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Southwest
Washington Wildlife Reports
Sandra Jonker, Wildlife Program Manager
February 8, 2010
Region 5 Wildlife Areas:
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area
Sediment Management: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins and other staff from the Habitat and Fish programs met with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cowlitz County, and other resource agencies to review plans for a pilot project the Corps is proposing on the sediment plain in the newly acquired western portion of the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. Previous designs the Corps had presented raised a number of resource issues but this current proposal is much different and may possibly lead to some improvements for both aquatic and terrestrial species including ESA listed salmonids. All in attendance agreed that the proposal could move forward and the hope is to get the project under way this summer. The Corps and County’s primary interest in the project is to prevent some of the sediment from moving down the river and reaching the lower Cowlitz where they create an increased risk of flooding in residential and industrial areas. WDFW and other agencies have been working with them over a period of several years to address some of the resource issues created by past projects. The pilot project shows promise in helping to address both resource and flooding concerns.
Shillapoo Wildlife Area
Wintering Waterfowl: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins and Assistant Manager Hauswald posted signs around the perimeter of the North and South Units informing the public that the Units are closed to dog training through April 15 and to also encourage the general public to not enter these areas in order to provide a low disturbance environment for flocks of wintering birds including Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, and a wide range of duck species. Since the close of waterfowl season, birds have moved into the fields and wetlands in large numbers and can be seen from almost any roadside location. As long as the public remains around the perimeter the birds should stay on the Wildlife Area for all to enjoy and off of private farmlands where they may damage pastures or planted crops.
Heron Rookery Habitat Monitoring: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins walked the “old rookery” tree stand on the South Unit near Frenchman’s Bar County Park to assess survival of cottonwood trees planted over the past several years and natural tree recruitment. One of our management plan objectives has been to rehabilitate this site that once had over 300 heron nests. Over time, many of the large mature trees died and fell and eventually Herons moved to other sites both on and off the Wildlife Area. Natural recruitment of trees appears to be good in some parts of the site but lacking in others, which was the rationale behind adding trees to the site by planting. Planted trees have done reasonably well in some parts of the stand but poorly in others. In order to assure that our objective is met, enhanced maintenance of planted trees will be necessary in some parts of the site along with further planting. Herons did return to this site two years ago to nest and Calkins counted twelve nests remaining from last year’s nesting season.
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| Klickitat Post-Season Buck:Doe Ratios 2003-2009 Click chart for enlargement. |
Game Division
Region 5 Post-Season Deer Surveys: Biologist Holman compiled the results of post-season deer surveys conducted in GMU 388 (Grayback), 578 (West Klickitat), and 382 (East Klickitat). During the effort a total of 873 deer were classified with a combination of aerial and ground surveys employed. It is apparent from these survey results that the 2006 change to 3-point management has had a positive effect on buck escapement in the Grayback GMU. Note that all three Klickitat GMUs are now managed under the 3-point antler restriction strategy. Please see the attached figure (Post SeasonDeerSurveys2003-2009.pdf) summarizing the post-season deer survey results from 2003 through 2009 in these three important Region 5 GMUs.
Dusky Canada Goose Management: Biologist Holman conducted a survey of dusky Canada geese in the Woodland Bottoms area. Flocks of geese including primarily Taverner’s were located but no duskies were observed. Comprehensive surveys throughout the wintering range of the duskies (SW Washington and NW Oregon) are conducted by a combination of State and Federal biologists. Information collected during these surveys is used to generate distribution data for the species, help monitor their status, and set appropriate hunting seasons.
Monthly elk survey: Biologists Miler and Prince, with the assistance of University of Alberta student Geary, completed the monthly survey of elk on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. 160 elk were observed on the survey on February 1st. No elk mortalities were observed in the survey area. One radio collared elk from the St Helens elk study was detected emitting a mortality signal downstream of the Wildlife Area. No snow cover was observed on the Wildlife Area and snow was not observed on the adjoining hillsides, confirming our assessment that this winter has been mild so far. Some green up may be taking place on the valley floor in the warmest microclimates.
Sea Bird surveys: Biologist Miller and Price assisted the PSAMP crew with surveys for sea birds in Puget Sound. We completed 28 surveys on Friday and Miller will be helping most of next week
Wildlife Diversity Division
Western Pond Turtle Management: Biologist Holman met with representatives from the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group, WDFW Fisheries Management Staff, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Staff regarding management of pond turtle habitat at Pierce National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is occupied by one of the 4 populations of the State Endangered western pond turtle, which were introduced to the site in 2000. Three-hundred and eleven western pond turtles have subsequently been released to the Refuge’s wetlands and the animals are just reaching the age of sexual maturity. Pierce Refuge is also spawning habitat for the Federally Threatened Lower Columbia River Chum salmon. Opportunities for a collaborative habitat enhancement project as well as potential conflicts were discussed.
