Hunting, fishing seasons continue through holidays

There’s still time to bag that Christmas game bird, goose, or maybe a nice solstice-season steelhead. For hunters and anglers itching to get out in the field or to wet a line during the holiday season, several opportunities are available.

Pheasant seasons in Areas 1 and 3 are open through Dec. 31. Forest grouse seasons are open through Jan. 31 in north Idaho’s Area 1 and through Dec. 31 in the rest of the state. Seasons for bobwhite and California quail in Area 1 are open through Jan. 31, and chukar and gray partridge seasons are open statewide through Jan. 31 as well. In addition, turkey hunters can hunt either sex through Dec. 31 on private lands-only in much of the Clearwater region. 

For upland game hunters, the cottontail season is open through February 28, and snowshoe hare season through March 31. There is no season on pygmy rabbits.

It’s also not too late to bag that Christmas goose, with Idaho waterfowl seasons open through the holidays into January. In parts of southern Idaho, the white-fronted goose season extends into February and light goose (Snow and Ross’ geese) season extends into March. 

The daily goose bag limit is four Canada geese; 10 white-fronted geese; and 20 for light geese. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

The statewide daily bag limit is seven ducks; but not more than two female mallard, three scaup, two redhead, two pintail, and two canvasback. 

Waterfowl hunters must have a valid Idaho hunting license, a federal migratory game bird harvest information program validation, and a federal duck stamp. The duck stamp is valid through the end of June.

For anglers with time off during the holidays, the fall steelhead season remains open through Dec. 31 in the Clearwater River and the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork Clearwater rivers where bag limits are two per day and six in possession, and in the Salmon, Little Salmon, Snake and Boise rivers where limits are three per day and nine in possession. The spring steelhead season starts Jan. 1 in these waters with limits of three per day and nine in possession. 

Fishing is open year round in many other waters as well.

Idaho hunters and anglers must have 2015 licenses and appropriate permits through Dec. 31. On Jan. 1, they will need new 2016 licenses and permits. They are encouraged to review the current season and rule brochures available at all Fish and Game license vendors and online at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Happy Holidays from the VFW

By Doug Boyer

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has kicked off their annual Toys for Tots program for the 2015 season, and the VFW is one of the four collection centers in our area. Please help the USMC help the less fortunate by dropping off your new, unwrapped toys at the VFW in Orofino. 

The VFW will be holding its Christmas party for VFW and Auxiliary members and friends at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. Please bring your favorite food to share. There will be games, door prizes, Christmas music, and plenty of holiday cheer. 

Speaking of Christmas, it is not too late to reserve our smoke-free VFW hall for your holiday party or get-together. Call the VFW today at 476-4117 for an inexpensive holiday party rental.

This year is the VFW’s birthday, and Harold Kinne VFW Post 3296 is 80 years old. To celebrate we have kicked off our birthday with an 18-month long fundraising campaign called “Brickyard of Memories.”

We are selling 4” x 8” bricks for $40 each, with your engraved message on them; and also 8” x 8” bricks for $70. These bricks, along with some older bricks from the old junior high school, will be placed between the two sidewalks leading up to the VFW building.

We are also selling engraved concrete benches for $600. For further information or to purchase your family brick or bench, please call the VFW at 476-4117, or stop by and pick up an order form. Thank you to everyone who has already purchased a brick or bench!

Please note the date change of the VFW’s monthly membership meeting. The meeting is now held the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. The VFW’s next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.

The VFW Auxiliary continues to meet at 6 p.m. on first Tuesday of each month. Their next meeting being is Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Want to join the VFW? We would love to have you! Just contact any VFW member for more information or bring your DD 214 down to the VFW at 330 Michigan Ave. or call 476-411 7 for more information.

Not eligible for the VFW? The Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars is now accepting both men and ladies as members to the Auxiliary. Just be a blood relative of a combat veteran and you too can be a member! Give us a call for more info.

Keep your eyes open for new building improvements at the VFW coming soon, and again, thank you to everyone who has helped support Harold Kinne VFW Post 3296.

Happy holidays to all our friends and neighbors from everyone at the VFW and Auxiliary.

Historic fire season ends with a look forward

Submitted by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

For those of us who experienced the 2015 fire season in north central Idaho, we will remember it for its extremes—explosive fire behavior and devastating effects on communities and resources on one hand, and a positive rallying point for community disaster and recovery support as well as some positive impacts on the land, on the other hand.

