic Area June 19
White River Campground noon on June 26
Sunrise Road June 26
Mowich Lake Road July 3
Sunrise Lodge July 3
Sunrise Visitor Center July 3

Click here for up-to-date information and conditions or call 360-569-2211 for recorded information.

The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is to meet today at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the merits of Senate Bill 5127.

Recreational sportsmen should hope this is a short discussion because this bill has no merit.

The bill, the brainchild of Sen. Ken Jacobsen, is designed to gut the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

It would reduce the size of the commission from nine to seven members, and return the power to appoint a director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the governor.

The current bill would reverse the current set up, as established by Referendum 45, approved by 61 percent of voters in 1995.

I'm trying to figure out how, all of a sudden, the commission is broken and requires a major overhaul. I feel it's the perception that the current commission is now leaning toward recreational anglers that have commerical fishermen and their allies demanding change.

Proponents of the change say commissioners lack the expertise to manage the complex fishery issues. Were the commerical folks making this argument five years ago? Has the commission suddenly become less smart?

It is frustrating that the bill has made it this far. Let's hope it ends today. It also wouldn't hurt to contact your representative and let them know how you feel about this proposal.

I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

Here's how the end of ski season is shaping up (Get up there and hit the slopes while the skiing is good - and it is very, very good right now.):

SPRING SCHEDULE
CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN
Open through April 19. Could extend season or reopen in May if skier numbers are up.
SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE
Night skiing at Summit Central ends Saturday. Summit West and Summit East are closed for the season. Summit Central and Alpental will remain open as long as conditions permit.
WHITE PASS
Open daily until April 12 then Saturdays and Sundays until April 26.
STEVENS PASS
Open daily until April 5. Open Thursday to Sunday until April 19.
MISSION RIDGE
Closes April 5.
MT. BAKER
Open weekends through April. Closing day depends on conditions.

In 2005 I spent a day skiing at Alpine Meadows on Lake Tahoe. While the skiing was good – very good in fact – and the lift tickets were cheap (a great combo), I was most interested in the stories I heard from the locals.

Whether I was hanging out in the lodge with ski instructor Vinny Distefano or riding the chairlift with Jim Cochrane, a 70-year-old former Oregon State University football player, it seemed everybody wanted to share the same piece of history about the ski area.

On March 31, 1982, Alpine Meadows was the site of the deadliest avalanche any American ski resort has ever seen. Inbounds avalanches are very rare at ski areas, but this avalanche killed seven people and resulted in several stories of heroism.

Now, Jennifer Woodlief, a former Sports Illustrated reporter and CIA case officer, is recounting the combination events that lead to the avalanche as well as the stories of those who died and survived.

Her book, “A Wall of White,” went on sale Feb. 17. It is $25 and is published Atria Books.

The 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail will be one of three new National Scenic Trails once the President signs H.R. 146, which passed the House today by a vote of 285 to 140.

The other trails joining the system, managed by the National Park Service, are the 800-mile Arizona Trail; and (3) the 200-mile New England Trail. These are the first trails to earn the designation since 1983.

The Pacific Northwest Trail crosses three national parks and seven national forests as it runs from the Chief Mountain border crossing just east of Glacier National Park in Montana to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava on the Olympic Peninsula.

Here in Washington, the trail winds through the Pasayten Wilderness, North Cascades, cross Fidalgo and Whidbey islands, Olympic Mountains and ends on the wild coast.

Today’s vote also gives Lakewood resident Bart Smith a new challenge. Last October he completed a 16-year adventure, hiking all 16,500 miles of the National Scenic Trail system. Smith knew these three trails might be added to the system, and said at the time he would hike them if they were approved.

Click here to learn more about the Pacific Northwest Trail and the association.

I came across this on the National Park Service's Web site, regarding the recent press release involving use of lead fishing and hunting equipment in national parks.

Here is the release:

On March 10, 2009, the National Park Service distributed a press release entitled “National Park Service Gets the Lead Out.” Due to some confusion over its contents, the agency provides the following clarifying statements:

1. Nothing has changed for the public. We are simply announcing the NPS goal of eliminating lead from NPS activities to protect human and wildlife health.

2. We will work to clean our own house by altering NPS resource management activities. In 2009, we will transition to non-lead ammunition in culling operations and dispatching sick or wounded animals.

3. In the future, we will look at the potential for transitioning to non-lead ammunition and non-lead fishing tackle for recreational use by working with our policy office and appropriate stakeholders/groups. This will require public involvement, comment, and review.

Crystal Mountain is pondering adding night skiing operations, ski area spokeswoman Tiana Enger confirmed recently.

