Managing Wildlife Populations

District 8 Bobcat Research: A five year research study has commenced in District 8 to investigate bobcat populations. District 8 Biologist Wampole assisted Science Division Researcher Kerston and Statewide Furbearer & Bear Specialist Welfelt in establishing an active trapline for bobcat to deploy GPS collars. Locational data from GPS collars will help inform bobcat habitat use. So far one healthy male has been captured and collared. However, that individual has been recaptured in other traps along the trap line. The project aims to deploy 12 to 15 collars in the district this winter season.

Kittitas County Deer Collar Collection: District 8 Wildlife Biologists Wampole and Moore have been out collecting dropped deer collars in Kittitas County. These collars were deployed in 2020 as part of the Wenatchee mule deer project investigate migratory movement of mule Deer. The collars have integrated drop off mechanisms which self-release three years after capture before the battery in the collar dies. Collars have a black band, two gray boxes, and a metal label with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on them. If you find one, please report it to the Region 3 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife office in Yakima.

District 8 Fisher Project: District 8 Wildlife staff members have been busy processing trail camera photos for the South Cascades Fisher Project. The project is trying out AI technology from wildlife insights to make the process more efficient.

District 8 Bat Hibernacula Counts: District 8 Biologist Wampole, Statewide Bat Specialist Tobin, and U.S. Forest Service partners conducted bat hibernacula counts at Boulder Cave, Naches to monitor trends in the Townsend big-eared bat population.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Elk Feed site Counts/Composition: District 8 Biologist Wampole and wildlife area staff members conducted counts and composition of wintering elk at Robinson, Watts, and Oak Creek feedlots. Counts and compositions (for example calf to100 cow ratio) are used to help inform population status and trends.

L.T. Murray Elk Feeding: Natural Resource Scientist Nass and Natural Resource Technician Blore continued feeding elk at the Joe Watt and Robinson Canyon feed sites.

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Winter Feeding Operations: Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members continue feeding elk on Cowiche Unit and Oak Creek Unit of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Current counts indicate an average total of 2300 elk on the Cowiche feed site and 550 elk on Oak Creek feed site are being fed daily.

District 4 Cougar Sealing: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand sealed a cougar for a hunter who harvested the cat in the Blue Mountains Game Management Unit (GMU) 166.

Rattlesnake Hills Elk Survey: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra coordinated and started the winter elk survey of the Rattlesnake Hills sub-herd. After one day of flying, weather delayed the survey until February. District 8 Assistant Wildlife Biologist Moore assisted with surveys, and Region 3 staff members conducted flight following.

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District 4 Bobcat Sealed: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra sealed a bobcat harvested from Rattlesnake Hills GMU 372. While bobcat are occasionally reported from this area, this is the first time that Fidorra had sealed a cat from the Yakima River Valley.

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Providing Recreation Opportunities

Wenas Wildlife Area Sheep Company Target Shooting Area: Wenas Wildlife Area Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame collected 160 pounds of target shooting waste and material. Since recent clean-ups, the target shooting area has significantly less trash than the previous month. Items found were target shooting material, wood, metal, carboard, and a human shaped mannequin.

Wenas Wildlife Area Manastash Ridge Trails / Durr Rd - Kiosk and Trail Conditions Sign: Wenas Wildlife Area Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame has received approval from Kittitas County to install a trails condition sign and an information kiosk. The trails conditions sign will indicate to trail users the current conditions of the trail. The Durr Road kiosk will provide space for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to display important information regarding the Wenas Wildlife Area. Once weather conditions improve, the sign and kiosk will be installed.

Windmill Ranch Youth Hunt: Youth hunters over the weekend had successful hunts throughout the Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area, including the Windmill Ranch Unit. There was an abundance of waterfowl throughout the wildlife area.

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity on Rattlesnake Mountain including the Hanford National Monument and surrounding private lands. Access to higher elevations were limited by foggy weather and snow and icy road conditions.

District 4 Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued working with deer damage issues from wheat producers in the Kahlotus and Paterson area on hazing, damage permit hunting, and possible youth hunting opportunities.

Kittitas County Conflict: District 8 Conflict Specialist Wetzel hazed some elk from agriculture areas in Kittitas County. Elk ventured to areas in Thorp, Vantage, Kittitas, Badger Pocket, and Cle Elum, mostly visiting haystacks and domestic animal feeding areas. No major issues were reported on I-90 though elk were seen crossing the freeway and feeding on both sides of the interstate. Wetzel received calls about a wolf visiting bone piles in the north Kittitas Valley area. No conflict issues were reported regarding the wolf.

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Yakima County Conflict: District 8 Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked on fencing contracts with growers who were having problems with elk in orchards and one crop circle. Elk have been hazed from orchard areas. Elk have been breaching fences and crossing cattle guards in the Cowiche area as well as Tampico, Naches, and Tieton.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Education and Outreach

Tri-Cities Sportsmen Show: Region 3 wildlife staff members worked the agency booth at the Tri-Cities Sportsmen Show. Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber, District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand, Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach, District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra, and Region 3 Wildlife Program Manager Huffman represented the Wildlife Program among many Fish, Habitat, Enforcement, and administrative staff members throughout the weekend. Many questions were fielded, the trivia wheel was a hit, and lots of agency swag was given out.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Public Outreach: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Manager Mackey, Assistant Manager Charlet, and many other Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff members have completed a project to redevelop a winter-feeding brochure. The new brochure outlines important information regarding public viewing opportunities for elk and bighorn sheep feeding on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. It is now available at the Oak Creek Visitor Center and the Region 3 office.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Wenas Wildlife Area Maintenance: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Janes added a new gate latch to the gate in the elk fence at the Black Canyon access and continued working in the shop building a wire roller while continuing to learn about the winter-feeding operations. He also built a bale spear for the skid steer as a backup in case there is an issue with the tractor that cannot be resolved in a timely manner.

L.T. Murray Funding: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and elk feeding staff members met auditors at the Joe Watt and Robison Canyon feed sites to show them how Pittman-Robertson Grant funds (PR funds) are being spent on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. They also looked at some equipment that had been purchased using PR dollars. This type of audit takes place once every five years and went really well.

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Other

Sunnyside-Snake River Maintenance: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area staff members continued to conduct routine maintenance of access sites on the wildlife area, including maintenance of registration kiosks, wetlands, water control structures, and waterways.

Yakima Pesticide Recertification: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach attended day one of the Washington State University Pesticide Education Recertification Program at the Yakima Convention Center. Day one topics included Emerging Pests, Washington State Department of Agriculture Compliance, Enforcement Highlights, Pesticide Product Stewardship and Disposal of Unwanted Products, Management Strategies for Common Pathogens of Urban Landscapes in the Inland Pacific Northwest, The Impacts of Pesticides on Pollinators and How to Protect Them, and Ticks and Other Non-Insect Arthropods of Medical and Urban Concern. The topics were informative and useful and the day was worth six pesticide recertification credits.

Managing Wildlife Populations

Sunnyside Wildlife Area Agricultural Lease Monitoring: District 8 Wildlife Biologists Wampole and Moore are developing methods to gain a better understanding of how wildlife use wildlife area fields that are leased to agricultural producers. The objective of these efforts is to determine if the lease objectives are being met, with particular emphasis on determining if the leased fields are providing a source of fall and winter food and cover for resident and migrating game and non-game wildlife. These efforts will help biologists make more informed land management recommendations that will reduce the negative impacts of agricultural activities and optimize the land's benefit to wildlife.

Avoiding Migratory Bird Conflicts with Wastewater Management: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra coordinated Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) response to a permit update for a cattle feedlot where several botulism outbreaks have occurred in birds during past summers. The updated permit, issued by Washington Department of Ecology, will require monitoring and response for dead wildlife, WDFW notification, and vegetation management.

Wind and Solar Project Reviews: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra worked with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff members, developers, and regulatory agencies.  They discussed the impacts of several solar and wind projects proposed in the district.

