Washington Fish & Wildlife Digest: November 8-23, 2023  

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Digest is a summary prepared by Washington Wildlife First to notify our supporters about urgent action alerts and upcoming events, apprise them of important issues and recent developments with Washington fish and wildlife management, and provide a recap of relevant news items.

What You Need to Know and Do This Week

This is just a quick summary; find more details about each item in the sections below.

  • After decades of work by wildlife advocates, the U.S. Department of the Interior has finally banned the use of M-44 cyanide bombs on public lands.
  • The Fish & Wildlife Commission is now scheduled to vote on the draft conservation policy during its January 25-27, 2024 meeting in Olympia.
  • The Commission voted to approve the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)’s recommendation to uplist western gray squirrels from threatened to endangered. See “Recap: Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting of November 17, 2023.”
  • With no explanation, WDFW has withdrawn its rulemaking proposal to make its beaver relocation program permanent.
  • A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction limiting Montana’s wolf-trapping season from January 1 to February 15 in 2024 due to risks to endangered grizzly bears. See “National & International Fish & Wildlife News.”

Action Items

Washington

  • Please support WDFW’s recommendation in its draft Periodic Status Review of the killer whale to maintain the species’ endangered status on the state endangered species list. You can comment by emailing TandEpubliccom [at] dfw.wa.gov or writing to: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ATTN: Taylor Cotten, P.O. Box 43141, Olympia, WA 98504.
  • WDFW is asking the public for input on the following species to inform its periodic status reviews: yellow-billed cuckoo, tufted puffin, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, fisher, sea otter, grizzly bear, Oregon silver-spot butterfly, Mazama pocket gopher; green, loggerhead, and leatherback sea turtles; and blue, fin, right, sei, and sperm whale. Submit comments by emailing TandEpubliccom [at] dfw.wa.gov or by sending mail addressed to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ATTN: Taylor Cotten, P.O. Box 43141, Olympia, WA 98504.
  • The Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) is asking the public to write to the Seattle Aquarium and “tell them you will not be visiting until they switch from a live shark tank to a virtual one and until it overhauls its animal welfare practices.” NARN’s action page has talking points and a form you can edit.

National

  • The Center for Biological Diversity is collecting signatures to send to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking agency director Martha Williams to reform the “convoluted, slow process for deciding whether to protect species.”
  • The International Wildlife Coexistence Network is asking people to sign a petition directed to Secretary of the Interior Deborah Haaland, urging her to relist wolves on an emergency basis under the Endangered Species Act. This is in reaction to Idaho’s plan to fund out-of-state contractors to kill wolves from helicopters in national forests across the state – even in areas where wolves have not been preying on livestock. The organization also has a YouTube video to share.

Recap: Wolf Advisory Group Meeting of November 15-16, 2023

The Department’s Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) met in Ellensburg from November 15-16, 2023 (agenda here). The members discussed their “sufficient consensus” model and whether it was working, with some expressing confusion over the “groups” with which members are asked to identify (hunter, rancher, or environmentalist). Dan Paul, director of the Washington chapter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), announced that HSUS was rescinding its signature on the WAG’s letter opposing the wolf protection rulemaking petition, citing differences between the WAG’s recommendation and HSUS’s national policy.

The WAG then heard from a task group that recommended counting predations in Oregon toward the minimum threshold that should be met before the Department considers killing wolves. The non-binding Wolf-Livestock Interaction Protocol states that WDFW may consider killing wolves after three predations in 30 days, or four in four months. The recommendation came from ranchers Samee Charriere and Sierra Smith, hunter Marie Neumiller, and outdoorsperson Caitlin Scarano. Paul of HSUS was also in the task group but declined to join the final recommendation, which he said he believed ignored potential legal difficulties. WDFW scientists

Trent Roussin and Ben Maletzke confirmed that the recommendation would be very difficult to implement, given the threat of lawsuits, the differences in protocol and management between Washington and Oregon, the possibility of alienating tribal management and Idaho Fish & Game (since WDFW would be coordinating with Oregon and not with them), and the tremendous increase in workload for WDFW staff. However, WAG member Paula Swedeen of Conservation Northwest urged the group to consider the recommendation as a way to “help” both ranchers and wolves.

WAG member and Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association President Scott Nielsen said that if a wolf pack that was killing cattle in Oregon approached his herds, he would not “get help from WDFW” and he would “do it [him]self.” When asked for clarification by WAG member and wildlife advocate Lynn Okita, he said he was speaking of shooting wolves under the “caught-in-the-act” legal provision, which has served as a loophole allowing livestock owners to shoot wolves spotted in the general vicinity of cattle.

