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79 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, June 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 10, 2004 Cole Rivers Hatchery technician Mike Masonheimer recycled this spring chinook and about 700 others like it into the upper Rogue on Friday. Recycled chinooks help ease anemic salmon run Outdoor Notes By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Another batch of recycled spring chinook salmon are back in the upper Rogue River, helping boost an anemic early run of salmon this season. Cole Rivers Hatchery technicians have recycled about 700 excess spring chinook, including about 250 trucked Friday from the hatchery to TouVelle State Park and another 250 to the Modoc Unit of the Denman Wildlife Area. Hatchery workers plan to recycle at least a load of spring chinook each week through June, with a target of 4,000 recycled salmon this season, says David Pease, the hatchery’s assistant manager. State fish managers have turned to recycling chinook and steelhead as a way of ridding the hatchery of excess fish and giving anglers another shot at catching them. The extra fish come as the heart of the spring chinook run starts heading toward the upper Rogue. Advertisement As of June 1, only 14,566 spring chinook were counted over Gold Ray Dam, and that’s about one-third less than last year at this time but just 15 percent behind the 10-year average, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife statistics. Though low, the ratio is an improvement over the mid-May count of just 3,223 chinook — half of the 10-year average for May 15. ODFW biologists had predicted a better-than-average run for this year, and biologist David Haight says the recent good showing makes it too early to say how good, or bad, this year’s run will be. "We’re a little behind the 10-year average, but we’re catching up," Haight says. "It still waits to be seen whether we end up with a little below-average run, or maybe they’re just a little late this year." Kids 16 and under can try their hands at trap shooting, target shooting with BB guns and even tomahawk tosses at a special kids event Saturday at the Denman Wildlife Area. Two local hunting organizations are sponsoring the third annual Young Oregon Hunters day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. centered around the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office at the White City wildlife area. The event is organized by the Rogue Valley chapters of the Oregon Hunters Association and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The hunter-safety education van will be on hand and kids can also test their archery and animal-identification skills. The various activities will all be supervised by adults, says Lane Brown, an OHA state board member involved in the event. Free lunch will be provided from 11 a.m. through 1 p.m. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is set to consider a public petition Friday to shorten the razor-clamming season in Clatsop County by 45 days. The county, which sports some of the best razor-clam beaches in the state, has a regular "conservation closure" for razor clams from July 15 through Sept. 30, but some citizen groups have asked to have that closure begin June 1 to give smaller clams an opportunity to grow more. The issue has heightened because some clam-diggers have been caught illegally attempting to return a small or cracked razor clam to the sand in order to take a larger, intact clam, ODFW spokeswoman Anne Pressentin Young says. The current bag limit is the first 15 razors taken, regardless of size or condition. A public hearing on the issue was held Tuesday in Astoria. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times