Managing Wildlife Populations

District 8 Fisher Monitoring: District 8 Wildlife Biologist Wampole, with assistance from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Intern Flores and Habitat Biologist Bucher, retrieved fisher monitoring stations set in fall 2023. Six of approximately 140 camera stations were collected. A wolverine was detected at one of six sites and marten at two of six sites, no fishers were detected.

District 8 Wildlife Population Monitoring Using Camera Traps: District 8 wildlife biologists have been deploying summer camera traps in remote areas across the district. Biologists will retrieve these cameras before the snow returns. 

Region 3 Monarch Butterflies Returning: In the past week, Sunnyside Snake River staff members have observed monarch butterflies returning to areas of the wildlife area that have milkweed. Monarchs have been observed in the Windmill and Hope Valley units. 

District 4 Unusual Milkweed Variety: During monarch surveys, District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra located a patch of showy milkweed of an unusual color on the Windmill Unit. Photos were sent to Olympia staff members who consulted with the collections manager of the University of Washington Herbarium who had never seen this color variety. A specimen will be collected and prepared next week.

District 4 Burrowing Owls Give It a Second Go: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra thought the owl project was wrapping up as the team went to check the final two nests of the year. However, one of the nests failed and the owl pair had re-nested, which is uncommon this late in the year! Perhaps an indication of good food supply, or encouraged by the unseasonably cool temperatures, this owl nest is one of two that will not be ready for banding until late July. Good luck owlets!

District 4 Goose Banding: District 4 Wildlife Biologist Fidorra, along with help from Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber, District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand, Private Lands Biologist Manderbach, volunteers from District 4 Fish Program, volunteers from the Wildlife Program in neighboring districts, and many volunteers from the public trapped and banded geese in District 4. In total, 155 geese were banded between Columbia Park and Hood Park and many previously banded geese were recaptured and released. 

Amphibian Monitoring on Sunnyside Wildlife Area: District 4 Wildlife Biologists Fidorra and Hoffman received training from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Herpetologist Hallock on amphibian trapping and tadpole identification. Several Species of Greatest Conservation Need were detected. Surveys will be conducted these next few weeks to begin cataloging sites important for these amphibians on WDFW land.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Region 3 Harder Springs Blackbirds: Region 3 Private Lands Biologist Manderbach was checking the parking area and registration box at the Harder Springs Register to View site in Kahlotus. Volunteers from goose trapping earlier in the month mentioned that they had stopped and seen the tricolored blackbirds there recently on their way into town, so Manderbach took a look and found a few amongst the yellow-headed blackbirds and red-winged blackbirds. Manderbach will work with the landowners to continue to maintain the site and extend the access contract.

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

District 4 Corral Canyon Elk Area Damage Prevention and Kill Permits: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand delivered the next round of damage prevention permits and kill permits to landowners in elk area 3721. Meetings with landowners were held to discuss changes in crop damage compensation, permit coordination, and hazing strategies.

District 4 Injured Richland Deer: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand responded to a call concerning a possible injured deer at the Columbia Point Golf Course in Richland. The deer was located and showed signs of injury to a lower rear leg and a broken antler, possibly from a vehicle collision. The deer was mobile and was actively feeding, so no further action was necessary.

District 4 Bird in Chimney: District 4 Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received a report of a possible squirrel in a fireplace in Finley. The squirrel noises were actually a starling that was trapped in the chimney which was captured and released unharmed.

Wenas Wildlife Area – Tree Removal and Elk Fence Repair: Wenas Wildlife Area Specialist Frame, Habitat Biologist Miller, and Natural Resource Technicians Stoltenow and Janes removed trees that had fallen on the fence along North Wenas Road and removed trees that could potentially fall on the fence in the future. The fence in that section was repaired to prevent wildlife from leaving the wildlife area.

Wenas Wildlife Area – Roza Cable Installation: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technicians Janes and Stoltenow installed an additional cable extending from the gate at the entrance to the Roza restoration area. There has been issues in this area with people leaving the green dot road to drive around the locked gate in order to access this area. This will hopefully prevent people from doing this in the future.

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Elk Fence: L.T Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart and Natural Resource Technician Blore worked with a master hunter to install an elk return gate in a section of elk fence that routinely receives damage from elk. The elk seem to get in around the Kittitas Reclamation District Road and possibly the creek, but this gate should eliminate future fence damage once the elk find and get used to using it. 

Kittitas County Conflict: District 8 Conflict Technician Leuck night hazed elk this month in the Park Creek and Badger Pocket areas. Conflict Specialist Wetzel trapped one bear and immobilized another. Both were relocated to approved areas. 

Yakima County Conflict: District 8 Conflict Specialist Wetzel checked for elk in the Tampico and Cowiche areas and inspected fences in those locations. Elk have been reported near orchards and some hay areas but have been easily hazed and have not returned.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Colockum Wildlife Area Forestry: Colockum Wildlife Area Manager Lopushinsky and Assistant Manager Hagan toured the Clara Lake area with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Forester Pfeifle to assess the area for possible forest health thinning work. This is a pristine, high elevation area with no active timber management in the past. After looking at access limitations, habitat conditions, and recent fire events it was decided to not pursue thinning work there in the near future.

Wenas Wildlife Area – Weed Control: Wenas Wildlife Area Natural Resource Technician Stoltenow sprayed Scotch thistle growing in the lower portion of the Black Canyon Trail and some Russian thistle growing around the Wenas Wildlife Area headquarters.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area Weed Control: Oak Creek Wildlife Area staff members continue to chemically control weeds across the wildlife area. Focus continues to be placed on the control of Scotch thistle but other species being controlled include Russian thistle, knapweed, Canada thistle, yellow star thistle, and poison hemlock. 

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Weed Control: A local vegetation management crew was hired to treat weeds along and within 30 feet of green dot roads in the 2022 Vantage Highway Fire area which includes most of the Whiskey Dick Unit and some of the Quilomene Unit. The crew covered all the roads and found yellow star thistle and rush skeleton weed which are two weeds that have potential for serious landscape harm and the wildlife area crew were unaware of their presence.

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Cultural Resource Surveying: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison worked with Westland Archaeology which was contracted to do an extensive cultural survey project on the Whiskey Dick and Quilomene units. The information provided from this project will allow the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area management team to better plan and implement restoration activities post 2022 Vantage Highway Fire while protecting sensitive and significant cultural resources. 