Five WAG members refused to endorse the recommendation, so the group did not meet sufficient consensus. However, members continued to discuss the idea the following day. They also spoke about their 2024 agenda, including possible comments on the draft Periodic Status Review for gray wolves, which WDFW plans to revise and send to the Commission for approval next year.

Recap: Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission Meeting of November 17, 2023

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission met briefly for about an hour over Zoom on November 17, 2023 (video here). It voted unanimously to uplist the western gray squirrel in accordance with WDFW’s recommendation. However, Vice-Chair Molly Linville and Commissioner Jim Anderson expressed worry that the uplisting might affect landowners’ compliance with voluntary conservation measures, while Commissioner Steven Parker wondered whether WDFW might be “getting in the way of Mother Nature” and the natural cycle of extinction as species compete with one another.

The Commission then briefly discussed future meetings. Notably, WDFW Deputy Director Amy Windrope confirmed that the Commission will vote on the long-delayed draft Conservation Policy during its meeting of January 25-27 in Olympia.

Washington Fish & Wildlife News

Electoral News

Public Lands Commissioner Franz drops out of gov. race. KGMI. November 11, 2023.

  • State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has dropped out of the governor’s race in order to run for Congress in Washington’s sixth district, which includes Tacoma, the Kitsap Peninsula, and the Olympic Peninsula.

Dave Reichert slightly ahead of Bob Ferguson in 2024 WA gubernatorial race, NPI poll finds. The Cascadia Advocate. November 16, 2023.

  • Former U.S. Representative and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert is polling slightly higher than Attorney General Bob Ferguson in the race for governor, with 46% of 700 Washington respondents preferring Reichert and 44% opting for Ferguson.

General Wildlife Management

Former WA Fish & Wildlife Commission Insider Featured On Podcast. Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsman. November 15, 2023.

  • The Sportsman calls attention to former Commissioner Kim Thorburn’s appearance on Andrew McKean and Randy Newberg’s podcast series about how “anti-hunters” and “animal rights activists” are joining state wildlife commissions to “purse [sic] an anti-hunting agenda.” Walgamott quotes Thorburn on Washington’s Fish and Wildlife commissioners: “We’ve got to call them out on process because they’re breaking all the rules.” According to Walgamott, the podcast series “is meant in part to alert hunters and anglers across the country that what’s being seen in Washington.”

2023 Watchable Wildlife Grant recipients promote wildlife viewing opportunities in their local communities (Medium post). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. November 7, 2023.

  • WDFW has awarded a total of $30,000 to four wildlife-watching groups around the state: Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, Cascadia Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, and Puget Sound Estuarium. WDFW’s Watchable Wildlife Grant, established in 2021, funds “projects that create, improve, increase, and/or promote opportunities for communities to view or experience wildlife.”

WDFW considers 20 parcels across the state for public land acquisition. Amanda Smith, NonStop Local KHQ. November 7, 2023.

  • WDFW has proposed acquiring about 13,550 acres of land across the state as part of its Lands 20/20 conservation initiative. WDFW is taking public comment on these potential acquisitions.

Ryan Garrett: Washington’s wildlife policy increasingly anti-hunting (opinion). Ryan Garrett, The Spokesman-Review. November 24, 2023.

  • Hunter, farmer, and gunsmith Garrett claims that groups like Washington Wildlife First, Northwest Animal Rights Network, and Center for Biological Diversity are demanding a “seat at the table without having to foot the bill or worry about the burden of regulation” while they supposedly wield “undue influence over the recent policies, language and appointments of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.”

Wolves

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission denies conservation groups’ request for less lethal measures against gray wolves. Erin Rebar, The Wenatchee World. November 21, 2023.

  • This article extensively quotes Amaroq Weiss, the senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, about the Commission’s rejection of the Wolf Protection Rulemaking Petition brought by 11 organizations. Weiss says: “Unfortunately, Washington’s commission seems to be of the view that they do not discuss the substance of any administrative petitions that come before them, before they make the decision of whether or not to accept the petition. They don’t even allow the petitioners to have time to present their side, their view of the issues at those meetings. Only the department gets to.” Weiss also says that petitioners are considering whether to appeal the decision.

Washington sheriff stokes anti-wolf sentiment. Dawn Stover, Columbia Insight (via The Columbian). November 17, 2023.

