Salem-News.com Outdoors articles Page 14

Construction Projects to Close Three Pools Swimming Area

Future improvements to the site include trails, a scenic overlook, picnic sites and educational signing.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Beginning September 21st and continuing through the fall, the Willamette National Forest will be reconstructing road access and parking at the popular Three Pools Swimming area.

Senate Committee Approves Mt. Hood Wilderness Expansion

Agreement includes protections for nearly 125,000 additional acres, added National Recreation Areas and 80 miles of wild and scenic rivers.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) announced that their efforts to expand permanent protections for wilderness surrounding Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge took a big step forward Wednesday when the U.S Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the “Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007.”

Early Season Recreation Looks Promising on Willamette Reservoirs

Heavy spring rain could secure the summer.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Most of the reservoirs managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Willamette Valley will be in good shape to host recreational boaters well into the summer season agency officials announced today.

Using the latest weather forecasts, however, the Corps is alerting boaters that some may not fill enough to sustain summer-long boating.

With a drier-than-average spring, it is unlikely that reservoirs will be full by Memorial Day weekend. However...

Willamette Falls Boating Deadline to Remain the Same

The Marine Board plans to improve signage at the site and will continue to observe boating activity during low water periods.

(WEST LINN, Ore. ) - The Marine Board held a public meeting on April 4th, to hear comments on revising the current boating deadline at Willamette Falls.

Selection from Wild Beauty: Historic Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge on View in Governor`s Office

The Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts are pleased to support the publication of Wild Beauty as Oregon's 2006-2007 American Masterpieces project.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Eight historically and artistically significant photographs of the Columbia River Gorge can be seen through April 30, 2007, in Governor Ted Kulongoski's Ceremonial Office in the State Capitol.

The works, archival reproductions of the highly valuable originals, are examples of masterworks that will be included in a forthcoming book, Wild Beauty, the inaugural publication in the Northwest Photography Series, published by Oregon State University Press.

Oregon Bald Eagle Population Increases as Feds Prepare for Possible Delisting

The bald eagle first received national protection in 1967 under the predecessor of the Endangered Species Act.

(CORVALLIS) - For the fifth year in a row, Oregon's bald eagle populations exceeded recovery goals and studies are showing that the birds have been steadily increasing at an average rate of more than one chick per nesting pair since 2001.

Replacement Boater Education Card Fee Increases

More than 150,000 Oregonians have their boater education card.

(SALEM) - The cost for replacing a boater education card in Oregon has gone from $5 to $8.

Popular Mt. Hood Snow Play Area Closed

White River WEST Sno-park is CLOSED due to flood damage.

(SANDY) - Mt Hood National Forest says that because of damage caused by the November flooding, the White River West Sno-Park along Highway 35 can not be opened for winter snow play.

Approximately 8 acres of the snow play area have been washed away by the White River.

About 3 acres of parking have also been eliminated in this recent flood event.

Wyden, Smith Propose More than 125,000 Acres for Wilderness Designation on Mount Hood and in Columbia River Gorge

Senators’ plan also would add a National Recreation Areas and nearly 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers.

(PORTLAND) - More than two decades after the last wilderness areas were added to protect Mount Hood, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith unveiled their bipartisan proposal Thursday to permanently protect more than 125,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge — an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections.

Kite Tubing Prohibited at Corps Reservoirs in Oregon

Recent injuries from kite tubes in Oregon have led to the devices being banned from many of the state's waterways.

(PORTLAND) - Kite tubing is now prohibited at all Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed reservoirs in the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue river basins, the agency announced today.

Effective immediately, the ban includes the use of any “airborne towables,” which are defined as inflatable recreational devices designed to go airborne with a rider while being towed by a boat, whether or not they are specifically marketed as kite tubes.