The ski area sent out a 20-question survey to season tickets holders and members of its mailing list asking for feedback on what they’d like to see in terms of night skiing.

Among the questions: Would night skiing bring you to the mountain more? And would you be more likely to spend the night at the mountain if night skiing is offered?

Crystal has offered night skiing in the past, but not in recent seasons.

The Summit at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass, both smaller than Crystal, offer the most extensive night skiing operations in the state.

Crystal officials are collecting survey results through the end of the month. It is unclear how soon they will make a decision.

The first morning clam dig of the season will open Friday at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife just announced that clams were safe to eat.

Digging at those beaches will run through Sunday. Long Beach and Copalis will be open Saturday and Sunday only.

With the low tide occuring in the morning, digging on all beaches must be completed by noon.

As long as the weather cooperates, the weekend should be good for clam digging, said Dan Ayres, state coastal shellfish manager.

"This is the first opportunity of the season to dig clams on morning tides," Ayres said in a prepared statement. "People should start digging at least an hour before low tide even though it makes for an early day."

The low tide times are: Friday, 7:49 a.m. , 0 feet; Saturday, 8:29 a.m., -0.4 feet; and Sunday, 9:12 a.m., -0.6 feet.

Any 2008 Washington state annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination license is valid for the March opener, but diggers will need a 2009-10 license for digs scheduled after April 1. A license is required for anyone age 15 or older. Razor-clam only licenses are also available in annual or three-day only versions.

Click here for descriptions of the various licensing options.

Harvesters are allowed to take no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 they dig, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's clams must be kept in a separate container.

Ayres said more digs will likely be announced following the openers already scheduled for April. Twin Harbors is set to be open April 10-12 and April 25-27. Long Beach and Twin Harbors would be open April 11-12 and April 25-27. Copalis and Mocrocks would be open just April 26-27.

"There's a good chance we'll have enough clams to offer additional digging opportunities on some beaches in May," he said in a release.
Kalaloch Beach in Olympic National Park will remain closed because test digging showed the clams have not grown to harvestable size, Ayres said.

The state just announced that anglers will get an extra day each week to catch spring chinook on the lower Klickitat River.

Here is the rest of the release:

Action: Klickitat River anglers will be able to fish Sundays in addition to the Monday, Wednesday and Saturday weekly schedule.

Species affected: Chinook and steelhead

Effective dates: April 1 through May 31.

Location: Klickitat River from mouth to the Fisher Hill Bridge (located about 3 miles upstream from the mouth).

Daily limits: Daily limit is one hatchery chinook or hatchery steelhead. Release all wild chinook and wild steelhead. Minimum size 12 inches for salmon and 20 inches for steelhead.

Reason for action: This year, 2,000 spring chinook are expected to return to the Klickitat River, twice the size of last year’s actual return. After consulting with the Yakama Indian Nation an extra weekend day of sport fishing was added. This will allow anglers more time to target surplus hatchery spring chinook returning to the Klickitat Salmon Hatchery.

This just came in from the Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Action: The opening of the sport clam and oyster fishing season at Fort Flagler will be delayed until May 15.

Effective date: April 1.

Species affected: All clams and oysters.

Location: Fort Flagler State Park, located in Jefferson County.

Reason for action: This delayed opening of the season avoids the period when Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning closures are most likely, and also avoids conflict with State Parks' seaweed harvesting season.

Other Information: The Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted permanent rules at their February 2009 meeting that will extend the season through July 31, 2009.

Last year, the clam and oyster season at this park was scheduled to be open April 1 through June 15, but was closed most of this time by the Department of Health due to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. PSP closures have prevented harvest on this beach during much of the spring season for the last several years. This shift in season timing avoids the period when PSP closures are most likely, and also avoids conflict with State Parks' seaweed harvesting season. This season change was approved by the Fish & Wildlife Commission at its February 2009 meeting.

Recreational halibut anglers will have to wait two weeks more than last year before hitting the water. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has annnounced fishing in most areas of Puget Sound will open April 23. The two-week delay is because of a reduction in catch quotas for 2009.

Anglers also will have fewer days to fish for halibut on the coast, said Michele Culver, Region 6 director for the department, which includes Pierce County. Fishing seasons set by the department are based on a stock assessment and quotas established for the Pacific coast — from Alaska to California — by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

Here is the rest of the department's news release:

This year’s quota for Washington, Oregon and California is 950,000 pounds, down from 1.22 million pounds in 2008. In Washington, sport anglers will be allowed to catch 214,110 pounds of halibut compared to 232,807 pounds last year.

=> Read more!