Pelican Research and Management: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra attended a WDFW and Yakama Nation meeting to discuss white pelican management and a proposed diet study.

Hanford Elk Survey Preparation: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra spent considerable time preparing logistics for the upcoming Rattlesnake Hills elk survey. The survey is a winter count of elk conducted last in Jan. 2024 as a joint effort with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

L.T. Murray Elk Feeding: The L.T. Murray crew continued with the elk feeding program.

Week Count: 01/10/2024	Watt	Robinson	Total
Cow/Calf	645	281	926
Spike Bulls	20	5	25
Branched Bulls	37	4	41
Total	702	290	992

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area: The winter elk feeding program continues on the Oak Creek Unit and Cowiche Unit of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Elk are in seasonally good health and are monitored daily throughout the feed season. With an increase in winter weather and an accumulation of snow, Oak Creek staff members are currently feeding an average of 2200 elk on the Cowiche Unit and 600 elk on the Oak Creek Unit daily.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

District 4 Bobcat Sealing: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand sealed a bobcat for a hunter who harvested the cat in Game Management Unit (GMU) 382.

District 8 Cougar Sealing: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Moore sealed a young cougar for a GMU 382 hunter.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Manastash Ridge Trails Committee Meeting: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes and Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame met with the Manastash Ridge Trails Committee (MRTC) to discuss current and future projects and events for the Manastash Ridge trails. The MRTC is composed of representatives from each user group that frequently use the Manastash Ridge trails. These groups include hikers, runners, horseback riders, and mountain bike riders. Priorities for 2024 are working on getting cultural clearance and coming to an agreement as a group on the best reroutes for eroding sections of approved trails such as the Westberg trail. Hughes and Frame will be working with statewide recreational planning staff members and the MRTC to decide which reroutes will be the best to address environmental concerns and to provide a better opportunity for the public to recreate.

Sheep Company Target Shooting Area: Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame collected 650 pounds of target shooting material. More than normal amounts of trash had built up over the holiday season. Items found were target shooting material, coolers, pallets, food waste, and cardboard.

Colockum Winter Recreation: Colockum Wildlife Area staff members continued the development of a new winter non-motorized snow park at Orr Creek Road in the Stemilt Basin. WDFW acquired signs from Washington State Parks and posted them on the new gate at Orr Creek. This gate is still open due to the lack of snow this winter.

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Photo by WDFW

Sunnyside-Snake River Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities: There has been a large number of waterfowl moving into the Windmill Ranch, Mesa Lake, and Bailie Units of the Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area with the recent winter weather. Although most wetlands are now frozen, hunters have been successful hunting in the corn fields.

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity on Rattlesnake Mountain including the Hanford National Monument and surrounding private lands. There were no reports of elk outside of Hanford.

Kahlotus Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued working wheat producers in the Kahlotus area with deer damage issues. He educated them on hazing strategies, damage permit hunting, and possible youth hunting opportunities. Additional damage permits were requested by two landowners and three youth from the Region 3 special permit pool were deployed.

Plymouth/Paterson Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand conducted hazing and monitoring of deer activity near orchards and wine grape crops in south Benton County near the Columbia River.

District 8 Kittitas County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel hazed some elk from agriculture areas in Kittitas County. One row crop area was surveyed for a fencing contract. Wetzel and a houndsman removed a cougar from a neighborhood near Cle Elum. The cougar had been involved in a series of depredations.

District 8 Yakima County Conflict: Conflict Wetzel worked on fencing contracts with growers who were having problems with elk in orchards and one crop circle. Elk have been hazed from the orchard areas.

Providing Education and Outreach

Burrowing Owl Outreach: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra presented to the Spokane Audubon Society on the topic of Washington’s Burrowing Owl ecology and conservation. The 45-minute presentation was well received and attended by approximately 30 participants over Zoom.

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Photo by WDFW

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Criminal Justice Information System Certification: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand completed the required background check, fingerprints, training, and exam to obtain his Criminal Justice Information Service certification as required for Spillman users.

 

Managing Wildlife Populations

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Cowiche Unit: Winter feeding operations commence on the Cowiche Unit of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. There is no public access or close proximity viewing opportunities at this feeding location. Winter feeding at the Oak Creek feeding station has not begun yet due to a lack of winter weather to push elk out of higher elevations.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Elk Fence Maintenance: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technicians Boggs and Stoltenow fabricated new vehicle and walk through elk fence gates. New gates will be used for the new elk fence that will be constructed in the spring of 2024 and for repair of existing damaged gates.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

L.T. Murray Elk Feeding: The L.T. Murray Wildlife Area began feeding elk as they made their way out of the high country. There were around 100 elk hanging around the Robinson and Joe Watt feed sites a week ago, but the numbers have shot up to around 800 head.

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L.T. Murray Taneum Canyon Elk Fence: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart worked on fortifying a brace-point on an elk fence in Taneum Canyon. The L.T. Murray crew will add wire to some sections of this fence that elk have been jumping over the last few months.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Sunnyside Haystack Wetland: The North Haystack Wetland in the Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area is now completely reflooded, providing additional habitat for migratory waterfowl as well as increased opportunity for waterfowl hunters. The existing hunting blind on the Haystack Wetland is ADA accessible.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Wenas Wildlife Area Trail Counter Data Collection: Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame collected multiple trail counters from different trails spread throughout the Wenas Wildlife Area. These pieces of equipment are used to see how many users are on the landscape and how often. These counters were deployed for an 8-month time period and were redeployed after the data was collected.

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity on Rattlesnake Mountain including the Hanford Monument and surrounding private lands. No elk have been observed off the National Monument, but a few small groups of mostly bull elk were located within half a mile from the border. Three large groups of 200-300 elk were observed on lower elevations in the Snively Basin area.

Kahlotus Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued working with a new deer damage complaint from a wheat producer in the Kahlotus area. He gave the producer information about hazing strategies, damage permit hunting, and possible youth hunting opportunities. Two youth from the Region 3 special permit pool were deployed to another wheat farm near Lower Monumental Dam for hazing and lethal removal.

Kahlotus Injured Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand and Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber responded to an injured deer call in the town of Kahlotus. The deer involved in a vehicle collision and was euthanized and removed from the area.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Wenas Miracle Mile Acquisition: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes and Regional Lands Agent Carbary met with a landowner in the Wenas Valley who is interested in conserving their property. The landowner is currently deciding how they are going to conserve the property with possibilities of a conservation easement and a life estate.

The total area being considered for conservation is 440 acres. The habitat consists of shrubsteppe and includes a riparian section of Wenas Creek. Hughes and Carbary answered questions for the landowner regarding a life estate, conservation easement, funding sources, and more. Hughes will be working with the two other colleagues to apply for a Recreation and Conservation Office Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program Grant this year as a potential funding source.

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Seeding: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart broadcast seeded the Taneum Canyon six and half acre Ragland field with a native grass mix. Winegeart had borrowed a midsized Truax seed drill from Department of Transportation to do the job but a recent cultural survey restricted ground disturbance making using a seed drill not an option.

Providing Education and Outreach

Oak Creek Wildlife Area – Tim's Pond Interpretive Trail: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Technician Boggs continues to work on mounting signage for the new Tim’s Pond Interpretive Trail. Metal signs were fabricated by Naches Valley High School students and identify native vegetation.

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Oak Creek Wildlife Area Winter Feeding Brochures: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet worked with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications and Public Engagement (CAPE) Division to update and produce an informational brochure. This brochure outlines basic information about the elk and bighorn sheep winter feeding program, public viewing opportunities, and elk and bighorn sheep facts.

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Other

Sunnyside-Snake River Wetland Maintenance: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area staff members continue to maintain access sites, monitor wildlife area waterways and wetlands, and clear debris when necessary.

