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Southwest Washington
Wildlife Reports
November
3, 2008
Region
5 Wildlife Areas
Shillapoo Wildlife Area:
South Unit Pump Station: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins completed and submitted
a Proof of Appropriation Form to the Washington Department of Ecology to record
a water right for the South Unit pump station, which was built in 1999. Before
a water right can be recorded, applicants must demonstrate that water has been
put to full beneficial use. In this case the water is used to improve habitat
in a number of wetland basins on the unit for waterfowl. After the initial construction
of the pump station a number of problems surfaced that prevented us from meeting
the full beneficial use criteria. The issues caught the interest of technical
specialists in WDFW's habitat program who were instrumental in developing a
plan to upgrade the pump facility. The work was later completed by WDFW's engineering
program and has allowed us to be much more effective in managing water levels
in the wetlands.
Cost Share Reporting: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins submitted cost share information to Bonneville Power to document monetary and in-kind contributions of WDFW and other entities in managing the Shillapoo Wildlife Area. Bonneville Power provides the bulk of the funding used to manage this Wildlife Area through their wildlife mitigation program. Reporting cost share information is one of many required documents required annually in Bonneville's contracting process.
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area: Forage Enhancement: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins, Assistant Manager Hauswald, and Volunteer Mike Braaten recently met to work on two elk forage enhancement projects on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area near the west end of the mudflow. Braaten applied lime to a twenty-acre site referred to as Lower Bear Creek, which is a project he received funding for through WDFW's volunteer cooperative grants program. This work was in preparation for planting the site next spring. Lime and fertilizer were also applied to the area known as the "golf green" which is a project funded through a grant to WDFW from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation where seeding had occurred last spring. This second project is now considered complete. The value of both sites, in terms of forage production for elk, had diminished significantly over a period of several years due to a lack of funding for maintenance materials. WDFW appreciates the efforts of Mr. Braaten and the support of the Elk Foundation, without which this work may not have been possible.
Nellie Corser Wildlife Area Road Management Report: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins submitted the annual RMAP report for the Nellie Corser Wildlife Area to the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Nellie Corser Unit is a satellite of the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area located in Skamania County on Duncan Creek. The Road Management and Abandonment Plan for this area requires maintaining the road which runs through the property which is approximately 1/4 mile in length. The road was upgraded in 2005 by WDFW to meet DNR's forest road standards and remains in good condition.
Klickitat Wildlife Area Property Survey: Manager VanLeuven facilitated the survey of the property lines at the Swale Creek Unit. Adjacent owners were contacted to secure access for the survey crew. Printed maps of the work plan were provided to the lead surveyor and the major access routes to the unit as well locations of where other survey work has been done were delineated for the crew.
Road Management Report: Manager VanLeuven completed and submitted the Annual Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plan for the Wildlife Area to the Department of Natural Resources.
Game
Management Division
Black Tailed Deer Meeting: Biologist Miller, Prince, and Holman attended
a scoping meeting for a future study on Black Tailed deer. Topics ranged from
what literature and existing work are available to potential study topics. Fieldwork
is expected to begin in the spring of 2009 and Cliff Rice will be the principal
investigator. Study areas will be located in western Washington.
Pheasant Release Site Census: Volunteers conducted a survey of vehicles using Clark and Cowlitz County pheasant release sites on Saturday October 25th. This information is collected three times per season at the Western Washington release sites and is used to make adjustments in the allocation of birds between sites in future seasons. At total of 24 vehicles were at the Woodland Bottoms site and 133 were at the Shillapoo Wildlife Area. Pheasants will continue to be released at these sites through late November.
GIS Meeting: Andy Duff traveled to Region 5 and presented an overview of GIS technology to R5 Wildlife Program staff and responded to inquiries for GIS needs in Region 5. The information presented was valuable and very informative. Staff very much appreciated having a new colleague come to us and ask what he can do to help us and be a willing part of the process to share information with the public using GIS technology.
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