The Washington Outdoors Report: Sportsmen’s show fun

JOHN KRUSE FOR THE SENTINEL

I’ve had the opportunity to attend two sportsmen’s shows in recent days. The first was the Tri-Cities Sportsmen’s Show at the HAPO Center in Pasco, a great little show I visited at the end of January. The fi rst week of February was spent at the Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Washington State’s largest sportsmen’s show, at the fairgrounds in Puyallup.

At both shows it was nice to see both exhibitors and the crowds coming back now that Covid pandemic restrictions are in the rearview mirror. These shows also bring the great outdoors indoors for fishing, hunting, and outdoors enthusiasts looking for something to do in the middle of winter. There are a number of great reasons to attend these shows.

One reason is to learn! Sportsmen’s shows always feature seminars from experts talking about specific fishing tech- niques for different species or hunting tactics for everything from big game to turkey to waterfowl. Learning to use marine electronics is another seminar topic as are survival skills.

Most of these seminar speakers have booths at the shows. Some are selling gear ranging from fi re starters to game calls to fishing rods or lures. Others are guides and outfitters booking spring and summer trips for saltwater salmon, freshwater steelhead, bass, walleye, or trout. On the hunting front you can book hunts not only for deer, elk, and bear in the western U.S. but also hunts in British Columbia, Alaska, or overseas where you can go on an African safari to either hunt or just capture photos with your camera.

I have noticed showgoers have been in a buying mood this year. There are a whole bunch of attendees walking around with newly purchased fishing rods in their hands and there are some high-ticket items for sale too. That includes sport fishing boats suitable for freshwater lakes or Puget Sound, RV trailers, and a new, expanding category, overlanding vehicles with pop-up tents or campers designed to travel rough four-wheel drive roads

Wishram School District gets State money

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of more than $2 million in grants to help diverse, urban neighborhoods, and rural communities plan for outdoor recreation facilities.

The grants were awarded to 21 different organizations in 15 counties and ranged from $35,000 to $250,000. Many of the grants will help smaller communities write parks and recreation plans, which then can be used to apply for development grants, and some will help communities plan specific projects. For example, the communities of Mattawa, Oroville, Carbonado, and Morton will use grants to develop park and open space plans. The Seattle Parks Foundation will use a grant to develop construction documents to transform an elementary school playground and field into a community recreation area, while the City of Quincy will use a grant to redesign and add to its community’s athletic fields. The Spokane Tribe will use a grant to design the renovation of Snwx mene (Salmon People) Island, formally known as Canada Island, in Riverfront Park.

The Legislature funded the Planning for Recreation Access grant program in 2021 as a way to fund planning projects in communities that lack adequate access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The program focuses on diverse urban neighborhoods, small rural communities and those with less experience writing grants.

“The overwhelming number of applications we received speaks to the need for this kind of funding,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office. (RCO)

“Many small and underfunded communities don’t have the resources to apply for grants. This funding will help them get started. Ultimately, we hope the planning leads to construction and we can increase the number of parks, trails, playgrounds, and sports fields in places where there are currently few options for outdoor recreation.”

Of the 99 applicants, threefourths hadn’t received recreation grants with RCO in the past decade, and nearly half hadn’t applied for an RCO grant during that time. The grants may be used to support planning, community engagement, and collaboration between local governments, community-based organizations, and residents to defi ne outdoor recreation needs, prioritize investments to address those needs and prepare onthe-ground projects for funding opportunities. Projects

Stevens County $95,000 Lewis County $75,550

Yakima County $168,172 Mason County $150,000

In total, project proposals requested more than $12.5 million and fewer than one-fi fth were funded.

“There are many communities in Washington where families don’t have access to nearby recreation areas or the areas are worn out and unusable,” Duffy said. “Everyone should be able to get to a park or outdoor area and receive the health benefits, both mental and physical, of spending time outside recreating. These grants are a fi rst step in helping communities provide places to improve the wellbeing of their residents.”

Project in Klickitat County:

Wishram School District

Grant Awarded: $50,000

Designing a Ball Field

The Wishram School District will use this grant to enhance the community’s only park and design an athletic field. The park’s current amenities include only a dirt lot, a half basketball court, and small play area. This small, impoverished community has no football, softball, baseball, or soccer field. The school district will work with the community and a consultant to solicit community input on layout and design and develop site plans for the park and new field. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project.

Corry, Abbarno revive emergency powers reform battle

Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, has launched a new effort to rein in the governor’s emergency powers. House Bill 1535 is co-sponsored by Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia and is identical to House Bill 1772, Corry’s bi-partisan bill from the 2022 legislative session.

The governor finally ended the state of emergency (SOE) he declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on Halloween. The end of the SOE came after more than two and a half years that saw dozens of emergency proclamations with virtually no input from the public and, under current law, it could happen again.

Corry and Abbarno hope the Legislature is ready to make the crucial changes needed to avoid that.

