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Southwest Washington
Wildlife Reports
April
7, 2008
April 7, 2008
Region
5 Wildlife Areas
Klickitat Wildlife Area Road Maintenance: Wildlife Area Manager VanLeuven
met with WDFW maintenance crew to work on much needed road maintenance at the
KWA - the crew hauled rock to the KWA, graded the Grayback/Sheep Canyon Roads,
rolled the road smooth, and rocked the lower 3/4 mile of road, which receives
the most traffic. This will improve access for the public and make the road
easier to maintain as well. They also graded and rolled the access road to Stinson
Flat Campground. The work will continue this week on the Anderson and Old Headquarters
Roads, as well as the access road to the Mineral Springs Campground.
Manager VanLeuven also met with Mr. Thiebes of the National Wild Turkey Federation to discuss possible partnering projects for habitat work on the Wildlife Area such as thinning small trees and brush over a large area. This would reduce the fire hazard as well as reduce competition among the remaining trees, which should improve the health of the forest.
Game
Management Division
Three-Year Season Setting 2009-11: Regional Wildlife Program Staff met
to discuss issues, options, and schedules for initiation of the 2009-11 3-year
Hunting Season Setting Process. Regional issues will be further developed but
include possible changes to Game Management Unit Boundaries, deer seasons, elk
seasons, and bear timber damage management. Public meetings regarding the effort
will be held in August, but planning for this complex undertaking is underway.
Wildlife
Diversity Division
Oregon Spotted
Frogs: Biologist Anderson and Biologist Hallock from DNR completed this
year’s Oregon Spotted Frog egg mass survey at Trout Lake Natural Area
Preserve. Snow accumulation at Trout Lake in 2008 was unusually high resulting
in one of the latest egg mass censuses conducted since surveys started in 1997.
Egg mortality related to freeze damage was recorded at all sites except the
interior portion of the east marsh. Only embryos on the top of freeze damaged
egg masses appeared to have suffered mortality. Results from this year’s
survey were similar to the past three years count with approximately 200 identified
egg masses. By contrast, this compares to a high count of over 900 egg masses
in the year 2000. Favorable water conditions and warming weather should improve
hatching success and tadpole survival as the spring progresses.
Western Pond Turtles: The western pond turtle field season began last week with Trapping at Sondino Ponds in Klickitat County. A total of 49 traps were put out last weekend and we have begun to capture western pond turtles. To date, we have caught 15 turtles and changed one transmitter on an adult female. We also found one young male mortality. Warmer weather this next week should improve trapping results.
Administrative
Division
New Wildlife Biologist 2: This week Annemarie Prince, the new
Wildlife Biologist 2 for District 10, came on board. Annemarie comes to the
region from the Research Program where she worked on a gray squirrel project
at Fort Lewis. She hails from Florida and worked 3 + years on a Management Area
doing a diverse set of tasks as a biologist. Annemarie will have a home office
in Lewis County and assist Pat Miller with Wildlife Program activities in Lewis,
Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties. Several days were spent this week with new
employee orientation and policy review. Annemarie brings a diverse set of skills
to the Region and we are excited to begin working with her - please join us
in welcoming her aboard.
ALEA Grants: Biologist Holman represented the Wildlife Program in a Regional review of the applications received for funding through the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account. Several high quality wildlife-related proposals are included in this year's pool of applications. Projects of particular importance include those supporting public access to private industrial forestlands for hunting and other recreation, community-based pond-breeding amphibian surveys, and planting of forage and riparian enhancements on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area.
Region
5 Wildlife Areas
Klickitat Wildlife
Area: Wildlife Area Manager VanLeuven responded to many inquiries regarding
access to the Wildlife Area and where to find turkeys, as well as other items
of interest to turkey hunters. The Youth turkey hunt is this weekend, and there
seems to be a good turnout. Manager VanLeuven burned stick piles that were constructed
by the WCC crew in the continued effort to reduce the fire hazard on the Wildlife
Area. Manager VanLeuven and Fish and Wildlife Technician Ridenour attended a
grant-writing workshop in Ellensburg, which they reported was excellent and
very beneficial to their work-related duties.
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| Klickitat
PUD, Lyle School, and WDFW teamed up to build and install several new
osprey nesting platforms on utility poles in the eastern Columbia River
Gorge. |
Game
Management Division
Mt. St. Helens Elk Count: Fish and Wildlife Technician Ridenour conducted
the final elk winter count on the Mt. St. Helen's Wildlife Area on April 4,
2008. A total of 807 elk were observed on the mudflow. No herd composition was
recorded as the bulls have begun to cast their antlers. Monthly counts are made
throughout the winter as part of our monitoring effort on the Wildlife Area.
Very little snow remains on the Wildlife Area from the latest spring storms.
During the count, snow began to fall at approximately 2500 feet with rain occurring
at lower elevations. The emergency winter feeding crew observes winter mortalities
during their feeding activities on the mudflow. To date, the winter mortality
count is approximately 58 animals. We estimate that about 80% of the mortalities
have been calves. It is important to note that this total is not a result of
formal surveys and observed mortalities are only from the road or associated
with other work. Additional mortalities away from the road are not included.
A formal survey will be conducted later in the spring.
Wildlife
Diversity Division
Osprey Management: Biologist Anderson reports that osprey have returned
to the Columbia River Gorge over the past 2-3 weeks. This past winter local
conservationists, the Klickitat PUD, Lyle School, and WDFW teamed up to build
and install several new osprey nesting platforms on utility poles in the eastern
Columbia River Gorge. It appears that the osprey have taken to one of their
new structures as evident from this photo at right sent to WDFW by an excited
resident of Lyle, WA.
Sandhill Cranes: Biologist Anderson met with representatives of the USFWS to coordinate this year’s sandhill crane nesting survey in Klickitat County. A preliminary plan was agreed upon to conduct several coordinated ground surveys to monitor the states only nesting population. In addition to the ground surveys, two aerial surveys will be scheduled.
Bald Eagle Communal Roost Management: Biologist Holman completed a Bald Eagle Management Plan for a communal roost on a tributary of Swift Reservoir. The U.S. Forest Service-owned Drift Creek Roost is several-hundred acres of old forest and contains two nest trees as well. The adjacent private timber owner will conduct thinning and leave shoreline and wetland buffers, rather than the clear cutting as originally proposed.
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