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Roads: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart and Natural Resource Technician Blore added barrier rocks to a road that led to an illegal crossing through Cole Creek on the Yakima River Unit near Easton. A new road was quickly created around the barrier so Winegeart and Blore placed two cameras on the crossing hoping to identify the individuals making the new roads over the holiday weekend. 

Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Weed Control: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area staff members have been spraying near access sites and roadways to reduce many species of broadleaf weeds. Staff members will be transitioning to mowing interior roadways to reduce fire hazards and then begin wetland mowing activities in a few weeks. 

Seed Collection Efforts at Thornton: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber, Natural Resource Technician Edwards, and Private Lands Biologist Manderbach joined staff members from the Benton/Franklin Conservation District in a seed collection effort of slender hawksbeard on the Thornton Unit. The collected seed will be used in seedball making events and spread out over other units of the wildlife area. Spiny hopsage and lupine seeds were collected as well.

Antelope Bitterbrush Seed Collection: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber and Private Lands Biologist Manderbach collected antelope bitterbrush seed from the Thompson Seeps Unit. The amount and size of bitterbush plants in multiple areas of the unit is promising for seed collection events far into the future. The seed will be used to restore bitterbrush on other wildlife area units and private lands access sites.

Providing Education and Outreach

Wenas Wildlife Area – Durr Road Kiosk: Wenas Wildlife Area Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame and Natural Resource Technicians Stoltenow and Janes installed a kiosk and repositioned a green dot road management sign on the north Durr Road entry to the wildlife area. The green dot road management sign shows information regarding the proper usage of green dot roads and includes the new 2024 Green Dot Road Map. The kiosk has signage that provides information on regulations for recreational use, emergency restrictions, and as well as information about the wildlife area.

Wenas Wildlife Area – New Green Dot Road Maps for 2024: Wenas Wildlife Area Lands and Recreation Specialist Frame has ordered and installed new for 2024, Green Dot Road Maps on all the informational kiosks that are within the Wenas Wildlife Area. These new maps have updated information about the wildlife area and are printed in full color, making it easy for members of the public to read.

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Region 3 Wildlife Program Safety Training – ATV and UTV classes: Over two days, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Safety Staff Members Mundy and Culican held an ATV and UTV Operator Training class at Oak Creek Wildlife Area. More than 15 Region 3 staff members are now trained and certified to safely operate and maintain these machines, which are important for the off trail and often remote nature of some of WDFW’s work. 

Supervisor Training: Private Lands Biologist Manderbach attended a three-day supervisor training in Spokane. The three days were packed full of great information and interaction with the class on leadership and supervisory strategies as well as general Human Resource information. The training is intended for new supervisors, but it is also a great refresher course for any supervisor and a great informative training for those who do not supervise.

Other

Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Byron Wetland Tour: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber toured the Byron Unit with partners from Ducks Unlimited to deploy data loggers to record water data from multiple ponds located in the eastern portion of the Byron Unit. Data collected will help with possible future wetland development and management. While touring many waterfowl broods were observed along with many species of shorebirds and turtles. 

Managing Wildlife Populations

Lewis’s Woodpeckers: Biologists Eilers and Jeffreys, along with other Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Chelan PUD biologists, continue to conduct Lewis’s woodpecker surveys at five project areas in Rocky Reach Wildlife Area. There are two goals for this year’s cavity nest surveys. First is to learn more about Lewis’s woodpecker nesting phenology and ecology of the population within the Rocky Reach Wildlife Area. This will include clutch size, number of eggs hatched, number of hatchlings to reach fledging or late nestling phase, etc. Second, biologists will examine these data alongside habitat and microhabitat characteristics for the purpose of drawing inferences regarding nest success of Lewis’s woodpeckers at both the local scale and microsite scale (breeding territory). These inferences may in turn be useful for informing habitat management considerations at the regional scale (North Central Washington). 

So far this year surveyors have completed occupancy surveys at all grids and have identified 19 occupied Lewis’s woodpecker cavity nests. All cavity nests will receive multiple monitoring visits throughout the nesting cycle, and all have been visited at least twice so far this season. Using a camera mounted to a telescoping pole (nest peeper), biologists have observed eggs or young nestlings in many of the nest cavities. Not all nest cavities can be reached with the nest peeper, because some are too high and/or have too many branches in the way. For those nests, biologists use behavioral observations to approximate nesting stage. In August, once all nests have been documented to have either fledged young or failed, biologists will perform habitat assessment surveys at each nest cavity. 

Biologist Turnock and Technician Hara have been assisting District 7 biologists with Lewis’s woodpecker surveys to investigate nesting success for this Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

Bumble Bees: Biologists Jeffreys and Eilers conducted the first bumble bee survey of the year at a site south of Wenatchee. This year’s survey efforts will include four repeated visits to the same site every few weeks to monitor changes in bumble bees and flowering plants throughout the summer season. Habitat data were collected for the grid including identifying and photographing flowering plant (food source) species. A total of seven bumble bees of four different species were gently caught in a net, identified as to the species, and released on-site. The data collected from this survey were entered into the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas online database. The Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas is a collaborative effort between the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and citizen science volunteers to track and conserve the bumble bees of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

Fishers: Biologists Eilers, Jeffreys, and Turnock and Technicians Hara and Force began picking up baited camera stations deployed in forested areas throughout Chelan County last fall as part of the North Cascades Fisher Monitoring project. Images collected at these baited camera traps will be used to help evaluate the effectiveness of fisher reintroduction back into the Cascades Fisher Recovery Area and inform future recovery actions by assessing the expansion and distribution of fishers. 

The idea was to draw any fishers inhabiting the vicinity into view of the game camera by placing a dispenser loaded with an extremely potent skunk scent over a bone on a tree approximately 15 to 18 feet away and in full view of the camera. The scent lure dispenser dripped this pungent liquid onto a bone every 48 hours throughout the deployment window, attracting any nearby carnivores. In addition to fisher, the baited camera stations were expected to capture images of other carnivore species of concern as well, including gray wolf, wolverine, and lynx.

To further assess fisher occupancy and expansion, a hair snare belt was nailed to the tree right below the beef bone with the aim of snagging hairs from visiting animals climbing the tree. These hairs can then be used for DNA analysis. All data generated from these baited camera stations will be instrumental in learning more about the distribution of fishers and other carnivore species throughout the Cascades. 

Biologist Turnock and Technicians Force and Hara have also been busy collecting remote camera stations as part of a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisher study. These stations have been out since last October. 

