Subject: [Tweeters] Access to Wenas Lake issue cleared up
Date: Aug 25 19:48:31 2015
From: Denny Granstrand - dgranstrand at gmail.com


Hi Tweeters,

About a month ago it was noticed by a Yakima area birder that "No
Trespassing" signs were put up at Wenas Lake. Birders in the Yakima area
were disheartened. Wenas Lake has been used for many generations by
fisherman and for at least 50 years by birders. It is the prime
easily-accessible location in the fall in Yakima County to find shorebirds.
To lose Wenas Lake for birding would be a major loss.

Last week I e-mailed the Yakima County Commissioners to ask if they could
intervene. Today I got an e-mail from one of them, Mike Leita. He said he
had spoken to the president of the Wenas Irrigation Board, which owns the
dam and much of the property around the lake. The president assured Mr.
Leita that access has not be closed. They have struggled with littering,
including an RV that was pushed into the lake recently, but they have no
intention of closing access. It appears to have been a major
misunderstanding. There are some areas that are closed: the dam, the
cliffs around the dam, and a weir box along Wenas Creek that feeds the lake.

The bottom line is that Wenas Lake is open to birding. We are encouraged to
be "good stewards" of the property, of course.

Good birding,

Denny Granstrand


* * * * * * * * * * * *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:

www.granstrand.net/gallery/
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