On the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the fires produced the same battle of extremes—Ranger Stations, recreational infrastructure, critical habitats and timber stands were threatened by fire, most were saved, some were lost. 

The season is replete with stories of heroism, hard work, and people coming together for a common goal. We could provide facts and figures on how this affected your Forest lands, but that would not tell the whole story. 

Planning for the 2015 fire season began long before the lightning hit in early August. Fuel moistures were low and temperatures were high through the spring and early summer. The central Idaho fire leadership group braced for an epic season and ordered additional firefighting resources. 

When lightning ignited over 250 fires between Aug. 9-11 and immediately threatened communities outside of lands managed by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, the additional Forest Service firefighters were already on the way.

As fire threatened Kamiah, Orofino, Peck, Nezperce and other communities, we diverted our Forest initial attack personnel, aircraft, and incoming firefighting resources for use by Idaho Department of Lands to protect the public and the values most at risk, at that time. 

The Forest’s remaining initial attack resources extinguished many of the fires on the Forest but those that were unstaffed grew big. When communities near Forest lands were threatened, firefighting resources, regardless of agency affiliation, were shared to continue to keep the public safe. 

This season was a true interagency effort with two countries, 26 states, nine counties, nine cities, several rural fire districts, four tribes, and seven federal agencies represented in the effort. 

The 2015 fire season was intense and relatively short-lived but we will feel the impacts personally, professionally, socially, economically, and environmentally for years to come. When the smoke in the valleys cleared, over 280,000 acres of private, state, tribal, and federal land was impacted. On the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, our latest mapping shows 195,683 acres burned with about two-thirds of that in the roaded front country. 

Assessing impacts and restoration began while the fires were still burning. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Teams inventoried and prioritized imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands. 

Recently we received $1.09 million to begin to address those threats. In addition to working on National Forest lands, many current and retired Forest Service employees are assessing private lands to assist landowners. “The Forest will continue to be a player in the restoration efforts off National Forest System lands because it is the right thing to do for the communities and the resources in the basin,” said Cheryl Probert, Forest Supervisor.

In order to address all the post-fire work needed, we have redirected our planned work on the Forest. Many people only think of salvage of burned timber when they talk about post-fire work. On the Nez Perce-Clearwater, salvage of burned timber is only one of many types of actions we are taking to deal with the fires of 2015. 

We retained as many of our seasonal employees as we could this fall to have them work on assessing post-fire needs. We have categorized our current activities into several types:

Fire suppression rehabilitation—Most of this work such as fireline rehab was done before the incident management teams left the area. Firelines in the more heavily timbered areas will not be completely finished until the majority of the cut trees are removed. 

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)—Inventory and planning have been completed and implementation has begun on the most critical needs. Some of these actions include emergency culvert replacement, adding drainage dips to roads, and felling those hazard trees posing the most imminent threat to safety.

Restoration on private lands—Work accomplished to date includes inventory of restoration needs, planning projects, applying for grants, providing information, and supporting community forums. A group of retired Forest Service employees assessed burn severity and emergency restoration needs on private lands throughout the Basin. Current Nez Perce-Clearwater employees are members of the Soil Conservation Districts’ Multi-Agency Cooperative Restoration Organization (MACRO) at the leadership and technical levels.

Maintenance of roads, recreation sites, and administrative sites—Field personnel have been out assessing additional maintenance needs, including hazard tree removal, and an interdisciplinary team is analyzing the impacts of those actions. 

Salvage harvest for fuels reduction and insect and disease prevention—Field personnel have been assessing potential areas where salvage harvest is needed, practical and possible within the analysis timeframes. Three interdisciplinary teams of resource managers are developing proposed actions and analyzing impacts. This effort began with a coarse filter approach that identified areas we would not salvage such as wilderness and unroaded lands. 

Next, our foresters went out with other resource specialists and assessed the feasibility and economic value of those remaining areas. They also considered dropping areas with resource issues that could take a long time to analyze. This initial evaluation removed about 90 percent of the burned areas from consideration for salvage harvest. 

The interdisciplinary teams are prioritizing and refining the proposals in the Tepee Springs/Deadwood fire area, Wash fire, Woodrat and Motorway complex areas. In the salvage harvest areas, downed woody debris will be left for soil quality and wildlife habitat, and areas will be replanted with desired species to re-create more historic conditions. 

Recreation site and other infrastructure repair and restoration—This will be accomplished as funds become available.