“This bill brings back representative government to Washington state and the oversight required by our state constitution. The Legislature and the people it represents must be allowed to resume its proper role during a prolonged state of emergency. It is vital this proposal gets a hearing and is passed by the Legislature this ses- sion,” said Corry, R-Yakima.

“No one person should wield vast powers without checks and balances or a clear expiration date, even during an emergency,” said Rep. Abbarno.”Living under an emergency declaration for nearly three years exposed a serious loophole in our laws governing emergency powers, and it’s incumbent on the Legislature, as the lawmaking body, to fi x it.”

Washington is one of only four states that hands over unilateral authority to the governor to declare and maintain a state of emergency (SOE). During a prolonged SOE, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislative branch, which represents the voice of the people, has an extremely limited role in determining the policies set forth by the executive branch in Washington state.

Corry and Abbarno say it’s time to change that.

“There must be limits. The framers of our state constitution never intended for the governor to wield the kind of power he maintained for nearly three years. Clearly, when quick action is needed, the executive branch must be or trails on our expansive public lands where your campsite is literally wherever you choose to stop for the night.

If you want to travel to an outdoorsy destination, you have plenty of places to choose from, ranging from Alaskan fishing lodges to family-run resorts in Washington, single- or multi-day river rafting trips in Idaho, or adventures in Mexico on the Baja peninsula.

Sportsmen’s shows are great events for families to attend, too. Trout ponds are staples at sportsmen’s shows, allowing young kids the chance to reel in hatchery-raised rainbow trout.

Show producers often have a “passport” for kids to fi ll out at different exhibitor booths featuring items or activities of interest to young children.

Family-friendly activities you often fi nd at sportsmen’s shows include archery ranges, air rifle ranges, or a chance to mine for treasure, a popular attraction at the Spokane Bighorn Show.

Then there are the main attractions. Every show producer has one or more. This year at the Washington Sportsmen’s Show it was the Paul Bunyon Lumberjack Show featuring axe throwing, wood cutting, and log-rolling lumberjacks who put on an enter- taining show for audiences. At the Tri-Cities show the feature attraction was Tag the grizzly bear who has appeared in countless movies, commercials, and television shows during his life.

If you haven’t had a chance to go to a sportsmen’s show yet this winter, you still have some options:

The Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show at the Expo Center in Portland, February 14 to 18, the second largest sportsmen’s show in the nation. www.thesportshows.com.

The Central Washington Sportsmen’s show, under new ownership, at the Sun Dome in Yakima, February 24 through 26. www.jlmproductionsllc. com.

The Inland Northwest Wildlife Council’s Bighorn Outdoor Adventure Show at the Interstate Fairgrounds in Spokane, March 16 through 19. www. inwc.org.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www. americaoutdoorsradio.com.

Call for applications – Yakama Cares

Legends Casino Hotel invites nonprofit organizations to apply now for the annual Yakama Cares grant distribution. The Charitable Contributions fund called Yakama Cares will be distributed in May for 2023, and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to submit applications for consideration until the deadline of March 31, 2023.

Each year, the Charitable Contributions Fund assists many area nonprofits with several hundred thousand dollars in grants. Past grant recipients included schools, senior services, veteran services, food banks, shelters, and many more in Benton, Franklin, Kit- titas, Klickitat, and Yakima counties.

The committee of five community members and Legends Casino Hotel team members receive hundreds of applications annually to evaluate. The applications undergo multiple rounds of cuts before the fi nal selection. Charitable organizations whose service area lies within a 100-mile radius of the Legends Casino Hotel campus and address a youth/ educational need, elder care and activities as well as medical benefit to the community receive priority consideration.

According to the committee, “Programs where a grant can help make a significant impact in our community peak our interest. We’re always excited to see how we can make a difference in our community each year.” able to respond. But when a state of emergency lasts for months or even years, it’s difficult to justify prolonged unilateral - nearly autocratic - authority by the executive branch,” said Corry. “The public must have a voice in how to move forward. That’s the job of the Legislature.”

The application can be accessed by scrolling to the bottom of our home page--www. legendscasino.com--where you’ll find Additional Links then click Yakama Cares. It is important to note that proof of nonprofit status will be required of each applicant, and according to Appendix X of the Compact that outlines the qualifications for grant distribution, tribal nonprofits are not eligible for these funds.

“The people of Washington are best served when communities from every corner of our state have a voice at the table,” said Rep. Abbarno. “That’s why it’s so important for the Legislature to act now. Let’s come together as Washingtonians, regardless of party, and ensure that future generations have the right balance between the executive’s ability to deal with emergencies and proper oversight from the branch closest to the people.”

During the past two legislative sessions, Republicans offered a half dozen emergency powers reform bills, but most never got a hearing let alone moved out of committee, with the exception of Rep. Corry’s House Bill 1772. Corry had propsed another bill aimed emergency powers reform last year.