Bat Emergence Counts: Bat monitoring for the 2024 summer season has begun! Biologists conducted the first round of emergence counts at four maternity colonies (communal roosts where females birth and care for their pups) located in the south Lake Chelan, Entiat River Road, and Lake Wenatchee areas. The species of bats at these four colonies are little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis), and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). These first counts were conducted when only the females are out flying at night, so biologists will return for a second count at each site in mid-July when pups are able to join the females in exiting the roost. 

Bat Probiotic Project: Biologists Eilers, Jeffreys, and Turnock and Technicians Hara and Force joined Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Bat Biologist Tobin and other volunteers at a maternity roost near Lake Chelan. They worked on a project designed to evaluate the efficacy of a cutting-edge White-nose Syndrome (WNS) prohphylaxis technique on Washington’s bats. This maternity colony is a mixed roost of little brown myotis and Yuma myotis, and WNS was first detected among its members in 2021. The Lake Chelan colony is one of the trial sites for a recently developed probiotic cocktail that researchers hope will provide bats protection from the deadly disease. This is the third year of a multi-year study that includes Chelan County and ten other counties in Washington in which bat colonies with WNS have been detected. 

In summer 2022, biologists swabbed some of the Lake Chelan bats’ wings to determine baseline microbiota prior to the application of the probiotic cocktail to the roost. Then the probiotic cocktail was applied to surfaces throughout the bat’s roost in April 2023. The bats captured this year are being swabbed to compare wing microbiomes of the before and after probiotic treatment. 

Bats were weighed and assessed to determine age, sex, reproductive status, and wing condition. Additionally, bats were outfitted with an arm band and PIT tag to allow individual identification over the several years that monitoring will be conducted at this colony.

Pseudogymnaoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes WNS in bats, typically attacks bats when they are most vulnerable- during hibernation, when bats remain largely inactive to conserve energy and survive the cold months of winter when no insect prey is available. 

There is increasing evidence that wing microbiomes can play a substantial role in WNS susceptibility, so Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, McMaster University, and Thompson Rivers University developed a probiotic cocktail of naturally occurring bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens complex, a group of bacteria that has been shown effective at treating WNS in hibernating bats. The goal of this effort is to enhance the wing microflora of bats during the summer by applying this anti-Pd bacteria to surfaces within maternity roosts (e.g., walls, wooden beams). As prolific groomers, bats will brush up against these surfaces and then naturally work the probiotics throughout their wings and fur and that of their pups during grooming sessions. 

Bullfrog Removal: Biologist Turnock and Technicians Force and Hara have been assisting with nocturnal bullfrog removal efforts on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Bullfrogs are a highly problematic invasive species in Washington because they are voracious predators. These removal efforts will hopefully improve survival of reintroduced northern leopard frogs, a native species.

Northern Leopard Frog Translocation: Technicians Force and Hara worked with staff members to set up soft release enclosures for northern leopard frogs at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Eggs were collected from Potholes earlier this year and have been captively reared on the refuge and at the Oregon Zoo and Northwest Trek. Once the frogs are adequately sized, they will be moved to these soft release enclosures to acclimate to their new surroundings before ultimately being released. These protections as they grow are hoped to increase their survival and establish a new population of these state endangered frogs. 

Bridgeport Bar Agricultural Fields: Technicians Haney-Williamson and Ruiz have been seeding spring wheat, corn, and buckwheat in agricultural fields on the Bridgeport Bar. Irrigating these fields and mowing cereal rye has also been keeping them busy. Technician Haney-Williamson has seen geese, doves, sandhill cranes and mule deer enjoying the wheat and corn. 

Spraying Efforts: Spraying broadleaves along roadsides has continued this month, and wildlife area staff members are already seeing the impacts of their spraying on the weeds. Technicians treated white top in the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area. They have also focused spray efforts on a ventenata patch and a few phragmites occurrences in Big Bend.

Water Birch Enclosures Irrigation Set-up: Wildlife area staff members have begun the yearly task of setting up irrigation to water birch enclosures within the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area. This has involved maintaining drip irrigation, repairing pumps, clearing vegetation, and other maintenance. Some of the enclosures are seeing significant and healthy new growth coming up around old trees that were impacted by fire. These water birch enclosures are significant as they provide critical winter shelter and food for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.

Biocontrol Wasps: Blake and Haupt released biocontrol wasps for Russian knapweed across wildlife area units. The wasps, Aulacidea acroptilonica, were provided by Washington State University extension. 

Providing Education and Outreach

Beebe Springs Education Days: Third grade students from Eastmont School District had the opportunity to learn from several organizations and agencies during the Wild Washington Outdoor Classroom event at the Beebe Springs Wildlife Area. Balderston and Chelan Wildlife Area Manager Pavelchek co-led a station focused on local biodiversity. At this station, students learned about wildlife that spend time at Beebe Springs, learned about animal skulls, saw game camera photos, observed fish, birds, and frogs, and drew what they saw.

Managing Wildlife Populations

Waterfowl: Biologists Lowe and Brinkman conducted waterfowl brood counts on two routes that are surveyed annually. Biologist Brinkman drove the Ewan-Revere route, but most of the potholes along the route were dry or nearly empty so very few waterfowl were observed. Biologist Lowe surveyed the Lincoln Potholes route and observed a wide variety of waterfowl, but fewer broods were observed than expected. 

USGS Breeding Bird Survey: Biologist Brinkman completed a United States Geological Survey (USGS) Breeding Bird Survey on a route near Twin Lakes outside of Inchelium. This route had been surveyed for years by a member of the public, but a request to have someone new pick up the route was passed through Spokane Audubon late last year. This survey consisted of 50 point-counts conducted at approximately one-half mile intervals along a designated route. Each point count lasts for three minutes and follows a specific survey protocol to maintain consistent and comparable results.  

Tucannon Bighorn Sheep: Wildlife Area Manager Dingman located the Tucannon Herd bighorn sheep this week. There are still six lambs alive.

Elk at Smoothing Iron Ridge:  A large group of elk has been hanging out at Smoothing Iron Ridge. They have been highly visible and have been using crops planted in fields and water troughs.   

Providing Recreation Opportunities

WT Wooten Wildlife Area Lakes: Natural Resource Technicians Jensen and Tritt checked the fish screens and adjusted water levels as needed. Jensen cleaned up trash around the lakes and replaced the roll of litter bags at Rainbow Lake. Some individuals decided to drive their UTVs out to the Spring Lake Dam and park near the overflow culvert. Officer Delp responded and ended up writing several citations to them for various things. 