Here is a note I found that Port Gamble musher Laura Daugereau posted March 17 on her Web site. It gives some insight on her decision to pull out of this year's Iditarod Sled Dog Race:

Thank you all for your letters and phone calls to my Dad wondering what happened and how my team and I are doing. I will try to write back when I can, but I will not have time until I am back home in WA:) I am in Grayling right now at the school computer and it's about 1:00am. I am still on race mode, meaning I can't sleep for very long at a time. My team is doing great and don't really know why we are still sitting here and letting all the other teams leave! From Corrie's posts you know what happened so I won't go on about that. I talked with her today and she will be putting up another post with some more information as to what is happening now.

=> Read more!

Do you wear a helmet when you ski or snowboard? Will you now that Natasha Richardson's death has shown how deadly even a tumble on the beginner slope can be? Should ski areas require helmets?

Share your thoughts. The best comments will be published in next week's Adventure section.

Here's a story from the Associated Press:

By MEGAN K. SCOTT

Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — News that actress Natasha Richardson died of head injuries after falling on a ski slope has renewed debate over whether helmets should be mandatory for snowboarders and downhill skiers.

The 45-year-old actress was not wearing a helmet when she fell Monday at Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec. She died Wednesday in a New York hospital.

It’s unclear whether a helmet could have saved Richardson. But research shows wearing a helmet decreases the likelihood of having a head injury by 40 to 60 percent, said Dr. Robert Williams, associate professor of anesthesia and pediatrics at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt.

“There’s no downside at all to wearing a helmet,” he said.
The National Ski Areas Association is not aware of any states that mandate helmets, but the association and its member resorts promote their use, and a growing number of skiers and snowboarders choose to wear them.

=> Read more!

Here's the 1909 National Geographic article about skiing at Mount Rainier referenced in today's News Tribune Adventure article.

By Milnor Roberts
University of Washington, Seattle
(National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 20, 1909, pp. 530-537)

The Editor of the National Geographic Society recently asked the members to name those articles in the last volume of the Society's Magazine which seemed most interesting. Opinions on such a question naturally would differ widely, but it must be admitted that in the remarkable array of subjects treated some of the most striking articles consisted of illustrated descriptions of snow-clad mountains and polar regions. The remoteness of these scenes may add to their charm, but it also lessens our chances of ever seeing them. The Mount Rainier National Park, a wonderland of glaciers and snow in our own country, is so easily reached in summer that it is becoming fairly well known to travelers. A recent visit to the park made by the writer and a party of friends has shown that the slopes of Mount Rainier may be reached even in winter without discomfort.

=> Read more!

Peter Schneidler of Kasigluk, Alaska, saw that I was looking to find out why Laura Daugereau dropped out of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. He sent along this note:

Basically she had to drop 5 dogs by the time she got to Grayling, which isn't a deal-breaker, except that they were all "lead dogs," which is the most specialized member of the team.

Most dogs CAN'T lead - they'll chase after a raccoon or go too fast or slow or not obey commands to turn, that kind of stuff. So she was down to one lead dog with 500 miles to go, and the trail obliterated by snow and wind. She made the right call.

I live in Western Alaska and those winds were brutal. They didn't stop for days where I live and I kept talking to my wife about all the mushers out there in it. When you have wind over 25 mph (and it was way over that) along with subzero temps ... all I can say is it cuts into you like a knife. If there is recent snow, it blows around creating a "ground blizzard" where visibility plunges. Basically you're better off hunkering down and waiting it out than crawling along and getting exhausted and passed later by the healthy teams that waited.

Anyway, saw you were looking for an update on Laura, and there you go.

Peter Schneidler

Thanks for Peter for giving us the update.

Somehow I missed this notice from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. As a result today's fishing report incorrectly states that the Wynocche and Satsop rivers are open. The entire Chehalis River system was closed as of Monday.

Here is the notice from the state:

Action: A portion of the Chehalis River and its tributaries will be closed to ALL FISHING for the remainder of the winter season.

Effective dates: March 16 - April 30

Species affected: Closed to fishing for ALL SPECIES upstream from Porter Bridge. Closed to fishing for ALL SPECIES - except white sturgeon - from the mouth of the river to Porter Bridge.

Location: Chehalis River (from mouth to high bridge on Weyerhaeuser 1000 line approximately 400 yards downstream of Roger Creek upstream including all forks and tributaries and the Chehalis River, South Fork from the mouth to Hwy bridge at Boistfort School) and its tributaries; Cloquallum Creek (from the mouth to Hwy. 8 Bridge to the 2nd bridge on Cloquallum Rd), Newaukum River (South, Middle and North Forks), Satsop River and East Fork (from the mouth to bridge at Schafer State Park), Skookumchuck River (from the mouth to 400' below outlet of PP&L/WDFW steelhead rearing pond located at the base of Skookumchuck Dam), Wishkah River (from the mouth to 200' below the weir at the Wishkah Rearing Ponds), and Wynoochee River (from the mouth to above mouth of Schafer Creek upstream).