Proposed BPA Powerlines: Biologist Holman along with Wildlife Area Manager Calkins and WDFW Staff from both Habitat and Fisheries Program met with representatives from Bonneville Power Administration regarding their proposal to construct new power lines in southwest Washington. BPA is initiating an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate possible routes for the project. WDFW favors the use of existing power line routes and easements rather than the construction of hundreds of miles of new lines. A suite of impacts from construction of extensive new lines would result; including forest fragmentation, introduction of people, ATVs, weeds and pets to remote areas, disruption of aerial flight paths, soil erosion, sedimentation, etc.
Winter Conditions
D-10 & MSHWA Winter Conditions:
Past Weather: Fall and early winter conditions were highly variable. One of the coldest Decembers on record was the most notable highlight. However, November was relatively warm and the cold temperatures in December were combined with relatively dry conditions so there were not major snow accumulations. Mid to low elevation snow occurred on several occasions in November and December but was not very deep or persistent on the ground for extended periods. Weather during January was very mild and almost spring like with relatively warm temperatures and minor rainfall. These mild conditions continued through the first week of February.
District 9:
Past Weather: Weather in the South Cascades is warmer than normal with no new snow. Temperatures are above normal and snow pack continues to be below normal.
February 3, 2010
Region 5 Wildlife Areas:
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| Site of the next phase of stabilization work on the N. Fork Toutle River to provide assurance against further loss of elk habitat to erosion. |
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| Bald eagle on the Klickitat Wildlife Area. |
Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area
Stabilization Projects Update: Wildlife Area Manager Calkins met with WDFW engineers on site to begin planning for the next phase of stabilization work along the North Fork Toutle River where it flows along the remaining portion of the mudflow on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. Projects that were completed or upgraded last year were found to be holding up well and, with the mild conditions this fall and winter, the river has yet to touch some of the structures. The group decided that the next phase of work should focus in the area between the two existing projects with the hope that the funding in-hand will be sufficient to fill the gap and provide some assurance against further large scale losses of elk habitat to erosion. The photo at right provides a view of the project completed by WDFW engineering crews last fall.
Klickitat Wildlife Area
Right of Entry: Manager Van Leuven met with Klickitat PUD consulting engineers regarding planned work on the Fisher Hill Unit of the KWA and provisions included in the Right-of-Entry to protect existing land values while allowing the work to go forward. There were many bald eagles in the area, including the one photographed sitting on top of one of the power poles in the image at right..
Game Division
Dusky Canada Goose Management: Biologist Holman conducted a survey of dusky Canada geese in the Woodland Bottoms area. Flocks of gees including primarily cacklers and Taverner’s were located but no duskies were observed. Comprehensive surveys throughout the wintering range of the duskies (SW Washington and NW Oregon) are conducted by a combination of State and Federal biologists. Information collected during these surveys is used to generate a population model for the species and monitor their status.
Region 5 Deer Management: Biologist Holman summarized deer productivity survey data submitted by various parties from the August 15 through September 30 survey period. This year’s effort produced a data set of 663 classified deer from Region 5. The pooled fawn to doe ratio for the entire Region was 0.58 for 2009, representing a significant increase over the 2008 ratio of just 0.36 and exceeds the long-term average of 0.52. See the attached figure for an illustration of the pooled fawn to doe ratio and sample size in Region 5 from 1995-2009. Note that productivity varies substantially throughout the Region (the Klickitat GMUs are more productive for example). Subsets of the data are used for the purpose of population modeling and take these differences into account.
Thanks to all those who participated in the survey effort and provided their deer observations for inclusion. The deer represented in these data include animals observed during formalized survey efforts by WDFW Wildlife Program Staff, observations by volunteers while conducting various activities, and incidental observations by local residents. Thirty individuals representing a cross section of WDFW Staff, landowners, cooperating agencies and sportsman’s groups contributed. Their participation is detailed as follows: WDFW Wildlife Program Staff (Holman, VanLeuven, Anderson, Prince, Pyzik, Calkins, Hauswald, Jonker, and Miller); WDFW Fisheries Staff (Keller, Gray, and Hymer); Five foresters from private timber companies (S.D.S., O.R.M. and Sierra Pacific); Six members of the Yacolt Burn Sportsman’s Club; Three U.S. Forest Service Staff; Two public utility Staff; One Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation volunteer, and one DNR Biologist. Thanks again for the help.