Wildlife Area Manager Dingman and Jensen put the spotting scope back at Rainbow Lake. The scope still does not focus very well and Dingman passed that information along to the Wildlife Watching folks in Olympia. 

Natural Resource Technician Tritt cut trees off the Rainbow Lake inlet pipeline.

Recreational Access Area Maintenance and Management:  Maintenance Mechanic Heimgartner and Natural Resource Technician Nielsen cleaned access sites on the wildlife area from Heller Bar to the Wooten campgrounds and lakes, sprayed weeds, and cleaned up graffiti.  They report Heller Bar is busy with rafting season in full swing.  

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Cooperative Fencing: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Harris ordered fencing materials for a cooperative fencing project in Lincoln County to protect a blueberry field from elk and deer damage. Wildlife Conflict Specialist Harris also met with a producer in Spokane County to discuss details of a cooperative fencing project proposal for next fiscal year. 

Bear Concern: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Kolb responded to a report of a yearling black bear hanging around a popular rural intersection.  It is possible it is the same bear that was previously hanging around the same area in early December. Kolb responded to the area but was unable to locate the bear.  Advice was provided to some local residents and producers. 

Depredation Investigations: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff members conducted two depredation investigations this week.  The first was a cow that was found dead on a United States Forest Service (USFS) allotment.  The cow was discovered by loggers and the carcass had been moved from its original location, so they could continue logging.  Staff members conducted a full site investigation and field necropsy, but no signs of predator involvement could be found, and it was determined that the cow died of unknown causes.  

The second investigation was an injured calf that had been pulled off a USFS allotment. Staff members conducted a full injury investigation. After an after action review the determination of the investigation was confirmed wolf. WDFW staff members coordinated with the Asotin County Sheriff on both investigations. 

Juvenile Hawk: Supervisor Earl received an after-hours call regarding a hawk out of its nest. The reporting party stated that the hawk had fallen out of the nest and she was worried that it was vulnerable to neighborhood dogs and cats. The reporting party managed to get it into a cage before calling. The reporting party was instructed to return the hawk to a safe place in hopes that its mother may find it. They called again later and stated that the mother was observed with the juvenile. 

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Bureau of Land Management Field Work: This week Wildlife Area Manager Finch and Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Wagner finished spraying herbicide on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field. After Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Wagner finished spraying, Finch and Wagner rinsed out the sprayer with water and moved the sprayer and tractor back the Swanson Lake shop location. 

Habitat Maintenance: Private Lands Biologist Nizer and Private Lands Technician Rumiser weed whacked weeds around trees planted this spring and watered trees as a weekly duty.  

Noxious Weed Control (West Lake of Swanson): The previous week, while moving equipment Private Lands Biologist Baarstad and Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Wagner had noticed some St. John's wort patches and Canada thistle along the west lake of Swanson. Wagner took the UTV sprayer out and proceeded to spray those troublesome areas. He went out to assess the location Tuesday, and the Canada thistle looked as though they have been hit hard.

Providing Education and Outreach

Lincoln County Wolf Meeting: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Region 1 Conflict and Enforcement staff members and a wolf biologist participated in an informational meeting on wolves in Davenport, in coordination with the Lincoln County Cattleman’s Association. Staff members discussed current wolf populations, recovery goals and objectives, the rights of community members when it comes to wolves, husbandry practices to discourage wolf depredations on livestock, and answered many questions from meeting attendees. 

Turkey Article: Private Lands Biologist Nizer started reaching out to a turkey hunting property landowner in Whitman County, as well as hunters and conservation districts. They discussed the creation of an article to show how partnerships work and how they can help accomplish habitat development goals for turkeys. Nizer created a rough draft and will send it to Communication Consultant Foster and his colleagues once it is finalized. 

Science Camp: Biologist Lowe provided the first of several weekly programs for the City of Spokane’s Natural Science Camp at the Finch Arboretum. The group of 16 six- and seven-year-olds learned about the importance of pollinators and bats, as well as ecology of local wildlife including turkeys and moose. The highlight of the afternoon was catching and identifying a queen western bumble bee, which is a species currently being considered for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act.  

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

4-O Ranch Wildlife Aree Hay Pile Monitoring and Cleanup:  At the recommendation of Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Area Manager Dice made arrangements to rent an excavator from Lewiston and bring it to the 4-O for the purpose of dismantling and scattering a pile of rotten hay.  There is concern the pile will spontaneously combust due to residual moisture and rot in the hay.  There are approximately 1,600 round bails in the pile.  DNR is monitoring the pile for heat signatures using IR equipment.  The rental excavator will be on site July 9.   

Other

Fire Protection: This week, staff members will be preparing for fire restriction posting.  Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Wagner weed trimmed around the 3000-gallon storage water tank at the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area.  The vegetation was cleared around the water tank to protect the tank from any wildfire. 

Managing Wildlife Populations

Band-Tailed Pigeon: Biologist Murphie assisted Biologist Novack in setting and maintaining a trap for band-tailed pigeons. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be getting any use and the trap will be pulled.

Northwestern Pond Turtle: Biologist Murphie conducted work related to northwestern pond turtle recovery at the site he manages in District 15 for turtles.

Black Bear: Biologist Murphie assisted Lower Elwha Tribal biologists in checking bear hair snare stations. This work is part of a joint Lower Elwha Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife project to estimate bear abundance in GMU 603.

Bats: Biologist Murphie participated in bat count activities in the Hamma Hamma, Quilcene, and Hoodsport areas as part of routine surveillance. He reported counts of 306 bats for Hamma Hamma cabin, 40 for the Quilcene Shop, and 39 at a private cabin near Hoodsport.

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Vegetation Maintenance at Access Sites: The water access team has been in its annual race against the elements, trying to compete with perfect grass growing weather to keep vegetation at the region’s access sites at a reasonable level. This year the elements had a great start with the access team taking the role of the tortoise and slowly gaining ground. The elevated temperatures in July should help staff members gain some headway on the many access areas that require vegetation maintenance. 

Pre-Holiday Access Site Cleanup Activities: Access staff members removed abandoned vessels from Lake Isabella and Rapjohn Lake. The vessel at Rapjohn Lake had been dumped, filled with trash, and pushed out into the lake. It had to be pulled back to shore before it could be removed. In preparation for the upcoming 4th of July holiday, access staff members removed or painted over graffiti and posted firework restrictions at several of the region’s access areas.

