UMATILLA -- Public access to Spillway Park, located about one-half mile downstream of McNary Lock and Dam on the Oregon shoreline, will be closed for construction work Tuesday through April 1, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The temporary closure will ensure public safety while the Corps constructs a juvenile fish outfall pipeline from the juvenile fish facility adjacent to McNary Dam to about one-half mile downstream.
Free firewood available to public at McNary Dam
UMATILLA -- Free firewood is available to the public at a special wood pile at McNary Lock and Dam, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Every year, woody debris makes its way downstream from the Yakima and Snake rivers and into the Columbia River. Once it arrives at McNary Dam, much of it collects in the forebay area of the dam, where it must be removed to keep it from entering powerhouse intakes and fish passages.
To reduce the size of the wood pile at McNary Dam, the Army Corps will allow public access to the north shore area and to a smaller pile on the south shore where logs can be cut for firewood.
Woodcutters 18 years and older can apply for a permit to gather the wood. The permit allows for two additional helpers 18 or older to accompany the permit applicant. Permit applicants will need to present photo identification for all participants in their group and vehicle information.
Starting Nov. 4, permit holders can access the woodcutting areas Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be no access on federal holidays.
For more information, call 541-922-2268.
Brownell Road access to river closed to Nov. 25
UMATILLA -- Brownell Road access to the Columbia River and ponds on the west side of the McNary Wildlife Nature Area will closed today through Nov. 25, the Army Corps of Engineers said.
The temporary closure will ensure public safety while the Bonneville Power Administration conducts work on the transmission lines from the south side of the Columbia River to the north side.
The lines that cross the river will be replaced with 500-kilovolt line.
Desert Ski Club meets Nov. 3 in Richland
The Desert Ski Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Shilo Inn in Richland. The next meeting is Nov. 3.
For more information, go to desertski club.org.
Richland Yacht Club to work on fish habitat
RICHLAND -- The Richland Yacht Club will be performing fish habitat improvements on the west portion of the Columbia Point Marina Basin starting Monday.
The club will be be placing a gravel mix along 170 feet of Columbia River shoreline and remove sunken flotation drums that were part of a marina fixture.
The work primarily will be performed around the Riverfront Trail. The public is asked to follow the warning signs posted near the worksite.
For more information, call the club at 509-946-6900.
Montana, Park County talk bison settlement
BILLINGS, Mont. -- An attorney for the state of Montana says a possible settlement is being discussed with Park County officials who are suing to block the migration of wild bison out of Yellowstone National Park.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks legal chief Robert Lane said Wednesday the talks have focused on whether the state can manage the animals in a way that protects public safety. Lane said the animals would not be excluded from the 75,000-acre Gardiner Basin.
The county's lawsuit alleges residents were put at risk when hundreds of bison were allowed into the basin north of Yellowstone last winter. In prior years, the state had killed or herded back into the park most bison that entered the basin.
Widow of man killed by research bear sues
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The widow of a man killed by a grizzly bear not long after the animal awoke from tranquilizers in the wild country near Yellowstone National Park has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Yolanda Evert filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne. The lawsuit seeks $5 million from the federal government.
The lawsuit says grizzly bear researchers prematurely took down signs that warned passers-by of the work they were doing.
The 430-pound male grizzly bear mauled Erwin Evert of Park Ridge, Ill., on June 17, 2010.
Evert had been hiking about a mile from the cabin where the couple lived for part of the year. The attack occurred where scientists had snared and tranquilized the bear hours earlier.