Reasons for action: Early indications are that both hatchery and natural steelhead returning to the Chehalis River basin are well below pre-season projections. Available data indicate escapement goals will not be met. Many independent tributaries have not achieved their spawner escapement goals in recent years; the entire Chehalis River system has not met minimum conservation goals for the last two years. To minimize overall impact to the natural spawning population and to ensure hatchery egg-take needs are achieved, the sport fishery will be closed.

Other information: Quinault Indian Nation has also closed their commercial fishery in the lower Chehalis River for the remainder of the winter steelhead season.

It has been rather hectic here at the office the last day or so and over the weekend I was celebrating turning 50, so today is the first chance I had to check on the status of Laura Daugereau in this year's Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Turns out the 26-year-old from Port Gamble has withdrawn from the race. She reached the Grayling checkpoint with 11 dogs at 4:12 p.m. Sunday. It was there that she opted to end the race.

She is the ninth out of the field of 67 mushers to drop out of the race.

Last year Daugereau became the first woman from Washington to compete and finish the 1,150-mile race.

I'm trying to find out what happened to make her withdraw and will post when I learn more.

If $60 lift tickets have scared you away from the slopes this winter, the Summit at Snoqualmie is offering a bailout for military families March 20-22. Lift tickets will be half price ($30 for adults, $20 for youth and seniors) for those with a military ID. First-timers can get a lesson, rental and lift ticket for $40. summitatsnoqualmie.com

A new National Geographic travel guide publishing today includes a little slice of Washington.

“The 10 Best of Everything Families” ($21.95) by Susan H. Magsamen is a collection of top 10 lists for travelers. The list includes everything from the best ice cream shops to roller coasters to skate parks.

The Adventure Guys checked out an advance copy of the book. Here are our Top 10 Washington mentions in the book:

1. From 10 Best Science Camps: IslandWood Learning Center on Bainbridge Island.

2. From 10 Best Ice Cream Spots: Big Apple Diner in Bremerton.

3. From 10 Best Big Train Strips: Amtrak Cascades along the Puget Sound.

4. From 10 Best Family Hikes: Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

5. From 10 Best Campgrounds: Takhlakh Lake in Gifford Pinchot National Park.

6. From 10 Best Coastal Cliffs: Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island.

7. From 10 Best Winter Celebrations: Tacoma’s Model Train Festival.

8. From 10 Best Peaks: Olympic National Park.

9. From 10 Best Animal Shelters: Olympic Game Farm in Sequim.

10. From 10 Best Protected Habitats: Chittenden Locks in Ballard.

A late-season winter storm over the weekend dumped nearly two feet of fresh powder on the Summit at Snoqualmie ski area.

Just saw that Crystal has 20 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. I highly recommend hitting the slopes today. I skied at White Pass yesterday as part of the Hope on the Slopes fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and the snow was ridiculous.

Here's a shot of a buddy of mine in waste deep powder:

The line of the day came from dad after a friend of ours, Connor, after he woke up Sunday morning and couldn't find his skis and polls. Connor, a Puyallup junior high student, left them sitting in the snow Saturday night.

CONNOR: "My skis are gone."
MY DAD: "They're probably under a foot of snow."
CONNOR: "Are you sure?"
MY DAD: "Well, it might be more like 14 inches."

For the record, Connor found his skis after about 10-15 minutes of digging ... and it was closer to 20 inches.

Port Gamble's Laura Daugereau has moved up to 52nd place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. She left the checkpoint in Iditarod at 4:14 p.m. Saturday. She left another dog at the checkpoint, leaving her with 11 dogs to complete the final 532 miles of the race.

She now faces the 65-mile run to Shageluk, followed by the 25-mile run to the checkpoint in Anvik.

Port Gamble musher is in 54th place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

The 26-year-old left the Ophir checkpoint at 2:44 p.m. Alaska time Friday with a team of 12 dogs. She started the 1,150-mile race with 16 dogs.

Daugereau is now ont he 90-mile stretch to the Iditarod checkpoint.

She continues to run with Iditarod rookie Tom Thurston of Oak Creek, Colo. He left the Ophir checkpoint just a minute before Daugereau.

Daugereau has taken her mandatory 24-hour rest break, but still has an eight-hour required stop to take.

