Wildlife Program report: Feb. 1-15, 2025
This report summarizes recent, noteworthy activities of Wildlife Program field and headquarters staff, arranged by four divisions: Game, Lands, Science, and Wildlife Diversity, and six regions: Eastern, North Central, South Central, North Puget Sound, Southwest, and Coastal, including wildlife areas within those regions.
Managing Wildlife Populations
Bighorn Sheep Surveys: In preparation for upcoming bighorn sheep capture work, Biologist Heinlen recently classified 73 sheep on Mt. Hull, the best count since 2020. On a follow-up day, Biologists Heinlen and Fitkin found an additional 24 animals in the Riverside area; a group that is loosely connected to the Mt. Hull herd. In addition, staff members tested the efficacy of using thermal imaging equipment for locating sheep, particularly in areas where typical movement behavior is not well understood. Results looked promising in cold conditions for this notoriously cryptic species (see below).
Okanogan Mule Deer Monitoring: Biologist Heinlen and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Volunteer Fischer investigated a mortality signal from a mule deer doe radio collared in 2023. The deer was collared to monitor herd demographics. Cougar predation was determined to be the cause of death, and the radio collar was recovered. Location data from the radio collar showed a long migration from the Okanogan Valley northwest through the Pasayten Wilderness and into British Columbia, Canada.
Sharp-tailed Grouse Monitoring: Biologist Heinlen got a count of 34 Sharp-tailed grouse foraging in the water birch trees in the Siwash area. This is a higher count than the spring lek surveys which indicates there are more lek sites in the area than what is documented.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Hunter Access: Biologist Morris maintained and continued monitoring corn stubble fields enrolled in the Hunt by Reservation system for upland bird and waterfowl hunting seasons. Most bird seasons end in January, and these hunt by reservation sites close January 26th.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
Elk Issues: Specialist Heilhecker received a call about elk in the Wauconda area. The livestock producer has a current damage prevention cooperative agreement and had previously harvested an elk using a landowner kill permit. The producer wanted to discuss options for harvesting additional elk. They discussed damage permits, using master hunters to haze elk, and the potential for the Colville Tribe to harvest elk.
Depredation Permits to Address Deer Damage: Specialist Bridges re-issued several permits to landowners experiencing continued depredation to fruit trees in the Malaga and Wenatchee Valley areas.
Deer Concerns: Specialist Heilhecker received a request for fencing material to keep deer out of orchards. She explained to the caller that the agency would have a better idea of the fencing budget in the spring once the legislative session ends.
Cost Share Fencing Agreements: Specialist Bridges finalized four fencing contracts and assisted with ordering and delivering material.
Providing Education and Outreach
Communication with Cattle Producers: Specialist Heilhecker spoke with a couple of livestock producers who have access to the wolf collar program. She updated them on a new collar that was added to a pack.
Conducting Business Operations and Policy
Grazing Lease Management: Supervisory Rickel and Specialist Heilhecker participated in a meeting to discuss grazing on WDFW lands and non-lethal deterrence measures to mitigate livestock-wolf interactions.
Wildlife Conflict Coordination Meeting: Supervisory Rickel and Specialist Heilhecker attended the bi-monthly wildlife conflict call.
Data Entry: Specialist Heilhecker recorded elk harvest data for landowners who used landowner kill permits. She added the recent elk landowner damage calls into Spillman.
Managing Wildlife Populations
Bat Hibernacula Surveys: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole, Scientific Technician Ogburn, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Bat Specialist Tobin conducted winter bat counts and testing for Pd (Pseudogymnoascus destructan), the fungus known to cause white-nose syndrome.
Yakima Herd Elk Surveys: District 8 Biologists Wampole and Ogburn and Statewide Ungulate Specialist Moore conducted aerial counts of elk for the Yakima herd. Surveys are conducted on alternating years and provide an estimate of population size and age-sex compositions. In addition to examining trends across time and harvest rates, this information is used to help assess whether management goals are being met and to provide baseline information to guide harvest guidelines in the coming seasons.
L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Elk: The L.T. Murray Wildlife Area crew members worked with District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole to conduct concurrent elk counts on feed sites and aerially. Elk numbers were at the highest for the year on the feed sites.
L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Whiskey Dick Gates: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and Assistant Manager Winegeart attempted to reach the interior gates of the Whiskey Dick winter habitat protection area but were stopped by irregular snow depths and icy roads. One of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area team will try again in March.
Region 3 Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole, Scientific Technician Ogburn, and Conflict Specialist Wetzel continue opportunistic sampling of deer and elk for CWD. No positive detections have occurred in the district.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
Parke Creek Elk - Pilot Study: District 8 Biologist Wampole, Region 3 Wildlife Program Manager Huffman, and Region 3 Regional Director Livingston met with invested parties to present an update on WDFW actions to address elk-human conflict in the Parke Creek area associated with SB 5784.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Wenas Wildlife Area – Volunteer Target Shooting Trash Collection: Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame collected 320 lbs. of target shooting trash picked up from WDFW volunteer members.
Wenas Wildlife Area – Grazing: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Gray met with a lessee regarding his grazing permit on 104 acres of Cleman Mountain. They went over last year’s lease for monthly use and processed a final payment. The lease is meeting its objective of promoting effective relationships with landowners, reducing potential fencing impacts, and accomplishing modest fuel reduction. Gray also started working with another lessee on a new crossing permit that is being proposed to be issued this summer as a temporary crossing permit on the Legoman site near Barber Springs Rd.