Private Lands Website: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach has been working with Private Lands biologists from other regions to improve the verbiage on the Private Lands website for Region 3. The website will soon be updated with new wording that should help clear up rules and access questions based on the calls and emails they receive, as well as common enforcement issues at private lands sites.

Horse Heaven Hills Pronghorn: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach recently came across a herd of 39 pronghorn in the Horse Heaven Hills. The information was entered into the incidental wildlife observations page in Survey123.

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Managing Wildlife Populations

Kahlotus Deer Survey: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand, Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach, District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra, and District 4 Habitat Biologist Maikis completed a roadside post-season deer survey in GMU 381. Weather conditions were optimal this year and an acceptable number of deer were classified.

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L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Winter Elk Closure: The L.T. Murray Wildlife Area crew closed gates and posted signs around the winter elk feeding closure area. Natural Resource Technician Blore and Natural Resource Scientist Nass built rock jacks to hold the newly configured sign boards for the closure. The rock jacks are a non-ground disturbing method of replacing t-post that held the signs on heavy plywood backing in the past.

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Photo by WDFW

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Oak Creek Wildlife Area Seasonal Closures: Oak Creek Wildlife Area winter feeding area closures went into effect on Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. and will remain in effect until May 1, 2024, at 6 a.m. Oak Creek Wildlife Area Manager Mackey and Natural Resource Technician Boggs closed and locked all of the seasonal closure gates at Oak Creek Road (FS 1400), Bethel Ridge Tie Road, and Mud Lake on Dec. 15.

Columbia Basin White Bird Surveys: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Jahns and Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach assisted with the 2023 Columbia Basin White Bird Survey by conducting roost surveys at two locations in Franklin County. No swans were seen, but plenty of snow geese were around.

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District 8 Jackrabbit Research: District 8 Biologists conducted white-tailed and black-tailed jackrabbit DNA sampling. Results are being processed through a collaborative project with the University of Idaho.

District 8 Bighorn Sheep Monitoring: District 8 biologists continue to monitor collared bighorn sheep activity, health, and status. A collared adult ewe was harvested during the 2023 hunt season and was confirmed positive for M. Ovi this week. Further laboratory tests determined the animal showed signs of chronic infection with the presence of nasal tumors.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Wenas Wildlife Area – Buffalo Road Kiosk Installation: Wenas Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Taylor and Natural Resource Technicians Stoltenow and Janes installed a kiosk at the lower access to the Buffalo Road portion of the wildlife area. A compact loader was used to auger the holes for the legs and lift the kiosk into place. The road leads to the trailhead for the skyline trail and is a popular section of the wildlife area.

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Photo by WDFW

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Private Lands Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach recently got the Meals Road and Snake River Department of Natural Resources waterfowl ‘Hunt By Reservation’ sites up and running. There are two fields open for reservation at Meals Road and three fields available on Snake River Department of Natural Resource land. Many calls have been fielded regarding these sites as they are very popular for goose hunting. Calls have slowed down now that reservations are active on the Private Land’s website.

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Photo by WDFW

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity on Rattlesnake Mountain and coordinated with landowners on winter wheat crop success, hazing strategies, and damage permit issuance.

Kahlotus Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received a new deer damage complaint from a wheat producer in the Kahlotus area. The landowner’s 1400 acres of newly planted wheat is being browsed on by between 50 and 100 head of deer. Active non-lethal hazing is becoming less effective. A Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreement was developed and associated damage permits were issued. Additional hunting pressure by special permit youth hunters is currently being planned.

Damage Prevention Cooperative Agreement (DPCA): District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand completed two renewal contracts for landowners in Benton County. One DPCA addressed elk damage to hay and vineyard crops near Hanford and the other addresses deer damage to wine grapes along the Yakima River.

Pasco Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand prepared and delivered damage permits to a large tree fruit and wine grape operation north of Pasco along the Columbia River where increasing numbers of deer are browsing on new tree and vine growth.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Wenas Wildlife Area - Bull Pasture Restoration: The Wenas Wildlife Area finished work restoring approximately 130 acres off Bull Pasture Road into native grass seed for 2023. Natural resource Technician Janes finished seeding and harrowing the area in the beginning of December.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Bear Canyon Pile Burning: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet burned piles on the newly acquired Bear Canyon property. Piles consisted of nonnative vegetation removed earlier this year by volunteers.

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Other

Weed Control Seminar: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart attended a weed control seminar and has decided to use a mix of Method 240SL and Esplanade 200SC for bare ground control next year. This replaces Portfolio 4F in the mix and Method has better control of Russian thistle and knapweeds.

Mesa Lake Cultural Resource Survey: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Jahns met with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife archeologists to conduct the cultural resource fieldwork for the Mesa Lake Pac-man Wetland development project. The upcoming project, a Ducks Unlimited collaboration, will enhance and restore wetland habitat in the Mesa Lake Unit and provide connectivity between existing wetlands. In addition to surveying for the Mesa Lake project, fieldwork was also completed to install new kiosks at both the Mesa Lake and Bailie units.

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Photo by WDFW

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Managing Wildlife Populations

District 4 Bobcat Sealing: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand sealed a bobcat for a hunter that harvested the animal in the Blue Mountains.

District 8 Deer Monitoring: District 8 biologists continue to monitor movement and survival of collared deer. Recently many roadside mortalities have occurred. During winter months, wildlife are at an increased risk of vehicle collisions as they are often drawn to salt along the highways and county roads.

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Columbia Basin Deer Surveys: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra worked with biologists across the Columbia Basin. They began to survey mule deer on the wintering grounds for a post-hunt population estimates and age to sex ratios. They will continue surveys by helicopter into December for the Odessa sub-group, while road surveys across the basin are also completed.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Sunnyside-Snake River Pheasant Release: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area staff members and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach released pheasants at various sites across the Columbia Basin prior to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

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Wenas Wildlife Area Sheep Company Road Target Shooting Range Trash Clean Up: Wenas Wildlife Area Lands and Recreational Specialist Frame collected over 1,700 pounds of trash and target shooting material from Sheep Company Road target shooting area as well as the Durr Road shooting area. Items included computers, target shooting material, pumpkins, five-gallon buckets, a plastic mannequin, and plywood.

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Photo by WDFW

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity and removed trail cameras for the winter that were deployed on active historic trails leaving the Hanford National Monument.

Kittitas County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay growers who were having problems with elk in crops. A helicopter was used to move elk from several locations in east Kittitas County.

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District 8 Goat Depredation: A Thorp goat producer reported several goats killed in an area where he has seen a cougar in the last few weeks. The cause of the goat deaths was undetermined.

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District 8 Deer Fatalities: Several deer were reported injured or killed by vehicles in the Cle Elum area. Several deer were either euthanized or retrieved from roadways and nearby residences. Conflict Specialist Wetzel euthanized a deer that had two broken rear legs due to being struck by a vehicle. He removed it after it crawled into a garage.

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Photo by WDFW

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Yakima County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay growers who were having problems with elk in orchards. The elk have been hazed from their orchard areas.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Bull Pasture Restoration: The Wenas Wildlife Area is restoring approximately 130 acres off Bull Pasture Road into native grass seed. This site has been chemically fallowed for two years to prep the bed prior to seeding and gain a better control of the cheatgrass and bulbous infestation. Natural Resource Technician Trahern and Assistant Manager Taylor continued harrowing and seeding the Bull Pasture area rehab.

Wenas Umtanum Creek Enhancement: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes, Assistant Manager Taylor, and Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow worked together on installing a log barb and conducted light excavation to reroute a section of Umtanum Creek that consistently flows over the county road bringing additional sediment into the creek.

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Hughes received a hydraulic project approval (HPA) last winter to conduct the project. The main purpose was to correct environmental degradation and deflect the flow away from where it captures an existing county road. Habitat Biologist Bartrand was heavily involved in planning the project and overseeing the work conducted. This project will benefit the stream habitat by not taking sediment/gravel off the county road each year. It will also benefit the community who drive over the county road.