Nisqually River Disabled Access Redevelopment: The Nisqually River disabled access has reopened after site redevelopment. Access staff members assisted with the project which included tree felling, parking lot grading, paving, and striping, restroom replacement, fishing shed upgrades, and vegetation planting.

Leyendecker Park Redevelopment: Access staff members assisted with the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) funded redevelopment project at Leyendecker Park in Clallam County which includes a new restroom, ADA loading platform, and boat launch. The redevelopment of this access area has been supported and long awaited by the Forks community including the Quileute Tribe, local fishers, and many guides who utilize this access at the confluence of the Bogacheil and Sol Duc rivers which become the Quilayute River at this point. Logs from trees felled at the site were donated to the Quileute Tribe.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Orange Hawkweed, Class B Noxious Weed: Access staff members took measures to remove orange hawkweed, a class B designated noxious weed, from Lake Sutherland in Clallam County. The access staff members hand pulled the plants with visible orange hawkweed flowers at the Lake Sutherland access site and mowed the entire area that was in near bloom. Eradication at this site has been an on-and-off-again issue due to seed drift from a neighboring property. The team will continue to monitor the area.

North Olympic Wildlife Area Management: Wildlife Area Manager Laushman and Technician Morgan treated hairy willowherb and other invasive weeds at the Bell Creek Unit, and Morgan mowed and maintained vegetation at several North Olympic units.

Irondale Beach: Natural Resource Specialist McKinlay mowed the paths and parking area at Irondale Beach, part of the Chimacum Wildlife Area Unit, in preparation for increased use around the 4th of July holiday.

Providing Education and Outreach

McNeil Island: Wildlife Program Staff Members Blankenship, Mire, and Laushman gave a tour of restoration sites at the McNeil Island Wildlife Area to South Sound documentary filmmakers.

Tacoma Ocean Fest: Wildlife Area Manager Laushman, Communications Specialist Mire, and Hunter Education Specialist Montgomery, along with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) volunteers, staffed a booth at the Tacoma Ocean Fest and talked with the public about WDFW information. 
WDFW staff members providing outreach at the Tacoma Ocean Fest.

General Wildlife Inquiries: Biologist Murphie responded to inquiries received by phone or email related to deer and elk hunting, band-tailed pigeons, gray squirrels, bats, and other birds. 

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Sunnyside Bats: Sunnyside Snake River Wildlife Area Manager Kaelber, Assistant Manager Jahns, and Technician Manderbach conducted an emergent count of the Sunnyside bat maternal colony as they exited their roost after sunset. There were 112 adult bats observed, as well as approximately 15 young pups in the roost.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Burrowing Owl Tracking Project: Wildlife Biologist Fidorra finished up trapping burrowing owls for the pilot study on adult male habitat use and movements. WDFW and partners including Conservation Northwest and local Audubon chapters funded the placement of ten transmitters on adults with a few additional juvenile tags going out in support of an Environment Canada project to study juvenile movements, dispersal, and survival. All data will be helpful in understanding and reversing the apparent decline of Pacific Northwest burrowing owls.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Parking Lot Development: Colockum Wildlife Area staff members worked on improving a primitive parking area near the wildlife area headquarters. Original plans called for grading the site, asphalt paving and installation of fencing, signage and shade structures. A pre-project cultural resource survey determined the area qualified as a cultural resource site, precluding any grading, post hole digging ,or soil disturbance. Staff members used other methods to improve the site while minimizing disturbance.

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

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Photo by WDFW

Manastash Ridge Trails and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Volunteer Signage Day: Wenas Wildlife Area Manger Hughes, Specialist Frame, and Habitat Specialist Miller, with the help from volunteers, placed “Trail Closed for Restoration” and “Active Restoration” signs on trails within the Manastash Ridge trails. These trails are improperly built and often cause erosion. Closing them will help plants and wildlife return. The Wenas Team and volunteers also placed yield signs throughout the trails. This will educate users on how to properly yield to other types of user groups on the landscape.

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Photo by WDFW

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Rattlesnake Hills Elk: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand prepared and delivered new damage prevention permits to landowners to address elk damage to commercial crops in elk area 3721. The summer bull season ended on June 30 with a new record of 31 bulls harvested on damage prevention permits. Late night and early morning hazing patrols are continuing along the Hanford National Monument border.

Franklin County Chicken Depredations: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand received and responded to a complaint of a fox that has raided a chicken coup and killed up to six chickens near Pasco. Enhanced protective fencing designs were discussed and encouraged as well as lethal removal and non-lethal hazing tools.

Kahlotus Deer Damage Claims: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Hand met with a producer who farms a large acreage wheat operation near Kahlotus concerning this year’s deer damage claim. The producer seemed very happy with last years coordinated hazing and hunting opportunities offered through both WDFW Special Permit hunters and Damage Permit Program, and is not looking at filing a crop damage claim this year.

Kittitas County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay growers who were having problems with elk in crops. Elk have been hazed from irrigated hay, row crops, and at haystacks. Elk are returning to the Parke Creek area, similar to last year.

Yakima County Conflict: Conflict Specialist Wetzel worked with several hay and orchard growers who were having problems with elk in crops. Elk have been hazed from irrigated hay, row crops, and orchard areas. Elk have been reported in the Naches River area in greater numbers than last year.

Conflict Specialist Wetzel Other: Conflict Specialist Wetzel assisted enforcement with trapping a bear that killed some chickens and was loitering in a neighborhood. The bear did not return to the area during the trapping period. Thanks to Rich and Lindsay for a new bear trap. It will be useful and safer to use.

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Conserving Natural Landscapes

North Durr Road Trash Clean Up: Wenas Wildlife Area Specialist Frame cleaned up 740 pounds of trash from the north Durr Road target shooting area. A box containing roughly a hundred 2023 WDFW Big Game Hunting Regulations pamphlets was found dumped and used as a target.

Whiskey Dick Cleanup: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart worked with volunteers to remove half a mile of old barbed wire from the L. T. Murray Wildlife Area’s Whiskey Dick Unit. All the wire removed was picked up and taken to recycle.

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2022 Vantage Highway Fire: L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart flew the Vantage Highway fire area in preparation of fall restoration work. Vegetation is recovering well in most of the fire area, but the loss of the area's big sagebrush and large woody riparian vegetation will be felt for many years.

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L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Winegeart and Natural Resource Specialist Nass took photos at some Vantage Highway fire photo points. Most grasses and forbs seem to be recovering well and hopefully fall plug planting will aid in recovery of the missing shrub component.

