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Southwest
Washington Wildlife Reports
April
9, 2007
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Region 5 Wildlife Areas:
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area: Mt. St Helens Elk Count: District Wildlife Biologist Miller counted the number of elk from the Weyerhaeuser visitor’s center on April 2, 2007. Conditions for the count were poor; it was snowing heavily which precluded gathering composition data. A total of 332 elk were observed on the mudflow and the elk were well distributed from east to west. The count was conducted prior to the feeding truck visiting the area for that day. Elk were observed along the Spirit Lake Highway in several locations prior to the 3100 road. No elk were observed near the Coldwater Ridge visitor center or on the hills along SR 504 up to the visitor center. No mortalities were observed from the viewpoint, although the feeding crew has spotted 1 dead elk near Bear creek.
Wildlife Diversity Division
Peregrine Falcons: District Wildlife Biologist Miler and Scientific Technician Ridenour visited a new falcon site in east Lewis County (Cougar Rocks From Below.jpg). Tom Kogut, USFS District Biologist for the Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station, found the site. Both birds were observed during our visit. USFS will adopt habitat protection measures to reduce impacts of forest management on this pair of falcons.
Western Pond Turtles: Field work has been initiated to capture western pond turtles in the Columbia River Gorge. Biologist Slavens and her volunteer crew have captured 22 turtles: 11 males, 2 females, and 9 of unknown sex. Of those, 19 were head-started turtles. Radio transmitters from 2006 were still working and two adult females were captured in shallow waters with the use of telemetry. Habitat conditions look good for this year as all ponds are at full water capacity.
Sandhill Cranes: Biologist Anderson assisted the USFWS with our annual sandhill crane breeding census. This weeks survey was the first of the season to document arrival of sandhill cranes to Conboy NWR. Most pairs were located on their breeding territories and at least three pairs have built nests and are incubating eggs. Water levels at the refuge appear to be below normal for this time of year, so there is some concern that sandhill crane breeding habitat may be impacted.
Pocket Gophers: Museum skins collected primarily in the 1940's documented a Clark County species known as the Brush prairie pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides douglasii). Recent genetic work out of the University of Washington has reclassified this species as the Mazama pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama). The most recent documented identifications of the species in Clark County date back to the mid-1990s. It is likely that the species remains in remnant populations within areas of appropriate habitat.
Pocket gophers are fossorial (ground dwelling) rodents that live essentially their entire lives within elaborate systems of burrows. The gophers feed on the roots of seasonal forbs from below. Occasionally during the night, they exit their burrow to feed on green vegetation above ground but remain very close to the opening of their tunnel. The species requires relatively dry, well-drained soil in which to prosper. The gophers push dirt from their underground excavations up to the surface in a manner similar to moles. The mounds or hills generated by the two species differ somewhat and fresh diggings can often be differentiated to have come from either gophers or moles. The majority of hills or mounds found in western Washington are generated by moles; not gophers.
Due to widespread loss of prairie habitat in western Washington, in 2006 the Mazama pocket gopher was raised to the status of State Threatened. In Thurston and Pierce Counties, efforts to learn more about this secretive species and provide protection for the gophers and their habitat are underway.
Game Management Division
Ungulate Research: RWPM Jonker and Olympia Game and Research staff Ware, Nelson, Pierce, and Pearson met with Supervisory Research Wildlife Biologist from USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center to discuss the potential of a cooperative and collaborative effort to conduct research on ungulates as they relate to forest resources in Western Washington.