  • Stover discusses Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer’s statement that he would not enforce state and federal endangered species laws protecting wolves. Stover writes that Songer gives the “mistaken impression that it’s legal to kill a wolf in Klickitat County under certain circumstances.” She also points out that, contrary to Songer’s claims: “There’s no evidence of any existing or proposed federal or state program to introduce the gray wolf into Klickitat County—or rather, to reintroduce a species that was almost entirely eradicated from the Pacific Northwest by the early 1900s.”
  • Northwest Sportsman also reports on the sheriff’s statement and includes a response from WDFW: “All of Klickitat County is within the western two-thirds of Washington…where wolves remain under federal protection as endangered and it is illegal to lethally remove, haze, or otherwise harass a wolf, even if the wolf is involved in the act of depredation of livestock, pets, or property loss.” The article also summarizes the Commission’s vote to deny the Wolf Protection Rulemaking Petition and claims that “there have been a few unnerving encounters between wolves and humans” in the past decade and a half.
  • The Goldendale Sentinel also has a short article, which echoes WDFW’s misleading claim that “since 2008, Washington’s wolf population has grown by an average of 23% per year.” (This figure is distorted by small increases from the early days of wolf recovery that represented large jumps in the wolf population, while population growth has flattened in recent years.)

Monthly Wolf Report. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. November 9, 2023.

  • Among other Washington wolf news, WDFW reports that it is working on implementing the budget proviso mandating contracts for range riders in northeast Washington, that a collared wolf was found dead of unknown causes in October (no other details provided), and that there have been 11 known mortalities of wolves in Washington so far.

Cougars

Second cougar sighting on Spokane’s South Hill. Guy Tannenbaum, KHQ. November 15, 2023.

  • A cougar was spotted “minding its business” in Spokane on an awed homeowner’s security camera. The homeowner expressed appreciation for the “majesty” of the cougar. The article quotes a WDFW spokesperson’s advice on avoiding conflict with cougars.

Please Don’t Report Mr. Fluffernoodles, He’s Not A Cougar: ‘This Happens More Than You Think.’ Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsmen. November 21, 2023.

  • Walgamott notes that many alleged cougar sightings turn out to be housecats and segues into the difficulties encountered by the public in correctly identifying wildlife.

Bears

Local residents explode at Biden officials over plan to release grizzly bears near their communities. Thomas Catenacci, Fox News. November 8, 2023.

  • During a public meeting on grizzly bear reintroduction hosted by WDFW and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, rural residents, include Chelan County commissioners, protested against the proposed plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades.
  • The Spokesman-Review reports that 12,000 people commented on the plan.
  • The Washington Post has more background on the reintroduction plan.
  • Northwest News Network reports that the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is supporting reintroduction, with tribal elder and policy representative Scott Schuyler saying, “Our ancestors learned to coexist as they did with all the other creatures in the environment. The natural order of things being broken is really in recent history.”
  • Capital Press reports that the Public Lands Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are opposing grizzly reintroduction. Sigrid Johannes, the director of government affairs for both organizations, said that the reintroduced experimental population would lack diversity “because the bears are all translocating from existing recovery zones” and that the bears would pose a risk to livestock and ranchers.

Inslee backs grizzly bears in North Cascades. Don Jenkins, Capital Press. November 20, 2023.

  • In a letter to the National Park Service, Governor Jay Inslee has endorsed the plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades. Inslee says that the bears’ classification as a “nonessential,” experimental population will give wildlife services the leeway to manage conflicts.

“He was a threat and a danger.” Stevens County couple recalls encounter with grizzly bear. Josh Lyle, KREM. November 6, 2023.

  • A couple in Onion Creek, Stevens County were alarmed after wildlife officials’ cameras caught a grizzly bear in their chicken coop at night. The officials set up the cameras after the couple found damage to their coop and feed barrel. WDFW relocated the grizzly to a wilderness area.

How reintroduction of grizzlies would affect North Cascades recreation. Gregory Scruggs, The Seattle Times (via The Chronicle). November 11, 2023.

  • Explains that outdoor recreation will likely change “very little” with the introduction of grizzlies to the North Cascades, but that hikers should take additional precautions in the future.

Fish, Shellfish & Marine Mammals

BI Land Trust restores critical fish habitat at preserve. The Bainbridge Island Review. November 16, 2023.

  • This article reports on the successful removal of an underground culvert to restore fish passage in the Springbrook Creek Preserve, conducted by Bainbridge Island Land Trust, Wild Fish Conservancy, and other volunteers.

Whale expert says there has been an increase in orca sightings in Puget Sound. Brady Wakayama, KING 5. November 12, 2023.

  • This fall has seen an uptick in sightings of killer whales, including Southern Resident killer whales, in Puget Sound. The article quotes Dr. David Bain of Orca Conservancy: “Our fish-eating whales are taking advantage of fall runs that are healthier than our summer runs…Our mammal-eating killer whales are taking advantage of the growing seal and sea lion population, so they get to spend more time in Puget Sound than they used to.”