Large-scale Restoration—Field personnel have been inventorying reforestation needs, aquatic/stream conditions, and invasive species, and developing monitoring plans to determine fire effects. Restoration needs will be incorporated into the Forest’s program of work.

“Just as the communities and the agencies came together while the fires were burning, we will continue to work together in the post-fire landscape. We are committed to helping in the recovery of all lands in the basin as well as increasing the pace and scale of fuels reduction and forest vegetation restoration on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests for the future,” said Probert. 

Pro-active management will result in long-term ecological sustainability in many ways—by reducing the fuels and potential for high intensity reburn; providing opportunities to reforest more acres with species that are more resistant and resilient to disease, fire and drought; by improving wildlife habitat for species such as elk that are reliant on more open pockets of vegetation; and by improving the quality of life for some through jobs and income.

“The Forest Service is directed to contribute to the long-term economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the communities in our area and we look forward to many years of working with our stakeholders to meet that commitment,” added Probert.

Winter weather to close some Dworshak recreation facilities

AHSAHKA, Idaho - Dworshak Dam and Reservoir recreation staff will close Viewpoint restrooms, Dam View Campground, Canyon Creek Campground and Merrys Bay Day-Use Area for the winter season on Dec. 1, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at the dam.

Dent Acres campground will remain open until Dec. 15 at noon, weather permitting, to accommodate hunters. If winter conditions create unsafe access, staff will close the campground earlier. Notices will be posted in the campground and on Dwoshak Dam's Facebook page www.facebook.com/dworshakdam/. The cost of off season camping at Dent Acres is $10 a night. 

Big Eddy, Bruce's Eddy and the fishing wall area below the dam will remain open for use during the winter season. Seasonally closed facilities are slated to reopen in the spring of 2016 as weather conditions allow.

As always, safety is the Corps' greatest concern - boaters should wear lifejackets and avoid drinking alcohol while boating. The road leading to the recreation areas, especially the boat ramps can be icy and potentially hazardous during the winter, so please drive safely.

For more information about Dworshak facilities and current conditions, call 208-476-1255 during business hours. The Dworshak Dam Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Winter-fallen trees and Bark Beetles

Massive wind storms hit the Inland Northwest on Nov. 17. During high wind events such as this, it is very common to see trees falling over at the roots or breaking off mid-bole, particularly if there is a deformity or fork in the bole.

Downed and broken trees are more common on sites that have recently had timber harvest, are exposed to more wind, or have root disease issues.

Many landowners correctly begin to ask questions about bark beetle hazards when they see downed trees. Given the date these trees fell down, they may well be green enough in the spring for bark beetles that breed in downed trees to successfully complete their development, emerge, then attack nearby green trees. 

If enough trees have fallen to make a timber sale viable, that can solve the problem if the stemwood over three inches in diameter is removed before the next June. 

But what if the volume is too small to justify a timber sale? The downed trees may not have to be removed to prevent bark beetle problems, and downed trees do a lot of good in a forest, providing nutrients and adding to forest soil structure.

They also provide food and habitat for insects and other organisms that further benefit soil fertility and structure.

Downed trees must be of a specific species and size to breed beetles that present a hazard to standing trees. Three bark beetle species are most likely to breed on downed trees in Idaho’s family forests: pine engraver beetle, Douglas-fir beetle, and fir engraver beetle.

Pine Engraver Beetle

Pine engraver beetle (Ips pini) (also referred to by its genus name “Ips”) is responsible for most of the occasions in Idaho family forests where insects emerge from downed trees to attack and kill standing green trees. Pine engraver beetles and their larvae feed on lodgepole and ponderosa pines. They usually focus on sapling to pole sized trees or tops of larger trees. In late spring, pine engraver beetles will attack pines that have fallen in the winter, breed, and then emerge later in the summer to attack standing green pines. 

The key issue with Ips beetles is to remove or treat bole wood (larger than three inches in diameter) from winter fallen trees. Either debark it, burn it, or remove it from the site. 

Douglas-fir Beetle

As the name implies, the Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) is a bark beetle that feeds predominantly on large diameter, mature, Douglas-fir (it rarely attacks larch). In the spring, Douglas-fir beetles attack and breed in trees that fell in the previous winter’s storms.

A year later in the following spring and summer, they emerge from the fallen trees to attack standing green trees, individually, or in groups (which become larger during epidemics). They have one generation per year. Standing green trees do not usually fade until one year after attack. 

