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Southwest Washington
Wildlife Reports
January
14, 2008
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Snow
and ice conditions hampered elk survey efforts. |
Region
5 Wildlife Areas
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area Elk Monitoring: Wildlife Area Manager
Calkins counted 439 elk using the Wildlife Area on January 7th. Efforts to count
elk the previous week were hampered by weather and road closures when SR 504
was closed at milepost 28 for several days due to snow and ice conditions. Snow
was present on the day of the survey with estimated depths of one inch at 1000
feet, five inches at 2000 feet, and eight inches at 2500 feet. With only a small
amount of snow covering the wildlife area, elk were seen feeding on grasses
with apparent little difficulty. The photo at right shows a portion of the wildlife
area was taken from the Weyerhaeuser Forest Learning Center during the survey.
Shillapoo Wildlife Area Vancouver Tornado Narrowly Misses Shillapoo: While the damage reported last week due to a tornado that struck parts of Vancouver and Clark County was all East of Vancouver Lake, there was a narrow swath of damage on the West side of the lake as well. Damage on this side of the lake included: part of an old hay shed and breakage of several large trees on Port of Vancouver Property. This swath of the damage was only 1,000 feet South of the large heron rookery on the South Unit, pointing out how vulnerable some of our critical wildlife sites are and the importance of protecting and enhancing other sites to provide future habitat if current features are lost due to natural disaster or other factors.
Oregon Brittany Club Presentation: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins spoke at the annual meeting of the Oregon Brittany Club in Boring, Oregon. The presentation covered management of the Shillapoo Wildlife Area, ongoing projects, and rules and opportunities pertaining to dog training and field trials. The most interesting point of discussion was generated by a question from the group concerning the use of horses in dog training. Calkins explained that there is no prohibition on horses on the Wildlife Area but in many areas it would be impractical due to the fencing needed to manage grazing programs. This is an activity that we have discussed recently with the Citizen Advisory Group who recommended that we not prohibit horses but suggested that we should not encourage horse use either.
Klickitat Wildlife Area Volunteer Recognition: Wildlife Area Manager VanLeuven would like to recognize and thank all the volunteers who helped accomplish many projects at the Klickitat Wildlife Area in 2007. These people contributed time, effort, and expertise to make things happen on the Wildlife Area, which has limited resources. These activities and projects are important to help foster quality wildlife-oriented recreation on WDFW lands, as well as enhancing habitat for wildlife.
Cowlitz Wildlife Area Wildlife Area staff have been conducting winter waterfowl surveys. In addition, staff have been documenting abandoned vehicles and garbage dumping by several individuals. Information has been recorded and is being forwarded to Law Enforcement for action.
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| Ring-necked ducks foraging on the pond at the western end of Beacon Rock State Park. |
Game
Management Division
Mid-winter waterfowl surveys: Biologist Holman completed the
mid-winter waterfowl survey from the mouth of the Washougal River, up the Columbia
to Bonneville dam. The results of the survey tallied: 1,626 ducks (primarily
scaup on the Columbia River) and 683 Canada geese (mostly westerns). This year's
survey included nearly identical numbers of geese but roughly 25% more ducks
compared to the 2007 survey. The Columbia River attracts a wide variety of wintering
waterfowl. The photo at right shows ring-necked ducks foraging on the pond at
the western end of Beacon Rock State Park.
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