OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking comments on proposed alternatives for 2021-23 hunting seasons and has scheduled several virtual meetings in August and September to discuss proposals with the public.
The hunting season proposals will be posted Aug. 17 on WDFW’s website at tinyurl.com/WDFWmeetings for the public to provide comments. WDFW will accept public comments through Sept. 15.
This year, WDFW has scheduled a series of virtual public meetings by topic to discuss the hunting season alternatives.
The meetings are scheduled to be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates:
- Aug. 20: Waterfowl
- Aug. 25: Carnivores, small game, upland game, furbearers.
- Aug. 27: General and equipment.
- Sept. 1: Licensing.
- Sept. 3: Elk.
- Sept. 9: Deer.
- Sept. 10: Mountain goat, bighorn sheep and boundaries.
The public can attend the events and ask questions in real time by going to tinyurl.com/WDFWmeetings.
“Your input helps us develop our recommendations for the 2021-2023 hunting seasons,” said Anis Aoude, WDFW game division manager. “While recommendations will be designed to maintain sustainable populations, we’re also looking at this as a way to improve customer service.”
There will be an additional public review process with updated proposals in January. Final recommendations will be presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for adoption next spring.
Members of the public who have limited or no internet connections may call the Wildlife Program Customer Service Desk at 360-902-2515 to request a print version of the survey. Written comments may be mailed to: Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, PO Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504.
Chalet comments
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the comment period for the Enchanted Valley Chalet Plan has been extended through Aug. 31 by the National Park Service.
The national Park Service released an environmental assessment for the final disposition of the Enchanted Valley Chalet for public review on July 2.
The EA is available for review and comment on the project planning website. Comments may be submitted directly on this site by clicking on “Open for Comment” and following the links to review the document and submit a comment.
The purpose of the project is to determine the final disposition of the Enchanted Valley Chalet, located 13 miles up the Quinault River from the Graves Creek Trailhead within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. The chalet rests on the active floodplain of the Quinault River.
In early 2014, the bank of the river had come to within 18 inches of the Chalet. At that time, the park prepared a concise EA for the “Temporary Relocation of the Enchanted Valley Chalet for the Protection of the East Fork Quinault River.”
In September 2014, the chalet was temporarily moved approximately 100 feet from the riverbank until a long-term decision could be reached through the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act processes.
The chalet currently remains on the steel I-beams that were used to move it and is closed to public use. The bank has once again eroded to within approximately 5 feet of the nearest corner of the chalet, and the nearest portion of the river channel is about 10 feet from the bank.
The EA analyzes three options, which include a no action (current management) alternative, dismantling and removing the chalet, or relocating the chalet to another location on the terrace. The NPS preferred alternative is to dismantle and remove the chalet.
Comments on the EA can also be mailed or hand-delivered to: Olympic National Park, Attn: Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum, Enchanted Valley Chalet EA, 600 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
Comments submitted by phone or email will not be accepted.
People should be aware that their entire comment — including personal identifying information such as their mailing address, phone number and email address — may be made publicly available at any time.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