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Providing Education and Outreach

Stolen Shooter Man Sign: The Wenas Wildlife Area worked together on designing and fabricating a new sign to draw attention to target shooting restrictions throughout the wildlife area. The team hand drew and cut out the image below in metal along with developing a locking slider to allow for changing of signs within the metal shooter man. The sign will highlight target shooting restrictions year-round on the Wenas Wildlife Area. It will switch from green stating no timing restrictions, yellow stating sunrise to 10 a.m., and red saying no target shooting when in full emergency fire restrictions. After initially posting the sign at the entrance of Sheep Company Road, the sign was gone within 48 hours. Someone had grinded the metal sign off the post it was welded onto and cut out the yellow timing sign throwing it on the ground. The life-size shooter man sign was stolen. The wildlife area ended up taking an additional sign originally meant for another area and reposting it after adding additional precaution measures to prevent theft.

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L. T. Murray Wildlife Area Manager Morrison and Assistant Manager Winegeart worked with volunteers to rebuild the Corrals kiosk which was lost in the Vantage Highway fire of 2022.

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Other

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Managing Wildlife Populations

Bumble Bees: Biologist Brinkman, with cross-program assistance from Habitat Biologists Westerman and Kinnick, conducted follow-up bumble bee surveys in Lincoln County as part of the PNW Bumble Bee Atlas Project. These surveys were conducted in the same two locations as the surveys conducted earlier in June to provide information about changes to the flowering resources available and any changes to the diversity of bumble bee species captured. Several different species of bumble bees were captured at both survey locations. 

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Golden Eagles: Biologists Lowe and Brinkman assisted District 3 Biologist Vekasy, Research Scientist Watson, and two technicians with capture and marking of two golden eagle nestlings at a nest site near Central Ferry along the Snake River. One of these nestlings was fitted with a backpack GPS transmitter to monitor movements after fledging and track survival of this individual.   

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Ferruginous Hawk: Private Lands Biologist Hadley assisted Wildlife Research Scientist Watson and Assistant District 3 Wildlife Biologist Vekasy with tagging a ferruginous hawk fledgling, banding it for identification and then fitting one of the fledglings with a transmitter. 

Providing Recreation Opportunities

Campsite Maintenance: Sherman Creek Wildlife Area Natural Resources Technician Zueger and Wildlife Area Assistant Manager Palmer felled a dead Douglas fir that was a hazard to a campsite at Sherman Creek, off Trout Lake Road. Palmer cut the tree down, and Zueger limbed it, gaining chainsaw experience. 

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Tree Removal at Clear Lake: Brant used his new chainsaw training to take down a dead Ponderosa pine at the upper Clear Lake parking lot. A perfect cut dropped the tree where they wanted it! The pair bucked up the trunk and removed limbs, and will remove remaining debris later, after the trunk rounds have a chance to “walk away.”

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Vetter Farm Work Party: Natural Resource Technicians Harris and Janowski attended the Stevens County Conservation District (SCCD) Vetter Farm work party. Natural Resource Technicians Harris and Janowski assisted SCCD with building fence and planting a pollinator garden. 

Habitat Work: Natural Resource Technician Nizer and Natural Resource Technician Rumiser mowed noxious weeds at a feel free to hunt property. Weeds will be evaluated and sprayed in the following weeks.  

Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Asotin County Elk: Natural Resource Technician Heitstuman conducted an early morning patrol in the Cloverland area. Several small groups of elk were in summer fallow fields. A large group was hazed out of a growing field. This field is due to be renewed for hunter access, contact was made with the listed owner. 

Wolf Activity: Wildlife Conflict Specialist Kolb was visiting with a producer about elk damage when the producer mentioned that he observed seven wolves in a cattle pasture recently. Kolb contacted the producer and additional non-lethal deterrents were deployed across the pasture site.   

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Livestock Depredation: WDFW Enforcement and Wildlife Conflict staff members investigated a domestic livestock mortality in Columbia County resulting in a confirmed cougar depredation. A male cougar was removed because of the confirmed depredation in close proximity to an occupied dwelling with children present.   

Reported Possible Depredation in 139 Pack Territory: WDFW staff members responded to a report of a dead 2-year-old heifer being found by a producer who believed that it was likely a predator depredation. WDFW staff members investigated the depredation site and conducted a field necropsy. Staff members confirmed that it was a wolf depredation.  

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Turkey Feeding, Spokane Valley: Wildlife Conflict Specialist McCarty discussed concerns about neighbors feeding turkeys in a residential neighborhood and the potential for increased aggression toward humans if the birds were continually fed.  

Outreach and Teamwork: Biologist Baarstad met with small forest landowners in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties to tour their properties and provide land management advice for forest stewardship and wildlife benefits. Baarstad worked with the Inland NW Wildlife Council, WDFW volunteers, and Technician Wagner to clear disabled hunter access routes on U.S Forest Service lands in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. 

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Habitat Coordination: Private Lands Biologist Hadley met with a Walla Walla Conservation District Voluntary Stewardship Program Coordinator to discuss areas of project coordination and focus areas. 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Grant: Natural Resource Technician Janowski completed a final project completion report and submitted the document to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF). RMEF provided funding for a conifer tree planting in Stevens County and the organization requires a project report for their records. 

Habitat Coordination: Private Lands Biologist Hadley met with a Walla Walla Conservation District and members of Blue Mountain Pheasants Forever Chapter to discuss coordination of future projects. 

Providing Education and Outreach

Conservation District Partnership: Natural Resource Technician Nizer met with Whitman Conservation District to partner with a mowing project on a restoration site of theirs.  

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Budget: Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna put together budget allotments for all Region 1 wildlife conflict and private lands staff members. McCanna sent to Budget Analyst Quinton to plan for the 23-24 fiscal year.

Hunt by Reservation Renewal: Natural Resource Technician Nizer and Natural Resource Technician Rumiser met with Spokane, Park, Recreation, and Golf Executive Director Chase to discuss renewing the reservation for Mica Peak for an additional five years. Chase was pleased with the last contract period and is interested in joining for another five years.  

Wolf Advisory Group Meeting: Wildlife Conflict Supervisor McCanna attended the Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) field trip on Monday, in Clarkston looking at several different grazing allotments and their challenges. They then met with several producers in the 139-wolf pack territory in the Anatone area to hear their challenges with the recent confirmed and probable wolf depredations. Tuesday and Wednesday, McCanna attended the in-person WAG meeting in Clarkston. 

