Saturday, May. 31, 2008

Briefs: Paddle Fest continues today at Howard Amon

By the Herald staff

The fourth annual Columbia River Paddle Fest continues today with classes, equipment demos and on-the-water paddling activities at Howard Amon Park in Richland.

Today's classes are open, but event organizers recommend getting there early to sign up.

The event also includes on-water demonstrations and a youth paddle area where teens can practice.

Today's schedule: 9:30 a.m.: Beginning kayaking; 10:45 a.m.: Beginning kayaking; Balance & Bracing; canoeing; Noon: Beginning kayaking; Greenland Paddling; 1:15 p.m.: Beginning kayaking; Strokes Refinement; canoeing; 2:30 p.m.: Beginning kayaking; Greenland Paddling.

Plant Society to meet Wednesday in Richland

The Columbia Basin Chapter of the Native Plant Society will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 252 in the West Building at Washington State University-Tri-Cities.

Featured speaker will be Janelle Downs, plant ecologist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a life-long resident of the Columbia Basin.

Her topic is "Flowers, Fruits and Families -- Tips and Techniques for Identifying Wildflowers in the Tri-Cities."

There also will be a plant identification session. Bring photos or samples of plants growing in the Columbia Basin. The meeting also will include a flower and plant slide show and election of officers.

For more information, go to www.wnps.org/cbasin.

ODFW to put chinook in Powder River

Chinook salmon will swim in the upper Powder River for just the third year since the 1930s.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife planned to release about 300 spring chinook in the river this week, according to Tim Bailey, a fish biologist at the agency's LaGrande office.

The daily bag limit is two salmon, and the season runs from Saturday through Sept. 1.

ODFW decided to dump salmon into the Powder because the trap below Hells Canyon Dam caught more fish than Oregon and Idaho hatcheries needed for this year's chinook crop.

The same thing happened in 2004 and 2007. The 2004 program marked the first appearance of chinook in the upper Powder since the Thief Valley Dam was built near North Powder in 1932.

EWU triathlon scheduled for Sunday

The 20th Annual Iron Eagle Triathlon (500-meter swim, 10-mile bike, 3.1-mile run) will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Eastern Washington University pool in Cheney.

Entry fee is $30.

Get entry form online at www.ewu.edu/IMsports or call 359-7877 for details.