Columbia Basin Explorer

Reduced Dam Spill and Barging for Increased Salmon Survival

2010-04-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

Congressman Hastings, the top Republican on the Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter today to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting that, in light of this year's low water supplies, endangered juvenile salmon should be transported past dams rather than flushed downstream by spilling water at the dams.

A January 2010 study by NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center found that juvenile fish transported in barges resulted in significantly higher rates of returning adult salmon in most cases compared to fish kept in-river.

"Moving from spilling water to transporting juvenile fish in a low water year is supported by science," said Hastings. "It also saves Northwest families and businesses money in these tough economic times by generating clean, low-cost hydropower rather than water bypassing the turbines through spill. Transport would restrict the need for expensive water spills and would also protect the young salmon from predators, low flows and warmer water conditions. We must have a balanced dam operation to improve fish survival and preserve critical water and power resources ... Read more ...

What do you think of this method to increase the salmon population? ... Let us know what you think!

Don't Feed Coyotes

2010-02-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Columbia Basin Explorer thought anyone living in Washington state or people planning to visit our great state should know that- According to the WDFW; "officials had to euthanize a coyote that had become aggressive toward people in Seattle".

Here's this month's "CROSSING PATHS NEWS NOTES" issued by the WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE.

Coyotes, which live throughout the state in both rural and urban areas, breed in late winter and by early spring are feeding pups. You may see coyotes almost anywhere in Washington, including in suburban and even urban areas.

Enjoy watching them, but don't feed coyotes, either intentionally or by allowing them access to food such as garbage and pet food.

Earlier this year, WDFW officials had to euthanize a coyote that had become aggressive toward people in Seattle's Discovery Park and the nearby Magnolia neighborhood. The animal's bold behavior indicated it had learned to associate humans with food.

Normally, coyotes avoid people but they may become habituated to humans-and abnormally bold-if they are intentionally fed or find food near human residences. While most people don't directly feed coyotes, many unwittingly leave food that draws these opportunistic omnivores.

This video offers useful information and helpful tips for living with coyotes. These intelligent and adaptable animals now manage to occupy almost every conceivable habitat type, from open ranch country to densely forested areas to downtown waterfront.

Unsecured garbage or compost piles can be a food source for coyotes or for smaller animals that are prey for coyotes. Secure garbage and compost bins with tight fitting covers. Don't let spilled seed pile up under bird feeders. Don't leave pet food outside.

Protect cats and small dogs by keeping them indoors, especially from dusk to dawn. Coyote conflicts with off-leash dogs can increase in early spring when coyotes are more territorial, and may have their pups in tow.

Although coyote sightings and attacks on pets occur periodically throughout the state, attacks on humans are extremely rare. Only two such attacks have been documented in Washington-in 2006 a coyote bit two young children in Bellevue and was later euthanized.

More information on living with coyotes can be found on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/coyotes.htm.

Vantage Bridge of the Columbia Basin-WA

2010-02-17T03:31:00.000-08:00

On September 8, 1927, the Vantage Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River at Vantage in the great Columbia Basin-WA, opens. It is a 1,640-foot, two-lane cantilever bridge built by the Washington State Highway Department. The bridge replaces a small two-car ferry that operated in the same spot beginning in 1914.

The bridge at Vantage was the seventh bridge to be built across the Columbia River. Including approaches, it was half a mile long. The bridge consisted of a Pratt through truss (the truss -- the steel framework -- was cross-braced above and below traffic). The top and bottom chords of the truss were sloped. It was a cantilever bridge, one in which the center spans extend out from their end-supports. At center, the bridge cleared the water by 70 feet, allowing large ships to navigate beneath it.

The 1927 Vantage Bridge was the first bridge in Washington that workers constructed by working in pressurized caissons sunk 70 feet under the riverbed. The workers entered the caissons through air locks. The pressure within the caissons was so great that some of the workers became seriously ill from its effects.

The Vantage Bridge was one of four cantilever bridges constructed across the Columbia during the 1920s. It carried the Sunset Highway, a mostly gravel road which was at the time the state’s main east-west thoroughfare. Eventually the Sunset Highway was completely paved, greatly increasing speed and safety and decreasing wear and tear on the early automobiles that traveled it.

