January 2000
Contact: Tim Smith, Legislative Liaison (360) 902-2223

Situation

A Sept. 18, 1999 fire, caused by a tree falling on a power line during a wind storm, burned approximately 2,000 acres of key winter range for deer in the Chiliwist Valley in the Okanogan area. Approximately 1,600 of the charred acres are in the Chiliwist Wildlife area owned and maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Normally 500 to 700 mule and white-tailed deer winter in the Chiliwist area. Upland birds, such as pheasants and quail, also live in the area during the winter, attracted by its suitable forage and habitat. In addition, WDFW for many years has had a small supplemental feeding program for deer in the Chiliwist area to keep them from seeking food in neighboring orchards and farms.

Problem

With the loss of natural forage due to the fire, large numbers of deer and birds will starve during the winter. Other deer will migrate to nearby private orchards and hay stacks in their historic wintering areas in the search for food. If WDFW cannot hold the deer back from the private orchards and farms in the Okanogan Valley, the agency is legally responsible for paying for damages. Furthermore, past fires that destroy forage and fences in winter migration corridors such as the Chiliwist also result in a major increase in deer-related automobile accidents. The Chiliwist fire could mean a significant increase in vehicle accidents on old Highway 97 and Highway 20 near Malott.

WDFW also must rehabilitate the Chiliwist Wildlife Area to provide natural food and prevent the infestation of noxious weeds such as diffuse knapweed.

The annual WDFW budget for all state-funded wildlife areas is $1,476,000. The additional feed and rehabilitation costs for the Chiliwist Wildlife Area this winter represent 22 percent of this budget and cannot be absorbed by the current budget. Because of the time needed to grow natural forage that will keep the deer in the Chiliwist and away from the Okanogan orchards and farms, WDFW believes supplemental winter feeding will have to continue through the 2001-2003 biennium.

Proposal

WDFW is seeking $326,000 in the 2000 supplemental budget to purchase more food for deer and wild birds and to rehabilitate the wildlife area.

To date, WDFW has fed 50 tons of pellets to deer in the Chiliwist each winter. Because of the fire, the agency estimates an additional 250 tons of pellets per year will be needed, along with 600 bushels of grain per year for upland birds. As noted, the supplemental feeding program will have to continue through fiscal 2003.

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