ATV family fun ride Saturday

PRIEST LAKE - Saturday will be an ATV Family Fun Ride. People will meet at the Groomer/Ambulance building on Dickensheet Road, located on the left side of the road just before Coolin. Take Coolin exit off Highway 57 (approximately mile post 22-23).

Registration is 10 a.m. leaving around 10:30 a.m. Motorcycles and dirt bikes OK.

There will be many great prizes to raffle off but need to be present to win. Dinner will be at 5 p.m. held at Ardy's Bakery and Cafe on the east side of the lake. Scalloped potatoes and ham, green beans with bacon and onions, caesar salad and dinner roll and dessert all for $12 a person (includes tip and tax).

Join in for a great family event. Come have a good time and meet other fellow ATV riders. Riders need to bring a sack lunch and drink.

RIDERS WILL NEED: Driver's license, ORV sticker, license plate, liability insurance, shovel and bucket (helmet recommended).

RSVP to Tom Holman at 443-3309 or Cheryl Ekler at 443-7039. Riders ride at your own risk.

Kayak races are Saturday

SANDPOINT - Get ready to paddle beneath the cliffs of Johnson Creek Landing, through the eastern end of the expansive Clark Fork river delta, and across the scenic bays and mountains of northern Lake Pend Oreille.

Paddlers of every skill level are invited to the Lake Pend Oreille Kayak Races on Saturday, starting and finishing at Johnson Creek Landing near the scenic river town of Clark Fork.

Feast on unspoiled natural waters and gorgeous mountain scenery as you paddle an 18-mile open-water marathon or a 4.4-mile short loop on breathtaking Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's largest natural lake.

Learn more and register at "www.idahokayakrace.com." Please pre-register for this event to help them plan.

Going-to-the-Sun Road to close

In what must be the shortest season yet for Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road, the last day for vehicles traveling to Logan Pass by the west side will be Sunday, Sept. 18.

The Sun Road will be gated at Avalanche Campground on Sept. 19 to allow construction crews a chance to work quickly and safely on the multi-million dollar highway reconstruction project.

The west side of the Sun Road didn't open to Logan Pass until mid-July, leaving only a two-month window for vehicle use on the west side this year.

Visitors will be able to reach Logan Pass from the east side until Oct. 19, weather permitting. The park's free shuttle service stopped running after Labor Day, Sept. 5.

It's expected that park officials will allow hikers and bikers to use the west side of the Sun Road beyond Avalanche Campground to Haystack Creek into October, with restrictions in construction areas.

Mentored youth hunts are Sept. 24

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has scheduled three mentored waterfowl hunting opportunities for youth ages 15 and younger.

The hunts are planned for Sept. 24, the opening day of the annual youth-only waterfowl season which is open only to hunters aged 15 and younger. The mentored hunting clinics will be held at Boundary Creek Wildlife Management Area, Heyburn State Park and the Clark Fork River delta.

Participation will be by advanced reservation and space is limited. Anyone interested should call to reserve a spot at one of the three clinics and to obtain additional details. For the Boundary Creek and Heyburn hunts, contact Dave Leptich at 769-1414. For the Clark Fork hunt contact Ray Millard at 264-5252.

Young hunters will need to be accompanied by a non-hunting adult and bring a shotgun and ammunition. Young hunters will also need to secure a youth or small game license ($7.25) with a federal migratory bird permit ($1.75) prior to the event.

Youth waterfowl seasons open soon

The Idaho waterfowl youth hunt opens Sept. 24 and 25, and the regular 107-day season opens Oct. 1 in northern and eastern Idaho, and Oct. 15 in southwestern Idaho.

Daily duck bag limits are seven birds in the aggregate - no more than two female mallards, two redheads, three scaup, two pintails, one canvasback - with a possession limit of 14 birds after the first day and no more than four female mallards, four redheads, four pintails, six scaup and two canvasbacks.

Daily limits for Wilson's snipe are eight; with a possession limit of 16 after the first day; and the daily limit for coots are 25 with a possession limit of 25 after the first day.

Daily bag limits for dark geese - Canada, greater white-front - are four per day. Daily limits for light geese - snow, blue, Ross's - are 10 per day.

Information: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/rules/?getPage=66; the printed brochure will be available within about a week at license vendors and Fish and Game offices.