Laura Daugereau has inched up to 53rd place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, but she has dropped two more dogs from her team.

According to the latest race standings, Daugereau arrvied in Phir at 7:37 a.m. Alaska time. She needed 3 hours, 13 minutes to make the run from Takotna to Ophir.

This checkpoint is almost the halfway point of the race. Ophir is 534 miles from Anchorage and 597 miles from the finish in Nome.

One she leave Ophir, Daugereau and her team face 90 miles of empty Alaska en route to the Iditarod checkpoint. Teams typically take 12 to 18 hours to complete this let, including a stop of several hours to rest.

Lance Mackey currently leads the race, having left the Shageluk checkpoint at 7:35 this morning.

Hope you saw my story on double chairs in today's paper.

Here are my 5 favorite doubles in the Washington Cascades:

1. Northway, Crystal Mountain
The slow ride gives you a chance to scope your next line.
2. Edelweiss, Alpental
Access to great runs like International and the gate to some epic backcountry terrain.
3. Seventh Heaven, Stevens Pass
A steep, short ride to some double diamond runs.
4. Paradise Double, White Pass
Look over your left shoulder for the state’s best chairlift view of Mount Rainier.
5. Keechlus, Summit East
Keechlus is out of commission this season, but there’s something cool a double still being a ski area’s primary lift.

Ocean anglers should see an increase in catch quotas for coho salmon this summer while fishing opportunities for chinook will likely be similar to last year. That was the assessment just released by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Three ocean salmon-fishing options were adopted earlier today by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, based on a strong run of coho to the Columbia River and the Washington coast, along with the need to protect wild salmon stocks.

The council sets fishing seasons in ocean water three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast. Last year the recreational ocean fishing quotas were 20,000 chinook and 20,350 coho salmon.

This year's recreational ocean options are:
Option 1 - 38,000 chinook and 189,000 coho
Option 2 - 22,500 chinook and 189,000 coho
Option 3 - 10,000 chinook and 168,000 coho

Option 1 introduces selective fishery for chinook salmon in Westport and Columbia River area fisheries. Selective fisheries allow anglers to catch and keep hatchery salmon, which are marked with a missing adipose fin, but require that they release wild salmon.

For nearly a decade, the mass marking of hatchery-produced coho salmon has allowed anglers to fish selectively in Washington's ocean waters. Mass marking of lower Columbia River hatchery chinook, known as "tules," has been under way since the mid-2000s, said a department news release. The council is considering using this management tool in ocean fisheries for chinook, said Phil Anderson, interim director. He represents the department on the management council.

"In a year like this, adding chinook selective fisheries in the ocean would help us meet or exceed our conservation objectives while allowing for meaningful recreational fishing opportunities in the ocean," Anderson said in a prepared statement.

As in the past, all three ocean options are based on selective fisheries for coho.

Final chinook and coho quotas will be part of a comprehensive 2009 salmon fishing package, which also includes marine and freshwater fisheries throughout Puget Sound and the Columbia River. State and tribal co-managers are currently developing those fisheries.

The co-managers will complete the final 2009 salmon fisheries package in conjunction with the PFMC process during its April meeting, the release said.

The deparment has three meetings set up to discuss the upcoming season:
Tuesday: Lacey Community Center, 9 a.m.
March 30: Westport. A time and location will be announced later.
March 31: Lynnwood Embassy Suites, 9 a.m.

Click here for more information about the salmon-season setting process, as well as a schedule of public meetings and salmon run-size forecasts.

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan will be in Seattle in April to preview their latest documentary “The National Parks: America's Best Idea.”

KCTS has announced the two will offer a free previe and talk about the six-part, 12-hour series on the creation of America’s national park system. The series is scheduled to air on PBS stations in the fall.

Filming for the series was done at Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks.

The event will be April 20 at 7 p.m. at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Even though the event is free, tickets are required.

Click here to order tickets, or you can call 1-800-838-3006.

I'm working on a story about how to better store outdoor gear in your garage.

I would love to hear your suggestions on how to store your stuff for camping, fishing, paddling, skiing and snowboarding, hiking, hunting or any other activities you enjoy.

Feel from to comment here or send me an e-mail at jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com.

Laura Daugereau has dropped a second dog from her team, and is currently resting in McGrath. The Port Gamble musher is now in 54th place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Daugereau reached McGrath at 12:27 a.m. Alaska time today, after leaving the Nikolai checkpoint at 5:38 p.m. Wednesday.

Mushers started the race with 16 dogs, but the 26-year-old Washington woman has dropped two dogs from her team. She dropped her first dog at the Finger Lake checkpoint because it had sore feet. She dropped the second dog in Nikolai.