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Photo by WDFW

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Colockum Creek Timber Restoration: Colockum Wildlife Area staff members and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) foresters have started burning slash piles left from the Colockum Creek timber restoration project. Over 100 slash piles were created from this 950-acre timber restoration. Colockum Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Hagan spent considerable time logging GPS location and pile volume information so that WDFW foresters could apply for burn permits. After permits were secured, they started lighting piles contingent on daily smoke management approval from the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Education and Outreach

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Elk Feeding Station: Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members prepare for upcoming elk feeding tours and large numbers of visitors by posting newly updated bilingual signage. This new signage will provide important information to thousands of people that are anticipated to visit the Oak Creek feeding station during the upcoming winter.

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Photo by WDFW

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Other

Sunnyside-Snake River Wetland Maintenance: Sunnyside-Snake River Wildlife Area staff members continue to maintain waterways and wetlands throughout the wildlife area. Assistant Manager Ferguson and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach removed debris from the diversion weir box in the Johnson Wetland. Assistant Manager Jahns and Manager Kaelber also removed beaver debris in the Hope Valley Unit to alleviate flooding on neighboring private property. Routine maintenance and debris removal is required to regulate flow and maintain water levels in all waterways and wetlands throughout the fall and winter.

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Photo by WDFW

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Wenas Wildlife Area Maintenance: Wenas Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Taylor and Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow added gravel to high traffic and muddy portions of the parking lot at both the main Wenas office and the Mellotte office. They used a dump truck to haul the gravel in, and they used a skidsteer/backhoe to spread and compact the gravel into place.

Managing Wildlife Populations

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Elk Feeding Operations: The Oak Creek Wildlife Area is preparing for winter elk feeding activities. Supplemental feed and alfalfa were delivered to the Cowiche Unit feeding area in anticipation of winter weather and elk movement into lower elevations.

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Region 3 Sage Grouse Working Group: Region 3 Wildlife Biologists Fidorra, Wampole, and Moore, and other state staff members met in Ellensburg for the annual Sage and Sharp-tailed Grouse Working Group meeting. Populations are at a historic low. Data on genetics, translocations, fire, funding opportunities, and restoration progress were discussed.

District 8 Grouse Harvest Monitoring: District 8 Biologists Wampole and Moore continue to check and collect wings from the four grouse wing barrels within the district. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) collects wings and tails of hunter-harvested forest grouse (spruce, ruffed, dusky, and sooty species) from Sept. 15 through Jan. 15. 

The goal of this collection effort is to build estimated population trend datasets for each species to evaluate harvest changes. Other factors will also be evaluated, including wildfire and weather patterns that may contribute to changes in harvest and overall populations at the species level. Grouse hunters can help our monitoring efforts by depositing one wing and the tail of each grouse that they harvest into wing collection barrels placed around the state or by bringing them to the closest WDFW district or regional office. More information about these efforts and specific barrel locations can be found online https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/requirements/upland-birds/grouse-wing-tail-collection

District 8 Wildlife Camera-trapping: District 8 Wildlife Biologists Wampole and Moore spent several days in the field deploying trail cameras to survey wildlife distributions, abundance, and behavior.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Wenas Wildlife Area Mountain Biking Coordination: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes met with the president of the Kittitas County Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance to discuss the agency's overall plan for recreational management. Hughes has fostered an effective working relationship with the local chapter throughout the past couple of years. The chapter will be doing volunteer work on approved trails this spring for routine maintenance.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

New Colockum Sno-Park: Colockum Wildlife Area Manager Lopushinsky and Assistant Manager Hagan worked to create a new winter non-motorized sno-park at the Orr Creek Road Junction. This concept was developed in the Naneum Ridge to Columbia River Recreation Plan, as well as in the subsequent Stemilt-Squilchuck Recreation Plan. Colockum Wildlife Area staff members purchased and installed a new vehicle gate and leveled a space for vehicle parking. A local backcountry ski and snowshoe group is working to build a kiosk to post new signage.

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Photo by WDFW

District 4 Pheasant Releases: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach released pheasants at U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and WDFW properties in Franklin County. The roosters from WDFW’s Bob Oake Game Farm arrived on time and were in great condition as usual!

Annual Big Game Season Setting Adjustments: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra submitted minor date changes for deer and elk permits for the 2024-2025 season. These proposed changes match permits to appropriate hunting seasons or avoid conflict with other hunts.

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Wenas Elk Fence Fall Check: All Wenas Wildlife Area staff members participated in the fall elk fence check of 49 miles of fence. They started out on steep areas that need to be hiked into before poor weather arrived. A majority of the elk fence has been checked and the remaining fencing will be checked throughout the rest of November.

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Photo by WDFW

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Teanaway Valley Unit Planting: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area staff members monitored work during the week of Oct. 30, as a contract planting crew from Ash Creek Forest Management planted 3,200 ponderosa pine saplings in the Teanaway Valley Unit lower meadow area to increase vegetation biomass and shade for the Teanaway River to improve water quality.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

L.T. Murray Vantage Fire Restoration Planting: During the weeks of Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, members of the L.T. Murray crew and Washington Conservation Corp planted roughly 11,200 big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and bitterbrush plugs in the Phase 1 restoration area within the 2022 Vantage fire scar (near the Pumphouse Road entrance area). They completed the work with the help from Stelle Cultural Resource Group. We are excited to complete Phase 1 and are motivated to move forward with the remaining three phases of restoration of the amazing sagebrush steppe habitat on the Whiskey Dick and Quilomene units!

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Wenas Bull Pasture Restoration: Staff members from the Wenas Wildlife Area are restoring approximately 130 acres off Bull Pasture Road into native grass seed. This site has been chemically fallowed for two years to prep the bed prior to seeding and to gain better control of the cheatgrass and bulbous infestation. Natural Resource Technician Trahern and Assistant Manager Taylor started harrowing and seeding the Bull Pasture area rehab.

Wenas Tree and Shrub Planting: Wenas Wildlife Area Habitat Specialist Miller, Natural Resource Technicians Janes and Stoltenow with the help of a Washington Conservation Corp crew from Wenatchee, finished up the planting of approximately 15,000 shrub plugs on various sites around the wildlife area. These shrubs are planted in areas that have had previous disturbances and the plugs should give recovery a head start.

Sunnyside/Snake River Byron Fire Restoration: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber, Assistant Manager Jahns, and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach picked up 2,000 shrubs from Plants of the Wild Nursery in Tekoa and delivered them to a staging area in the Byron Unit where they will be planted in the coming weeks. The shrub planting is part of ongoing post-fire restoration efforts following last year’s wildfire. Sagebrush and a variety of riparian shrub species will be planted throughout the unit.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Education and Outreach

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Community Service Project: A group of Naches Valley High School seniors helped Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet prepare the Cowiche Unit elk feeding site for upcoming winter feeding. Students collected baling twine pieces and garbage from the feed site to reduce the risk of elk consuming garbage during winter feeding.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Winter Feeding Signs: The Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members collaborated with Naches Valley High School students and Shop Teacher Worby to produce new elk feeding area signage. Naches students produced 16 new bilingual signs to provide information to Oak Creek Wildlife Area visitors.

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Photo by WDFW

Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) Meeting: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes and Wenas Habitat Specialist Miller participated in a workshop put on by the Kittitas Environmental Network. The workshop focused on management in the Yakima River Canyon. Representatives from different agencies, recreational user groups, and local neighbors were present. Hughes and Miller presented a talk on habitat work done by WDFW within the Yakima River Canyon and discussed plans for future restoration efforts.

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Photo by WDFW

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

New Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Hired: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra and a panel of Private Lands and Wildlife Program staff members conducted interviews for the vacant Regional Private Lands Biologist position. An offer was made to the top candidate who accepted the position and will be starting Dec. 1.

