OUTDOORS BRIEFLY.Byline: The Register-Guard NEWS & NOTES Whale-watching should be peaking off Oregon's coast Southbound traffic on the Gray whale migratory route off the Oregon Coast is already heavy and expected to reach its usual peak between Christmas and New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. . According to Morris Grover of the Oregon Park and Recreation Department's whale watching center The Whale Watching Center is an Oregon State Parks staffed visitor center in Depoe Bay, Oregon, U.S.A. to help visitors observe whale migration and provide information about whales and other marine mammals including history, economics, environmental and ecological influences. at Depoe Bay, whale sightings have been running at record levels off the central Oregon coast. Weather permitting, he expects counts to rise beginning today, when trained volunteers take their posts at 26 Oregon Whale Watching Spoken Here sites during winter whale watch week. Help from the volunteers will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day until Jan. 2. The volunteers will have information and give tips on how to spot some of the 30 whales that pass by on their way from the Alaskan seas to Mexico's Baja peninsula. More information about "Whale Watching Spoken Here" sites, exhibits and related information is available at: www.whalespoken.org. Annual `Christmas Bird Count' to be held Sunday The Lane Audubon Society will conduct its part of national Audubon's 107th annual Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birders. The purpose is to provide population data for use in science, especially conservation biology, though many people on Sunday. Local volunteers can participate by joining one of 27 teams that check locales in the Eugene area, or by keeping track of birds that visit their backyard feeders. To participate on one of the teams that searches for birds within the 15-mile diameter "count circle,' call Barbara Gleason at 345-0450. To learn about becoming a "home counter" and reporting birds that visit backyards and bird feeders on Dec. 31, call Herb Wisner at 344-3634. For details, go to www.Laneaudubon.org, Tickets now on sale for 2007 big game raffle hunts Raffle tickets for several special 2007 big game hunts are now on sale at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. offices and retail license agencies. A total of 13 tags with special privileges will be raffled off at the Oregon Hunters Association State Convention on May 19 in Bend. The deadline to purchase tickets at license agents and ODFW ODFW Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offices is May 7. Raffle tickets offered include hard-to-get tags for bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep a tall (up to 3 ft), heavy (up to 300 lb body weight) wild sheep that lives in inaccessible mountain country where it exercises its principal achievement of prodigious leaping and climbing. Called also Ovis canadensis. Several regional varieties, e.g. O. c. , Rocky mountain goat Rocky Mountain goat, hoofed ruminant mammal, Oreamnos americanus, found in the high mountains of S Alaska, W Canada, and the extreme NW United States. and pronghorn pronghorn or prongbuck, hoofed herbivorous mammal, Antilocapra americana, of the W United States and N Mexico. Although it is often called the American, or prong-horned, antelope, it does not belong to the true antelope family of Africa , in addition to unique deer- and elk-hunting opportunities. Order forms and more information are available from point-of-sale agents, on page 27 of the 2007 Oregon Big Game Regulations, by calling (503) 947-6300 and at www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/auctions_raffles/. Start date for new licensing system moved back To provide more time for system preparation and testing, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff has decided to postpone the launch of the agency's new point-of-sale system for hunting and fishing licenses and tags. Originally scheduled for March 2007, the start date been rescheduled for summer 2007. FISHING, HUNTING & WILDLIFE VIEWING Oregon angling highlights Rivers and streams: Winter steelhead angling has been good on the Siletz River and fair to good pulses of fish have been noted on