Game Division Winter Workshop: Regional Wildlife Program Manager Jonker along with Biologists Prince and Holman attended the Game Management Division Winter Workshop in Olympia. Biologists and Managers from around the State attended the three-day meeting and the workshop focused on developing work plans for the coming year, presenting findings and updates on current department research projects, and planning for upcoming projects. Highlights included presentations by Woody Myers on the Mule Deer Project, Scott McCorquodale on the Blue Mountains Elk Mortality Study, and Rich Beausoleil on Statewide cougar management projects. The major projects in Region 5 include: black-tailed deer research project, Mt. St. Helens elk sightability model development project, and lower Columbia River goose monitoring and banding project. Work planning was also a prominent feature of the workshop and each Region spent individual time with each Section Manager to facilitate this planning. Details of the upcoming Black-tailed deer study, presented by Cliff Rice completed the meeting.
Disease Monitoring
Avian Influenza Sampling: Biologist Holman and Technician Fox submitted 80 samples taken from cackling Canada geese for Avian Influenza testing. The samples are sent to the U.S.G.S wildlife disease center in Wisconsin where samples are collected and tested from throughout the U.S. Cackling Canada geese are selected for this disease sampling because of their interaction with birds from Asia while on their breeding grounds in western Alaska. This completes the Regional requirement for Avian Influenza sampling for the year (200 samples).
Wildlife Diversity Division
Western Pond Turtle Management: Biologist Holman continued with an effort to enter western pond turtle capture and Head-starting data into the database. Several hundred capture events, twenty nesting events, and the release of several dozen turtles are included in the year’s (2009) turtle work. The extensive database records all of these events in exceeding detail. The retirement of Biologist Slavens has placed the data-entry related to this work on remaining Wildlife Program Staff.
Winter Conditions
D-10 & MSHWA Winter Conditions – Week of January 18th.
Past Weather: Fall and early winter conditions were highly variable. One of the coldest Decembers on record was the most notable highlight. However, November was relatively warm and the cold temperatures in December were combined with relatively dry conditions so there were no major snow accumulations. Mid to low elevation snow occurred on several occasions in November and December but was not very deep or persistent on the ground for extended periods. Weather during the first half of January was warmer than normal with minor rainfall amounts melting off much of the mid elevation snow that was present. Intermittent rainfall with higher than normal temperatures have persisted over the last week.
D-10 & MSHWA Winter Conditions – Week of January 25th.
Past Weather: Fall and early winter conditions were highly variable. One of the coldest Decembers on record was the most notable highlight. However, November was relatively warm and the cold temperatures in December were combined with relatively dry conditions so there were not major snow accumulations. Mid to low elevation snow occurred on several occasions in November and December but was not very deep or persistent on the ground for extended periods. Weather during January was very mild and almost spring like with relatively warm temperatures and minor rainfall.
District 9– Week of January 18th:
Past Weather: Weather in the South Cascades is warmer than normal with no new snow. Temperatures are above normal and snow pack continues to be below normal.
District 9– Week of January 25th:
Past Weather: Weather in the South Cascades is warmer than normal with a dusting of new snow. Temperatures are above normal and snow pack continues to be below normal.
January 19, 2010
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| Region 5 staff as well as deer and elk specialist McCorquodale and a University of Alberta grad student successfully scored 153 sets of elk organs this week as part of the on-going Mt. St. Helens elk population monitoring study. |
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| The evaluation is done by rating the amount of fat present on the heart and kidneys of the elk (above) and entering the data into an equation that provides a body condition score. |
Game Division
Elk Condition Assessment: Region 5 staff (Jonker, Miller, Anderson, Holman, Prince, Hauswald, Calkins, Vanderlip, Morris, and Gonzalez) as well as deer and elk specialist McCorquodale and a University of Alberta grad student (Geary) successfully scored 153 sets of elk organs this week as part of the on-going Mt. St. Helens elk population monitoring study. This effort is identified in the St Helens Elk Herd Plan to better understand animal condition. The elk parts (heart, kidneys, teeth, and liver) were collected by hunters that drew modern firearm cow tags for GMUs 520, 522, 524, 520, 550, 556, 560, and 572. The purpose of the collection was to evaluate cow elk body condition in the fall within the Mt. St. Helens herd area. The evaluation is done by rating the amount of fat present on the heart and kidneys of the elk and entering the data into an equation that provides a body condition score. The results will be available at a later date. This project would not have been possible without the willing participation of the hunters; a big thank you to all hunters that submitted samples and to the staff that participated in the scoring effort.
