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Southwest Washington
Wildlife Reports
January
3, 2008
Region
5 Wildlife Areas
Shillapoo
Wildlife Area: Injured Tundra Swan Captured: Wildlife Area Assistant Manager
Hauswald, with help from Wildlife Area Manager Calkins, captured a juvenile
Tundra Swan on Clark County Parks property adjacent to the Vancouver Lake Unit
of the Shillapoo Wildlife Area. While Hauswald was surveying the water levels
of the wetland basins on the parks property he noticed the swan, which had the
behavior of a sick or injured bird. With his first capture attempt being unsuccessful;
due to the swan swimming into thick Reed Canary Grass and losing visual contact,
he contacted Calkins for assistance in spotting and tracking the swan from a
higher vantage point. With Calkins using a portable radio to guide Hauswald,
and after trailing the bird for nearly two hundred yards through thigh high
water and tangled grass to the edge of the wetland, Hauswald was finally able
to capture the injured swan. The swan was then transported to the regional office,
where it was picked up by a Portland Audubon volunteer and taken to their wildlife
recovery center. Hauswald contacted the recovery center two days later to check
on the diagnosis and condition of the swan. The swan had a wounded wing possibly
from flying into the power lines next to the wetland where it had been captured.
It was in good and improving condition, but it is still uncertain if it will
make a full recovery.
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The
Lower Columbia Regional Fish Enhancement Group (LCRFEG) recently completed
work on a riparian enhancement project intended to reduce erosion of elk
winter range on the mudflow, improve fish habitat, and decrease sediment
movement in the Toutle River system. |
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area: First Stabilization Project Completed: The Lower Columbia Regional Fish Enhancement Group (LCRFEG) recently completed work on a riparian enhancement project intended to reduce erosion of elk winter range on the mudflow, improve fish habitat, and decrease sediment movement in the Toutle River system. Biologists working for the Cowlitz tribe secured funding for the project through a $40,000 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology. Habitat biologists and technical specialists from WDFW's Habitat Program also engaged in the design of the project.
The project resulted in three "L" shaped structures resembling pile dikes that are intended to pool water behind them trapping sediment and diverting the water away from the erosion prone edge of the mudflow. The piles were put in place by Mike Watters Excavation of Vancouver, using a modified rock hammer. A second excavator was used to pre-position each log prior to driving.
During fall, winter, and spring the Toutle River changes course frequently at higher flows and some habitat losses, including elk forage and riparian plantings, have already occurred this year. The benefits of the project became evident the first day after the first structure was completed. When the construction crew arrived the next day they found that at least three feet of material had been deposited in the area behind the piles and the main flow of the river had been deflected away from the bank, which protects the area below it from erosion. This not only provides increased stability, but also amounts to additional area where riparian and forage plantings can occur in the future. Plans are already in place for both tree planting and seeding later this winter and spring.
WDFW has received other grant funding for this type of work, which is in the planning stages and The LCRFEG has also submitted other applications for grant funding for further work on the site. While structures like these serve as an initial stabilization measure, it is still critical that we continue our efforts to establish tree and shrub cover to provide long-term stability and improved habitat for fish, elk, and a wide diversity of other species.
Game
Management Division
Region
5 Post-Season Deer Surveys: Biologist Holman and Klickitat Wildlife Area
Manager VanLeuven conducted an aerial survey of the post-hunting season deer
herd in GMU 388 (Grayback). District Wildlife Biologist Anderson provided the
ground support and satellite-based flight following for the flight. The survey
conditions were good with clear skies, little wind, and a largely snow-covered
backdrop for the effort. Additionally, Biologist Holman conducted ground-based
post-season surveys in GMU 382 (East Klickitat). Initial results appear promising
and a summary of this-year's post-season deer surveys in Grayback and East Klickitat
will be the topic of a future weekly report.
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