Outdoor Notes: Allergy season arriving late this year

Every spring millions of Americans face the agonizing effects of seasonal allergies, and those who spend a lot of time in the outdoors suffer even worse.

And every year the arrival of the allergy season is different, and this year it is late.

Tree pollen is usually the first to arrive in early March. The first trees to bloom are alder, birch and cottonwood, and later in spring it is cedar/juniper, oak and ash. The grass season starts around May 1.

The most explosive is usually the tree season when you go from no symptoms to acute symptoms, said Dr. Leonard Altman, with Northwest Asthma and Allergy Clinic. About 90 percent of the people who suffer will self medicate before going to a doctor, but the choices of over-the-counter drugs are limited.

Claritin (generic name is loratadine) is the only over-the-counter medicine that is non-sedating, and it does not carry restrictions on driving or while operating heavy machinery. Benadryl is not a smart choice, Altman said. It impairs performance and makes you sleepy.

Afrin or other over-the-counter nasal sprays work great and take away the congestion, but since allergy seasons can go on for months it can be addicting, Altman said. If an over-the-counter drug fails, you need to get a prescription-type medication.

Flonase (Fexofenadine) and Allegra (Fluticasone propionate) are both effective, but available in prescription form only, according to Altman. Both have gone down in price and are available in generic form.

There is one place in the outdoors where a person can get away from hay fever, and that is on the water, Altman said. Pollen will travel about a couple of miles out to sea, so if you go beyond that you may find relief.

Winter took toll on Mount St. Helens elk

The elk population around the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area took a nosedive this past winter, but not enough to limit hunting opportunities next season.

A final elk-mortality survey determined that 63 elk succumbed to winter conditions, which represents about 10 percent of the 629 live elk counted in the area last December. The survey area, which includes the volcanic mudflow, serves as an index of what's happening in the entire 2,773-acre area that supports more than 13,000 elk.

"While higher than in most years, the "winter kill" of elk on the mudflow is consistent with elk-mortality rates elsewhere in the state during harsh winters," said Brian Calkins, a state regional wildlife manager.

The highest mortality levels were recorded there in 1999, when survey teams counted 79 animals who had died as a result of cold weather and poor forage.

"Early snowfall and cold temperatures last winter, followed by the late arrival of spring weather, was hard on elk and other animals throughout the state," Calkins said. "Providing adequate forage for elk on the mudflow is especially challenging, because the area habitat is still recovering from the 1980 eruption."

State Fish and Wildlife reopened hunting in the area in 2004 and has issued more hunting permits in areas around the mudflow this year.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission recently adopted a new ruling in which 30 special-hunt permits were added in the Mount St. Helens area to address concerns about the area's ability to sustain the size of the local elk herd.

Notes

• The West End Sportsman Club in Forks on the Olympic Peninsula is hosting a Kids Fishing Day at 6 a.m. May 7 at the Bogachiel Hatchery Rearing Ponds. Open for kids ages 12 and under with a five-fish limit. Details: 800-443-6757 or 360-374-2531 or www.forkswa.com.

• The Orvis Company at 911 Bellevue Way N.E. is offering free fly-fishing seminars in May, which includes high Cascades trout and sea-run cutthroat fly-fishing and fly-tying demos. There also will be free casting analysis by Don Simonson on May 7. Details: 425-452-9138.

• The Northend Bass Club meeting is 7 p.m. May 7 at the Crystal Creek Café, 22620 Bothell — Everett Highway in Canyon Park. Guest speaker is Dan Johnson from Sniper Lures. Details: 206-789-4259 or e-mail Gary Millard at glmillard@comcast.net.

• The Seattle Poggie Fishing Club is offering salmon-fishing classes Thursday evenings, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. from May 4 to June 1, at the Ballard N.W. Senior Center, 5429 32nd N.W. Cost is $60, and $30 for each added family member. Proceeds benefit sending kids to summer camp. Details: 206-364-6361 or www.seattlepoggies.com.

• The West Point Light Station in Discovery Park will be open to the public May 6, May 20 and May 27, and June 10. This is the first time it has been open to the public in 15 years. Discovery Park staff will be available from noon to 4 p.m. to answer questions. Details: 206-386-9110 or e-mail Anne Bentley at anne.bentley@seattle.gov.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com