the Alsea River. Winter steelheading is reported fair to good on the Umpqua River above Scottsburg, and the winter steelhead run is under way earlier than normal in the Coos River system. "Real-time" river-flow information is available on-line at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/current?type=flow. Lakes: Junction City Pond, Carmen Carmen throws over lover for another. [Fr. Lit.: Carmen; Fr. Opera: Bizet, Carmen, Westerman, 189–190] See : Faithlessness Carmen the cards repeatedly spell her death. [Fr. Reservoir, Clear Lake, Leaburg Lake, upper McKenzie River and Trail Bridge Reservoir were all scheduled to be planted with 8- to 10-inch trout last week, according to the ODFW's Web site. Marine zone: Ocean conditions continue to keep most boats in port, but ocean crabbing and angling for rockfish rockfish, member of the large family Scorpaenidae (rockfishes and scorpionfishes), carnivorous fish inhabiting all seas and especially abundant in the temperate waters of the Pacific. Rockfishes are found among rocks and reefs. and lingcod lingcod Commercially popular fish species (Ophiodon elongatus) that is strictly marine, found along the Pacific coast of North America. It is a voracious predator with a large mouth and caninelike teeth. should be good when trips resume. - Compiled from ODFW and Register-Guard reports. Updates available at www.registerguard.com/news/outdoors_front.php. CALENDAR To submit events Submit listings to: Outdoor Editor, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene OR 97440 or: mstahlberg@guardnet.com. Unless otherwise noted, events are free. Bicycling SATURDAY GEARS: The Eugene road biking club plans 35- and 50-mile rides in the Gimpl Hill area. Faster riders leave Alton Baker Park Alton Baker Park is located in Eugene, Oregon, United States, near Autzen Stadium. It features duck ponds, bicycle trails, and a dog park, and directly touches the Ferry Street Bridge. at 10 a.m., slower riders at 10:30. Detailed route info: www.eugenegears.org. SUNDAY GEARS: 33-mile ride to the Herman Road area north of Coburg. Faster riders leave Alton Baker Park at 10 a.m., slower riders at 10:30. MONDAY Unsponsored: The "Polar Bear Ride," an informal New Year's Day tradition for many area cyclists, begins at 9 a.m. at the Fifth Street Public Market and goes to Coburg and beyond. Hiking MONDAY Altair Ski & Sports Club: 4.4-mile hike on the Ridgeline ridge·line n. See ridge. Noun 1. ridgeline - a long narrow range of hills ridge arete - a sharp narrow ridge found in rugged mountains Trail near Spencer Butte, 11 a.m.; Details, RVSP RVSP Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure RVSP Reverse Vertical Seismic Profile(ing) : 334-6416. The Obsidians: Effie Neth will lead an 8-mile Cape Mountain hike and Sheila Ward will lead a 6-mile Tahkenitch Dunes hike. Details, sign-up at the YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. , 2055 Patterson St., Eugene. Paddle sports THURSDAY Oregon River Sports: Paddle Club meeting, 6:30 p.m., Oregon River Sports, 3400 Franklin Blvd., Eugene. Details: 334-0696. MONDAY Oregon River Sports Paddle Club: Ring in the New Year with a whitewater float in rafts and inflatable kayaks, followed by a potluck. Details: 334-0696. Snow sports THURSDAY The Obsidians: Wayne Deeter will lead a cross-country ski to a "mystery" destination. Details, sign-up at the Eugene Family YMCA, 2055 Patterson St. SATURDAY The Obsidians: Brian Hamilton will lead a 4.5-mile cross-country ski trip to Gold Lake and Sandra Larsen will lead a ski outing in the Ray Benson Sno Park area at Santiam Pass. Details, sign-up at the YMCA, 2055 Patterson St., Eugene. Walking WEDNESDAY Altair Ski & Sports Club: 5-mile walk in the Hendricks Park area, 9 a.m. Details, RSVP (ReSerVation Protocol) A communications protocol that signals a router to reserve bandwidth for real time transmission. RSVP is designed to clear a path for audio and video traffic, eliminating annoying skips and hesitations. : 726-8154. FRIDAY Altair Ski & Sports Club: 5-mile walk in Hendricks Park, 9 a.m. Details, RSVP: 726-8154. SATURDAY Altair Ski & Sports Club: 4-mile walk on the bike trails in the Valley River Area, 9 a.m. Details, RSVP: 343-7893. |
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