Reminder, Rock Climbing Is Prohibited
Due to the ‘discovery’ of an online video, there has been a surge in rock climbing at Columbia. We understand the attraction of the basalt columns to climbers. However, those same columns are also attractive to wildlife—bird nests, marmot dens, snake hibernacula, bat roosts, and any number of other uses. Please respect the fact that Columbia NWR is closed to rock climbing and that there are any number of other areas to climb basalt columns in central Washington.
Watch For Wildlife
The days are turning shorter and the nights colder. Fall is the time of year when wildlife is on the move, preparing for a difficult winter. While winters in the Columbia Basin aren’t that stressful to wildlife, nonetheless creatures here follow the natural instincts of their kind everywhere and are on the move preparing for winter. This is also the time of year when young are dispersing, leaving their birthplace to find territories of their own. Drivers need to slow down and keep a constant watch for wildlife. Haven’t you noticed more dead animals along the road lately? There’s always an upswing of wildlife-vehicle collisions in the fall. So, if getting home 23 seconds sooner is worth squashing a squirrel, mangling a marmot, bashing a beaver, or demolishing a deer, then by all means, keep driving like you’re on the NASCAR circuit. Apart from the permanent damage to wildlife, you’ll incur several hundred dollars worth of damage to your car. So, why don’t you just follow the traffic laws instead? Both your fellow drivers and our wildlife will thank you.