Outdoor Digest.

Byline: The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 1/29/02): Temporary beach restrictions to protect the snowy plover will be discussed at a public meeting called by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Florence Convention Center, 715 Quince Street. A story in Thursday's paper had the wrong date.

LICENSES, TAGS NOW REQUIRED: The free ride is over for Oregon hunters and anglers. Effective today, 2002 licenses and harvest tags are required to hunt or fish in Oregon. That requirement was waived Jan. 3 through Jan. 23 after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's computerized licensing system bogged down during the rush of business that occurs with the arrival of each new calendar year. Agency officials believe the problem has been fixed, but won't know for sure until daily sales volume increases. Just to be sure, they now have a backup system for issuing hand-written licenses and tags in place.

BEACH RESTRICTIONS DISCUSSED: The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will conduct public meetings in Florence and Bandon next week to discuss temporary beach restrictions to protect the snowy plover. The Florence meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Florence Convention Center, 715 Quince St. The Bandon session will be Friday, Feb. 1, at the Bandon Community Center, 1200 11th St. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.

HUNTERS PLAN BENEFIT: Tickets are now on sale for the Emerald Valley Chapter of the Oregon Hunter's Association's annual "Fun Raiser" benefit to be held Feb. 16 at Eugene's Valley River Inn. The family-oriented event includes auctions, raffles and banquet. Buffet dinner tickets are $30 for adults, $12.50 for children age 12 and under. Firearms, artwork and other outdoors items will be sold at auction and raffled off to raise money for the club's wildlife habitat improvement programs. In addition, participants this year will be asked to bring canned food items for donation to the needy. Tickets, details: 687-1989.

TUNE THOSE BOARDS, SKIS: The University of Oregon Outdoor Program will conduct a ski and snowboard tuning session Tuesday in Eugene. Tune and wax your snow-riding equipment for a $5 materials charge. The tuneup session will be held at the Outdoor Program Barn, 18th Avenue and University Street, at 5:30 p.m. Preregister at the Outdoor Program office in the Erb Memorial Union.

MT. BACHELOR OFFERS FREEBIES: Free skiing and free ski lessons are available through a pair of promotions being offered by Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort next week. Free lessons, lift tickets and the use of rental equipment will be available to the first 100 "first-time" skiers or snowboarders who reserve a spot by calling [phone]. Also, Feb. 1 is "Free Ski Day," when lift tickets and cross-country ski trail passes are free to anyone who brings three cans of food to donate to a Bend-area food bank.

MOUNTAIN MEN TO RENDEZVOUS: The Tioga Mountain Man Club of Coos Bay will host a "Winter Rendezvous" for black-powder enthusiasts the weekend of Feb. 2-3. The rendezvous will be held at Rook Higgins Park, 10 miles east of Coos Bay on the road to Allegany. The event will include a pistol trail, tomahawk, knife and spear throw, and rifle competitions for men, women, juniors and pee-wees. Entry fee is $10 per person or $15 per family. Details: Ken Sjogren, [phone].

YUCATAN JUNGLES SUBJECT OF TALK: "Exploring the Jungles of the Yucatan" will kick off the Emerald Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon's 2002 public lecture series Monday. Retired forester and botanist Alan Curtis, who has been volunteering with a Smithsonian research project in the tropical lowlands of southeastern Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, is the speaker. His talk begins at 7:30 p.m. in Room 117 of the Science Building at Lane Community College, 4000 E. 30th Ave.

DEER TAG AUCTION FRIDAY: The Oregon Access and Habitat Board's 2002 statewide deer hunt tag will be auctioned off Friday at the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep's convention in Reno, Nev. The tag-holder may take any deer from any of Oregon's wildlife units between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30. Hunters unable to attend may bid by telephone. Call [phone] to make arrangements.