If you have winter-fallen Douglas-fir that are larger than 8 inches in diameter, remove, burn, or debark them. You can also monitor them for attack. 

If you see trees on the ground this size, with red-orange boring dust in bark crevices, and upon cutting away the bark find larval galleries, they have been attacked and should be removed, burned, or debarked.

Fir Engraver Beetle

The primary host for fir engraver beetles (Scolytus ventralis) are grand fir. While they are not as commonly a problem with downed stems as Ips or Douglas-fir beetles, fir engraver beetles sometimes breed in wind thrown grand fir and tops of grand fir (over four inches in diameter), then emerge to attack new trees from June to September, most often during droughts. 

Not all of the attacks of standing trees are lethal – some simply kill patches of tissue, or kill tops. If you have winter-fallen green grand fir larger than four inches in diameter, and upon cutting away the bark from those trees in the early summer, find main galleries scoring the wood and running 2-4 inches perpendicular to wood grain, remove or debark them to prevent attacks to standing trees.

Generalizations about Bark Beetles and Winter-fallen Trees

There are a few rules of thumb that can be deduced from the biology of the bark beetles that breed in winter fallen trees:

Winter broken tops and trees smaller than 3 inches in diameter are never a bark beetle hazard. Occasionally Ips or other minor bark beetles will attack smaller diameter materials, but the material usually dries out, starving the larvae before they develop fully.

Winter fallen trees from some species are almost never a bark beetle hazard. There are bark beetles that breed in fallen cedar, and hemlock, but they do not emerge to attack standing green trees.

Trees dead longer than one year are not a bark beetle hazard. Even if those trees were at one time infested with bark beetles, the offspring have already left. You will often find insects in them that are superficially similar to bark beetles, but they are not usually insects that kill trees. The same goes with large wood boring insects (commonly found working in dead trees or firewood). 

These insects rarely kill trees. In fact, they are beneficial to forests, to the extent they start tearing apart dead trees, making them less of a fire hazard and recycling their nutrients back to the forest. They also provide food for a variety of wildlife species.

Beyond these types of winter-deposited materials, hazard from bark beetles also depends on the size and species of the trees in the immediate area that might be attacked. 

For example, you may have fallen Douglas-fir of appropriate size, species, and freshness, but if the standing green trees in the immediate area are all too small or of a different species (say ponderosa pine), you do not have a potential bark beetle problem. 

A final note; sometimes landowners cut green trees that have fallen in their forest into firewood sized pieces, and stack it up in the woods to cure. Cutting green stemwood into firewood-sized pieces often has little effect on its suitability as bark beetle habitat (particularly for pine engraver beetle). 

Bark beetles that breed in downed stem wood will still do this successfully in firewood-sized pieces. If it is a green enough to be a bark beetle hazard, remove it or debark it.

For more information on bark beetles and other forest insects, your local University of Idaho Extension office has a number of publications with more information. 

For on-site technical assistance regarding whether you are likely to have bark beetle problems as a result of trees that have fallen or broken during winter storms, contact your local Idaho Department of Lands Office. Thanks to Sandy Kegley, USFS and Tom Eckberg, IDL, for their review of this article.

“SAXsational” free concert with OJSHS band Nov. 17

Rob Verdi, SAXsational, will perform with Orofino’s Junior/Senior High School Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Clearwater Community Concert Association (CCCA) on Tuesday, Nov. 17 is presenting a free concert to the community. This free concert was made possible through grants that were awarded to CCCA this year from U.S. Bank, King’s Store Foundation through the Idaho Community Foundation, the Greatest Needs Fund through the Idaho Community Foundation, and an On the Spot Grant from the Idaho Community Foundation.

These grants were made possible, in part, due to the tireless work of CCCA grant writer and vice president, Barbara-Lee Jordan. Included as part of the grant is a student outreach program (which is required to receive these grants).Through cooperation of Kathleen Tetweiler, Music Director for Orofino Junior/Senior High School, Orofino’s own junior/senior band will be performing with Rob Verdi in SAXsational! Additionally, musicians from the community will be performing along with them. 

Verdi will participate in a two-hour rehearsal with the band members the day of the concert. He will then play lead on a variety of saxophones at the concert itself Nov. 17 beginning at 7 p.m. at Orofino Junior/Senior High School. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Student outreach programs are a wonderful tool that introduce young audiences to an eclectic mix of rare and unusual saxophones, famous saxophonists and well known popular melodies associated with Adolphe Sax’s 1846 invention. Educational content is designed for each academic level and may include clinics, masterclasses and all school assemblies.