The Vantage Bridge served motorists until 1962, when a higher bridge was constructed over the reservoir created by the Wanapum Dam, which began operation in 1964. The old Vantage Bridge was put into storage. In 1968 it was rebuilt to cross the Snake River at Lyons Ferry and it is now the oldest extant steel cantilever bridge in the state.

Tagged salmon may point way to new commercial fishing gear

2009-08-31T23:29:00.000-07:00

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Anglers who catch a salmon bearing a jaw tag or a colored "spaghetti" tag near its dorsal fin can play an important role in a new study of experimental fishing gear now under way in the lower Columbia River.

By reporting tagged fish, anglers can help researchers determine survival rates for chinook and coho salmon released from three types of commercial fishing gear being tested by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Anglers can keep the fish if allowed by local fishing regulations, but are asked to inform WDFW of their catch by calling the number printed on the colored tags.

"Two major goals of this study are to test the gear's effectiveness in catching fish and to determine how many salmon survive after they are released from it," said Pat Frazier, a WDFW fish manager who is directing the study. "Our immediate focus is on the gear's effectiveness, but recovery of tagged fish will help to inform future studies."

Supported by $200,000 in federal funding, the one-year pilot study will test the effectiveness of floating traps, beach seines and a modified version of the purse seine - all of which corral fish while leaving them free-swimming. Once contained, fish can be identified and released by type or species with a minimum amount of handling, Frazier said.

That is not necessarily the case with gillnets, the primary type of gear used in commercial fisheries on the lower Columbia River, which snare fish by the gills as they encounter them, Frazier said.

"The ability to release fish unharmed is important to maintaining sustainable fisheries on the Columbia River, where many runs are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act," Frazier said. "Commercial boats could actually catch a lot more hatchery-reared salmon if we can find new ways to reduce mortalities of protected wild fish."

Working with area fishers, WDFW will conduct the pilot study through Sept. 27. Boats and gear involved in the study will be identified as part of a research project.

Frazier said the pilot study is likely just the first step in a multi-year effort to identify - and likely modify - commercial fishing gear for possible incorporation into the fishery.

"Some of this gear has been used on the Columbia and elsewhere in the past, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will meet today's standards," he said. "Figuring out what works and what doesn't is what this study is all about."

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

August 28, 2009
Contact: WDFW Region 5 Office, (360) 696-6211

Camping at the Quincy Lakes WA

2009-07-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about visiting the great Columbia Basin WA is the many outdoor activities it has to offer, one of those being camping and one of the places where I like to go camping is the Quincy Lakes.

With its many lakes spread out across 15,266 acres of beautiful desert landscape, the Quincy Lakes have all an outdoor-person would love to experience. Not only can you camp there but a person could also fish, bird watch, hike along its many trails and of course; barbecue, swim and have great family fun.

Below are a few more pics of the Quincy Lakes:

If you would like more info about camping, fishing or lodging while in the area please drop us a line and we'll be more than happy to point in the right direction.

email us at: BasinExplorer@gmail.com

The Columbia Basin Explorer has access to many local resources and would more the happy to lend them at your disposal.

Flowers of the Columbia Basin, WA

2009-05-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

They are many species of flora found the the great Columbia Basin of central Washington state. These delicate wonders give life and dimension to a dry and barren landscape with the brilliant colors and life giving nectar and pollen.

Below is just a sample of these beautiful flowers of the Columbia Basin WA:

The bright green pistil and equally bright red stamens identify this plant as the Fragile Prickly Pear as opposed to the large Plains Prickly Pear.
It rarely surpasses 5" in height, with the clumps of stems (green segments, the needles are the leaves) staying small. Once in a while, though, you will find a large group of them covered with pale yellow to pale pink flowers (faded blooms) some time during May.

Another variable specie, you will see these plants in many shades of blue with an occasional white-flowered one. A pink specimen was even found this Spring nestled against a Big Sage. They are quite an incongruous sight when they grow in sand away from any shade. Also, we find them growing at a variety of elevations.