Other

Sunnyside/Snake River Byron Pipe Project: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area staff members were pleased to see the pipe project at Byron Unit was near completion. Contractors have been working the last two months to replace infrastructure that was lost in last year’s wildfire. Once completed, water will be pumped into the network of small wetlands within the unit, providing habitat for migrating waterfowl.

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Photo by WDFW

Managing Wildlife Populations

District 8 Bighorn Sheep Survey: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole and Assistant Wildlife Biologist Moore conducted an aerial survey of the Yakima bighorn sheep population to monitor lamb recruitment following historic exposure to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi). These surveys provide important data for the ongoing “Test and Remove” study.

District 4 Cougar Sealing: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand sealed three cougars for hunters who harvested them while deer hunting in eastern Washington.

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Photo by WDFW

District 8 Cougar Sealing: District 8 Assistant Wildlife Biologist Moore sealed an adult female cougar harvested in eastern Washington earlier in October.

District 8 Deformed Elk Hooves: District 8 front-end staff members collected hooves from a hunter who noticed unusual features in the hooves of the elk they harvested. These hooves were processed and shipped to the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine for comprehensive testing to identify the cause of the abnormalities.

District 4 Deformed Deer Hooves: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received a report from a hunter in GMU 372 who harvested a mule deer with deformed hooves. Digital images of the hooves were reviewed and confirmed as chronic laminitis (aka “founder”) by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Veterinarian Mansfield. A sample, from a second deer with deformed hooves from GMU 382 (Region 5), was collected from the reporting hunter and was shipped to Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for further testing.

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Photo by WDFW

Bighorn Sheep Horn Marking: Biologists and other staff members across the region have been busy checking and marking many hunter-harvested bighorn sheep. Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) regulations require a hunter who kills or possesses a bighorn sheep ram, harvested in Washington, to present the horns for inspection and marking within ten days. The horns can be taken to a Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife regional or district office or a location designated by a department representative. Call a WDFW regional or district office to schedule an appointment with a biologist for horn marking. A WDFW employee will permanently mark an identification number on one of the horns. Inspection and marking do not substitute for Mandatory Hunter Reporting. For bighorn sheep, both are required. During checks, staff members also swab the nasal cavity to test and learn more about the dynamics of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi) transmission.

North Cascade Fisher Monitoring: District 8 Assistant Wildlife Biologist Moore installed two fisher scent dispenser camera traps in remote locations in the North Cascade fisher restoration area. Many Department of Fish and Wildlife district biologists across the state and partners from the National Park Service, local tribal biologists, and volunteers are working together to install approximately 160 traps to determine the occupancy (presence or absence) of the species and to collect genetic samples using hair snares. The results of the genetic tests will inform biologists if enough fishers are reproducing to establish a self-sustaining population or if augmenting the populations with additional fishers is necessary to meet the goal of the project.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Wenas Recreational Tour with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Recreation Team: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes and Recreation Specialist Frame lead a tour of the Wenas Wildlife Area, showing all the reactional opportunities the wildlife area has to offer. The tour also showed some of the recreation areas and roads that need maintenance.

Wenas Road and Trail Mapping: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes is working with the GIS team to review road and trail data for the wildlife area. This information will be used as the wildlife area dives more into recreational planning. Hughes is reviewing all data with the GIS team in regard to trails, roads, gates, parking areas.

District 8 Pheasant Release: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole, L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison, and Natural Resource Technician Blore released 144 pheasants at Green Gate.

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Photo by WDFW

District 4 Pheasant Release: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand released pheasants at Hope Valley prior to the opening of the pheasant season.

Sunnyside/Snake River Pheasant Release: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach released pheasants at Big Flat and Lost Island prior to the opening weekend of the pheasant season.

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Photo by WDFW

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity and assisted general season and damage permit holders with hunt coordination. Additional damage permits were issued and delivered to one landowner. Large numbers of elk were observed in winter wheat fields during early morning and just before dark. The beginning of the general season harvest appears to be one of the best in recent years, with several bulls and a few cows taken.

Connell Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received and responded to a new deer damage complaint from a hay operation and cattle rancher in the Connell area. At times, over 70 deer have been observed browsing in the fields. Multiple non-lethal hazing strategies have been employed and further pressure from hunters during general and special permit seasons will be utilized. A damage prevention cooperative agreement was completed, and a couple of damage permits were issued to assist outside of established hunting seasons.

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Photo by WDFW

Plymouth and Paterson Area Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand coordinated with a large farm with row crops, orchards, and vineyards to address deer damage impacts by utilizing general season and special hunt permit hunting. All hunts were chaperoned by farm staff members who provided a great hunting experience for some first-time deer hunters.

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Photo by WDFW

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Kahlotus Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand delivered damage prevention permits for several landowners in the Kahlotus area. These permits and youth and Master Hunter deployments are used to haze deer out of winter wheat crops in GMU 381 along the Snake River.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Colockum Post-Timber Harvest Road Abandonment: Logging contractors finished up their part of the Colockum Creek Timber Restoration Project by closing and abandoning spur roads opened up for this project. These were old, overgrown, existing roads that were opened to facilitate timber harvest and log hauling. At the end of the project, these roads are now being ditched, water-barred, and covered with logging slash to prevent erosion and illegal vehicle use.

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Photo by WDFW

Colockum Post-Timber Harvest Grass Seeding: Colockum Wildlife Area Manager Lopushinsky and Assistant Manager Hagan got help from some local volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in completing a seeding project on areas recently logged on the Colockum Wildlife Area. Volunteers helped open seed bags and filled the seeder with 400 pounds of seed for each load. It took 13 loads and 5,000 pounds of seed to complete the project, keeping the volunteers busy.

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Photo by WDFW

L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Restoration: The L. T. Murray crew planted sagebrush plugs in the uplands of the Whiskey Dick Unit where there was 100% shrub loss in the 2022 Vantage Highway fire. Assistant Manager Winegeart and Natural Resource Scientist Nass took another round of photos at Vantage Highway fire photo points. The photos to-date have good regeneration of native grasses and will eventually show post fire shrub growth.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Sunnyside/Snake River Wetlands: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area staff members have prepped and reflooded all wetlands on both the west and east half of the wildlife area.

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Photo by WDFW

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Cow Canyon Fire Planting: All Wenas Wildlife Area staff members participated in ongoing shrub plantings in the 2021 Cow Canyon fire scar. Native shrubs included Wyoming sage, wax currant, service berry, wood rose, bitterbrush, and blue elderberry.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Prescribed Fire: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet visited the Cougar Canyon prescribed fire on Oct. 19 to ensure the residual fire was contained and did not cross any established handlines or roadways. The prescribed fire was completed on Oct. 9 and include a total of 160 acres, 55 on Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land and 105 on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) land in Cougar Canyon. DNR fire crews and WDFW staff members continue to monitor the area to ensure the fire remains within control.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Education and Outreach

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Visitor Center: The Oak Creek Wildlife Area Visitor Center is open during the modern firearm elk hunting season. The Friends of Oak Creek volunteer group staff the visitor center to answer questions from various hunters and wildlife area visitors.

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Photo by WDFW

Other

L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Virtual Fence: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart, Wild Horse Coordinated Resource Management, Conservation Northwest, and ranchers in Douglas County attended a meeting to look at a virtual fence operation after a season of use. Collars are placed on cattle and provide auditory warnings when a cow approaches a programmed polygon boundary and a progression of shocks if the cow continues across the boundary. The system is being used on more than 100 ranches across the United States and shows promise for improving the L. T. Murray’s grazing management program.

L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Tour: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and Assistant Manager Winegeart gave Department of Fish and Wildlife planners a tour of the L. T. Murray Unit. The group looked at roads, trails, and camping sites in an effort to guide future management of these valuable resources.

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L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Felled Trees: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart visited Robinson Canyon with state foresters to identify and place a monetary value to 12 small to medium dead ponderosa pine trees that were illegally felled and removed. The trees would have had a small sell value but cutting of any standing trees in not allowed on the wildlife area.

