Managing Wildlife Populations
Bighorn Sheep: District 3 management personnel conducted multiple mark-resight surveys in the Asotin herd over the past two weeks with the goal of generating a population estimate. Poor weather (mostly blizzard like conditions) limited the effectiveness of two of four surveys. While conducting these surveys, one deceased collared ewe was detected. This ewe was in terrain that was very difficult to access. Biologists Stewart, Vekasy, Wik, and Technician Lowrimore in cooperation with Idaho Department of Fish and Game Research Biologist Cassirer retrieved the carcass whole and transported it to a trail where the carcass could be transported to Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Stewart and Lowrimore located, identified, and recorded bighorn sheep in the Black Butte and Redbird subpopulations, Idaho, and Washington. 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.
Ferruginous Hawk Monitoring: Assistant District Biologist Vekasy continued monitoring historic and recently installed hawk nest platforms. No new platforms have been occupied this season except two platforms that were occupied in the first year of the project. All historic sites are occupied except for one that has been vacant now for three years. A territory with a tree nest that was re-occupied last year after a ten-year absence is active again this year. So far, platform installation has only been successful in stabilizing occupancy and nest success in previously marginal territories.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
New Restrooms at Chief Joseph Wildlife Area: Capital Asset Management Program (CAMP) has been working to replace two fiberglass toilets at the Chief Joseph Wildlife Area with new concrete models. This has been in the works for several years and they are finally being installed.
Access Manager Heimgartner reported that CAMP completed the installation of two new CXT restrooms on the Chief Joseph Wildlife Area. One is at the upper Joseph Creek campground and the other is near the old schoolhouse. Both have wastewater alarms installed which is a first for us. Asotin County required installation of the alarms.
Spring Turkey Camp: Natural Resource Technician Harris assisted with running the 2023 Mentored Spring Turkey Camp in Newport hosted by WDFW, First Hunt Foundation, and National Wild Turkey Federation.
Access Area Openings: North Region 1 Access Manager Dziekan opened access areas for the 2023 lowland lake opener. His duties included lots of cleaning bathrooms and picking up litter. All his access areas have been serviced and are now ready for public use.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
Wolf Conflict: Natural Resource Technician Harris, Wildlife Conflict Specialist Bennett, and Sergeant Bahrenburg conducted a depredation investigation on a calf mortality in Stevens County. After investigating, they determined that the calf died from injuries sustained in a confirmed wolf depredation event. Due to overlap in several pack territories, they were unable to determine which pack was responsible for the depredation. Harris and Bennett deployed three Foxlights in the pasture to deter wolves. Harris assisted Bennett and Biologist Roussin to collar a wolf that was captured in a leghold trap in the pasture where the depredation occurred.
Cougar Concern: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Kolb responded to a complaint of a cougar defecating in a Walla Walla County homeowner’s yard. The homeowner believed it was a cougar because one was rumored to have been in the area over a year ago. After responding to the call and investigating the scat the homeowner was concerned with, Kolb determined the area was being used by multiple raccoons as a latrine site. The homeowner did say they enjoy watching the raccoons walk around the yard. Advice was provided.
Anatone Producer Meeting: Regional Director Pozzanghera, Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna, Wolf Biologist Spence, Officer Delp and Wildlife Conflict Specialist Wade attended a meeting in Anatone to discuss recent wolf activity. Wade followed up with producers after the meeting. All the feedback from the producers was positive and they appreciated the chance to ask the team questions and express their concerns with the recent influx in wolf activity.
Turkey Habitat Project: Private Lands Biologist Hadley performed a site visit on a turkey habitat project where broadleaves were inter-seeded into a grass stand and cottonwood trees were planted. Evidence of germination of the seed was observed and the trees were starting to leaf out. Hadley spot mowed where dense areas of weeds were forming and watered the trees.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Chief Joseph Weed Control: Wildlife Area Manager Dice sprayed a 15-acre field on Saturday with a tractor and boom sprayer to control common mullein and other broad leaf weeds growing in a field of predominantly native grass. The grass was seeded years ago by the former wildlife area manager as a demonstration site for the tri-state weed management area. The mullein was simply getting out of control.
Biologist Palmer and Natural Resource Technician Zueger conducted a Department of Ecology permitted field burn, eliminating dead plant material from a six-acre wildlife food plot. Agricultural Field Lessee Garris assisted with preparation by disking a dirt safety perimeter around the burn site. He also stood by with his tractor and disk during the burning to ensure the fire didn’t spread beyond the planned boundaries. This field is now prepared for cultivating and then replanting.
