Subject: Ringold, on Hanford Reach
Date: Aug 3 08:05:45 2000
From: Dennis K Rockwell - dennis.rockwell at gte.net


Jim,

1. It's Hanford Reach National Monument.

2. With regards to your position opposing the continuation of hunting as
one of the outdoor recreational uses of this public land - your logic
escapes me. The fees from hunting licenses (and fishing licenses) have
helped purchase and maintain this land. It would seem to me that
prohibiting hunting, besides disenfranchising a segment of the public with a
direct interest in preserving this land from environmental degradation,
would only open the door to prohibiting all other outdoor recreation
including fishing, birding, hiking, kayaking, etc. The western segment of
the Monument (theArid Lands Ecology Reserve) already has severe restrictions
on public use and when the Monument was declared Vice President Gore
indicated that further major restrictions on access and use, beyond those
currently in place, would not be forthcoming.

Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net

"I love mankind -- it's people I can't stand."
Charles Schultz 1922-2000

-----Original Message-----
From: TrueBrew01 at aol.com <TrueBrew01 at aol.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, August 01, 2000 7:46 PM
Subject: Ringold, on Hanford Reach


>Hello Tweeters:
>
>I have no idea if the Tweeters list is interested in the Ringold (Hanford
>Reach, DeLorme page 53, D6, bottom of the page) area for birding, but I was
>so impressed by the number and variety of birds on two recent fishing trips
>there that I thought I would report what I saw in the way of birds. This
is
>a Washington State Public land and a WSDFW sticker is required for parking
>there. (By the way, the fishing season at this location closed yesterday,
>July 31st.)
>
>I have been on the Tweeters list for 3 or 4 years and am not an avid
birder,
>though through the posts to the lists I have learned to identify a much
wider
>range of birds than I had in the past, but in terms of where I'm at on that
>level I'm still in birding kindergarten. First the list of birds that I
saw
>in about 4 days of camping there, then I'll put some verbiage in. One of
my
>concerns is whether or not this area will be protected from hunting now
that
>Billie has declared it a National Recreation Area or whatever designation
he
>gave to it.
>
>
>GEESE, DUCKS, GULLS
>AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS (6 in a flock on the river, 1 lone pelican circling
>near shore)
>COMORANTS - only saw them in the distance, but am quite sure they were
>Double-Crested
>SAND PIPERS
>SWALLOWS
>MORNING DOVES - lots of them
>EASTERN KINGBIRD - many
>CALIFORNIA QUAIL - early morning and late evening appearances
>BULLOCK'S ORIOLE - glimpsed it in flight for about 30 yards, the black and
>orange were unmistakable
>FLYCATCHER? - olive back, light breast, seemed to almost hover just over
the
>water taking insects
>BLACKBIRDS - lots of them at water's edge but they were in tall grass and
>moved so much I couldn't make a positive ID, though I think they were
>BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, also saw at least one RED WINGED BLACKBIRD
>AMERICAN ROBIN - lots of these
>KILLDEER - saw this from about 10 feet, never realized how beautifully
marked
>they are
>AMERICAN DIPPER? - have seen these several times before in other locals
and
>am almost certain of the ID, but it moved away from the water's edge before
I
>had a chance to see it 'dip'
>GREAT BLUE HERON
>SAVANNAH SPARROW
>MAGPIE - over the sage brush that is at the edge of the public land
>
>A strange bird that I never could identify which was perched on a branch
for
>several minutes: about the size of a Robin but with a short tail,
relatively
>long pointed bill, light yellow underneath and light olive back and wings,
>with dark almost black vertical stripes on the side of it's body. There
were
>four stripes on each side.
>
>There were several other birds that I couldn't identify as well.
>
>The public fishing area north of the large Ringold drainage canal is
probably
>a good half mile long and perhaps a couple of city blocks wide and has very
>dense vegetation. I don't know how far this strip extends south of the
>drainage canal and didn't spend much time there. The south portion isn't
>marked as "Public Fishing" but many people fish there and many launch their
>boats there too. The south portion is marked with a steel sign which says:
>"Eagle nesting area," and is marked as "protected". I don't know what the
>"protected" means because as far as I know the area is open to hunting.
(On
>the north portion there is a sign on a fence that says "No hunting beyond
>this line.")
>
>This base vegetation in this strip is limb to limb Russian olive trees
>surrounded by very dense underbrush that I can't identify. The underbrush
is
>tall and is so thick that you can't walk through it, though there are a few
>dirt roads through it to the river that are used by fisher folks.
>
>The pelicans landed on the northern tip of the island which lies between
the
>drainage canal and the Hanford reservation. It has been 7 or 8 years since
I
>had visited this location, but this is the same location that I have seen
the
>pelicans many times in the past. As they were flying in formation prior to
>landing, there were 3 cormorants flying with them, and stayed with the
>pelicans all the time they were in flight. The cormorants didn't fall into
>formation, but would flit from one part of the formation to another until
the
>pelicans landed. The cormorants also stayed with the pelican group on the
>ground.
>
>I am quite sure that this Washington State public land is open to hunters
>during hunting season and this site would be particularly attractive to
dove
>hunters (which I think is the first of the bird seasons), and quail and
water
>fowl hunters too. There are cotton tail rabbits here too. In light of the
>designation of this area as a recreation area, or whatever, I would sure
like
>to see it closed to hunting.
>
>This spot is not on the beaten path and is also not well marked. If
>travelling there from the west side of the state the quickest way to get
>there is to travel to Othello, then go south on Highway 24 which very
quickly
>will curve around and head due west. Just after the curve will be a sign
>pointing left to "Basin City" and you take that left up over "Radar Hill"
for
>a few miles until you get to a stop sign and must turn either left (a mile
to
>Basin City) or right to Rhingold. Turn right for about 7 or 8 miles until
>the road crosses the drainage canal and immediately after crossing the
canal
>there will be a road to the right and a sign pointing to "Ringold". This
>road will end within about a mile. Turn right and after crossing the canal
>again will be a sign "Public Fishing" to the left and that gravel washboard
>road gets you to the river and the public land.
>
>Jim Brewster
>Kent Washington
>truebrew01 at aol.com