Providing Education and Outreach
Oak Creek Volunteer Presentation: District 8 Biologist Wampole and Scientific Technician Ogburn presented at the Friends of Oak Creek volunteer meeting on how disease is transforming wildlife management in the district. The presentation included information on current actions to monitor for CWD in the district and an update on the ongoing Test and Remove study to address Movi in Bighorn Sheep populations.
L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Elk Day: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Nass hosted the Ellensburg chapter of the Back Country Horsemen on a volunteer/educational experience during elk feeding.
Finley Elementary School: District 4 Assistant Wildlife Biologist Hoffman hosted a table at the Finley Elementary Community Fair where students and their families could learn about wildlife in Washington State.
Other
L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Shop Maintenance: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart replaced a bad motor on the shop 17 inch drill press. Winegeart also worked with WDFW Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Habitat Biologist Meyer to install ski runners and track mats on District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole’s snowmobile trailer. The trailer is shared between Meyer, Wampole, and the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area staff members.
Managing Wildlife Populations
East Columbia Gorge Mule Deer Habitat Use and Migration Study Update: Biologists Bergh, Wickhem, Ott, and Conflict Specialist Jacobson have been hard at work this month retrieving dropped GPS collars deployed for the Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors project launched back in 2021. Starting in January 2021, 80 female mule deer in Klickitat County were equipped with GPS collars to monitor survival rates, habitat use, and movement patterns. With the cooperation of landowners, the team has picked up 35 collars in the past month.
This project focuses on the East Columbia Gorge Mule Deer Management Zone (ECG MDMZ) in south-central Washington, where mule deer populations have shown a long-term decline. Prior to this study, critical data on winter habitat use and migration corridors were lacking. The study aims to provide data for defining herd boundaries, migration corridors, and habitat use areas. This information will support habitat management efforts, guide planning amidst development pressures, enhance mule deer population modeling, and inform conservation and restoration activities. Results have been published for the first two years of collar data in Volume 4 of the United States Geological Survey’s Ungulate Migrations of the Western US. The project was largely funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of Interior.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sincerely appreciates the cooperation of local landowners who have granted WDFW access to their properties for this work. Their support is essential to the success of this work and contributes significantly to advancing effective conservation efforts.
Bat Hibernacula Surveys: Biologists Wickhem, Ott, Stephens, Holman, and Fidorra, White-nose Syndrome Coordinator Tobin, staff members from the U.S. Forest Service, staff members from Bat Conservation International, and several volunteer members took part in the annual survey of bat hibernacula in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and surrounding private lands. The teams hiked and snowshoed to access more than 40 caves over a two-week period, including several caves that have not been surveyed in decades. The goal of the surveys was to count and identify the species of bats roosting in each cave. When bats were found and within reach, they were directly swabbed to test for the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. These surveys are part of a larger effort to survey a portion of the more than 600 caves within the Gifford Pinchot to see which support hibernating bats, especially Townsend’s big-eared bats, which are a Washington Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SCGN) and a Priority Species under WDFW’s Priority Habitats and Species Program. Thanks to Biologist Tobin for her organizational focus, many outdoor skills, attention to safety as well as biosecurity to address potential transmission of white-nose syndrome, knowledge of all things bats, and overall leadership on this large-scale effort.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Snow and Ice: Water access area staff members have encountered snow and ice at Klickitat and Lewis counties in the last few weeks making it challenging to safely navigate and inspect water access areas. Natural Resource Specialist Celaya encountered up to 7 feet of snow, and a thick frozen layer of ice on the road into the town of Mineral Lake. This made the drive very precarious, and slow going. Fortunately, and for obvious reasons, the site appeared to be unused and clean.
Spears Pond Viewing Platform: The Cowlitz Wildlife Area staff members have installed a bench and a dual viewing scope pedestal overlooking the Spears Unit mill pond. The viewing platform is intended to be ADA accessible, though some additional work remains. The platform can be reached via the Spears Unit parking area along a short flat trail (about 450 feet) that starts at the kiosk and heads south away from the parking area. The pond provides abundant wildlife viewing opportunities.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Prescribed Burning: Cowlitz Wildlife Area staff members, along with assistance from regional staff members, conducted a prescribed burn on forage fields within the Davis Lake Unit. Approximately 20 acres were successfully burned of the 48 acres permitted by the Department of Natural Resources. The remaining permitted acreage will be burned as weather conditions allow. Prescribed burning is being incorporated into the Cowlitz Wildlife Area’s Integrated Vegetation Managment program and will be expanded to other portions of the Wildlife Area to improve wildlife habitat.
Spears Pond at Full Pool: The Spears Pond project, which began in 2021, was completed in 2023. In April of last year, the Cowlitz Wildlife Area staff members began pumping water into the 27-acre Spears mill pond using the new 900gpm pump infrastructure. By May 2024, the pond was at full pool and the Cowlitz Wildlife Area was able to maintain the pond at stable levels throughout the summer. Stable ponds provide habitat for local wildlife, foster vibrant ecosystems, and enhance biodiversity. The Spears Pond Project will restore this crucial stability, supporting a flourishing natural habitat.
Reducing Fuel Loads for Forest Health: As part of a multi-year forest health project, Klickitat Wildlife Area Manager Holman and State Foresters successfully completed the final phase of a commercial thinning effort by burning large slash piles. Over the course of two days, approximately 100 tons of wood were safely burned, reducing hazardous fuel loads and improving overall forest resilience. Prior to burning the piles, wood collection permits were issued to local residents who requested one, ensuring the public benefited from this opportunity to collect up to three cords of free firewood for personal use.