Managing Wildlife Populations

White-nose Syndrome Monitoring: Biologists Holman and Stephens collected bat guano at a known maternity colony site in Lewis County in order to have it tested for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that is known to cause white-nose syndrome in bats.

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Bat Maternity Colony Counts: District 10 Biologists Holman and Stephens, along with Diversity Bat personnel and additional Region 5 staff members from Wildlife and Habitat programs, have conducted bat emergence counts at several maternity bat roosts in District 10. All of these roosts are in human made structures such as barns, homes, and sheds and these colonies have been reported by the landowners on WDFWs bat colony reporting form. WDFW biologists are grateful for landowners who take the time to report colonies and who allow us to come count bats on their property. Collectively, these partnerships are very meaningful for learning more about Washington’s bat populations. Two new colonies were counted this month, one of which had over 500 Yuma myotis and a second had over 1,000 bats which consisted of little brown bats, big brown bats, and Yuma myotis.

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Snowy Plover Survey: Biologist Stephens assisted Region 6 Wildlife staff members with a snowy plover survey on Midway Beach. The snowy plover is listed as endangered in Washington and is federally threatened. The survey went well with around 15 birds recorded, some of which were able to be individually identified by unique color band combinations.

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Western Gray Squirrel Investigation: Biologist Holman teamed with U. S. Forest Service Biologist Jakubowski to investigate the location of the recovery of a western gray squirrel carcass outside of the species’ known home range in Washington. The western gray squirrel carcass was submitted to the U. S. Forest Service by a citizen squirrel savvy enough to recognize that it was a species outside of its traditional range and of conservation concern (State Threatened). The specimen was found in wet conifer dominated U. S. Forest Service managed lands in eastern Lewis County, at least 40 miles direct line distance from the nearest known populations in Klickitat County. The squirrel has been transferred to the University of Washington Burke Museum for safekeeping.

Holman and Jakubowski searched the area of the recovered squirrel for any signs of squirrel activity including locating nests, as well as listening and looking for western gray squirrels. Additionally, the duo set motion-activated cameras baited with nuts to see if more western gray squirrels might potentially be in the area. After approximately six weeks, the cameras only revealed Douglas squirrels, Jays, and bears taking advantage of the bait. The investigation will continue during the winter when food resources are more limited, and bears are hibernating.

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South Cascades Fisher Survey: In May and June, Biologists Wickhem and Bergh, and Technician Motiff with the help of Volunteers Hanley and Flick, removed 13 fisher monitoring stations that were deployed back in October and November 2022. The stations are made up of a PVC “scent dispenser” bolted to a tree that regularly drips very stinky lure onto a cow femur (bolted to the tree below the dispenser). A motion-detection trail camera is placed on an adjacent tree facing the station to catch any critter that comes to check out the smelly set-up. In all, there were 107 of these stations deployed in the Southern Cascades between the Columbia River and Snoqualmie Pass by WDFW personnel and partners from Department of Natural Resource, U. S. Forest Service, U. S. National Park Service, Woodland Park Zoo, Conservation Northwest, and Muckleshoot and Puyallup tribes. The stations retrieved by District 9 staff members were located in Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties, primarily deployed within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest or on adjacent Washington Department of Natural Resources land. Of the 13 stations collected, one camera was stolen, one camera malfunctioned, and three stations captured fishers. As usual, the cameras also collected images of many other forest critters including tree squirrels, flying squirrels, birds, rabbits, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, bears, deer, and elk. The station equipment is placed in the trees at least ten feet up from the ground, and one station north-west of Carson experienced snow deep enough to nearly cover both the dispenser and the camera. We are excited to hear the results from the 94 stations and wish our counterparts in the North Cascades good fisher luck when they deploy their stations this fall.

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Providing Conflict Prevention and Education

Cougar Kitten Capture: Wildlife Conflict Technician Kolenberg received a phone call on Friday, June 23 about a cougar kitten that began to show up on a resident's trail camera in Kalama. The individual believed that the cougar’s mother may have been killed a week and a half earlier in a depredation incident on a neighboring property. Technician Kolenberg followed up with the individual who was involved with the depredation incident and confirmed that the female was lactating at the time of the depredation. Technician Kolenberg conferred with Specialist Jacobsen and Carnivore Specialist Beausoleil and decided setting traps was our best option for the cougar kitten. Technician Kolenberg and the resident set three traps and spent some time calling for the cougar kitten on Friday afternoon. Over the weekend the resident provided updates and informed Wildlife Conflict Technician Kolenberg that on Saturday night a neighbor spotted two cougar kittens. On Monday evening, the resident called Technician Kolenberg alerting him that he and his neighbors had caught one kitten, and were in the process of capturing another. Technician Kolenberg arrived at the scene just around sunset and assisted with the capture of the second cougar kitten. It was a whole neighborhood effort as up to ten neighbors on the block were out assisting in this incident. Technician Kolenberg brought the two kittens back to Ridgefield and then transferred them to Specialist Jacobsen, who transferred them to Specialist Beausoleil in Toppenish. Specialist Beausoleil will keep staff members updated on what the future holds for these cougar kittens. Huge thanks to the neighborhood in Kalama that spent the time checking traps and assisting with the capture and welfare of the cougar kittens, as well as Specialist Jacobsen and Specialist Beausoleil for the guidance!

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Conserving Natural Landscapes

Removal of Derelict Fences on the Klickitat Wildlife Area: Master Hunter Volunteer Rudberg came to the Klickitat Wildlife Area to help Assistant Manager Hunt pack out spools of barbed wire that were cached in various remote locations from this year’s previous fence removal projects. The Klickitat Wildlife Area has several old fence lines that are no longer needed or maintained. These fences present unnecessary obstacles and can entangle the feet of animals and people, so it is best to remove them. Master Hunter Rudberg and Assistant Manager Hunt spent a full day packing out barbed wire and disposing of it at the Goldendale Transfer Station. Assistant Manager Hunt appreciated Master Hunter Rudberg’s dedication, resilience, and positive attitude during a tough day of off-trail hiking and hot summer temperatures.

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Managing Wildlife Populations

Snowy Plover: Biologists Cent and Novack completed the third and final round of breeding adult snowy plover surveys with the help of various WDFW staff members. Below is a summary table of the adults observed during the three surveys (“visits”) in 2023. Numbers at Midway Beach continued to trend downward compared to prior years. Plover observations were fairly consistent at Conner Creek and Copalis Spit. Six nests were discovered at Midway Beach during survey efforts, three nests were discovered at Copalis Spit, and one at Conner Creek. Three chicks were observed in the final survey at Midway Beach. Biologist Cent will continue to monitor active nests as time allows.