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Oak Creek Wildlife Area Late Season Wildfire: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Manager Mackey observed and reported wildfire smoke in the Oak Creek Unit on Oct. 29. The fire started and remained on U. S. Forest Service ownership within the checkerboard ownership of the Oak Creek Unit. The fire grew to approximately five acres until being contained by U. S. Forest Service personnel. Ignition source was likely human caused.

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Photo by WDFW

Managing Wildlife Populations

Dead Columbia River Bull Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand, Scientific Technician Werlau, and Detachment 33 enforcement responded to a very large bull elk that died and washed up on a gravel bar in the Columbia River near Hanford. They were unable to confirm why the elk died because the only injury observed was a broken front tine on one of his antlers. The antlers were removed.

Modern Firearm General Deer Opener: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand patrolled game management unit (GMU) 372 for the opener of the modern general deer season. Hunting pressure appeared to be up from past years. Hand made several contacts with hunters. No deer were checked, although most hunters reported seeing deer, mostly antlerless or non-legal bucks.

Bighorn Sheep Survey: Natural Resource Technician Blore and Natural Resource Scientist Nass aided in bighorn sheep surveys on the Cleman Mountain and Yakima Canyon herds.

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Photo by WDFW

Yakima Canyon Sheep Survey: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra joined other Region 3 staff members on a land-based survey of the Yakima Canyon bighorn population. Several groups surveyed side-canyons for sheep to estimate age and sex classes. This work was conducted as part of monitoring success of management actions aimed at reducing long term herd impacts from MOVI (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae), a respiratory bacterium often fatal to bighorn sheep. Several groups were counted on a perfect weather day in the canyon.

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Photo by WDFW

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Oak Creek Wildlife Area Bighorn Sheep Survey: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet and Natural Resource Technician Boggs assisted with a bighorn sheep survey on the Yakima Canyon herds.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Recreation Opportunities

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Trails: LT Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and National Motorcycle Association President Toenyan reviewed a proposed single-track trail reroute along the south fork of Manashtash Creek. The original trail is very old, degraded, and is currently contributing to bank erosion and sediment loading into the creek.

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Colockum Headquarters Parking Lot Improvements: Colockum Wildlife Area staff members finished up improvements to the headquarters parking lot with the installation of heavy duty, 1700 lb. picnic tables. These tables were chosen for their resistance to vandalism and theft.

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Photo by WDFW

Windmill Ranch Field Hunting: Corn harvest in the Windmill Ranch Unit of the Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area has opened up fields for waterfowl hunting. Small sections of standing corn were strategically left to provide cover for field hunters.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity and assisted damage permit holders with hunt coordination. Additional damage permits were issued and delivered to one landowner. Trail cameras were maintained along heavily used trails near the Hanford boundary.

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Photo by WDFW

Plymouth/Paterson Area Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored deer activity at a wine grape vineyard that was receiving substantial browsing from deer. In addition, damage permits were developed and issued to assist a neighboring large farm with row crops, orchard, and vineyards to address deer damage impacts. Five youth hunters from the Horse Heaven Hills special permit hunt were contacted and offered hunting opportunities at the farm during the general deer season.

West Richland Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued to coordinate with an owner of several small corn fields that have been damaged by deer near the Yakima River. Three additional Master Hunters have been deployed from the Region 3 list and two were successful in removing a deer.

Kahlotus Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand prepared Damage Prevention Permits for several landowners in the Kahlotus area. These permits, as well as youth and Master Hunter deployments will be used to haze deer out of winter wheat crops in GMU 381 along the Snake River. The permits will be dispersed to landowners after general deer season concludes.

Possible Finley Cougar Complaint: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand and Detachment 33 enforcement responded to a call concerning a possible cougar that scared some horses through a fence in the Finley area. The area was canvassed, and no signs of cougar presence or activity was determined. Some evidence of coyote or domestic dog digging was observed, and the owner will be installing trail cameras for continued monitoring.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Shrubsteppe Conservation through Land Protection: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra joined a team from the regional office to speak to the seller’s agents and tour a large property that holds strategic value for shrubsteppe conservation. They have a long way to go to determine if acquisition could be a potential outcome. Partners and potential buyers would be needed to help secure funding. The property is valuable for ferruginous hawk, ground squirrels, burrowing owls, and other shrubsteppe species and holds great recreation potential for the public.

L.T. Murray Weed Control: Natural Resource Technician Blore continued spraying weeds on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area including Himalayan blackberry. 

Prescribed Burn at Oak Creek: LT Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison, Natural Resource Technician Blore, and Natural Resource Scientist Nass, and Prescribed Fire Program Manager Eberlein shuttled vehicles and equipment to a prescribe burn location on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area.

L.T. Murray Vantage Highway Fire Restoration: The L.T. Murray crew took a delivery of around 3,000 sagebrush and rabbitbrush plugs that will be planted this fall on the Whiskey Dick Unit portion of the 2022 Vantage Highway fire area.

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Photo by WDFW

Colockum Cattleguard Installation: Colockum staff members facilitated the installation of two new cattleguards on Ingersoll Road. The existing cattleguards were damaged during a Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife timber thinning project. New cattleguards needed to be installed to restrict livestock from the adjacent Department of Natural Resources grazing allotment.

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Photo by WDFW

Bailie Youth Ranch Mowing: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber used the marsh master to mow ponds in the Bailie Youth Ranch Unit. Mowing greatly improved wetland conditions by providing more open water for waterfowl, as well as improved waterfowl hunting conditions near the fence post blind.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Mesa Lake Mowing: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber and Assistant Manager Jahns mowed portions of the 7-acre pond in the Mesa Lake Unit. The area had dense stands of cattails and phragmites prior to mowing.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Wenas Wildlife Area—Hoover Wire Removal: Wenas Wildlife Area staff members rolled and removed almost 4,000 pounds of barbed wire from the Hoover portion of the wildlife area. The wire was both hand-rolled and rolled using the wire roller built by Wenas Wildlife Area staff members. The wire was taken to Pacific Steel to be recycled.

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Photo by WDFW

Wenas Wildlife Area—Black Canyon Planting: Wenas Wildlife Area Habitat Specialist Miller and Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow planted plugs of native species around the water trough in Black Canyon. This area was burned in the Evan’s Canyon fire. The species planted included quaking aspen, Woods rose, ocean spray, and Douglas hawthorn.

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Photo by WDFW

Wenas Wildlife Area—Water Troughs: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow, Habitat Specialist Miller, and Natural Resource Specialist Frame replaced old water troughs in Ladybug and Little Pine canyons with new troughs and plumbing at existing spring sites. Both canyons showed a lot of signs of wildlife use and the troughs will likely be well used by wildlife. In addition, Wenas Wildlife Area staff members scouted more canyons in the wildlife area for potential future trough replacement projects.

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Photo by WDFW

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Providing Education and Outreach

Safari Club International Pronghorn Presentation: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra was invited to give an update on pronghorn to Safari Club International at an event in Yakima. The event was a joint meeting of the Yakima and Tri-Cities chapters. Fidorra gave an update on pronghorn numbers, pronghorn distribution, and WDFW-Yakama Surveys. The event was a success and recruited new volunteers for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife surveys and made new connections with the local non-profit organization who assisted the Yakama Tribe with the first successful reintroductions of pronghorn in Washington.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area School District Outreach: Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members coordinated with a local high school to have old elk feeding signage redesigned and constructed by local students. Staff members also worked to coordinate volunteer opportunities for local high school seniors.

Other

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Elk Fence: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Boggs begins maintenance on the elk fence at the headquarters manager residence. Boggs also rechecked various sections of the Oak Creek Unit elk fence. He ensured elk were unable to pass through any holes or downed fencing.

