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Southwest Washington Wildlife Reports
April 30, 2007

Region 5 Wildlife Areas

Jody Taylor (above) coordinates all feed purchases for the agency, purchasing Eastern Washington alfalfa hay for the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. Hay is bundled in 1,350-pound bales that made for efficient loading and distribution.

Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area Emergency Winter Feeding Wrap Up: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins, Assistant Manager Hauswald, and Technicians Boylan and Babcock have been wrapping up the Mt. St. Helens Emergency Winter feeding operation since feeding ended on April 15th. This has entailed cleanup and/or return of borrowed equipment and space at other state facilities. The tractor was returned to the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, hay tarps were delivered to the Oak Creek Wildlife Area, two trucks were returned to the Lewis County Game Farm, and pallets, loose hay, and other materials were removed from Hatchery and Department of Transportation Facilities. We appreciate all the help and support we have received during the operation from throughout the agency. The final measure of reseeding the road on the Wildlife Area, where the feeding occurred, is in process. The road, which in the past received only minimal vehicle traffic and had been seeded to produce forage, became quite muddy and torn up during the feeding operation. Reseeding the road will help maintain natural forage production and reduce sediment movement off the road.

The feeding operation began on January 10th and continued for 96 days until April 15th. Feeding did not occur on one day during this period (March 26th) due to a landslide covering State Route 504, which leads to the Wildlife Area. Following the slide, staff used logging roads to detour around the slide for about two weeks until the road was reopened. Two technicians were hired to conduct most of the feeding and other agency staff filled in on days off.

Feeding generally occurred in the morning around 9:00am or 10:00am, but sometimes occurred later due to weather, road conditions, or other factors. Each day the number of elk seen on the wildlife area was estimated by driving the length of the 3-mile road that was used as the feeding site. These estimates ranged from a low of 42 and a high of 540. Not all elk could be seen from the road during feeding, but based on daily estimates and formal counts from the Weyerhaeuser Visitor’s Center, it is estimated that at times over 600 elk were being fed on the Wildlife Area.

Temperature and any snow accumulations were also recorded each day. Snow was present on the wildlife area a total of 17 days during the feeding operation. The maximum snow depth was 5 inches on February 28th. The temperature ranged from 23 degrees Fahrenheit on January 13th to 68 degrees on March 6th. There was a total of seven days when temperatures below freezing were recorded during the feeding operations, although these do not necessarily represent the low temperatures for each day.

Jody Taylor, who coordinates all feed purchases for the agency, purchased Eastern Washington alfalfa hay for the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. A total of 162 tons of hay was used to feed elk during the operation. Daily rates ranged from 1,350 pounds per day near the end of the operation to 5,400 pounds per day during the most significant snowfall (from February 27th to March 2nd). Hay was in the form of 1,350-pound bales that made for efficient loading and distribution.

WDFW does not consider winter-feeding a long-term population management tool in this area. The decision to feed elk this winter was based on severe early winter weather conditions, animal concentrations early in the winter, and public concern for the well being of the elk. We will continue in our efforts to protect and improve winter range forage conditions on the Wildlife Area. The New Elk Herd Plan also calls for a reduction in herd numbers that will begin this year with expanded hunting opportunities on this site and in other parts of the herd’s range.

The Wildlife Area remains closed to public access until May 1st. This measure was adopted as part of the Wildlife Area Plan completed last fall and will continue each year regardless of whether winter-feeding continues. This closure is seen as necessary to reduce inadvertent harassment of elk and to improve winter survival of the animals. However, during the winter Wildlife Area staff noted individuals violating the closure and the information has been turned over to WDFW's Law Enforcement program.

Cowlitz Wildlife Area High School Presentation: Wildlife Area Manager Grabski gave a presentation to the Centralia High Schools Natural Resources Class. The class, made up mostly of juniors and seniors, learned about the history of the Cowlitz Hydro-electric project and the responsibilities of the Cowlitz Wildlife Area. There was also a short presentation on basic local wildlife biology.

Cowlitz Wildlife Area - Mossyrock Unit: CWA staff Vanderlip and Morris completed spring forage maintenance activities on the Mossyrock unit of the wildlife area. A three-acre herbicide application was completed for a spring wildlife pasture seeding. Additionally, 15 acres of big-game pasture fields were harrowed to maintain plant vigor for the upcoming growing season.

Cowlitz Wildlife Area - Recreation Information: Riffe Lake Water Levels - Tacoma Power updates lake levels and other recreation information on its toll-free Fishing and Recreation Line every weekday at 1-888-502-8690.

Klickitat Wildlife Area Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plan: Acting Wildlife Area Manager VanLeuven met with RMAP specialist Tony Gilmer (DNR), Lisa Renan (Department of Ecology), and Bill Weiler (WDFW Habitat Biologist) to evaluate stream crossings and other potential water quality issues targeted for repair under Klickitat Wildlife Area's Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plan.

Game Management Division

Deer and Elk Survey Methodology and Population Management Unit Meeting: Deer and Elk Section Manager Nelson and Deer and Elk Specialist McCorquodale met with Region 5 Wildlife Management Staff to discuss many aspects of deer and elk management in the Region. The two-day session featured discussions of survey methodology, population management units, survey protocols and procedures, current data sets, research needs, other goals for ongoing improvement in this effort, etc. As part of a statewide effort to improve deer and elk management in Washington, meetings of a similar nature were held in the Eastern Washington Regions during 2006, with the remaining Westside Regional meetings scheduled soon. Many details regarding Regional deer and elk management efforts are found within the annual Game Status and Trend Reports found on the WDFW website under the hunting category www.wdfw.wa.gov.

Canada Geese: Biologist Anderson, Holma, and Grosbeck conducted a goose nest survey on the islands in the Columbia River Gorge. This survey is done every 5 years as an index of Canada goose nesting along the Columbia River. Nest numbers were generally down from previous years. One exception was an island near Vancouver that had a higher density of nests (32) than reported in any previous year. Many of the up-river islands had large expanses of blackberry that seems to have increased in recent years, reducing suitable nesting habitat for Canada Geese. This habitat change may be a factor in the decline in number of nests. We would like to thank Officer Meyers and Hughes for their assistance with boat transportation for this survey.

The annual survey of Canada goose nests on the Lower Columbia River was conducted on several islands. District Wildlife Biologist Miller coordinated WDFW staff from Region 5, 3, and Olympia, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as many volunteers to survey the islands. Nests were found at artificial sites and nests were found that were abandoned or depredated by avian species. There has been a steady decline in Canada goose nesting success due to long-term increases in depredation. However, on Miller Sands Island many viable nests were documented and goslings were observed on several occasions. Many thanks to all those who participated as well as to Law Enforcement who also assisted with boat transportation