The Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge have teamed up to bring us another Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, centered at the Othello High School. As in years past, the festival will offer a series of tours to view the birds and lectures to participants about the cranes and the unique landscape of the refuge and Othello area.

Have you and your family taken advantage of this great chance to learn about the cranes and the refuge? If not, why not? Right here, in the Columbia Basin, we have an event people travel hundreds of miles to enjoy.

There are several crane viewing tours scheduled during Saturday and Sunday. It appears there is still space on the morning tours, but some of the afternoon tours are full. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children.

The festival describes the tours this way: "This tour will take you through some of the best wildlife viewing areas near Othello, with local guides describing native vegetation, water, farming and the interactions that have created conditions the Sandhill Cranes and other wildlife thrive on. Cranes may be seen feeding in fields and leaving for roosts. An experienced wildlife guide and a local agricultural expert narrate each tour."

One important part of these tours during the life of the festival is the local agricultural expert. This has provided a chance for people from around the Pacific Northwest to learn parts of farming they may not have been exposed to in the past. It has the potential to be an educational experience about cranes, but how crops are produced as well.

There are many more tours of different types included in the festival, plus a bunch of activities for youth. Go to their website at: http://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/home. This is a chance for people of all ages to enjoy a day or a couple of days at a fun and educational celebration of the crane migration.

Food at the festival

The Othello Senior Class of 2012 will provide food service at the high school. Pastries, muffins, juice, coffee and hot chocolate will be served early morning. German dogs, hot dogs, pizza pockets, burritos, nachos and sandwiches will be served for lunch. Snacks, soft drinks and bottled water will be available throughout the day. Box lunches can be ordered for Saturday and Sunday for $7. The box lunch includes a meat sandwich, chips, dessert and juice or water.

Note: We applaud the senior class for their fund-raising efforts and for providing food for the festival goers.

For the railroad buffs

But one more point. The railroad buffs won't be left out. America's oldest operating railroad car, the Abraham Lincoln, will be available for public tours.

The century-old D&RGW railroad business car is scheduled to arrive in Othello by the Columbia Basin Railroad. The railroad car will be open for public display on North Broadway, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow. March 24.

The festival committee offered this info about the special car, "Built by the Pullman Company in 1910, the 90-ton antique is a fully restored example of the conservative elegance introduced by the turn of the century American Mission Style using American red gum wood with custom bronze fixtures, European tapestry and experimental electric lights. This is one of the few railroad cars listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

"The car provides a chance for visitors to stroll back in time on a self-guided tour of the traveling, entertaining and compact, yet fully functional, living quarters of railroad executives and wealthy industrialists at the close of the golden age of railroading."

Spring turkey opener scheduled for April 15

The 2012 Wild Turkey Spring Season pamphlet is now available in sporting goods stores. The spring season dates are April 15 through May 31. The hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Legal birds will be turkeys with visible beards only. A total of three turkeys may be taken during the spring season. Only one turkey may be taken in Western Washington outside of Klickitat County, but two turkeys may be taken in Klickitat County.

In Eastern Washington, only one turkey may be taken in Chelan, Kittitas and Yakima counties, combined. Two turkeys may be taken in the other counties of Eastern Washington.

Youth season

The spring youth turkey season will be held on April 7 and 8 for hunters under 16 years of age in all Game Management Units. A youth hunter is defined as being under 16 years old when they buy a license.

Youth must use the standard hunting methods for hunting turkey; shotgun or bow and arrow only and all other turkey hunting regulations apply.

This is a grand opportunity for a mentor to assist a youth hunter in the finer points of turkey hunting.

Report wolf activities online

The public can now report wolf activities to Fish and Wildlife by using an online reporting system. Anyone who believes they have seen a wolf, heard one howl or found other evidence of wolves anywhere in the state is encouraged to file a report the Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/reporting/.

The information provided in the reports will help wildlife managers document wolf activity and build a database on wolves in Washington. This is becoming more important as wolves spread out across the state.

Virtually absent from the state for more than 70 years, gray wolves are now dispersing into eastern Washington and the North Cascades from adjacent populations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia.

During spring and summer, state wildlife managers will use citizen reports to help locate new wolf packs and pups. As part of the effort, they will capture and fit wolves with radio collars to monitor their movements.

Those who file a wolf-activity report using the new online system are asked to provide their name and other identifying information, along with an account of their observations. An interactive map on that site allows users to determine and log the latitude and longitude of the activities they have observed.

By early summer, the site will include a map displaying areas of the state where wolf activity has been reported.

The online system does not replace the phone line livestock owners can call to reach the Fish and Wildlife enforcement office if they suspect that wolves are preying on their livestock. In those cases, livestock owners can call 1-877-933-9847 or reach local WDFW police officers through the Washington State Patrol.

Gray wolves are currently listed as endangered under state law throughout Washington and under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state.

Higher catch quota expected for chinook

Anglers fishing along the Washington coast will likely see a higher catch quota for chinook salmon this year, while the quota for coho is expected to be similar to last season, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Three ocean salmon-fishing options approved recently by the Pacific Fishery Management Council anticipate an abundance of chinook in the ocean, but a down year for Columbia River hatchery coho salmon. The Council establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters 3 to 200 miles off the Pacific coast.

The three options establish a framework for developing fishing opportunities on healthy wild and hatchery stocks while meeting conservation goals for weak salmon populations.

Chinook salmon abundance in the ocean is expected to look much like it did last season, when there was a strong return to the Columbia River. The challenge this year will be to ensure we meet our conservation goals for coho while still providing a full season of meaningful fishing opportunities in the ocean.

A chance to share photos

Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to share their outdoor adventures with others who enjoy hunting, fishing and observing the natural world. Photos are now being accepted for a new online gallery of images submitted by people enjoying the great outdoors.

Key subjects for the online gallery include hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, as well as scenic photos of designated wildlife areas. Photos selected for display in the gallery may also be used in other electronic and print publications produced by the department.

We think this is a great way to show off your photos. Of course, by agreeing to the terms and conditions, you are allowing Fish and Wildlife a royalty-free license to publicly display, reproduce and use the photographs in any form or media for any and all editorial and related promotional purposes in perpetuity. But you will retain the copyright to your photos.

Hunting pamphlet cover photo needed

The theme of this year's Hunting Pamphlet is youth hunting. Fish and Wildlife wants to feature a youth with a harvested big game animal for the 2012 Hunting Pamphlet. If you have such a photo, please submit by April 6, 2012.

Guidelines

For a picture to be eligible for the pamphlet, the image must be a picture of a youth, under age 18 at time of picture, wearing appropriate blaze orange and following all hunter safety practices and with a harvested big game animal; deer, elk or bear.

The image should be tastefully composed, high resolution, print-quality, at a minimum of 300 dots per inch. TIFF files are preferable, but high-resolution JPEG files are acceptable. To be considered for the 2012 pamphlet, pictures need to be submitted by April 6, 2012.

Hunting

Deer and elk hunters have until March 31 to enter their name in a drawing for a 2012 multiple-season permit, which can greatly increase their opportunities for success in the field.

In mid-April, Fish and Wildlife will randomly draw names for 8,500 multiple-season deer permits and 1,000 multiple-season elk permits.

Winners of the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2012.

Winners who purchase the multiple-season elk tag by Aug. 31 can participate in general elk-hunting season in both eastern and western Washington. They also may apply for special permits to hunt deer or elk, regardless of weapon type.

The permit application is $6 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. A 2012 hunting license is not required to submit an application, but winners of the drawing must purchase one before they can purchase a multiple-season tag.