Once she leaves McGrath, Daugereau will have a short 18-mile run to the checkpoint in Takotna, followed by a 25-mile run to Ophir. That is followed by one of two 90-mile runs on the course, to the checkpoint in Iditarod.

According to the race Web site, Daugereau has yet to take her mandatory 8- and 24-hour rest breaks.

Leaving the Rohn checkpoint a 6:23 p.m. Alaska time Tuesday, Laura Daugereau has regained three spots and is currently running in 53rd place in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. There are 65 mushers still running.

Daugereau arrived at the checkpoint shortly before 1 p.m. and spent a little less than 8 hours tending to her 15-dog team and herself.

The 26-year-old Port Gamble woman left the checkpoint about a minute behind Iditarod rookie Tom Thurston of Oak Creek, Colo.

This section of the trailway, starting in Rainy Pass, is considered the most scenic, according to race organizers. From here, mushers start down to the flatlands of the Alaskan interior. Mushers also will contend with colder temperatures. It was 32 degrees this morning in Rohn and 21 degrees in Nikolai, the next checkpoint.

From Rohn, mushers face on the longest runs between checkpoints in the 1,150-mile race. It is 75 miles to the next stop in Nikolai, with the first 20 miles considered some of the worst stretch of trail on the route, according to the race Web site. Race organizers recommend running the first stretch during daylight or in convoy with an experienced musher.

Construction on the new Highway 16 Nalley Valley Viaduct will force the closure of part of Tacoma’s only major multipurpose trail later this year.

The Scott Pierson trail will be closed from the 25th Street Trailhead to Cedar Street for six months, Washington Department of Transportation spokeswoman Karri Workman confirmed Tuesday.

The trail is scheduled to close Nov. 9 until May 2010, Workman said.

“It could last a little longer if weather delays construction,” Workman said.

The closure could prove to be a minor bother to trail users. The closed section stretches only 2,000 feet but will leave trail commuters to find another way around Allenmore Golf Course. Center and 19th streets are the most obvious candidates for the detour. Trail uses will have to access those road from Union Avenue because the trail runs on the overpass above Cedar Street.

However, trail users should be lower during the typically inclement months when construction will take place.

WSDOT completed the 5-mile trail that runs from 25th Street across the Narrows Bridge in 2007. The trail is named after Scott Pierson, a former Tacoma urban planner who traveled almost exclusively by bicycle. Pierson died in 2001 at the age of 58.

The $184 million Nalley Valley Viaduct project started Jan. 7 and the westbound project is scheduled to be complete in late 2011. Work will then begin on the eastbound viaduct according to the WSDOT website.

The National Park Service announced today it will step up efforts to reduce lead in national parks.

“Our goal is to eliminate the use of lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle in parks by the end of 2010,” said acting National Park Service director Dan Wenk in a prepared statement. “We want to take a leadership role in removing lead from the environment.”

Parks such as Yellowstone already ban lead fishing gear.

Here is the rest of the release:

The new lead reduction efforts also include changes in park service operations, such as culling operations or the dispatching of wounded or sick animals. Rangers and resource managers will use non-lead ammunition to prevent environmental contamination as well as lead poisoning of scavenger species who may eventually feed upon the carcass. Non-toxic substitutes for lead made in the United States are now widely available including tungsten, copper, and steel.

The NPS will also develop educational materials to increase awareness about the consequences of lead exposure and the benefits of using lead-free ammunition and fishing tackle.

Lead is an environmental contaminant affecting many areas of the world, including our national parks. Lead is banned in gasoline, children’s toys, and paint because of its effects on human health. In the United States, there is an accelerating trend to expand efforts to reduce lead contamination associated with firearms and hunting. California and Arizona have recently implemented mandatory and voluntary bans, respectively, on lead ammunition to facilitate California condor recovery. And Yellowstone National Park has had restrictions on lead fishing tackle for years to protect native species and their habitats.

Resource managers recognize that hunting and fishing play an important historical role in the complicated and intensive management of wildlife populations. Because of this history, these activities continue in some parks and, in some cases, even enhance the park’s primary purpose to preserve natural environments and native species. The new restrictions on lead will ensure environmentally safe practices are implemented to protect park visitors and lands.

Wenk adds, “The reduction and eventual removal of lead on park service lands will benefit humans, wildlife, and ecosystems inside and outside park boundaries and continue our legacy of resource stewardship.”

Laura Daugereau has slipped to 56th place in this year’s running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

The Port Gamble woman pulled into the Rainy Pass checkpoint at 11:57 a.m. Monday and had not left as of 8:20 a.m. today. Rainy Pass is 224 miles from the start in Anchorage and 907 miles from the finish line in Nome.