Managing Wildlife Populations

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Big Horn Sheep Surveys: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Charlet and Natural Resourse Technician Boggs assisted Ungulate Specialist Moore and various Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife staff members with a fall Cleman Mountain bighorn sheep population composition survey. This composition count will help estimate lamb to ewe ratios and inform a larger bighorn sheep study currently being conducted across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. This tri-state study is investigating the “Test and Remove” methodology for the management of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi) in bighorn sheep.

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Photo by WDFW

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Bighorn Sheep Survey: Private Lands Technician Manderbach assisted with bighorn sheep counts on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Burrowing Owl Mitigation: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra worked with City of Pasco consultants identifying potential artificial burrow sites for burrowing owls on city lands and confirming the status of burrows on a site slated for development. Burrowing owls breed in natural burrows on the site, and new artificial burrows should be constructed before the next breeding season.

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Photo by WDFW

District 4 Waterfowl Banding Complete: District 4 Wildlife Biologist and Natural Resource Technician Manderbach removed waterfowl traps. Fidorra compiled waterfowl banding data and a summary report for the district efforts. The primary goal of Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife waterfowl banding is to contribute to the Pacific Flyway and state models regarding harvest, movements, and survival. Eighteen trap days occurred, with 802 bands placed across seven species. Age ratios of Hatch-year to After Hatch-year birds was higher than the past two years but still below average, suggesting poor productivity. This pattern was true for mallards at both trap sites, and similar observations were made at the Yakima and Ephrata sites. This year the eastern Washington breeding survey was the lowest in over ten years. Duck trends may lag two years when poor conditions are encountered, meaning the 2021 drought conditions might still be responsible for this year’s low productivity.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Silver Dollar Landowner Hunting Permit: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand visited ranches enrolled in the Landowner Hunting Permit program to check on hunt opportunities and special permit harvest. Good numbers of elk have been observed recently and most of the special permit holders have tagged out or are scheduled to hunt soon.

Wenas Recreational Trail Planning: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes has been working closely with recreational planning staff members to discuss trail management strategies throughout the wildlife area. The process for updating the ten-year management plan will be coming up in about a year and part of this will involve recreational management. Before starting the process for recreational planning there must be a solid inventory for all trails and roads. The wildlife area currently keeps an inventory of trails and roads and Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame spends significant time updating data for the wildlife area.

Hughes worked with Recreational Planner Anderson, Recreational Planner English, and Recreation Specialist Browning to line out areas for future inventory needs and discuss the management tactics already in place for recreation on the Wenas Wildlife Area. Additionally, Hughes continued working with GIS staff to make sure they have the most recent trail inventory data for the Wenas Wildlife Area. The Wenas is one of the more popular wildlife areas and receives a high level of recreational use. The wildlife area has been managing recreation for decades and management tactics have developed as needed to address issues and provide the best opportunity for the public while protecting fish and wildlife.

Cottonwood Shooting Area: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resources Technicians Janes and Stoltenow installed a wire gate at an access point for the Cottonwood shooting area to help prevent members of the public from accessing the area and potentially leaving trash, while allowing WDFW employees and fire responders access.

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity and fall wheat planting success. Most fields that were in summer fallow rotation have been seeded and show good germination which will likely draw increasing numbers of elk. Very few of the no-till fields have been seeded as shallow soil moisture has been low, but with recent rain events seeding should commence in the next couple of weeks. Hand assisted one of the disabled special permit holders for the Corral Canyon elk hunt where numerous elk were observed. The hunter harvested a nice bull elk.

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Plymouth Deer Damage: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand responded to a deer damage complaint in a wine grape vineyard along the Columbia River in southern Benton County. The vineyard has a history of deer leaving the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge to forage on grape plants and especially the fruit when sugar levels are elevated. Multiple non-lethal hazing techniques are currently being employed as well as archery hunting pressure. A couple of damage permits were issued to assist with deer hazing and removals.

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Kahlotus Area Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand patrolled the Kahlotus area to monitor deer activity in newly seeded wheat fields. Many of the seeded fields are showing good green-up and little deer activity was observed. Landowners have already contacted us concerning damage permit issuance to assist with deer damage impacts.

West Richland Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued to coordinate with an owner of several small corn fields that have been damaged by deer near the Yakima River. Two additional Master Hunters have been deployed from the Region 3 list.

Lower Buffalo Access: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technicians Janes and Stoltenow installed the newly made gate at the entrance to the Lower Buffalo portion of the wildlife area. In addition, they completed the fencing on either side of the gate by stretching and wrapping the wire around the newly installed posts.

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District 8 Kittitas County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with hay growers and landowners who were having problems with elk in crops and yards. 

Wetzel worked with several landowners who were having problems with bears. A bear trap was set near Easton.

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District 8 Yakima County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay and orchard growers who were having problems with elk and deer in crops. One has requested cost share fencing.

District 8 Deer: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked on invoices for range riding costs. Several injured deer and deer tangled in netting and fencing were reported. Several deer with arrows were reported, as well as injured fawns or fawns with no doe observed.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Wenas Wildlife Area Fall Spraying: Wenas Wildlife Area Habitat Specialist Miller assisted Manager Hughes in planning a fall aerial herbicide application on the wildlife area for cheatgrass and knapweed control. This application covered 214 acres of the Wenas Wildlife Area. The herbicides used for this treatment were focused on controlling cheatgrass and knapweed in areas that have developed native grass stands as well. This was a new mix used on the Wenas that has shown success in other parts of eastern Washington and western states. Sites will be monitored in spring and throughout the next few years to review rates of success.

The wildlife area has been working on fall treatment for knapweed. Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow continued to spray along roadsides to control knapweed. In addition, Stoltenow worked with Wenas Wildlife Area Habitat Specialist Miller, Natural Resource Specialist Frame, and Natural Resource Technician Janes to spray knapweed in the Roza portion of the wildlife area.

Wenas Acquisition/Conservation Easement Meetings: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes, Property Acquisition Supervisor Woodruff and Region 3 Lands Agent Carbary met with a few landowners in the Wenas Valley to discuss conservation options on their property and provide updates on potential acquisitions.

They are working on adding .59 acres to The Cleman – Mountain Acquisition that already went through for over 1000 acres. This adjustment is being done in order to properly build a boundary fence and to protect a marsh area.

They also met with the Black Canyon Acquisition landowners, and they provided updates regarding the potential acquisition of 150 acres of shrubsteppe habitat. There is the potential to exchange 40 acres of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ground that does not serve valuable habitat nor recreational opportunities. After the meeting it was discussed that the 40-acre exchange would continue to be pursued with this acquisition. The property will be appraised soon as a next step.

The third group of landowners visited were part of the Miracle Mile Acquisition/Conservation Easement. This project is still being decided on.  They are trying to determine what method of conservation the landowners are interested in pursuing. This includes approximately 440 acres of valuable habitat for mule deer, upland birds, and songbirds. Shrubsteppe and riparian habitat in Wenas Creek fall within the acres being discussed for conservation.

WDFW hopes to continue working with all of these landowners on conserving their property in the best way that works for both parties.

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Photo by WDFW

Feeding Site Mowing: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow mowed the feed site to prepare for winter feeding and make it easier to drive through the area while feeding.

Gate Placement: Wenas Wildlife Area Manager Hughes and Habitat Specialist Miller surveyed placement of two gates on a non-green dot road on Clemans Mountain. This will start the Cultural Resource survey process to ensure that sensitive areas are protected.

Barrier Rock on the L. T. Murray Wildlife Area: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart and Manager Morrison moved barrier rock from a gated off camp site on a tributary to S. F. Manastash Creek to the new gate location at Frost Meadows. Winegeart and Natural Resource Technician Blore rearranged barrier rock and added two ecology blocks to the north gate on Shadow Creek. Someone used a grinder to open the north and south gates and created a road around the north gate.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Post Fire Monitoring: Natural Resource Technician Boggs completed post fire surveys on the Oak Creek Wildlife Area Cougar Canyon prescribed fire units. 235 acres of broadcast burning was completed in the spring of 2021 and fall of 2022. Yearly habitat surveys allow us to monitor current vegetation conditions and compare conditions to pre-fire survey data.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Beaver Dam Analogs on the L. T. Murray Wildlife Area: Manager Morrison met with the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group to look at restoration efforts and took part in a short interview on the Teanaway Valley Unit. Several beaver dam analogs have been installed in the upper meadow and the restoration is nearly complete, with some forest thinning remaining.

