The Eagle Outdoors

It's Memorial Day and I, like millions of Americans, are giving thanks and praise to the men and women who serve, those who proudly served, and those who gave their lives in the name of democracy and the people of this great nation. Thank you, one and all, for your dedication, commitment, and sacrifice.

Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer. The fact is summer technically begins on June 20 this year; but hey, it's warm, it's nice, the garden's growing, and Julie and I caught our first steelhead of the season. With all that said, there's a lot going on around the area.

Roasting roadkill now legal in Wahkiakum County

Did I pique your interest with that one? If so, here's the story: Up until now, and those words are important, it was allowable by law to salvage "elk" in Wahkiakum County that had been struck and killed by a motor vehicle. I emphasize elk because, while this act was/is legal, the salvage of deer accidentally killed by a motor vehicle was not. In case you're wondering, this had to do with the Columbia white-tail deer's current listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and, therefore, causing it to fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Not only did this deer exception exist here in Wahkiakum County, but Clark and Cowlitz counties, too, for the same reason.

Recently, the WDFW changed this ruling. Now, with a couple of caveats, it's legal to salvage deer hit/killed by a motor vehicle here in the county. The following is from the WDFW pressroom:

"We carefully reviewed available data and determined the risk of mistakenly salvaging Columbian white-tailed deer is low," said Kyle Garrison, WDFW's ungulate section manager. "This rule change expands salvage opportunities for black-tailed deer, in addition to elk, while continuing to support protections for Columbian white-tailed deer."

The WDFW also states on its website, "If salvagers find a dead Columbian white-tailed deer, do not salvage the animal and report your observation to WDFW immediately. Learn how to identify Columbian white-tailed deer online. The salvage of deer and elk is only allowed for animals killed in motor vehicle collisions. Anyone who takes possession of a deer or elk carcass is required to obtain a free roadkill salvage permit within 24 hours. Printable permits are available online or at WDFW regional offices."

So, while I don't wish for anyone's 1980 Honda Civic to have a chance encounter with a blacktail around these parts, if the unfortunate happens, there's now nothing wrong with rehoming the poor critter in your freezer.

Lower Columbia salmon/steelhead update

As most of you who frequent the non-business end of a fish pole know by now, the WDFW has extended the spring chinook/steelhead fishery in the Lower Columbia, i.e. from Tongue Point/Rocky Point upstream to Beacon Rock, through June 12, with a daily bag limit of six, two of which can be adult, but only one adult king. This means two (2) steelhead through June 12.

If I'm reading this right, the extension down here runs through June 12, closes, and then reopens on June 16, with the most changes being the downstream deadline (The Astoria Bridge); one steelhead (not two); and no salmon retention, except for hatchery jack chinook measuring between 12 and 24 inches in length. It gets convoluted after that, so I suggest visiting the newsroom on the WDFW (wdfw.wa.gov) website for specifics. Good luck, and be careful out there.

First 'Marina Market' features perfect weather

The Elochoman Marina's annual farmers market opened Friday, May 23, to absolutely perfect weather and a relatively decent crowd of folks both buying and selling. The number of vendors was down just a touch; however, several people stopped by Julie's booth to say they're going to be 'vending' in the not-too-distant future, to include garage sale-esque items, baby plants, and homegrown produce. Lest we forget Carol McClain's pies and cinnamon rolls, which are, by themselves, worthy of driving across the country.

Also don't forget the annual Cruzin' to the Fair' car show at the Skamokawa Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 31. Judging begins at 9 a.m., and the gates open at 6 a.m. Come on down and see the coolest rides in the Tri-County area. Julie will have her 1971 Volkswagen bus there and, as the certified wrench-turner, I'll be more than happy to give you a tour.

Planting memories

Sometimes, when life gets hectic, which it often does nowadays, I start to think I'm a bit like a shark. Not necessarily a mean nasty shark, one prone to dining on surfers and dangling-legged folks in innertubes; rather, just sometimes, I feel like if I stop swimming, I just might perish like a shark with no swim bladder sinks and drowns. Yes, Virginia, fish can indeed drown.

Lately, I've been making time to sit with Abigail, the black dog, and look at the world I've had a hand in: the 1.25 acres of reed canary grass, blackberries, garden, rhododendrons, and grass meant for mowing. She (1.25 acres of home) is just a mix of stuff. Some might call her unkempt, but I call this home, which I'm happy to share with a host of little birds, 12 chickens, a stray cat, deer...well, you get my meaning.

That all said, I'm walking back from the high-fenced garden and happened to notice the clump river birch in the yard. She's doing fine, she really is. Julie and I brought her with us from Iowa in 2015, planted her in what would become the yard, and let Mother Nature take over. Today, she's 20 feet (give or take) and a bit on the unruly side, but we like her.

Looking at the birch got me thinking about all the plants we have around the house that have meaning. Not just because they're pretty or bear fruit, though that's nice, too. It's because there's an attachment to these green living things. Call it a sentimental reason. Call it what you will. They all mean something, the plants do, but there are some that are awful darn special.

Joyce Wilson, master gardener and wonderful lady, wrote me several years ago, asking if I'd like some hydrangeas. It seemed her late husband, Dan, had yarded some out and she was looking for a home for them. Not one to say 'no' to plants, especially free plants, I went and got them and filled the back of an 8-foot pickup bed, looking every bit like Buddy Ebsen and his family. Young people, google "The Beverly Hillbillies" and then you'll understand. Back to the hydrangeas, each and every bush lived, thrived, and now blooms wonderfully each summer. Dan passed away before I got to know him well, and that makes me sad; however, I think he'd be pleased to know his hydrangeas are doing fantastically and didn't mind the ride down Greenwood Road in the back of my late Grandpa Verity's pickup a single bit.

There's more-a lot more. The 'Sara Evans' rhododendrons from Joyce Wilson. The salmon rhododendron a friend (who shall remain anonymous) and I yanked out of the ground with his Ford, and which Julie and I planted out front. She's doing well. There's the peanut butter tree from Julie's Mom, Mary, who passed in 2014. The spruce from Jack Leavitt, a little one he pulled by hand from his driveway. She was just three feet tall when we got here, but she was our first Christmas tree here in the Valley. Now, she, too, reaches over 20 feet and resides in the 'Back 40,' alongside the spot where we buried our black dog, Sadie, in '23.

Hollyhocks from Sharon Casapulla; a corkscrew willow from her husband, Rich; hostas from eastern Iowa; daffodils from my late Grandma and Grandpa Verity in Athens, Ohio; trillium from the late Ben Elkington's place along the Elochoman; and a passion flower from Lynah over on Puget Island.

My point is this: stop swimming, if just for a moment. You won't drown. You won't. What you will do is see things - maybe - a little differently, a little more realistically. It's a challenge, this case of us being black and white people living in a gray world. A little bit of green...hollyhock, hydrangeas, willow...sure can help.