The 26-year-old musher also has dropped one dog from her team, and is running with 15 dogs.

Starting Monday in 50th place, Daugereau is among a group of eight mushers who reached Rainy Pass late that night. When she leaves the current stop, she will have 48 miles to the next checkpoint in Rohn.

Click here for up-to-date standings.

The Adventure Guys tried a new adventure recently - Zumba. Ok, tried is way too strong. I took one look at the Zumba class and decided my hips don't move that way. And even if I had moves like that I'm not even sure I could even bring myself to move that way in private.

But it was clear those who can move their hips that way - and even some who can't - don't just like Zumba. They love it. Zumba has reached full-fledged workout craze status in the South Sound area with classes at 48 local gyms.

It clearly works. I met a guy from Puyallup, Todd Hayden, who lost 100 pounds with a workout centered around Zumba.

Interested? Here's what to do:

1. Check out the story I wrote for tomorrow's paper.

2. Click here to watch video of a local Zumba class.

3. If you you like shaking what your momma gave you check out a Zumba class at one of these gyms.

SOUTH SOUNDS GYMS OFFERING ZUMBA
(For contact information or to search for more classes visit zumba.com or ask you local gym if they offer Latin dance workout classes.)
AUBURN
Corestar Pilates

DUPONT
Anytime Fitness

EATONVILLE
Eatonville Middle School

ENUMCLAW
Enumclaw Wellness Center

FEDERAL WAY
24 Hour Fitness
Bally Total Fitness
Body and Design
Federal Way Community Center
L.A. Fitness
Light of Life Lutheran Church

FIRCREST
Figures at Fircrest
Murphy Community Center

FORT LEWIS
Jensen Family Health and Fitness Center

=> Read more!

Hope you had a chance to read the article in today’s paper about Hope on the Slopes. This 24-hour ski endurance competition is a fun, albeit exhausting, way to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

This year’s event is Saturday and Sunday and half of the The Adventure Guys – Craig Hill – will be there skiing in honor of one of the Mrs. Adventure Guys, Kristen Hill, who is battling ovarian cancer.

This will be the second time I’ve skied the event. I skied 121,000 vertical feet in 23 hours back in 2006. It was an amazing experience, mostly because of the people I met. Here’s what I wrote for the TNT back then:

A BROTHER'S LOVE ENDURES

When Derek LaFramboise greeted me in the White Pass lift line at 2:30 a.m. on March 12 (2006), I thought I knew plenty about endurance.

I was 14 1/2 hours into a 24-hour ski competition called the Vertical Challenge, and I was fighting leg cramps, fatigue and numb toes from the 15-degree cold, with no intention of slowing down.

A six-minute lift ride later, I realized I was about to get an endurance lesson from Derek's 14-year-old son.

"Why are you doing this?" Derek asked.

I just wanted to know what it was like to ski for 24 hours, I replied.

"Well, let me tell you why my son is doing this," Derek said.

I'd noticed his son, Sam, about 10 hours earlier. The Yakima eighth-grader stuck out on the slopes the way a Porsche would at a tractor pull. While most skiers linked neat turns, Sam simply ripped straight down the hill like the police were after him.

=> Read more!

Laura Daugereau is in 50th place as the Iditarod Sled Dog Race gets down to serious business.

Daugereau is from Port Gamble and is the only Washingtonian competing in this year’s race.

Associated Press
Laura Daugereau, center, from Port Gamble, drives her team down Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, with Margaret Sullivan in the sled, and an unknown person in the back, during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday.

The 26-year-old musher checked out of the Skwentna checkpoint at 7:42 a.m. Alaska time (6:42 a.m. PDT). She has a full team of 16 dogs.

After a ceremonial start Saturday in Anchorage, the mushers began the 1,150-mile race Sunday in Willow.

Daugereau is running the Iditarod for the second time. She finished in 64th place last year, the first woman from Washington to complete the famed sled-dog race.

Click here for up-to-date standings.

Video showing the 360-degree from the "Top of the World" at Whistler Olympic Park, site of the 2010 Olympics' Nordic events.

This year’s run of pink salmon could exceed the record return in 2007. The run this year is forecast at 5.47 million fish, 63.7 percent higher than the 3.34 million forecast to return two years ago.

That news was part of the salmon forecasts released this afternoon by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in Olympia. The run forecasts will be used in April by federal, state and tribal fishery managers to dtermine salmon fishing seasons.

Pink salmon return to Washington waters during odd-numbered years. The ability to easily catch pinks from local beaches, such as Brown’s Point, have helped make the fishery more popular with recreational anglers.

