Research Briefs

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) scientists are working on dozens of research projects, most of which are designed to gather data that will help in the conservation of fish and wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend. The following research summaries offer a glance at some of that research.

• Mountain goat population distribution.
   
• Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) Project.
   
• Ferruginous hawk winter habitat, migration and survival.
   
• Shrub-steppe restoration.
   
• Chronic wasting disease surveillance.
   
• Northern leopard frog distribution and abundance.
   
• Oregon spotted frog population distribution and habitat relationships.
   
• Western gray squirrel movements and nest use in the North Cascades.
   
• Western gray squirrel: Investigate population dynamics of species in south central Washington.
   
• Pygmy rabbit recovery.
   
• Alternative approach to modeling salmonid spawning habitat in instream flow methods.
   
• Habitat variables of importance to salmon and steelhead.
   
• Investigate relationship between adult salmon freshwater migration and flow.
   
• Investigate status of health of greater Puget Sound by monitoring indices of population abundance, density, geographic distribution, reproductive success and contaminant levels in body tissue of certain marine birds and mammals on Washington's inner marine waters.