Field Spraying at the 4-O Ranch Wildlife Area: Wildlife Area Manager Dice sprayed 53 acres with glyphosate herbicide at the lower Bucannon fields on Thursday. The spraying is the first step for eventually seeding these fields to orchard grass. We have spent several years attempting to get a cover crop of grass growing on these fields. Covid 19 and associated work restrictions set us back two years, because we could not make timely applications of herbicide to prepare a seedbed. A seeding of alfalfa that was completed in fall 2021 failed due to frost heaving. Our plan is to plant the orchard grass in the next week or so and hope we get enough spring and summer moisture for it to survive and thrive.
Deer Exclosures: Natural Resource Technician Harris assisted the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Ducks Unlimited to build a deer exclosures on a property in the wetland reserve program in Pend Oreille County. The exclosures will protect shrub seedlings from deer and elk browsing.
Invasive Grass Species Test Plots: Wildlife Area Manager Finch and Bureau of Land Management Spokane District Biologist Lowe were out to measure and divide three herbicide test plots. This work was conducted prior to a contractor and Botanist Emerich, who will be out to measure the plots for pretreatment. The goal is to determine the best and most economical post-emergence herbicide to treat invasive grasses while doing minimal damage to the native grasses and forbs. The plan is to use four different types of herbicides and Emerich will measure and document species prior to the treatment and post treatment which will be sometime early this July.
Providing Education and Outreach
Creston School Outdoor Science Grant: Wildlife Area Manager Finch, Habitat Biologist Mackelvie and Outreach and Environmental Specialist Eckenrod were out on Friday to meet the Creston 7th and 8th grade classes to work on their science grant. The classes came out in two different groups, one hour apart. This broke up the large group into two separate ones for the project instructions. Each class started with an orientation in the Swanson Lakes office. Finch gave the history of the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area project and its relationship to the Bonneville Power Administration. Mackelvie spoke about the area’s plant diversity and provided detailed information about sage brush. Finch also gave a brief fire history and habitat restoration update to each class. Eckenrod helped the kids with their project and led a nature walk to help identify plants species.
The Wildlife Society Presentation: Biologist Turnock presented at the Washington Chapter of the Wildlife Society’s annual conference in Centralia. The presentation was on survey work that has been conducted over the last two years for renewing our knowledge of bog lemming distribution within the state. The work was conducted with funding from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the information gathered was included as part of a Species Status Assessment compiled by the USFWS.
Conducting Business Operations and Policy
Wildlife Chemical Immobilization Training: Wildlife Biologists Prince and Turnock took a two-day chemical immobilization training from Dr. Mark Johnson with Global Wildlife Resources.
General Facilities and Equipment Maintenance and Repairs: This week a CAMP road construction crew and Construction Project Supervisor Hilton came with three dump trucks to work on the one-mile length of road leading to the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area office. The work began on Tuesday morning with the trucks hauling out of Copenhaver Construction gravel pit just one mile west of Wilbur. It was decided that the road surface might perform better with one-and-a-quarter inch of material to the shop location and then from the shop to the office area using five-eighths minus. Hilton was able to give the road a crown in the center for better drainage and widen the road to the original width. Hilton also recommended limiting the speed people drive. This would make road maintenance much easier. Finch ordered four speed limit signs from the Washington State Department of Transportation that will limit speeds to 15 mph. They will be posted along the route to the office. It would be good practice to have their crew stop by annually when they are working in the area to grade it.
Other
Cougar Collaring, Kalispel Tribe: Biologist McCarty and Officer Copenhaver assisted with the collaring of a cougar near Newman Lake that was tracked and captured for research by the Kalispel Tribe.
W. T. Wooten Wildlife Area Wildlife Plantings: Wildlife Area Manager Dingman picked up seed from Clearwater Seed to plant the Hartsock food plot this spring. Natural Resource Worker Jensen used the all-terrain vehicle to drag the food plot and remove the dead vegetation in preparation for planting. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation gave us snowberry bushes. Natural Resource Workers Tritt and Jensen planted them along the edge of the food plot at the wildlife area headquarters. They also planted some pine trees in Campground 4 to try to replace the trees that were recently cut down by a member of the public.