Managing Wildlife Populations
Vegetation Sampling and Bighorn Sheep Surveys: Region Biologist Stewart assisted University of Idaho Ph.D. Student Huggler and Technician Lowrimore with sampling plant coverage and diversity near Asotin for use in estimating nutritional carrying capacity for bighorn sheep. Additionally, Stewart located, identified, and recorded bighorn sheep in the Asotin subpopulation. These data are collected to better understand the basic demographics of the herds, develop long-term trends in lamb survival, and detect mortality events reasonably soon after they occur.
Golden Eagle Monitoring: Assistant District Biologist Vekasy visited numerous golden eagle territories to determine breeding status. In addition, Vekasy reported incidental observations on six bald eagle territories, including new nesting occurrences on the Touchet and Walla Walla rivers.
Ferruginous Hawk Monitoring: Assistant District Biologist Vekasy visited numerous ferruginous hawk territories to determine early occupancy status. Only two territories had birds present so far this season.
Chronic Wasting Disease Operations: Natural Resource Technician Heitstuman recovered a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sample from a severe roadkill in the Dayton area. The Clarkston WDFW Office is being notified by the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) of road killed deer and elk in the area. Some CWD samples can be taken at the DOT carcass pits.
Heitstuman checked local pits for CWD samples. Supervisor Jeff Wade and Heitstuman followed up on a report for a potential CWD infected deer at a private residence in the city of Clarkston. The homeowner reported the deer had left prior to WDFW arrival.
Culvert Siting Inspection: Sherman Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Palmer inspected the site of a ford on an unnamed tributary to the Little Spokane River, at Rustlers Gulch Wildlife Area on Mar. 22, 2023. He wanted to see if the site was accessible before he joins two habitat biologists on Mar. 27, 2023, to again inspect the site. Palmer found the ford easily accessible by foot, as the snow has mostly disappeared since his last visit a few weeks prior.
Bighorn Sheep Mark-Resight Survey: Assistant District Biologist Vekasy and Bighorn Biologist Stewart located, identified, and recorded bighorn sheep along a predetermined route within the Mountain View and Wenaha subpopulations, Washington, Oregon. These data are collected to estimate population abundance and determine herd demographics.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Access Area Maintenance: Access Manager Daniel Dziekan was at Eloika Lake and reported a huge chunk of ice and rock that was left over from the county’s plowing efforts. Dziekan was able to get the parking areas and most of the pathways cleared. Access areas remain slow, even slower than last week since the ice is receding from the shore. People can’t get boats in the water yet but there is not enough ice to walk on. Liberty Lake is completely clear of ice which seems to be an anomaly. The snow is completely melted at Newman Lake and Dziekan was as able to get about three quarters of the lot blown clean before it started raining. He will be back to finish that work next week.
Tucannon Lakes: Natural Resource Technician Tritt and Natural Resource Worker Jensen continued checking the lakes and fish screens to make sure everything was working properly. Wildlife Area Manager Dingman continued working on the Hydraulic Project Approval application for the Beaver Lake Inlet to be able to keep water flowing into Beaver and Watson lakes this summer. All staff members worked together to remove the old boardwalk that extended out over what was once the bottom drain for Spring Lake. It had become an attractive nuisance and was dangerous for the public.
W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area Campgrounds and Parking Areas: Natural Resource Technician Tritt and Natural Resource Worker Jensen cleaned up trash in the campgrounds, parking areas, and shooting range. They bucked up an illegally felled tree and burned brush piles in Campground 10 and cleaned up trash along the roadside in the Panjab area. They picked up an abandoned lawnmower from a parking area on the Hartsock Unit. A fire ring that had been stolen and located in Dayton was returned to the Wooten Wildlife Area and placed in Campground 4.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
Lincoln Heights, Moose: Wildlife Control Specialist had several emails and calls regarding two moose in Rockwood Retirement Community for approximately one week. Wildlife Control Specialist McCarty sent information to Officer Copenhaver and Officer Leonetti for review. Officer Langbehn approved capture and relocation which Wildlife Control Specialist McCarty assisted.
Columbia County Washington State University Extension Service: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Kolb conducted a meeting with the current director of the Columbia County Washington State University Extension Service. Information was passed on existing cost-sharing programs as well as general information on carnivore and ungulate mitigation strategies. Kolb left several handouts and fliers for the office to distribute to producers.
United States Forest Service Annual Coordination Meeting/ Range Manger Contact: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Wade took part in the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) Annual Coordination meeting. Wade gave a wildlife conflict update to the group regarding wolves in Garfield and Asotin counties. Wade was also in contact with USFS Range Manger Duffle to give a wolf update and to discuss grazing questions.
Asotin County Wolf Activity: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Wade continued to have daily check-ins with the Asotin County Cattleman’s Association President and multiple producers regarding recent wolf activity. Wade traveled to the Anatone area to check for signs of wolf activity. Wade met with one producer in the area to discuss the recent activity and to deliver more FoxLights. Wade had a call from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Brown to discuss wolf movements and to share information regarding a group of wolves that are regularly traveling across the state line. Wade was also in contact with Wolf Biologist Spence to discuss ongoing activity and share information.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Chief Joseph Wildlife Area Lands: Blake Rimmelspacher went to the 4-O Ranch to check on the fence that surrounds the Bucannon field and checked the field for runoff damage. The fence will need to be repaired but the field looks to be in good shape. He returned to the shop to help work on the disk for farming this spring. After repairs, Blake and Dave took the disk up to Joseph Creek for spring work. They cleaned up scrap metal around the shop and mowed some of last year’s food plot fields before spring planting takes place.