Streaked Horned Lark: Biologists Cent and Novack completed the last round of lark surveys. Below is a summary table of the three surveys completed during the 2023 breeding season. After a site visit to Damon Point showed the habitat was no longer suitable for breeding larks, Biologist Cent determined the site did not need to be surveyed in 2023. The habitat at Oyhut Spit (adjacent to Damon Point) is now very marginal, which likely explains why no larks were observed this season. Numbers of larks at Shelton Airport and Midway Beach were similar to the last surveys conducted in 2018, with a slight increase at Midway.

Conserving Natural Landscapes

Protection Island: Wildlife Area Manager Laushman, Prairie Specialist Cook, and Biologist Norris worked with a Sound Native Plants crew to spend time working on weed removal and dune grass transplanting on Protection Island, part of the North Olympic Wildlife Area.

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McNeil Island: Wildlife Area Manager Laushman treated noxious weeds including Japanese knotweed and tansy ragwort on McNeil Island.

Irondale Beach: The Water Access team assisted Wildlife Area Manager Laushman in cutting overgrown vegetation around the parking and trails at Irondale Beach, of the Chimacum Unit, and refreshed signage.

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Irondale Beach: The Water Access team assisted Wildlife Area Manager Laushman in cutting overgrown vegetation around the parking and trails and refreshed signage at Irondale Beach, of the Chimacum Unit.

Lands 20/20: Biologist Novack submitted an initial draft proposal for land acquisitions along the Chehalis River Valley in Grays Harbor County.

National Association of Clean Water Act (NACWA) Grant: Biologist Novack provided review and support to partners with Ducks Unlimited for their application for federal funding from NACWA. WDFW is providing match dollars from property acquisitions that have already occurred or are funded for the next fiscal biennium. The grant proposes to undertake wetland enhancement and restoration actions on public and private lands within Thurston and Grays Harbor counties.

Conducting Business Operations and Policy

Customer Service: Biologist Novack has handled several questions from hunters after the permit draw results were posted.

McNeil Island: Wildlife Area Manager and Assistant Regional Wildlife Program Manager Blankenship attended the quarterly McNeil interagency meeting to facilitate coordination and planning on the island.

Managing Wildlife Populations

White Nose Syndrome Probiotic Bat Captures: District 13 Wildlife Biologist Licence, Diversity Program staff members, US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) biologists, and WDFW Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Haman gathered at an annual study site in the Darrington area to capture and sample a maternity colony of Yuma myotis. Although captures were relatively low on the first capture night, team spirits were high, and the bats appeared healthy. This research effort is a novel approach to utilizing naturally occurring bacteria to reduce impact of the causative agent of White Nose Syndrome (WNS). One more capture event is planned for later this summer.

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Island Marble Butterfly (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) Monitoring: Wildlife Biologist Licence, Diversity Program staff, and numerous other partners wrapped up a productive field season of island marble butterfly (IMB) and host plant habitat monitoring. With a significant reduction of host plant habitat in a core occurrence area for IMB this year, it has been a busy year for dispersal which has resulted in IMB occupancy at two new Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) properties! WDFW and USFWS staff members piloted numerous new tools for habitat monitoring including a Rapid Habitat Assessment protocol and drone surveys.

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Sand Verbena Moth (Copablepharon fuscum) Surveys: Opportunistic and targeted surveys for species of Greatest Conservation Need, sand verbena moths, on San Juan Island were successful this year with numerous moths captured and documented. District 13 Biologist Licence, Diversity Program staff members, and partners captured moths via net and ultraviolet moth traps. These surveys help document and inform our understanding of species distribution for an understudied and charismatic invertebrate.

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Photo by Photo by C. Caldwell.

Propertius Duskywing (Erynnis propertius) Surveys on Orcas Island: Diversity staff members, District Wildlife Biologist Licence, and Lummi Nation biologists conducted a second round of propertius duskywing surveys associated with a Competitive State Wildlife Grant on Turtleback Mountain of Orcas Island. These “pre-treatment” surveys will provide a baseline indicator of duskywing presence prior to habitat improvement treatments to species host plant, Gary oaks. Once habitat improvements are completed, “post-treatment” surveys will be conducted to monitor any changes in the local duskywing population.  

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Blue Mountain Elk Calf Captures: District 13 Biologist Licence traveled across the state to join the top-notch capture team of the Dayton Game Management Unit (GMU) 162 to wrangle, collar, and collect data on numerous elk calves. One of the primary objectives of the study is to monitor survival and determine mortality causes of calves of the Blue Mountain elk herd.

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Providing Recreation Opportunities

The contract with TREAD for trails conditions assessment in Quincy Lakes is ongoing. Partnership Coordinator Browning and Recreation Planner Andersen are managing the contract and having weekly meetings with TREAD. Browning and Andersen have also been writing a scope of work for a trail inventory in Cowlitz and Methow wildlife areas that will begin in July.

Providing Education and Outreach

The Ambassador Program will be launching on July 1. Partnership Coordinator Browning has been coordinating volunteer talking points and logistics with the Washington Trails Association (WTA). WTA held an online training session the week of June 25.

Browning has been creating content for kiosks that will be delivered by June 30 to Region 4. Three panel kiosks are being designed currently for a few different locations around the state.

Other

Travel Management Rulemaking: Staff members recently held a meeting on several draft rules related to travel management. The draft rules will address illegal trail building, keeping motorized routes on roads that are open to that use, and adopt policy that would consider all routes closed unless designated open. There is a lot of internal (and outreach) work that needs to be done before the third rule can be pursued, but the official rulemaking process will begin on the other two.

Route Inventory: There has been a big effort to determine the process for inventorying all the roads and trails on WDFW managed lands. More recently staff members have developed a tool through a GIS app that contractors or interns can use to collect baseline data on each route, including those that are unauthorized. Now that we have a process in place, WDFW staff members are hoping to streamline the work and expand beyond the Columbia Basin and Methow wildlife areas to other wildlife areas across the state.

Utilizing Closures to Evaluate Recreation Impacts: WDFW natural resource economist, biologists, and staff members involved in the Methow Wildlife Area plan have been discussing the opportunity to use seasonal closures to measure the impacts of recreationists on mule deer habitat use and fitness. It might also be used to evaluate use patterns by the recreationists.