Salmon in the Classroom – Salmon Summit

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The young salmon will be released by students at the East Columbia Park boat ramp during the Salmon Summit on Monday April 15 and Tuesday April 16.  If you are interested in assisting with the salmon release, please contact Gene Van Liew at 509-946-7738 or sign up on the list that Gene will pass around at our April 2 general meeting.

 

Donations Received and Given

 

Ron Ruth reported at the March Board meeting that the Pheasants Forever Ringold Chapter has made a $1,000 donation to our Hunter Education No Hunter Left Behind program.  Mark Kimmel was a gunner at a recent Three Rivers Bird Dog Club dog trial and was able to secure 155 chukars for our Wild Game Dinner.  Thank you to Pheasants Forever, Mark, and the RRGC volunteers who helped process the chukars.

 

Thirteen members of the Jason Lee Elementary Archery Club qualified for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national competition in Sandy, Utah on April 26 and 27, 2024.  Coach Lyn Leyde and student archer Cyrus Dewolf attended our March BOD meeting.  Cyrus read a self-prepared statement and Lyn answered our questions.  Estimated cost for entry fees, airfare, lodging, and meals is $700 per person.  The BOD approved a donation of $1,500 to assist with the team’s expenses.  RRGC has a history with the Jason Lee archers in that we donated fund several years ago to help them purchase equipment to establish the club plus RRGC members have assisted with several youth archery competitions held in the Tri-Cities.

 

Memoriam for Alvin Elwood Casebere

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Long time RRGC member Al Casebere passed away unexpectedly on March 6, 2024.  Al was a young 80 years old and full of enthusiasm.  Al and his wife Barbara helped out most recently at the Lunker Lake kids fishing pond at the Sportsmen Show in January.  Al also won a prize in the Liar’s Contest at the club picnic last summer.  He will be missed.  Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Barbara and the rest of Al’s family.

 

Welcome to Our New Members

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We have several new members to introduce who have joined in the last two months.  Please extend a warm welcome to Bill Suhr and Marc Stevenson of Kennewick; Micah Little and Braydon Wodtli of Pasco; Jay Thomas of Benton City; and Terry Christensen and Ryan Jacobs of Richland.  Micah and Braydon have already joined our Board of Directors.  I expect we will have more new members to introduce next month after approval of applications received at the Wild Game Dinner.

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Wood Duck Nest Box Maintenance

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Dale Schielke reports that 599 RRGC nest boxes were cleaned and fitted with new nesting material this spring.  Maintenance of the RRGC nest boxes is complete for this year. Box checks show that 221 of those boxes were used by wood ducks this last season.  Dale and helpers provided wood duck presentations at 5 Libby Middle School classes, After School Matters at Eastgate Elementary, and Mid-Columbia Partnership, plus displays at Chief Joe Science Night. A total of 19 new boxes were assembled by youth to replace aging boxes or to add to our inventory. Live streaming from in-box cameras will be added in April and May as hens are found nesting in boxes that are close enough to internet WiFi and power sources. We will be partnering with Delta Waterfowl members to assist with box cleaning and banding as our inventory grows.  Additionally, we will be exploring a Kids Duck Day in the fall with other organizations with similar interests in educating youth on wildlife conservation.

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Youth Conservation Camps

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Larry Martin reported that the 2024 Washington State Youth Conservation Camps at Orcas Island will be July 21-27 for boys and July 28-August 3 for girls.  Campers must be ages 12 to 16 while at camp.  Larry has not received the application packet yet but contact Larry at 509-521-2554 if you know an eligible youth who is interested in attending camp.

 

RRGC Memorial Scholarship

 

The deadline for applications is quickly approaching.  Several applications have already been received.  Eligible applicants should be pursuing a conservation related degree such as natural resources management, fish and wildlife sciences, forest resources, range ecology and management, or similar wildlife or natural resources related program and have enough college credits to qualify as junior status by next fall. Scholarship selections are based on merit. Applications must be postmarked no later than April 10, 2024 or submitted via email to rrgcsecretary@gmail.com by April 15.

 

Chinook Salmon Decline

 

At our March meeting we learned from WDFW District 4 Fish Biologist Todd Miller that salmon populations in the Columbia River and along the west coast are generally doing well, with the exception of Chinook salmon whose populations are in decline in many areas from Alaska to California.  RRGC member Gary Christensen offered to share a recent (October 2023) research paper that purports to explain why most salmon species are flourishing, the causes for Chinook decline and failing recovery efforts, and the proposed solutions and their costs.  The research paper points out that most recovery efforts focus on river habitat being a limiting factor in recovery leading to a push to remove dams on the Snake River.  The authors feel this is a misdiagnosis and that recovery may fail even if the dams are removed.  The authors blame rising ocean temperatures and competition from protected pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) for food as primary reasons for the decline in Chinook numbers.  If you would like to read the entire nine page research paper, send your request via email to rrgcsecretary@gmail.com to receive the .pdf file.  

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Richland volunteer opportunities for members (richlandrodandgun.org)

 

 

Get involved in one of our Committees:

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Salmon in the Classroom: Gene Van Liew – e.van-liew@hotmail.com

Wild Game Dinner 2025:  Marilyn Steele – momhoops46@gmail.com

Wood Ducks:  Dale Schielke – dahlialou@gmail.com

KOE – Kids Fishing Day:  Marilyn Steele – momhoops46@gmail.com

Hunter Ed:  Ron Ruth – RonRuth.HunterEd@gmail.com

Guzzlers:  Larry Martin - larry49martin@gmail.com

Youth Conservation Camp - larry49martin@gmail.com

Membership: Ron Moore – richlandrodandgunmembership@gmail.com

Scholarship:  Mike Estes - estesm34@gmail.com

Website: Ron Moore – admin@richlandrodandgun.org

 

 

RRGC Club Upcoming Activities

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KOE Fishing Rod Assembly – April 6, 9:00am, Grigg’s in Pasco

Salmon Summit and Salmon Release – April 15 and 16, 2024 at Columbia Park

KOE Special Needs and Kids Fishing Events – April 19 and 20, 2024 at Columbia Park Pond

Introduction to Firearms Class – May 18, 9:00am, Grigg’s in Pasco