Snow Buckwheat begins blooming shortly before the Green Rabbit-brush. Minute white hairs on the stems and leaves give this low plant its silvery-gray appearance. A close look will show you that the stems have color under the hairs. This is noticeable where the wind has rubbed one stem against another. In late September these plants are covered with small, lovely white flowers.
They do indeed look like "snow" against the desert sands. The flowers, however, can also have pink anthers (the knob end of the stamen that contains the pollen) or have light to deep pink lines on the backs of each petal.

These desert flowers are not only colorful and delicate but fascinating as well. As we stated above "these are just a few" of these natural treasures on display, so please return and explorer the great Columbia Basin to view more of what the Northwest has to offer.

Pioneering the Columbia Basin...........Grant County, WA.

2009-03-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Native American cultures in the area included the Interior Salish, Wenatchi, Okanagan.

The first white settlers began to arrive in the mid- to late-1800s, primarily with the goal of raising livestock. One government official described the area in 1879 as, "…a desolation where even the most hopeful can find nothing in its future prospects to cheer...". Hauling water in the Columbia Basin at the beginning of the 20th century was very hard and dusty.

When railroads arrived they also brought new settlers, and the economy began a shift from ranching to farming. This transition required the people to have ready access to water, and irrigation became a necessity. The first large-scale irrigation attempts began in 1898, but it would be years before real success.

With the influx of dryland farming, the county soon boasted access to three major railway systems; the Great Northern Railway, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In addition, the Columbia River in this area was navigable. This allowed crops to be transported out of the area easily. Towns like Wilson's Creek, Ephrata began to thrive.

The Washington State Legislature officially created Grant County February 24, 1909, and named after President Ulysses S. Grant. The county seat was located in Ephrata. The population in the county at the time was only about 8700 people (compared to about 75,000 today)

The Columbia Basin Reclamation Project, which began as a group of businessmen from Ephrata began looking for ways to make the area more viable. One idea was to dam the Columbia River at Grand Coulee. Although the idea of the Grand Coulee Dam would not be approved until 1933 and still not implemented until 1939, the project would fundamentally change the region forever. Today the Columbia Basin has various Social Clubs, "Grass Root", Non-Profit and Business Organizations that offer informational resources, community assistance , business opportunities and historical insight; such as the Columbia Basin's premier blog the Columbia Basin Explorer

Follow me on Twitter at: "BasinExplorer

History of the Grand Coulee Dam

2009-01-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

The Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on Washington State's Columbia River and is part of the Columbia Basin region of North-central Washington.  It's the largest electric power producing facility , the largest concrete structure and the fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world.

The reservoir made by the dam is called Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, named after the United States President who had the Grand Coulee dam built as a depression era job creating project.  The Grand Coulee Dam is almost a mile long (5223 ft.), with a spillway of 1,650 feet wide and is 550 feet tall with its hydraulic height at 380 feet.  Grand Coulee dam has enough concrete to build a four-foot wide, four-inch deep sidewalk twice around the equator.

The site was excavated on July 16, 1933 and completed in January 1942, shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 07).  Grand Coulee dam was designed by John L. Savage with Frank A. Banks as chief construction engineer and by the end of its construction, 77 men lost would have given their lives.

Grand Coulee dam's primary goal was for irrigation purposes.  The rich volcanic soil of the Columbia Basin made it perfect for growing crops of all types and variety and Grand Coulee dam was to facilitate the birth of Washington States agricultural heartland and was instrumental in the industrial development of the Pacific Northwest.

Hydroelectric power played a vital role as part of the war effort and as such the need for electricity would increase, Grand Coulee dam's primary goal had change.  Aluminum smelting was also vital to the war effort, and to airplane construction in particular.

Grand Coulee dam has a visitor center that contains many historical photos, geological samples, turbine and dam models, and a well used theater.  Since May'89, on summer evenings a laser is projected onto the dam's wall.  The show includes full-size images of battleships and the Statue of Liberty, as well as some environmental comments.

Tours of the new Third Powerhouse are available to the public but have been scaled back for security reasons.  Visitors are able to ride a glass elevator, on top of the forebay penstocks, 400 feet down to view the generators.