RiverFest – October 5, 2024

 

This event is sponsored by our local cities, public electric utilities, port districts, Benton Conservation District, state wheat and potato commissions, and businesses who place tremendous value on our local rivers.  This year’s event will be held on Saturday, October 5, from 10:00AM to 3:00PM at Columbia Park in Kennewick.  This is a free family event with educational exhibits, hands on learning experiences, entertainment and food vendors.  The slogan for RiverFest is “Our Rivers, Our Life”.  The Columbia and Snake Rivers are valuable assets for the hydropower they produce, the recreational opportunities they provide, and for commercial cost effective transportation of goods to and from our communities.  If you have a chance, take advantage of the opportunity to spend a few hours in the park at this event. 

 

 

      

Board of Directors Meeting Notes – Webmaster Needed

 

Ron Moore graciously volunteered to fill the vacant Treasurer position created by Rick Libby’s planned relocation to California.  The Board of Directors approved a motion for Ron to serve as Treasurer to complete the unexpired term ending March 31, 2025.  Ron had recently been doing double duty as Webmaster and Membership Committee Chair but Karen McNiven took over the Membership Committee duties from Ron last month.   Our next task is to relieve Ron of the Webmaster duties so he can focus solely on the Treasurer duties as he learns the nuances of that position.  If you think you might be interested in becoming our new Webmaster, please contact Richard Sharp (509-551-6785) or Ron Moore (509-521-4528) for a more detailed discussion.  Thanks to Rick for his twelve years of service to our club as Treasurer and to Ron, Karen, and other members who volunteer to help carry the load to keep our club strong.

 

Wood Ducks and Screech Owls

 

Dale Schielke recently provided this year’s RRGC duck and owl banding data to WDFW biologists.  During the 2024 activities with the wood duck nesting boxes, Dale and his team installed 54 new bands on wood duck hens and recaptured 20 wood duck hens that were previously banded. They also installed 30 new bands on western screech owls and recaptured 48 previously banded owls.  Dale has requested a new supply of bands for ducks and owls so bands can be available by mid-January 2025 when the team begins the annual cleaning of nesting boxes.  Many thanks to Dale and team members John Merk, Blaine Schwartz, Mark Kerns and the other volunteers for their efforts.

 

Wild Game Dinner Meat Donations and Prizes Needed

 

March 22, 2025 might seem a long way in the future, but it is not.  The 73rd annual Wild Game Dinner will be upon us sooner than we think and we need everyone’s help to prepare.  New tablecloths have been purchased to fit the new, larger tables that will be used at the dinner.  Marilyn Steele is already planning a kick-off organizing and planning meeting for cooks, chefs, kitchen workers and helpers in November but before that we need to start collecting prizes and meat for the dinner.  If you are a hunter or fisherman, please consider donating a portion of your harvest for the dinner.  John Prather already has a freezer turned on to accept any meat that you might not have room to store.  Each package must be tagged with the donor’s name, WILD ID number, species and cut of meat, plus the date and location taken.  Ground meat cannot be accepted. Copies of our prize solicitation letter will be available at the October 1 general membership meeting that you can give to potential donors that explains our nonprofit status and the reasons for the solicitation.  Please think about how you can contribute to and be involved in the Wild Game Dinner.  Please contact John Prather (509-521-1593) for more information about meat and prize donations or Marilyn Steele (509-392-2128) about helping with the dinner preparations.

 

Welcome to our Newest Members

 

Larry Whalen of West Richland and Kane Kelley of Pasco submitted membership applications at our September general meeting.  The applications have been approved by the Board of Directors.  Please join us in welcoming Larry and Kane and help them experience all that RRGC has to offer!

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in Washington

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Washington’s first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a white-tailed deer found dead in north Spokane County.  CWD is a fatal illness of cervids (deer, elk, moose, and caribou). The disease is caused by mutated proteins known as prions, which can contaminate the environment and be transmitted between animals through feces, saliva, and urine. 

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In an effort to manage the spread of CWD, WDFW filed emergency rules in August 2024 to amend state laws pertaining to the transportation, importation, and retention of dead resident and nonresident wildlife.  Additionally, in GMUs 124, 127, and 130 it is no longer legal to hunt deer, elk, or moose with any type of bait or to use scents derived from cervid urine and glandular extracts.  All successful cervid hunters in those GMUs must submit the entire head with at least 3 inches of neck attached to WDFW for CWD testing within 3 days of harvest.   If you hunt big game in Region 1 in northeastern Washington, be aware that these changes will likely affect you.  Learn about and abide by the new rules to stay out of trouble!

 

Avian Flu Poses a New Threat Around the World

 

Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza (HPAI), also known as “bird flu”, should not be a concern for just waterfowl hunters.  AI is caused by naturally occurring viruses that primarily affect poultry and has been around seemingly forever but until recently was low pathogenic showing little or no clinical signs of illness in birds. HPAI is different.  HPAI may result in 100 percent mortality in affected flocks of domestic poultry and can spread to wild birds, mammals like dairy cattle, and humans.   The H5N1 strain of the virus has been circulating since 1996 when it was first detected in domestic geese in China.  HPAI H5N1 reappeared in Hong Kong in 2002 marking the first detection of the virus in wild birds.  The virus first appeared in North America in 2014 and by 2016 had killed over 50 million poultry but very little waterfowl and the outbreak eventually dissipated.

 

In the summer of 2021, we entered a new era.  H5N1 struck nesting seabirds, beginning with a great skua (Americans call then jaegers) colony in Scotland’s Shetland Islands. Ninety percent of the adults died. This was followed by mass mortality of barnacle geese, gannets, gulls, and terns elsewhere in Europe. By winter 2021, the virus had spread to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. An estimated 8,000 common cranes died in Israel. Significant mortality was also documented among gulls and eiders in New England, murres and gannets in Atlantic Canada, great white pelicans and royal and Caspian terns in western Africa, African penguins and cape cormorants in southern Africa, demoiselle cranes in India, and hooded cranes in Japan. By the next winter, in November 2022, it reached Peruvian pelicans in South America. The exact route and species of dispersal remain speculative.  Outbreaks have now been documented in wild birds on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.  As of July 2024, USDA reports that 99 million domestic birds in commercial and backyard flocks in the USA have been affected by H5N1 (which might explain the higher cost of chicken and eggs), the virus has been identified in 158 dairy herds in 13 states (our milk is safe because it is pasteurized), and the virus has been linked to illness and death in 20 other species of mammals.  Transmission to humans is uncommon but some US dairy workers have been infected with HPAI with minor symptoms.  Globally there has been serious human disease and deaths. 

 

How long this outbreak will continue is unknown but it is likely to persist.

Protect yourself and your pets from AI.  If you encounter multiple dead birds where the cause of death is unexplained (i.e. they weren’t shot), please notify WDFW or USFWS.  Do not handle birds without wearing gloves or allow your dog to retrieve birds that appear sick or are found dead.  Not all birds that carry the virus are symptomatic, so assume that any bird you handle may be infected with AI.  AI symptoms in humans are similar to the common flu (cough, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, and shortness of breath may occur) and usually appear within two to eight days. If you are a bird hunter traveling outside the USA to hunt this fall be aware that USDA APHIS imposed new restrictions for the importation of birds in 2022 that were further revised in 2023.  Stay informed and be safe.

 

Photo of the Month

 

The winning photo this month was submitted by Ron Ruth.  The photo is of the students and instructors from the most recent Hunter Education class during Range Day on September 14.  Thanks to Ron and the other instructors for their time and effort in helping the students complete the class.