Deer Survey: Biologist Anderson conducted a post season deer survey in unit 578. Low cloud cover and rainy conditions made for less than ideal conditions, although slopes below 2000 ft were open with good forage opportunity. This information will be used, with previous helicopter surveys, for evaluating buck ratios in this unit.
Winter Conditions
D-10 & MSHWA Winter Conditions
Past Weather: Fall and early winter conditions were highly variable. One of the coldest Decembers on record was the most notable highlight. However, November was relatively warm and the cold temperatures in December were combined with relatively dry conditions so there were no major snow accumulations. Mid to low elevation snow occurred on several occasions in November and December but was not very deep or persistent on the ground for extended periods. Weather during the first half of January was warmer than normal with minor rainfall amounts melting off much of the mid elevation snow that was present.
Short-Term Forecast: Again mild and wet for the next week. Temperatures should range from the upper 30’s to high 40’s. Snow levels still high with the lowest forecast around 2,500 feet. The 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks both suggest normal or above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.
Long-Term Forecast: NOAA’s long range outlook map products suggest warmer and drier than normal conditions for the month of January with the same conditions continuing through the remainder of the winter.
Habitat: With a relatively normal snowpack, typical winter range areas are currently available. We were able to observe forage condition on the western portion of the mudflow during other work on the site this week. The heaviest grazing pressure has been on the areas that received fertilizer treatments this spring. Other sites have not been grazed to the same degree and forage remains available throughout the site. It appears that the warmer temperatures have put some growth on some grasses recently as well. Shrub use (willow) has been a bit heavier than may be expected in a mild winter—this may have occurred during the December snowfall.
Snow Depths: Mount Saint Helen's Elk Herd-2009/2010 Winter Conditions- Sno-Park Snow Depth
Animal Concentrations: No unusual concentrations of animals have been noted due to winter conditions. A total of 266 elk were present in the mudflow survey area during the pre winter count on December 9 and 175 during the survey on January 5th.
Animal Condition: No animals showing outward signs of severe physical decline due to winter conditions have been observed or reported on the Wildlife Area or in the vicinity.
Mortality: None reported to date due to winter conditions.
Public Contacts: Interview with Longview daily news reporter this week primarily about the recent acquisition of the DOT lands but also touched on winter conditions and elk numbers observed. The public is reminded that the portion of the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area lying East of a line defined by Hoffstadt Creek, The North Fork Toutle and Deer Creek is closed to public access through April 30 to minimize disturbance and associated energy demands on elk wintering there.
District 9:
Past Weather: Weather in the South Cascades is above normal with no new snow below 400 ft. Temperatures are above normal and snow pack continues to be below normal.
Winter Severity: Most areas of the Klickitat Wildlife Area are open and forage habitat is available. There is little concern for the current severity of the winter conditions on big game populations in Skamania County and the western portion of Klickitat County. The eastern portions of Klickitat County have had lower snow fall accumulation this winter and deer are in good condition.
Habitat: Habitat is open above 2500 ft and forage habitat has increased for big game this past week.
Animal Concentrations: No unusual concentrations seen due to inclement conditions. .
Animal Condition: Animals appear to be in good condition.
Mortality: Two yearling black-tailed deer were reported dead from Skamania County. Both animals appeared to be in good condition with no visible signs of winter stress. The stomach contents of one deer were reported to be full of green grass. No other mortalities were reported due to winter conditions.
Public Contacts: One landowner that lives below 500 ft elevation in the Columbia River Gorge reported the two yearling mortalities this week.
January 11, 2010
Game Division
Elk Count: The second monthly count of elk wintering on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area was completed this week. The total number of elk was 175 and they were well distributed across the Wildlife Area. No snow is currently on the Wildlife Area and there appears to be some forage remaining. The low number of elk present and the mild winter conditions so far this year are encouraging.
Post Season Deer Surveys: Biologist Holman conducted a post season deer survey in GMU 382 (East Klickitat). One-hundred-twenty-nine deer were located during the driving route. Age and sex ratios will be pooled with additional survey efforts from the Klickitat GMUs and compared to the goals outlined in the Game Management Plan.
Mid Winter Waterfowl Surveys: Biologists in Region 5 participated in the annual mid-winter waterfowl surveys this week. Many sites throughout the Region are surveyed for numbers and types of waterfowl present. Some sites seemed to be holding fewer ducks this year, possibly an affect of the very cold weather earlier in the month that left many ponds and pastures frozen.
Biologist Anderson completed mid winter waterfowl surveys for Klickitat and Skamania counties. Lower than normal counts of birds were reported for the eastern section of the survey that includes The Dalles reservoir on the Columbia River. Large numbers of waterfowl were reported in the Bonneville Pool as strong east winds in the Columbia River Gorge pushed birds to protected bays and inlets close to shore. Above normal temperatures and mild winter conditions provided favorable conditions for wintering waterfowl on the Columbia River during the count week.
