Managing Wildlife Populations
Deer Surveys: Wildlife Area Manager (WAM) Finch, Wildlife Area Assistant Manager (WAAM) Wagner, and Natural Resource Technician (NRT) Duclos did their first deer survey in August. In total, 85 deer were observed over 81 miles.
Deer Surveys: Biologists Lowe and Brinkman conducted pre-hunt roadside deer surveys in Spokane and Whitman counties this week. These surveys are conducted for around 2-3 hours in the morning or evening when deer are most active, and the surveys consist of driving routes through different parts of the district and recording the number of individuals and composition of each group of deer observed (i.e., ratios of buck to does and fawns to does).
Bighorn Sheep: BHS Biologist Boyle monitored bighorn sheep in the Black Butte population. In total Biologist Boyle observed 3 groups consisting of five ewes, four lambs, and six rams. Bighorn sheep still appear lethargic with runny noses from the ongoing M.Ovi outbreak.
Providing Recreation Opportunities
Rainbow Lake Algal Bloom: Rainbow Lake continues to have an algal bloom. WAM Dingman received a cost estimate from a contractor to do a characterization of Rainbow Lake, which would include water and sediment sampling and analysis. She forwarded it to the internal team and is awaiting response.
4-O Ranch Wildlife Area Gates: This week Wildlife Area staff members Hammons, Nielsen, Peters, and Whittaker continued repairing damage gates from the Cougar Creek Fire on the 4-O Ranch Wildlife Area. Staff members took turns using the mini excavator to rip out burnt up wood posts and to clean up excess debris in the hole for steel posts to be set in concrete. Gates were then mounted and installed for levelness and swing accessibility for both up and downhill directions. Teamwork was shown in both preparedness of materials and tools and synchronizing together to get jobs done. A total of 2.5 pallets of concrete were hand mixed between the crew. The “couple more repetitions and then your turn” were used to rotate and mix the concrete! May need a concrete mixer for all the concrete mixing we do. All in all the gates turned out great. Staff members next week will continue assessing damage from the Cougar Creek fire to repair other structures, fence lines and dozer lines.
ADA Duck Blind: Private Lands Biologist (PLB) Nizer met with the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council (INWC) and a private landowner to secure funding for them to install an ADA duck blind with a value of $3,000 onto hunt by reservation (HBR) ground in Spokane County. INWC will install and maintain the duck blind while Nizer will coordinate the HBR through the WDFW private lands webpage. This opportunity will provide hunting to a demographic that doesn’t always have the opportunity to hunt.
Region 1 South Access Area program: Access Manager Heimgartner serviced access sites at Heller Bar and along the upper and lower Grand Ronde River this week. Heimgartner reports that the underwater gravel bar at the Heller Bar ramp is beginning to be exposed due to lower summertime river flows. Heimgartner also serviced access sites on the Wooten Wildlife Area, sprayed Russian thistle at Stringtown parking area, and cleaned up the Asotin Creek Shooting Range.
Providing Conflict Prevention and Education
CWD Outreach: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Harris worked with customer service staff to send out information regarding emergency CWD rule changes to all producers in Spokane County that have received elk and deer damage prevention permits and landowner kill permits.
Pelican Report: Supervisor Earl assisted Conflict Specialist Wade in attempting to locate a pelican that was reported to be stuck in the mud flats new Swallows Nest State Park. One pelican was seen in the area swimming freely amongst other waterfowl.
Conserving Natural Landscapes
Native Grassland Restoration: WAAM Wagner and NRT Duclos spent several hours this week discing up the 70-acre BLM restoration field in the Telford Road area. WAAM Wagner also completed the order form for uniform clothing as well. Duclos spent the rest of day discing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 70-acre native restoration field.
NOAA Instream Flow Workshop: WAM Dingman attended a very informative 2-day workshop put on by NOAA. The workshop topics covered water rights and water law in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as restoration projects being done in areas where water rights are being purchased from private landowners to keep water flows in creeks and rivers during the dry summer months.
Cougar Creek Fire Restoration and Repairs: All wildlife area staff members spent considerable time this week working at the 4-O Ranch Wildlife Area repairing damaged gates, rolling up loose fence wire, assessing boundary fence damage, assessing impacts from firefighting dozers, and cleaning up dozer lines around buildings and corrals. Bob Dice has been communicating with Department foresters in regard to setting up timber sales ASAP. Neighboring landowners are logging their land and report that insects and rot are already beginning to take hold on burned trees. NRS2 Nathan Whittaker hauled our D1 dozer back to the Wildlife Area and worked on repairing fire lines the rest of the day.
Department of Natural Resource (DNR) Silene Survey: A Botanist from DNR Sienna Wessel was at Swanson Lakes Wildlife to survey silene (spalding catchfly) populations that are currently federally threatened. Botanist Wessel checked the locations from the 2010 data base at Swanson Lakes and then a location on the Bureau of Land Management) BLM. Botanist Wessel only found a few plants of a different subspecies within the polygons.
Providing Education and Outreach
Living with Wildlife Presentation: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Harris gave a presentation on Living with Wildlife to a senior community in Spokane. The presentation focused on ways that the community residents could coexist with the various wildlife species that are present in the area, including coyotes, moose, deer, and marmots. WCS Harris was asked to give the presentation following multiple coyote attacks on dogs.
County Fair Circuit: NRT2 Moberg hosted the WDFW booth at the Walla Walla County Fair this past Wednesday through Sunday. She spoke with hundreds of people about chronic wasting disease and answered other wildlife questions the public had.