RICHLAND -- Join members of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society (LCBAS) for the monthly bird walk 8 a.m. Saturday at Bateman Island .

Interested folks should meet at Wye Park above the causeway to Bateman Island.

All are welcome.

Beginning birders are encouraged to join the group. Expert birders will provide expertise for those new to bird watching.

Bring binoculars and dress for the weather.

For more information, go to lcbas.org.

Smelt fishing in Washington, Oregon closed in 2012

While the 2012 smelt forecast for the Columbia River and its tributaries is favorable, anglers should plan to leave their nets in the garage for another season. Recreational and commercial fisheries will remain closed this year, the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife agencies have decided.

The 2012 run is forecasted to improve from 2011 but still is expected to be at a low level, said Joe Hymer, state fish biologist. He said this year's run could possibly be better than the past couple of years, but still will be weaker than the brief rebound years of 2001-03.

On May 17, 2010, Columbia River smelt, also known as eulachon, were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

As a result of the listing, Washington and Oregon closed all eulachon-directed fisheries in the Columbia River and all of Washington.