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Photo by WDFW

L. T. Murray Fence Markers: Natural Resource Technician Nass installed fence markers on the L. T. Murray’s Whiskey Dick Unit wing fences.

Sunnyside/Snake River Wetland Preparation: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Jahns continued to mow wetlands in preparation for fall reflooding in the Windmill Ranch and Mesa Lake Units.

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Photo by WDFW

Sunnyside/Snake River Noxious Weed Treatment: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber met with the Yakima County Weed Board to discuss a treatment plan for Clematis orientalis that was discovered growing in the I-82 Ponds Unit. Manager Kaelber followed up the next day with an herbicide treatment.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Pasco District 4 Office Mailbox: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra and Habitat Lead Planner Ritter beautifully installed a new locking mailbox at the district office to reduce mail theft.

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Photo by WDFW

Other

Fabrication and Repair at Headquarters: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technicians Stoltenow and Janes replaced parts and did some maintenance on the drill seeder in preparation for fall seeding projects. They also resumed building the wire roller that will be used in the region.

Region 3 Wildlife Area Staff Quarterly Meeting: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Area staff members attended the quarterly regional wildlife area meeting hosted by the Colockum Wildlife Area staff members. The meeting included a boat tour of culturally significant sites within the Colockum, as well as informative meetings with WDFW habitat and cultural resources staff.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

 

Managing Wildlife Populations

Waterfowl Banding Wrap Up: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra, with the help of volunteers, Natural Resource Technician Maderbach, and Scientific Technician Klienhenz completed waterfowl captures for the season. Swim in traps were used to capture dabbling ducks, with around 700 mallard bands placed out by the team. Many other species were also banded and encountered, which all contribute to the Pacific Flyway models.

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Photo by WDFW

Wildlife Conservation Discussions: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra participated in the Washington Shrubsteppe Restoration and Resiliency Initiative round table on wildlife species management for upcoming needs in the Columbia Basin as well as submitted regional proposals for Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife’s next best things exercise on near term conservation actions we might pursue for burrowing owls.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

L. T. Murray Pheasant Hunting: Natural Resource Technician Blore and Assistant Manager Winegeart released pheasants at the L. T. Murray’s Green Gate release site. Over the years, Winegeart has noticed a diverse mix of upland bird hunters by age and gender at this site. The site’s distance from town, access, and topography makes it a valuable release site for new and young hunters to get their feet wet hunting upland birds in some semi-arid desert.

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Photo by WDFW

Pheasant Releases: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra and Conflict Specialist Hand released pheasants at sites in Franklin County in advance of the youth and senior season opener. Pheasants were placed at Big Flat and Lost Island United States Army Corps of Engineers Habitat Management Units, and the Hope Valley Unit of the Sunnyside Wildlife Area. Toothaker in Benton County will not be used for releases this year while the site recovers from a fire.

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Photo by WDFW

Sunnyside Johnson Wetland: Sunnyside Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Ferguson has been busy mowing the north half of the Johnson Wetland area in preparation for the upcoming waterfowl season. The wetland is nearly complete now between the lessees harvesting a large portion of reed canary grass for cattle feed and wildlife area personnel mowing.

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand monitored elk activity and pressured elk away from crops near irrigated tree fruit and vineyard areas. The trail camera was checked and maintained along a heavily traveled route elk use to access wheat fields. Several higher elevation wheat fields have now been seeded and many are showing good germination.

West Richland Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand continued to coordinate with an owner of several small corn fields that have been damaged by deer near the Yakima River. One master hunter harvested a deer and multiple archery hunters are hunting the area.

Hanford Injured Bull Elk: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand and Enforcement staff members responded to an injured bull elk that was involved in a vehicle collision along Highway 240 on Hanford. Prior to arrival on scene, Department of Transportation picked up the carcass and dumped it in their pit.

Mesa Area Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand responded to a call of a deer that was stuck in a pond at the sewage treatment facility in Mesa. The shallow pond is lined with slick plastic making it difficult for the deer to gain traction. A ramp made of wood and wire fencing and covered with outdoor carpet was deployed in hopes of the deer using it to escape, but unfortunately the deer died.

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Photo by WDFW

Kittitas County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay growers who were having problems with elk in crops. One has requested cost share fencing. Wetzel also worked with several landowners who were having problems with deer in crops and yards.

Easton Bear Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several landowners who were having problems with bears. A trap was set near Easton but so much attractant was available in the neighborhood that the bear did not enter the trap.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Yakima County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay and orchard growers who were having problems with elk in crops. One has requested cost share fencing. Wetzel also worked with several hay and orchard growers who were having problems with deer in crops. Specialist Wetzel worked on contract range rider invoices for range riding costs. Several injured deer and deer tangled in netting and fencing were reported. Several deer with arrows were reported, as well as injured fawns or fawns with no doe observed.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Benton County Water Stargrass Harvester: Sunnyside/Snake River Wildlife Arear Manager Kaelber, Assistant Manager Jahns, and Technician Manderbach, along with other Department of Fish and Wildlife staff members, attended a water stargrass harvester informational demonstration hosted by the Benton County Conservation District. Wildlife area staff members were able to watch the water stargrass harvester in action, as well as ask questions about function and future collaborative uses of the machine in the Yakima River.

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Photo by WDFW

Colockum Wildlife Area Reseeding After Timber Thinning Project: Colockum Wildlife Area staff members spent time reseeding non “green dot” roads opened up for the Colockum Forest Restoration Project. About ten miles of pre-existing, grown over logging roads were re-opened during this project and these roads will now be reseeded, water barred, and blocked for vehicle use. This light abandonment prevents further motor vehicle use, improves habitat and allows the roads to be used some time in the future for additional forest management.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Colockum Wildlife Area Parking Lot Improvements: Colockum personnel continued improvements to the headquarters’ parking lot. Work completed included installing a steel panel round corral for horses, as well as a new stock tank to supply water for horses, dogs, the occasional elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep that frequent the area.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Education and Outreach

Naches Sportsman’s Day: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and Assistant Manager Winegeart worked Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s booth at this year’s Naches Sportsman’s Days. Morrison primarily fielded questions from the public while Winegeart focused on providing an opportunity for people that haven’t hunted to learn how to properly handle a firearm at the range and a safety refresher for experienced hunters.

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Naches Sportsman’s Days: Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members, various Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) staff members, and the Friends of Oak Creek Volunteers participated in the Naches Sportsman’s Days event and parade. Volunteers and Department staff helped answer questions at the informational booth while other staff members and volunteers operated a pellet gun range to teach people and youth about hunter safety.

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Photo by WDFW

Other

Shop Safety on the L. T. Murray Wildlife Area: L. T. Murray staff members learned a valuable lesson regarding using linseed oil to preserve wood handles on tools. After depositing some shop paper towels stained with the oil in a garbage can, the more saturated towel which was on the bottom of the pile began to smoke heavily and would have ignited had employees not been present to remove the rags. This was a near miss accident and a good reminder to read and understand the label on all chemicals used.

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Photo by WDFW

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Truck Turn Around Resurfacing: Oak Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Boggs started work on the Cowiche truck turn around. Leveling this area will improve conditions for unloading hay and turning trucks around.

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Photo by WDFW

Sunnyside/Snake River Access Sites: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Ferguson removed hornet nests and restocked all hunter registration boxes as well and mowed weeds in the Sunnyside Unit parking lots. Assistant Manager Jahns also continued to mow access sites and roads, including all roadways within the Thornton Unit in preparation for the upcoming hunting seasons.

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Photo by WDFW