Bird hunting costs to go up at some national refuge areas near Tri-Cities

The Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex is planning to increase daily fees over the next two years at managed hunt areas of the McNary and Umatilla wildlife refuges.

The current cost per hunter is $16 and will be raised to $19 per hunter per day to access the managed hunt areas of the refuge. The following year the fee is proposed to increase again to $22 a day.

The fees, which had not been increased for a decade, will help offset some of the costs of providing hunting.

Details on hunting opportunities and fees are posted at fws.gov/mcriver.

The public can comment on the proposal until June 29.

Email comments to mcriver@fws.gov or mail comments to Mid-Columbia River NWRC, 64 Maple St., Burbank, Wash., 99336.