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Crescent Bar
Office
The Crescent Bar office now has limited office hours. Staff are available Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Come visit us for information on activities and services within the Crescent Bar Recreation Area.
Visit us at:
23758
Crescent Bay Drive NW
Suite 3
Hours:
Thursday & Friday
8 am to 5 pm
or by appointment
Contact:
(509) 754-0500 |
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 2012 Opening of The Cove Day Use Area
The Cove, formerly Getty's Cove, will open for day use and special events during the summer of 2012. Day use areas include parking, picnic tables, pedestal grills, trash receptacles, portable toilets, signs, kiosks and a hand boat launch. Outdoor events are also planned.
The site will open on weekends around April 15. Expanded hours will begin after June 15.
Grant PUD purchased Getty's Cove Resort in 2009 to help meet recreation requirements associated with our federal license. Over the past two years, staff has worked diligently to clean the property and manage a nesting pair of bald eagles on the site.
Long-term site plans have not been finalized for the Cove. For updates on this new recreation resource, please visit our website: www/gcpud.org.
We'll see you at the Cove! | |
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Crescent Bar Recreation Area Update
Over the past month, we've received questions about potential boat launch closures at the Crescent Bar Recreation Area. As we transition the island back to full public use, safety continues to be one of our primary concerns. To keep the recreating public safe during this transition, we've made plans to close boat launches only as long as necessary to complete renovations. While upgrades are being made off-island, boaters will still be able to use the Crescent Bar Island boat launch.
During the fall of 2012 and early summer of 2013 motorized boating access to the Wanapum pool will be enhanced through a combination of dredging and boat launch ramp extensions. The goal of this project is to provide access to the Columbia River under a greater range of operational conditions for the various boat types that visit Crescent Bar. When renovations are complete, ADA accessible boarding floats will flank the boat launch ramp. New, day use moorage floats have been designed to accommodate broader river fluctuations. These new floats also reduce impacts to fish. | |
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National Public Lands Day
Many thanks to all that participated in National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24. The weather was wonderful and many people enjoyed what was one of the last days of summer on the Columbia River.
Efforts by Grant PUD Lands and Recreation staff, the Grant County Sheriff Marine Patrol, and the Desert Aire Parks, Marina, and Greenbelt Committee, resulted in more than 20 tires and four truckloads of garbage being removed from the shorelines of the Wanapum and Priest Rapids. Crews worked from the shore and from boats to get to the hard to reach places. Success was high and so were spirits. We appreciate your efforts to keep the water and shorelines clean. | |
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 Quincy Valley Tourism Association's First Northern Pikeminnow Derby Results
The Quincy Valley Tourism Association (QVTA), through funding from the Grant PUD Priest Rapids Coordinating Committee and the utility sponsored No Net Impact Fund, held the first Pikeminnow Derby on the Wanapum Reservoir. The QVTA and Grant PUD biologists caught, tagged and released a handful of northern pikeminnow prior to the tournament. The tagged fish were worth between $5,000 and $10,000. Though none of the tagged fish were caught, nearly $7,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to anglers who qualified for the heaviest fish and for the teams with the heaviest cumulative weight. The $10,000 tagged fish is now worth $500 if caught before the end of the year by anyone registered for the tournament.
Over the course of the two day tournament, 135 anglers removed 982 pikeminnow from the Wanapum reservoir. QVTA arranged for a local organic farmer to haul away the salmon-eating predators to fertilize his farm. Grant PUD thanks the QVTA for their hard work and creativity in highlighting local fishing opportunities and for helping to protect Columbia River salmon. | |
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Winter Boating Safety Reminder
The Priest Rapids Project is home to many great recreational opportunities for those willing to brave the cold weather. Hunting waterfowl is popular and fall fishing can very productive too. Fall and winter time recreation usually means less people and more open water.
Be sure to remember that cold conditions can be dangerous. Icy conditions at boat launches and rocky shorelines can make getting in and out of your boat difficult.
Remember the following tips when you're out:
- Winter weather conditions can change quickly, turning a pleasant outing into a dangerous adventure. Hypothermia can set in as little as 15 minutes in 35° F water.
- Always follow state boating regulations and be prepared for adverse weather conditions.
- Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.
- A 'bail' or 'jump' box with critical safety equipment is always a good idea.
- Lifejackets are only effective if they're worn. Grant PUD asks everyone to always to wear one.
- The Columbia River in this region is remote and emergency response times can be longer than usual.
We wish you luck in your outdoor endeavors and hope to see you out on the water! | |
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