First annual WITO program

The first annual Women in the Outdoors event was held last Saturday at the Ephrata Sportsmen's Association's Boyd Mordhorst shooting range near the Ephrata Airport.

Around 30 people attended the program, hosted by the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

"The most popular workshop was anything to do with the shooting sports," Event Coordinator Julie Snow said.

Instructors were available to educate attendees on the basics of handgun shooting, rifle marksmanship along with trap and skeet shooting.

Other classes included Dutch oven cooking, archery skills, and survival.

Arlene Dryden, who was with her daughter, traveled from Walla Walla to attend. She was particularly interested in the handgun workshop.

"I've fired a gun before," she said. "But want to learn more about handgun shooting because I want to buy a pistol."

The two sessions of Dutch oven cooking were well attended. Nancy Johnson and Ellie Russell, of the Columbia Basin Dutch Oven Society, demonstrated the use of cast iron pots to prepare meals.

Russ Fletcher of Spokane held two classes on outdoor survival. He passed along information on how to build a shelter, equipment to take along, incase a person becomes lost while in the outdoors and how to gather food and water.

"Plans are already in the works for next year's event," Snow said. "We are working on a two-day program that will include a campout, with classes and demonstrations on camp cooking, wildlife photography, archery, all terrain vehicle use, fishing and other outdoors skills."

Women in the Outdoors is a part of the National Wild Turkey Federation, with the goal of providing women with educational outdoors opportunities to learn new skills. A partial list of possible outdoor activities to be offered at a WITO program include canoeing, shooting sports, fly fishing, turkey hunting, wild game and primitive cooking, boating safety, rifle marksmanship, bird watching, stream ecology, deer hunting, archery, plant identification, habitat improvement, camping, hiking and backbacking.

"From August of 2002 to August of 2003 we held 360 WITO events nationwide," Jackie Hartseil, assistant to the national WITO coordinator said. "From last August to now, we have scheduled 367 events, with a goal of 480 for the year."

In 2003, WITO had a membership of 42, 553, which includes females 14 years old and older.

"Out membership is growing and we have a goal of 45,000 for 2004," Hartseil said.

Lowland lakes give up plenty of fish

The rest of the managed fishing lakes in the Columbia Basin opened to fishing last Saturday. Great weather, termed summer-like by some, encouraged a large number of anglers to participate.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said most anglers were pleased with the number and size of fish caught. Statewide 5,170 anglers with 15,801 trout were checked on 99 lakes. The figures indicate a statewide average of 3.05 fish per angler.

All of the Columbia Basin lakes provided fishing that was better than the statewide average.

At Blue Lake 89 anglers were checked with 401 trout providing an average of 4.5 fish per angler. The fish at Blue were between 12 to 20 inches long.

Deep Lake averaged 4.37 fish per angler with 100 anglers checked and 437 fish in their possession with an 11.5-inch average.

WDFW checked 125 anglers at Park Lake with 515 fish. They averaged 4.1 fish per angler. The yearlings measured 11 inches, and the carryovers, making up 5 percent of the catch, were between 18 and 20 inches.

Perch Lake averaged 3.9 fish per angler, with the yearlings measuring 10.5 inches and the carryovers making up 30 percent of the catch and measuring 13.6 inches.

Vic Meyers Lake provided a 4.5 fish per angler average, with tiger trout to 14 inches and making up 18 percent of the catch.

On Warden Lake 53 anglers had 200 fish with a 3.8 fish per angler average. The yearlings measured 11.9 inches and carryovers measured 16.8 inches and made up 18 percent of the catch.

In Douglas County, Jameson Lake provided 4.7 fish per angler with carryovers averaging 13 inches.

Remember, Vic Meyers and Perch lakes will become fished out in a short time. The lakes will fish well during the first couple of weeks of the season and then slow as the number of the fish in the lake shrinks.