The Puyallup and Green rivers both are expected to have strong returns this year, but down from 2007. The forecast run for the Puyallup is 688,406 fish, down 780,000 fish two years ago. The Green should see a return of almost 895,000 fish, down from the 2007 forecast of 1.3 million.

North Sound rivers like the Snohomish and Skagit are expected to see runs that will far exceed the 2007 forecast. The forecast for the Snohomish is almost 1.87 million fish, up from 800,000 two years ago. A run of 1.23 million fish on the Skagit would easily top the 300,000-fish threshold needed to allow a recreational fishery.

State fisheries managers also said the expected return of more than 1 million Columbia River coho salmon would be the largest run since 2001.

Here is a look at other South Sound forecasts:

Summer/fall chinook: 6,060 hatchery and 1,476 wild fish are expected to return to the Puyallup this year; Nisqually, 21,331 hatchery and 4,606 wild; and Chambers Creek, 7,370 hatchery.

Coho: Green, 32,196 hatchery and 5,200 wild; Puyallup, 31,729 hatchery and 13,600 wild; Minter Creek, 10,216 hatchery; and Nisqually, 6,145 hatchery and 1,900 wild.

Chum: For fall runs, South Sound, 25,959 hatchery and 212,560 wild fish; Hood Canal, 264,058 hatchery and 110,871 wild. The South Sound also would see winter returns of 16,181 hatchery and 56,016 wild fish. Summer returns in the South Sound would be 53,097 wild fish.

Lake Washington sockeye: A run of 19,327 fish will be far below the 350,000-threshold at which a recreational fishery can be held.

Department staff also said they will work to expand selective fisheries throughout Puget Sound. This would allow anglers to keep only hatchery fish, marked by a clipped adipose fin.

Among the changes being considered:

-- Converting current non-selective openings or closed fishing periods in October to April to mark-selective retention for Chinook, including Marine Area 11, the waters off Tacoma.

-- In areas 11 and 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) the current selective chinook fishery that runs from June1to Sept. 30 would be expanded to May.

-- Convert non-selective fisheries for coho in areas 9-11 and 13 to selective fisheries as necessary to achieve conservation objectives for very weak runs of wild coho returning to the South Sound.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will adopt the final ocean fishing seasons and harvest levels at its April 4-9 meeting in Millbrae, Calif. The 2009 salmon fisheries package for Washington’s inside waters will be negotiated by state and tribal officials during that meeting.

Click here for the preseason salmon forecasts, proposed fishing options and details on upcoming meetings.

A local climbing party will get some air time in the thin air on Mount Everest this spring.

Ashford-based International Mountain Guides has been selected by the Discovery Channel for its annual series “Everest: Beyond the Limit.”

A Discovery Channel crew will follow the IMG group and a party from France’s Himalayan Experience, IMG co-director Eric Simonson said today.

Simonson, IMG’s Himalayan director who was elected to the board of the American Alpine Club last month, will lead the team from base camp.

Simonson says IMG has helped 179 people from 14 countries reach Everest’s 29,035-foot summit since 1991.

IMG is already laying the groundwork for the expedition. According to the IMG website, mountainguides.com, 6,600 pounds of gear has been shipped to Kathmandu. The gear is currently being taken by Yak to base camp where the Sherpa team is building camp.

The climb is scheduled for March 22-May31.

An air date has not been announced for the show.

I got a chance to hit the trails recently at Whistler Olympic Park. Read much more about the 2010 Winter Olympics Nordic site in Thursday's Adventure section.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife just announced the Thrall access site on the Yakima River will be closed while Ringer Loop Road is repaired.

Ringer Loop Road, which was damaged by recent floods, is the only route to the state boat launch on the river, said a department news release. The site is expected to re-open around March 10, when Kittitas County road re-construction work is completed.

Anglers and other recreationists seeking access to the Yakima River can use other department water access sites. Click here for details on the south central region.

From the Foothills Trails Rails to Trails Coalition:

Join the certification training for the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition's Courtesy Patrol. Keith Lassen with Pierce Transit and a Courtesy Patrolman will present an overview of current first aid practices 9 am, Mar. 14, High Cedars Golf Club, 149th St. Court E. Orting. The Courtesy Patrol was created in 2002 to encourge trail courtesy and provide trail information to users. Members also assist with special events such as the Foothills Dash, Daffodil Classic bike ride, the Rainier to Ruston ultrathon, and relay, and the Run with the Salmon. The Patrol numbers 100 members.

For information or to enroll contact Patrol Chairman Jerry Larson at 253-845-7219 or Capt2wheelert@comcast.net