Habitat Restoration Projects: Natural Resource Technicians Harris and Janowski had a meeting with Ducks Unlimited to discuss potential involvement on a current Natural Resource Conservation Service Wetland Reserve Program restoration project.
Revere Wildlife Area Habitat Project: Private Lands Biologist Gaston and Natural Resources Technician Nizer assisted Revere Wildlife Area Manager Finch and the Inland Empire Chapter of Pheasants Forever with preparing some of their wildlife habitat plots. Gaston and Nizer took their tractor to Revere Wildlife Area and disced some of the habitat plots to prepare them for planting. Pheasants Forever will plan to seed the plots with native grasses and plant trees and shrubs in the plots to help with wildfire recovery efforts on the property.
Revere Wildlife Area: Wildlife Area Manager Mike Finch continued to work with Pheasant Forever Gruenke in more detailed planning prior to the April 1, and April 2, planting date. The list of volunteers is growing for the 2-day project as part of the Wager Fire Recovery efforts. Finch purchased some of the elemental sulfur to lower soil pH from Wilbur Ellis this week, prior to the Apr. 1 planting date at Revere Wildlife Area. Plants Of The Wild Nursery delivered the shrubs that Finch ordered in November to the Revere Wildlife Area. Gruenke brought out several other Pheasant Forever members to help lay out everything prior to the project date. Finch and Private Lands Biologist Baarstad hauled the tractor with a three-point auger from the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area to Revere to stage before the project starts. Finch ordered approximately 650 plants from two nurseries. Next week, Finch will be going to Derby Canyon Natives in Peshastin to get the rest of the plants for the Revere project. Below is a photo taken of one of the planting sites at the Ducks Unlimited, phase one portion of the recent Duck Stamp Project.
Grassland Range Drill: The Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area and the Wells Wildlife Area recently ordered one 12’ Truax grassland drill for each project and that were delivered this week prior to the March 31 due date. Both drills were purchased with Bonneville Power Administration funds. Since the drills were heavier than expected, Wildlife Area Manager Finch asked a local farmer to help unload the drill from the truck with two pieces of equipment. Finch and Baarstad will be towing the drill ten miles back to the office next week. For now, the drill is sitting in safe equipment yard with the farmer’s other equipment.
Revere Planting: Natural Resource Technician Nizer coordinated with Pheasants Forever chapter of Spokane to help with a planting event that will take place at Revere Wildlife Area on April 1. Nizer will be representing WDFW and helping with managing volunteers at the planting site.
Seed Contribution: Private Lands Biologist Hadley met with members of the Blue Mountain Pheasants Forever chapter and discussed future habitat collaborations and projects. The chapter paid for one hundred pounds of upland seed grass mix currently on order for this spring’s habitat projects.
Bluebird Nest Box Relocation: Biologist Woodall and Natural Resource Technician Rimmelspacher spent a day up on Smoothing Iron Ranch removing mountain bluebird boxes off a fence before the bluebirds can claim them because the old fence needs to be demolished. They moved the boxes to other suitable locations where there would be no reconstruction disturbance. They plan to come back later and hang new boxes, once constructed, in the original locations. While in the area they looked at work projects for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation volunteer work party weekend. Blake also put out salt for the elk on some salting areas that had been depleted.
Boat-Cleaning Units Delivered: The four CD3 Systems self-contained, solar-powered boat cleaning stations for access areas in Region 1 have arrived. These units showed up a couple days early and offloading them was a bit tricky. They are currently stored at the shop at Region 1 headquarters, until they can be deployed to assigned sites later this spring.
Revere Wildlife Area: Wildlife Area Manager Finch and Pheasant Forever Habitat Chairman Mike Gruenke worked with volunteers at Revere Wildlife Area to get the 940 trees and shrubs from Plants Of The Wild and Derby Canyon Natives in to start the rebuilding effort of habitat due to destruction from the Wagner Road Fire that took out several existing shrub plantings. The focus was on the Phase 1 portion of the Duck Stamp Wetland Project and using more fire-resistant species. The planting went excellent with approximately 30 volunteers from Pheasant Forever members to Master Hunters and Washington State University students interested in wildlife conservation and getting outdoors to plant trees and shrubs. All the plantings were enclosed with cattle panels to protect them from browsing and matting as a weed barrier. Most of the work was completed by noon on Sunday but then the clean-up and making sure the tools were returned to those that brought them still needed to be done. The oldest person to sign up and work the two-day project was 81 years young. This project is the start of rebuilding from the Wagner Road fire that occurred last on Aug. 18 at the Revere Wildlife Area. The next focus will be on reseeding the utility easements and replacing the damaged poles.
Conducting Business Operations and Policy
District 1 Damage Permit and 3-Year Season Setting Meeting: Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna participated in the damage permit and season setting meeting. McCanna provided updates on the Landowner Hunting Permit program and other hunting access concerns. The group will be meeting again to set up an antlerless elk area in the Fruitland area.
District 2 Damage Permit and 3-Year Season Setting Meeting: Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna facilitated the District 2 damage permit and season setting meeting. The meeting went well with no upcoming changes.
Other
Human-Carnivore Interaction Response Training: Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna, Wildlife Conflict Specialists Bennett, Kolb, McCarty, Samsill, and Wade and Technicians Harris and Janowski attended the three-day training in Moses Lake.