Presentations for high school and college students include hands on participation as further advanced techniques related to jazz improvisation are explored. In our case, students will be invited to perform in the formal concert presentation. Rob Verdi’s unique teaching style and passion for music education is guaranteed to inspire young students.

Back in the early 1920’s, Vaudeville shows were the hot ticket. Saxophone virtuosos Rudy Weideoft and Adrian Rollini, along with famous saxophone ensembles such as the 6 Brown Brothers and the Schuester Sisters, were achieving great success and notoriety. The saxophone was the most well-liked instrument and a popular choice for young, aspiring music students to play in school band. 

Then, in the late 20’s, Vaudeville fell out of favor and the saxophone declined with it. With the drop in saxophone sales manufacturers such as Conn, Buescher, King, and Selmer were forced to create new designs to stimulate interest in the saxophone. What they conjured up was quite extraordinary.

In 2006 Rob Verdi launched an exciting new show entitled SAXOPHOBIA, which offered audiences a glimpse at some of the most unusual saxophones ever manufactured and paid tribute to legendary artists who contributed to the development of jazz and the popularity of the saxophone. Some of the instruments featured were a tiny curved soprano sax, straight tenor, C melody, connosax, slide sax, Grafton plastic alto, and a 6 1/2 feet tall contrabass. 

SAXsational, Rob Verdi's latest musical endeavor, has given Orofino’s high school band the opportunity to share the stage with him and his rare collection of saxophones. This guest artist program includes custom arrangements and puts our student’s center stage.

Together, Rob and Orofino’s talented musicians will explore a repertoire covering a half century of musical styles including toe tapping songs of the Roaring 20’s, hits from the swing era, and popular jazz standards. Throw in a little Pink Panther, Tequila, and Yakety Sax just for fun, and you’ve got an educational, historical and entertaining presentation.

Rob received his Music Education Degree from Arizona State University in Tempe. While in Arizona he was a featured soloist with the Phoenix Symphony, performed in a variety of musical ensembles and enjoyed the excitement of teaching junior high music. In 1983 he was a founding member of the Side Street Strutters Jazz Band, which went on to become the house jazz band of the Disneyland Resort for 22 years. Rob continues to be a regular performer at Disneyland, conducts jazz workshops for the Disney Magic Music Days Guest Talent program and works as a freelance musician in the Los Angeles area.

His passion for collecting saxophones has resulted in a collection of over 100 saxophones and an additional 150 rare wind, brass, and percussion instruments. In 2008, Rob was featured playing his six-and-a-half-foot tall contrabass sax on the soundtrack of “Horton Hears a Who.” He hopes to someday establish a musical instrument museum where visitors of all ages can see, hear, and even play some of his rare instruments.

If you would like further information about CCCA or would like to join the CCCA you can do so by calling Sheila at 208-476-3895 or go to www.clearwaterconcerts.org.

Help for wildfire victims

By Dave Summers, Idaho Department of Lands

If you were impacted by the Kamiah wildfires this summer, be aware that the Natural Resource Conservation Service, NRCS, has cost-share money to help with wildfire rehabilitation, grass seeding, reforestation, slash abatement, erosion mitigation, and a host of other post fire issues.

This program offers landowners an excellent opportunity to begin the rehabilitation process on properties damaged by the devastating wildfires this summer, but in order to participate, you need to sign up with your appropriate county district conservationist.

In Idaho County, Richard Spencer is the contact and can be reached at 208-983-1046, extension 3.

In Clearwater County, Amber Reeves is the contact and can be reached at 208-476-5313, extension 3. 

The deadline for signing up for this program is Friday, Nov. 20.

If you choose to participate in this program, a Natural Resource Conservation Service employee will visit your property and determine what the needs are, and how the program can best meet those needs.

Landowners will have a management plan developed for their property, with a three to five year time frame for completing the identified work. 

This is a reimbursable program which means the landowner must spend the money up front, and then the NRCS will reimburse the landowner at the appropriate cost-share rate, once the project has been completed and inspected. 

The following example may help explain the process. Currently the cost to plant a tree seedling with a contract crew is approximately $2 per tree. The cost includes purchasing the tree, having it planted, and installing a vexar tube to protect the tree from browsing damage. The NRCS cost-share rate for tree planting is currently set at $1.45 per tree.