Spokane’s Big Horn Show, ODFW Fish-Hunt Workshops Cancelled
Organizers of the huge Big Horn Adventure Show have just announced that next week’s show has been cancelled at the request of local officials, while ODFW is also scrubbing fishing and hunting workshops through mid-April.
Both are in response to help contain the spread of COVID-19, which yesterday led to the closure of the Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show this weekend and WDFW to announce it would hold North of Falcon public meetings online and by phone instead starting next week.
“It is with heavy hearts that we deliver this news to everyone,” Big Horn organizers at the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council in Spokane announced on Facebook. “Local authorities informed us this morning that they will be shutting down this year’s Big Horn Show. We appreciate everyone’s support through all of this. We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s show. We will be contacting all of our vendors individually with further information.”
In Salem, ODFW sent out an alert that its “hunter education classes, field days, clinics, outdoor skills workshops, angler education trainings, Family Fishing events and other volunteer-led activities” have been cancelled through April 13 at the earliest.
That includes a quartet of youth and adult beginner turkey hunting clinics slated for early April.
“ODFW is taking these steps to protect our participants, volunteers, staff and others. Additionally, closures of schools and other facilities may impact the ability to hold these events,” an agency press release states.
Because some events required paid registration, ODFW said refunds would be processed for those.
WDFW has also announced that “out of an abundance of caution,” its 70-plus fish hatcheries along with regional offices in Mill Creek, Ridgefield and Spokane as well as district offices in Regions 1, 4 and 5 are closed as of Monday, March 16, to the public.
Information on coronavirus can be found here for Oregon and here for Washington.