I’m blogging from Keystone right now as I wait in line with my son for the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry. Here’s a recommendation for anybody trying to make this run between now and the end of June. Make a reservation at least one week in advance.

I talked with a kayak outfitter this morning in Langley who said he’s been told reservations are filling a week in advance. He ended up getting stuck in Port Townsend recently.

The run is the easiest way to get to the Olympic Peninsula from any point north of Seattle. So with the Hood Canal Bridge closed through June for construction demand is through the roof. Making matters worse, the state ferry service is using a smaller ferry it borrowed from Pierce County. The Steilacoom II used to make the run from Steilacoom to Anderson Island.

Standby isn’t totally out of the question. We’ve been told we have a good shot at the 4:30 ferry. It’s 2:23 right now. A long wait, but we get to play on the beach for a couple hours. And that beats a long drive almost any day.

To make reservations:
Visit wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
Call 877-595-4222
Or from your cell dial 511

Also visit the website for info on a special Edmonds to Port Towsend run on the weekends.

Cayuse Pass has finally reopened on Highway 123 on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park.

The 4,675-foot pass was scheduled to reopen twice before but was postponed by a snowstorm that increased the avalanche danger.

The Transportation Department told the AP the roadway opened today at noon.

The department also said nearby Chinook Pass on Highway 410 at 5,430 feet remains closed by spring snow and may not reopen until after Memorial Day weekend.

I know it might not be practical for local pheasant hunters to make it to this meeting, but I thought you would be intested in what the state is thinking.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has scheduled a public meeting Wednesday in Mount Vernon to discuss potential pheasant release sites in Skagit and northern Snohomish counties.

The public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland St. During the meeting, WDFW staff will give a presentation on public and private lands identified by the department as possible sites to release pheasants for recreational hunting.

WDFW is seeking new areas to release the birds because restoration projects on the Skagit Wildlife Area’s Headquarters and Leque Island units will soon return those areas to estuaries, said Lora Leschner, regional wildlife program manager. Both restoration projects are scheduled to be completed later this summer.

"Once the restoration projects are complete, those sites on the wildlife area will no longer be suitable for pheasant releases," said Leschner. "But we are looking at several alternative sites where we might be able to relocate our pheasant release operations."

Restoration projects on the Skagit Wildlife Area are intended to restore important habitat for wildlife and fish, particularly salmon. WDFW owns and manages the entire 16,700-acre Skagit Wildlife Area to preserve habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide a site for outdoor recreation.

On Leque Island, about 110 acres of the Stillaguamish estuary is being restored. At the Headquarters Unit, the Wiley Slough project is designed to restore 160 acres of estuarine salmon habitat that was diked and drained to create farmland.

To address concerns about lands lost to hunting, WDFW has been working with a coalition of hunters, recreationists, farmers and other landowners to secure hunter access to private lands in the area.

Click here for more information on the Skagit Wildlife Area.

This was released yesterday while I was at Mayfield Lake "researching" a story on people who fish for tiger muskie. Any way, here is the news release:

Time is running short for hunters planning to apply for special hunting permits for fall deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep and turkey seasons.

This year’s application deadline is midnight May 20, nearly a month earlier than in past years. Permit winners will be selected by random drawing, with the results available by the end of June, said Dave Ware, game manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"Hunters told us they wanted us to conduct the drawing earlier in the year, so they would have more time to make their hunting plans," Ware said. "That makes sense, but hunters have to make sure they meet the earlier application deadline."

Hunters selected to receive special permits qualify to hunt in areas and at times of the year that may not be available to those with only general hunting licenses.

Application instructions and details on special-permit hunts are described in the 2009-10 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Regulations pamphlet, available at WDFW offices, license vendors or online by clicking here.

Before applying for a special-hunt permit, hunters must purchase an application and any necessary hunting licenses and transport tags on line, by phone, or from a licensed dealer for each species they wish to hunt. The cost for each application is $5.50 for residents, $55.00 for non-residents, and $3.30 for youth under 16 years of age.

Ware reminds hunters to update their mailing address in the system when purchasing their special hunting permit applications and licenses. Each year, hundreds of special hunting permits are returned due to invalid addresses.

All applications must be submitted via a toll-free telephone number (1-877-945-3492) or WDFW’s Web site. Paper applications will not be accepted.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has closed the Columbia River access site near George (Grant County) because it is unsafe for launching trailered boats.

The Sunland Estates water access site, about eight miles west of George on the Grant County side of the river, is closed indefinitely while launch repair or replacement is assessed and project funding is sought.

The concrete-plank boat launch is currently in such poor condition that attempts to launch trailered boats are hazardous, said Terrie Preston, northcentral region lands agent based in Ephrata in a news release. The department plans to conduct a work assessment and seek the funding and federal permits needed to restore the launch, she said.

There are, according to the release, several alternative public access sites in the area:

-- WDFW’s Old Vantage Highway access site east of Vantage on the Grant County side of the river.

-- Washington State Parks Wanapum Recreation Area southwest of Vantage on the Kittitas County side of the river.

-- Crescent Bar Recreation Area southwest of Quincy on the Grant County side of the river.

-- WDFW’s Buckshot access site southwest of Mattawa on the Grant County side of the river.

-- WDFW’s Vernita access site east of Priest Rapids Dam on the Grant County side of the river.