Biologist Holman completed the midwinter waterfowl survey from the mouth of the Washougal River upstream along the Columbia to Bonneville dam. Conditions were favorable for the survey with good access to all areas that traditionally hold significant numbers of birds. Numbers of diving ducks (mostly scaup), and Canada geese were lower than counts for recent years, while dabbling ducks were slightly higher. Tundra swans were located at their traditional locations in the Columbia River Gorge, i.e. Franz Lake and Beacon Rock State Park.
Dusky Canada Goose Management: Biologist Holman conducted a survey of dusky Canada geese in the Woodland area. Two flocks of duskies totaling 43 geese were observed with no collared birds. Comprehensive surveys throughout the wintering range of the duskies (SW Washington and NW Oregon) are conducted by a combination of State and Federal biologists. Information collected during these surveys is used to generate a population model for the species and monitor their status.
Disease Monitoring - Avian Influenza Sampling: Biologist Holman and Technician Fox submitted 80 samples taken from cackling Canada geese for Avian Influenza testing. The samples are sent to the U.S.G.S wildlife disease center in Wisconsin where samples are collected and tested from throughout the U.S. Cackling Canada geese are selected for this disease sampling because of their interaction with birds from Asia while on their breeding grounds in western Alaska.
Training
Training: Wildlife Area Managers Calkins and Van Leuven attended the Pesticide Recertification Training in Vancouver.
Winter Conditions
District-10 & MSHWA Winter Conditions
Past Weather: Fall and early winter conditions were highly variable. One of the coldest Decembers on record was the most notable highlight. However, November was relatively warm and the cold temperatures in December were combined with relatively dry conditions so there were no major snow accumulations. Mid to low elevation snow occurred on several occasions in November and December but was not very deep or persistent on the ground for extended periods.
Short-Term Forecast: Mild and wet for the next week. Temperatures should range from the upper 30’s to high 40’s. Snow levels very high with the lowest forecast around 3,500 feet. The 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks both suggest above normal temperatures and relatively normal precipitation.
Long-Term Forecast: NOAA’s long range outlook map products suggest warmer and drier than normal conditions for the month of January with the same conditions continuing through the remainder of the winter.
Habitat: With a relatively normal snowpack, typical winter range areas are currently available. Conditions on the Wildlife Area are similar to slightly improved from last year. Any losses of forage area this fall have been very minor to date and several forage enhancement projects are beginning to produce forage on a number of sites.
Animal Concentrations: No unusual concentrations of animals have been noted due to winter conditions. A total of 266 elk were present in the mudflow survey area during the pre winter count on December 9 and 175 during the survey this week.
Animal Condition: Animals appear to be in good condition.
Mortality: None reported to date due to winter conditions.
Public Contacts: One public and one legislative information request were received in the fall inquiring about any plans to feed elk on the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area this fall. The public is reminded that the portion of the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area lying East of a lined defined by Hoffstadt Creek, The North Fork Toutle and Deer Creek is closed to public access through April 30 to minimize disturbance and associated energy demands on elk wintering there.
District 9:
Past Weather: Weather has been moderate and the winter snow pack is below normal, especially below 3000 ft in the south Cascades.
Winter Severity: The south facing slopes at the Klickitat Wildlife Area are open and forage habitat is available. There is little concern for the severity of this year's winter conditions in Skamania County and the western portion of Klickitat County. The eastern portions of Klickitat County have had lower snow fall accumulation this winter and deer are in good condition.
Habitat: Habitat is open and forage is available below 2500-3000 ft.
Animal Concentrations: No unusual concentrations seen due to inclement conditions. Late December deer surveys around the Klickitat Wildlife Area indicate good numbers of animals using WDFW ownership.
Animal Condition: Animals appear to be in good condition.
Mortality: None documented or reported at this time.
Public Contacts: None received this week.
January 3, 2010
Game Division
Post Season Deer Surveys: Biologist Holman and Klickitat Wildlife Area Manager Van Leuven conducted a post season deer survey over the western portion of GMU 388 (Grayback) and eastern portion of 578 (West Klickitat). Biologist Anderson provided ground support for the survey. Flying conditions were excellent with cold grey skies and a backdrop of snow covering the entire landscape. Approximately 665 deer were observed with roughly 600 classified during the effort. Exact counts, sex and age ratios, and distribution will be calculated and used as a partial evaluation of deer population health as well as an ongoing means of monitoring the effectiveness of current hunting season structure related to the goals outlined in the Game Management Plan.
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