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The following e-mail messages were exchanged regarding the Mount St. Helens elk herd.
(Comments emailed to Governor Christine Gregoire and forwarded to WDFW for response.) Elk starved on Mt. St. Helens. As an avid sportsman and conservationist that follows the rules set forth by the Fish & Game Dept; I am profoundly disturbed by the news of the loss of yet another herd of elk that could have been easily prevented. I cannot believe that apathy or ignorance were the culprits, yet one wonders if the protectors of one of our most valued resources are incompetent. This is of a criminal nature and my hope is that:
This is not something that should be covered up or overlooked. But rather be made public to send the message that your office is one of honesty and fairness. It happened on your watch & requires your attention. There are many sportsman and conservationists that will be watching how you handle this unfortunate and preventable loss. V/R,
---------------- (Response to Mr. Vaughan from WDFW Director Jeff Koenings.) From: director@dfw.wa.gov To: John Vaughan Date: Friday, April 14, 2006 11:26 AM Subject: Mount St. Helens elk herd Thank you for your recent message concerning the Mount St. Helens elk herd. We at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recognize that many citizens are concerned about elk that have succumbed to harsh winter conditions in the elevations around the Mount St. Helens area. First, I want to assure you that we share your concern for the elk. Like anyone who has seen or heard reports of the Mount St. Helens elk, we feel empathy for the animals and want to alleviate their suffering. To that end, WDFW wildlife biologists and land managers have been working for nearly a decade to enhance forage for elk around Mount St. Helens. Those efforts include seeding and fertilizing forage plants, removing weeds and controlling erosion. Much of the work has been conducted with partners such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and local volunteers. After trial planting of a 20-acre area in 1998, over 700 acres were seeded from 1999 through 2000. Unfortunately, continued shifts in the Toutle River channel and resulting erosion destroyed a large area of the plantings. Adding to the challenge facing elk in the Mount St. Helens area, the 1980 volcanic eruption dramatically altered soil mineral content, diminishing nutrients available to the elk in forage plants. For the past four years we have worked to stabilize the remaining seeded mudflow area by planting grass and shrubs. We also stepped up removal of competing weeds, such as Scotch broom, from more than 200 acres. Besides trying to improve forage for the elk, WDFW has worked in cooperation with Indian tribes to reduce the size of the Mount St. Helens elk herd by relocating 103 animals to the North Cascades. These elk transfers, which took place from 2003 through 2005, were undertaken in part to reduce stress on remaining elk near Mount St. Helens. In a further move to reduce the size of the Mount St. Helens herd, WDFW re-opened hunting in 2004, for the first time since the volcano's eruption in 1980. Ten special permits were issued for disabled hunters in 2004. Since then, the number of elk permits has been expanded. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission recently approved increasing the number of cow-elk permits in the area immediately adjacent to the mudflow from 80 to 110, and also approved 196 bull-elk permits. The additional elk permits- for hunters using modern firearms and muzzleloading rifles- were approved for two game management units (GMUs). In GMU 524 (Margaret unit), modern firearms permits were increased from 25 to 30 in the Margaret B hunt, and muzzleloader permits were increased from 10 to 15 in the Margaret D hunt. In GMU 556 (Toutle unit), modern firearms permits were increased from 35 to 50 in the Toutle B hunt. Muzzleloader permits were increased from 10 to 15 in the Toutle D hunt. Expanded hunting must be considered in the context of fair-chase concerns in the relatively exposed mudflow area, and consideration for those who wish to enjoy the elk as watchable wildlife. Some people have asked why WDFW doesn't feed elk or other wildlife affected by prolonged or severe winter weather. Although the Department does feed elk in certain settings where animals do not have access to natural winter range, biologists generally discourage winter wildlife feeding because it artificially concentrates animals, spreading disease and interfering with their natural foraging behavior. Attempting to feed winter-weakened elk late in the season generally is unsuccessful because the animals' digestive systems are unable to handle distributed food. Although animal deaths may be upsetting to observe, they are a natural occurrence, especially after a winter that is prolonged or especially harsh. Such winter wildlife mortalities occur throughout the state, but are more obvious to observers in the Mount St. Helens area, where vegetative cover is sparse. Two elk-mortality surveys have been conducted in the Mount St. Helens mudflow area this winter-the first, in January, located five winter-killed elk, and the second, in late March, showed an additional 20 mortalities from among an estimated population of 600 elk in the area. Another survey is planned for later this month. Winter mortality of 10 percent is considered normal, and a rate twice that high may be seen after prolonged winter weather such as that of the past several months. Many of those weather-related deaths ironically occur in early spring, when weakened animals succumb just as forage is beginning to green up. We invite you and other interested citizens to participate in the process of finalizing a management plan for the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd. A revised draft herd plan, including provisions for winter elk population monitoring and criteria for emergency winter feeding, will be available for public review and comment beginning in May of this year. The draft plan will be posted on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov, and meetings to collect public input will be held this fall before the plan is finalized. The plan will be complete before winter returns to the Mount St. Helens area. Your comments and participation in the planning process will guide the way Mount St. Helens elk are managed in coming years. I hope these details give you a more complete picture of the steps WDFW has taken, and will continue to take, in managing the Mount St. Helens elk herd. Sincerely,
---------------- (Reply from Mr. Vaughan.) From: John Vaughan To: director@dfw.wa.gov Date: 04/17/2006 Subject: RE: Mount St. Helens elk herd Jeff, Thank you for your reply. By adding a few more permits in the Margaret & Toutle unit this year might decrease the chance of this happening again and decrease the morality rate below 10%. Selective animal/herd transfer prior to the 06 winter would also be a proactive measure. Understanding that finances are always at the core & there is a surplus in the state general fund, I suggest that some of those funds get earmarked for this purpose. (Kids already know that smoking is not a healthy choice; lets not throw any more money away). I will do my part by reviewing the draft plan and voicing other suggestions that might be productive in reducing the chance of this happening again. V/R,
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