Wildlife Guzzler Project

 

RRGC has received five biennial (two year) grants through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife spanning the past decade for our wildlife guzzler program.  The funds are from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) which was created in 1984 by the state legislature to ensure that revenue generated from state owned aquatic land leases went back to helping protect and restore public lands.  Unfortunately, Governor Ferguson has decided to eliminate the ALEA grant program and retain the ALEA revenues within the state government in lieu of finding an alternative revenue source to address the state’s current budget shortfall.  Larry Martin recently submitted his final ALEA grant report to the state. Larry provided the following summary for what he and other volunteers were able to accomplish over the past ten years.  ALEA funds expended: $13,069.56.  Volunteer hours worked: 4,167.  Volunteer miles driven: 24,934.  Guzzlers inspected and cleaned: 513.  Larry and his team also installed 5 new guzzlers, made major repairs to 76 guzzlers, and made minor repairs to an additional 62 guzzlers.  WOW, what an amazing contribution to wildlife!  The RRGC water guzzler project will be able to continue into the foreseeable future without the ALEA funding thanks to donations received from other organizations.             

 

Wood Duck Project Update

 

Dale Schielke and Larry Martin attended a recent Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs meeting in Ellensburg to inform the ladies about our wood duck nest box and water guzzler projects.  Dale said that he is always surprised by the women’s level of interest in, and support for, the projects.  

 

Wild Game Dinner “Want List”

 

The 2026 Wild Game Dinner will be held on March 21 in Building 4 at the Benton County Fairgrounds.  If you have ideas to share or want to get involved for the 2026 dinner, please call or text Marilyn at 509-392-2128.  If you have a prize to donate or would like to help with prize solicitation, please call or text John Prather at 509-521-1593.

 

Marilyn has developed a “Want List’ for the 2026 dinner that she will update as donations are received.  The list was first published in the July newsletter and will be updated in upcoming monthly newsletters.  Meats include:

 

Duck – 25 to 30 pounds for poppers, tacos, pepperoni

Pheasant – 20 pounds for jambalaya or another main dish

Venison – neck for mincemeat, 10-15 pounds of roasts, 10 pounds of meat for grinding into sausage

Elk – 20 pounds of roasts and 10 pounds for grinding into sausage.

Bear – 13 pounds of meat for stew/chili or 10 pounds for grinding into sausage

Cougar – 6 to 13 pounds of meat for grinding for meatballs, tacos, or a main dish

Bobcat – 6 to 13 pounds of meat for grinding (same as Cougar)

Goose – 13 whole plucked geese for roasting and possibly 10 pounds for jerky

Walleye –15 pounds for chowder or 13 pounds for tacos

Catfish – 13 pounds for tacos and/or 20 pounds for a main dish            

Salmon – 10 pounds for smoking plus 20 pounds for the main meal

Chukar – 100 to150 birds for soup and a main dish

 

If and when you can commit to a donation just text Marilyn at 509-392-2128 or send an email to momhoops46@gmail.com.  The list will be trimmed as donations are received.  Other items that we expect to need that we have purchased in the past are 30 to 40 pounds of roasting potatoes, 15 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes for chowder, 15 pounds of yellow onions, and individually wrapped butter pats.  If you have a cost effective source for these items, please contact Marilyn.

 

New Fishing Store in Pasco

 

D’s Fishin’ Spot is a 3,000 square foot fishing supply and equipment store located at 5710 Road 92, Suite 101, in Pasco.  Dennis Damon is the owner.  The store had a soft opening on August 22 but will have its Grand Opening on September 13.  Several fishing seminars and a prize drawing will be held during the Grand Opening with four speakers already committed.  Dennis says he has fishing gear for any locally available species except that he does not currently carry bow fishing gear for carp.  The store opens at 8:00am each day.  Drop by and check it out.

 

 

 Taking Better Wildlife Photos – Mike Estes

 

Hunters and fishermen have posed for photos with their harvest for more than 100 years, as long as there have been cameras.  Taking photos today with mobile phones and digital cameras is easier than ever.  With no film to buy or negatives to develop, a person can take an almost endless number of photos and have the convenience to sort through them later to decide which to keep and which to discard.  The challenge is to take photos that are worthy of your memorable moment, that show respect for the critter you have harvested, and that will be “interesting” to those you share the photos with.  Well taken pictures usually require a little more attention than just grabbing the camera and clicking the button.  Quality photos of harvested animals will create a better impression for people who do not necessarily love or understand hunting of birds and animals or retention of fish to serve for dinner.

 

Suggestions and Tips:

• Choose a good background and position your critter accordingly.  For big game consider the African safari pose with the animal as upright as possible (use a rock or two as a brace if necessary) and legs tucked in.

• Photos taken in a natural environment usually look better than those taken at home, in the driveway, at the boat launch, or in the bed of a pickup truck. 

• Avoid full or partial shadows on faces, antlers, etc.  If possible, take photos in full sun or full shade.  Remove or tilt hats back and remove sunglasses.

• Help the critter look its best by placing it in a natural posture. 

• Remove any blood from the mouth or wounds, tuck in the animal’s tongue if it is hanging out, and do not expose the gills of a fish that will show up in the photo.

• Decide whether a vertical or horizontal, loose or tightly framed view will look best.  The back portion of the animal and the entire person’s body do not necessarily need to be in the photo.

• If the background is boring or you do not want to reveal a lot about the location, get closer.

• Rather than standing full height and shooting photos from above, experiment with a lower angle.  Maybe even silhouette a fish or antlers against the sky.

• Clear the photo path of debris and unnecessary clutter.

• Consider whether you want to include a firearm, bow and arrows, or fishing rod in the photo.

• Think about the focal point of your photo.  Is it the fish or the fisherman?  Is it the size of the antlers or the happiness on the hunter’s face?  Check to be sure that human and animal eyes are sharp and in focus.

• Snap multiple photos and review them immediately to see whether you captured the shot you wanted.  If not, snap a few more.

• Try different poses and angles and possibly rearrange items in the photo for best effect.

• Being behind the critter in the photo is great, but don’t over exaggerate by holding your arms at full extension with the fish towards the camera or standing several feet behind an animal to make it larger than life.  People will quickly recognize your attempt to make it look bigger and will discount the authenticity of the photo.

•  Use a tripod when possible for a steadier and clearer photo.

• To smile or not to smile?  That is up to the person in the photo, but at least look happy.

• Enter your favorite photos in the monthly RRGC photo contest so we can all enjoy your special moments. 

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Photo of the Month

 

There were three contest entries this month.  Packy Lackey submitted a photo taken by Anna Lara of Packy with a Pink salmon he caught on August 14.  Scott Estes submitted a photo he took of his friend John Springen with a male Pink salmon that John caught on August 2 while fishing with Scott at Chichagof Island, Alaska.  Micah Little submitted a photo of him with a very large Bull trout he caught using a fly rod on the Tieton River on August 10.  The photo was taken by Jacob Keffer.    Scott’s photo was selected as the monthly contest winner.