Managing Wildlife Populations
Oak Creek Wildlife Area Wildlife Safety Zone: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resource Worker O’Brien built and installed a new wildlife safety zone signpost. This sign informs hunters of the wildlife safety zone located directly around the Oak Creek Wildlife Area headquarters office and feed yard.
White Nose Syndrome Probiotic Bat Captures: District 4 Wildlife Biologists Fidorra and Hoffman, District 8 Wildlife Biologist Moore, and Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber assisted Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Bat Biologist Tobin with the capture and sampling of a maternity colony in the Sunnyside area. The team successfully captured approximately 60 new bats and recaptured 20 bats that were marked and sampled during previous efforts. This research effort is a novel approach to utilizing naturally occurring bacteria to reduce impact of the causative agent of white nose syndrome (WNS). One more capture event is planned for later this summer. Additionally, guano samples were collected and will be tested for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that is known to cause white-nose syndrome in bats.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Opener: It was chilly and windy but a beautiful day on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area for the May 1 elk closure opener. Around 120 vehicles lined up for the 6 a.m. rush through the gates at Joe Watt and Robinson Canyon, which yielded few antlers, but it was still a great time for people on horseback, all-terrain vehicles, bicycles, cars, and trucks.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
Central Washington University (CWU) Students in Taneum Creek: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison led geology students and members of AWRA (American Water Resources Association) on a field tour in the L.T. Murray’s Taneum Creek system. The field day objective was to learn about riparian projects implemented by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Yakama Nation Fisheries.
Whiskey Dick Creek Bird Count: Central Washington University Cultural and Environmental Resource Management graduate student started bird point count data in the Whiskey Dick Creek system for a thesis focused on shrubsteppe songbird response to fire-based vegetation response.
District 4 Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand had continued to conduct hazing activities near the border of the Hanford National Monument. Increasing numbers of animals are being observed entering wheatfields along the southern border of the monument.
District 4 Corral Canyon Elk Area Summer Bull Permits: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand prepared damage prevention permits (DPP) to be delivered to landowners in elk area 3721. These permits assist with pressuring elk away from valuable wheat crops during critical plant development. These permits were the first to be developed and issued from the new Damage Permit System platform.
District 4 Master Hunter and Special Permit Points Restoration: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand worked with Headquarters staff members on identifying which master hunters or special permit holders were not deployed on damage hunts, so their special hunting permit points could be restored.
District 4 Deceased Pronghorn: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received and responded to a report of a car/pronghorn antelope collision on Highway 221. No collar or ear tag was observed on the animal and biological information was collected and entered in Survey 123.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Wenas Wildlife Area Spring Weed Treatments: Wenas Wildlife Area staff members continue to treat the wildlife area for noxious weeds. This time of year, a common pest is the Scotch thistle. Preventing the encroachment of these noxious weeds is an essential aspect to maintaining the natural landscapes of the wildlife area.
Oak Creek Wildlife Area Noxious Weed Control: Noxious weed control continues on the Cowiche Unit of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet and Natural Resource Worker O’Brien continue spot spraying efforts to reduce the presence of Scotch thistle and other noxious weeds on Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife lands.
Oak Creek Wildlife Area Parking Area Maintenance: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resource Worker O’Brien filled potholes and raked gravel in parking lots on the Oak Creek Unit to improve parking areas. Assistant Manager Charlet sprayed parking lots on the Oak Creek Unit and Cowiche Unit for a wide variety of nonnative plant species. This effort reduces the risk of noxious weeds spreading onto Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lands and reduces wildfire risk by eliminating vegetation where vehicles commonly park.
Wenas Wildlife Area Future Conservation Easements/Acquisitions: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Gray continued to work with two landowners who are interested in conserving their private property to prevent future development and protect the current habitat. Gray and Region 3 Lands Agent Carbary met with a landowner off Umptanum Road to discuss potential options for conserving their property and to conduct a site visit. The property is approximately 3400 acres of shrubsteppe and riparian habitat. Gray and Wenas Wildlife Area Habitat Specialist Miller will be submitting this project area through the internal Lands 20/20 process for review this year.
The second project area is approximately 440 acres of shrubsteppe, ponderosa pine woodland, and riparian habitat. Gray and Miller have been working on a RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) WWRP (Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program) – Critical Habitat grant to receive funding for a conservation easement and life estate for this property. This past week Gray met with a professional photographer and the landowners to take photos of the property to be used in the grant application. Both of these projects will protect crucial areas of habitat for wildlife including a significant number of species listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN).
Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area / Region 3 Private Lands collaboration with Benton Conservation District: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber and Private Lands Biologist Manderbach had a meeting and followed up on a field trip with the Benton Conservation District staff members to the Thornton Unit. They discussed future collaborative efforts to harvest sagebrush and native seeds from plants that can be used to create seed balls to spread throughout Benton and Franklin counties on private lands and portions of the Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area. Other habitat enhancement projects were also discussed.
Franklin County Shrub Planting: Private Lands Biologist Manderbach along with help from District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra expanded on a shrub planting from 2023 on the Neff-Jones Hunt by Reservation site in Franklin County. In 2023 sagebrush and antelope bitterbrush were planted in three draws on the property. The sagebrush has survived well, but the bitterbrush had a very low survival rate likely due to deer damage soon after planting. Manderbach and Fidorra planted more sagebrush as well as winterfat and a few patches of Rocky Mountain juniper in two of the draws to expand on the project. Manderbach will continue to monitor the plantings and provide water occasionally throughout the spring and summer.
Other
Kittitas County Corner Crossing: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach met with a landowner in Kittitas County who called about issues with corner crossing that them and a neighbor are having. Both landowners border state land and there is a fence at the corner being crossed. The landowner gave Manderbach a tour of their land, their neighbors’ land that they work on, as well as some of the state land bordering them.
They discussed many issues and the potential for future collaboration in ways of first-time pheasant hunter opportunities, habitat work potential, and the possibility of allowing public access. The landowner has worked with many Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff members on different projects and issues. Manderbach will continue diving into the corner crossing topic.
