Inside Outdoors

Tags available for Idaho controlled hunts

More than 2,800 Idaho deer, elk, pronghorn and black bear controlled hunt tags are available for hunters in the state's second controlled hunt drawing.

Hunters can apply for the tags through Aug. 15. Results of the drawing will be available by Aug. 20. The available tags are listed on the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website at http://bit.ly/2avEMTV.

Some August controlled hunts will already be in progress when the second drawing occurs, but there will be plenty of hunting time available for most of those hunts.

Canyon Birders plan outing to Mann Lake

The Canyon Birders will visit Mann Lake near Lewiston Saturday to catch the fall migration of shorebirds.

Those interested can meet at 8 a.m. at the lake's boat ramp parking area. Spotting scopes and binoculars will be available for use.

Summer fire rules in effect in some areas

The Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests have implemented the first phase of summer fire restrictions.

Under the rules meant to help prevent accidental wildfires, chain saws can't be used between 1 and 8 p.m. Chain saw operators must stay in the area for one hour after they have finished cutting to watch for fires. They must also have a shovel and fire extinguisher in their possession.

Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles, buildings or in areas cleared of combustible material. Motor vehicles must stay on roads and trails.

Campfires are allowed only in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock, or in commercial rings and in areas not conducive to rapid fire spread. All flammable material must be cleared within a 3-foot radius of the fire pit and it must be free of overhanging material. Campfires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished prior to leaving. People with campfires are required to have a tool such as a shovel and at least one gallon of water in their possession.

Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled gas and wood-burning stoves equipped with a chimney that is at least 5 feet in length, with a spark-arresting screen consisting of a quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth, are allowed.

Use of charcoal briquettes is permitted under the same restrictions as campfires.

Rapid River Hatchery, park to close for work

RIGGINS - Rapid River Hatchery and the adjacent day-use park will be closed to the public until July of next year to accommodate renovation of the water supply system there.

The construction will not affect fish-rearing operations at the hatchery or access to U.S. Forest Service Trail No. 113.

Construction underway on forest roads

LOWELL - A number of road construction projects are underway on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.

Reconstruction work on the Selway River Road No. 223 is focusing on unpaved segments from milepost 6.7 to 19.4. New gravel is being applied, retaining walls are being constructed and bridges are being worked on at Nineteen Mile and Gedney creeks, according to a news release from the agency.

A detour road at Nineteen Mile Creek will be used. No road closure is anticipated, but visitors should expect heavy truck traffic, construction equipment and delays that may last as long as two hours. The project is a partnership among the Federal Highway Administration, the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Department, the Bonneville Power Administration and the Forest Service Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project.

• A culvert replacement project near Syringa will lead to a six-week closure of Road 101 at milepost 4.3 starting Monday.
• A culvert replacement project will lead to a three-week closure of Road 102 near Powell starting Monday. Alternate access routes for local traffic only is available via the 111 Road. Forest Service officials are asking the public to avoid the area because of hazardous conditions. Visitor services normally provided at the Powell Ranger Station will be handled out of the nearby Lolo Pass Visitor Center.