Managing Wildlife Populations
Grouse Wing/Tail Collection Barrels: Biologist Murphie has collected 24 samples from the Mill 5 and George Adams barrels deposited by hunters since the grouse season opened on Sept. 15. Biologist Cent also continues to collect wing and tail samples collected by grouse hunters.
Sooty Grouse Survey Routes: In preparation for the next sooty grouse survey season, Biologist Murphie established survey routes in (Game Management Units) GMUs 621, 636, and 651. Biologist Cent also finalized routes for the upcoming sooty grouse surveys.
Elk Season Opener: Biologist Novack worked the modern firearm elk season opener in GMU 672. Morning weather was abysmal with high winds and hard rain. There were no harvests reported nor seen by those contacted.
Westside Deer and Elk Management: Biologists Butler and Tirhi met with other biologists, managers, and research staff members involved with managing westside deer and elk populations. This coordination meeting began with a discussion covering current management and monitoring methods for black-tailed deer and the western Washington elk herds. The meeting’s goal was to discuss current and future monitoring priorities and begin to strategize monitoring and management needs relative to cost for western Washington black-tailed deer and elk herds. Additional meetings will follow.
Dusky Canada Goose Surveys: Biologist Cent and Novack conducted dusky goose surveys. Limited numbers of dusky Canada geese were seen.
Presumed Avian Influenza in Geese: Biologist Cent visited a property near Elma and observed about 100 dead and dying cacklers. Additional reports of dead and dying cacklers were reported within a few miles of this location.
Game Management Plan and Three-Year Season Setting: Biologist Murphie has participated in several meetings and discussions related to Game Management Plan (GMU) revisions and three-year season setting work.
Mazama Pocket Gopher: Biologists Butler, Tirhi, Cent, and Rolls, other Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff members, and trained volunteers finished the 2023 Mazama pocket gopher survey effort this past week. The Mazama pocket gopher was listed as state threatened and the sub-species within Pierce and Thurston counties were listed as federally threatened with loss of habitat being a main driver of its decline.
This year’s survey efforts focused on measuring the abundance of gophers at known locations using a relatively new survey method. This method involved biologists collecting the locations of all fresh mounds along set transects, which a model then uses to estimate gopher abundance. The field data collected this year is awaiting analysis. Biologist Murphie also participated in a pocket gopher survey training activity.
Fisher Study: Biologists Butler and Tirhi assisted District 13 staff members deploying a fisher scent station in Snohomish County this past week. Fishers are a member of the weasel family native to Washington’s forests. Due to over-trapping and habitat loss, fisher populations declined, and the species was listed as endangered by Washington State in 1998. In response, a fisher reintroduction project was established across the Olympic Peninsula and then the Cascade Mountain Range which released 279 fishers from Canada into Washington from 2008 to 2021. This year fisher scent stations were set up across the northern Cascades to monitor the distribution of fishers. The scent stations were set up in the fall with a trail camera and left over winter in hopes of attracting a fisher.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Processing Harvested Game and Hunter Outreach: Biologist Tirhi processed six bobcats, three cougar, and one bear in early November.
Biologist Tirhi assisted eight hunters by advising them on hunting access and opportunities in District 11. Tirhi provided them with maps and hunting prospects.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Protection Island Fieldwork: Technicians Magliaro, Martinez, and Norris, Wildlife Area Manager Laushman, and Research Biologist Pearson visited the Zella Schulz Unit of the North Olympic Wildlife Area on Protection Island. They treated invasive weeds, seeded native plants, and transplanted native dune grass to previously burned areas of the island utilized by rhinoceros auklets.
Elk River Unit Wetland: Biologist Novack and Cent worked with Lands Division staff members to initiate restoration of a wetland portion of the Elk River Unit. Willow stakes are being planted in an area dominated by reed canary grass.
Oregon Spotted Frog: Biologist Tirhi worked with WDFW Fish and Habitat Program staff members, Aquatic Species Restoration Plan (ASRP) advisors, and Wild Fish Conservancy NW to draft the first step of an ASRP funding request for the construction of two ponds at the Mima Creek Unit, Oregon spotted frog breeding site.
The project will include a hydrologic connector in a deep water Mima Creek tributary that will have the ability to control the water level in the ponds via a manual gate. Phase 2 will also include the installation of beaver dam analogs at two locations on Mima Creek. The $126K request thru ASRP will pay for the cultural review, permitting, engineering staff members time, and overhead to enable Phase 3, and build.
Bats: Biologist Tirhi met with Western State Hospital and their construction engineering consultants to further discuss a project on the hospital campus to demolish several buildings, one of which is occupied by a maternity colony of bats. Tirhi and the team met earlier in the year for WDFW consultation.
This meeting was to discuss the possibility that the demolition may be delayed and thus overlap the breeding season when bats have returned and are already in the building (and prepare contingency plans). Unfortunately, bat colonies within structures occupied by people or in the vicinity of people do not have the same legal protections as those elsewhere. With that, Tirhi only advised how to avoid impact to the colony if the project is delayed. This included opening up the structure at the colony site to expose the bats to light and cold and thereby entice the bats to leave before they begin bearing pups.
Providing Education and Outreach
Discovery Bay Field Trip: Wildlife Area Manager Laushman and Regional Communications Specialist Mire visited a middle school field trip at the Discovery Bay Unit. North Olympic Salmon Coalition staff members and volunteers taught seventh graders about healthy stream habitat and helped students create restoration plans for upcoming tree plantings at the unit.
General Wildlife Inquiries: Biologist Murphie responded to inquiries received by phone, email, and in person related to duck hunting, elk hunting, western pond turtles, deer, pig, bobcat sealing, and osprey nest removals.
District 11 Drone Project: Biologist Tirhi was approached by a University of Washington Tacoma senior computer programming team with a request to work with District11 on a drone project within the district. Tirhi met with the WDFW Drone Lead Jansen and the computer programing teams to brainstorm potential project ideas, including pond turtle, deer, and spotted frog monitoring. There will be more information to come.
Other
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Gate in Capital Forest: Biologist Novack found a DNR gate in Capitol Forest had been torn out, presumably during the modern firearm deer season. A note was sent to DNR enforcement staff members.