To Protect Wild Coho Salmon, the Quinault Nation Calls On State to Join Tribe in Closing Queets River and Grays Harbor Fisheries (press release). Quinault Indian Nation. November 15, 2023.

  • The Quinault Department of Fisheries has announced it is closing tribal fishing on the Queets River and in Grays Harbor due to low returns. The Quinault Nation’s letter urges WDFW to close state fisheries as well: “We are disappointed at WDFW’s ‘wait and see’ attitude and reluctance to take precautionary actions to protect the resources entrusted to our stewardship in the face of uncertainty.”
  • Northwest Sportsman reports that WDFW Director Kelly Susewind has requested a government-to-government meeting with the tribe to discuss the fisheries.
  • KIRO picked up the story, emphasizing WDFW’s refusal to limit fisheries.
  • KXRO News Radio also reports on the story.

Orca sightings around Washington break records. Christine Clarridge, Axios. November 14, 2023.

  • Bigg’s (transient) killer whale sightings in the Puget Sound have broken records this year for the third year in a row, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Experts say the killer whales have been rebounding from government-sponsored bounty hunting of marine mammals before 1960.

Writing About the Orcas? Dive Deeper (opinion). Elizabeth Shepherd, The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. November 15, 2023.

Sacred Southern Resident orcas deserve better from us (opinion). Orca Annie Stateler, Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber. November 22, 2023.

  • Stateler gives an indigenous perspective on critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs), referring to the J pod’s unusual behavior in Vashon-Maury waters on November 5: “Much of what non-Indigenous humans do not understand about SRKW has to do with the orcas’ highly evolved culture. Killer whales have ceremonies and rituals.” Stateler also decries the lack of action to save SRKWs as well as some tourists’ “voyeuristic” mania and damaging behavior: “Obsession is antithetical to Indigenous wisdom about nature and bonding with our non-human relations. The intrusive behavior of boaters, kayakers, and at least one paddle-boarder around J Pod in the harbor violated appropriate protocol for interacting with spiritual beings and endangered whales.”

Fishing groups sue tire-makers over toxic chemical that kills salmon. Isabella Breda, The Seattle Times. November 8, 2023.

  • The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources have sued “13 of the largest tire manufacturers in the U.S.” for the companies’ use of 6PPD-quinone, which they allege violates the Endangered Species Act by killing endangered salmon and oceangoing trout. According to the article, “Toxic concentrations of the chemical have been confirmed in watersheds in San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. The National Marine Fisheries Service has identified stormwater runoff as a significant factor contributing to the decline of each of the 24 populations the complaint identifies.”

EPA moves on petition from West Coast tribes to investigate tire toxin linked to fish deaths. Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle. November 14, 2023.

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to consider a petition from Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup tribes and the Yurok Tribe of California to ban fish-killing 6PPD-quinone.
  • KUOW also covers this story.

What happened to Washington’s wildlife after the largest dam removal in US history? Andrew Tarantola, Engadget. November 12, 2023.

  • This article contains an excerpt from Joe Roman’s book Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World. In this book, Roman explains how the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe spearheaded the effort to remove the Elwha River dam, and how the removal resulted in the return of salmon, steelhead, and many species that depend on them – notably songbirds and invertebrates. The excerpt also describes the beneficial effects of beaver recovery.

Black Friday trout fishing opportunities planned by WDFW. The Reflector. November 13, 2023.

  • This article promotes WDFW’s Black Friday trout fishing program, for which WDFW stocks lakes with 2,000 trout.

BC mega container terminal questions answered. Ginny Broadhurst, Salish Current. November 8, 2023.  

  • Broadhurst, a member of the Salish Sea Institute, explains the current status of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 proposal, a massive shipping terminal project in British Columbia that would harm Southern Resident killer whales, migratory birds, and Chinook salmon. The Canadian government has approved the project, but the Lummi Nation and several nonprofits are mounting legal challenges.

Newhouse blasts WA for turning ‘blind eye’ to Puget Sound pollution poisoning salmon. Annette Cary, City Herald (reprinted in Yakima Herald). November 13, 2023.

  • After the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Washington has failed to meet Clean Water Act deadlines for water quality amelioration in the Puget Sound region, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) accused the government of ignoring pollution’s harm to wild fish. Newhouse is a vocal opponent of Snake River dam removal. In a joint statement with Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Cliff Bentz (R-Ore), Newhouse criticized the government’s “misguided efforts to breach the lower Snake River dams” while “turning a blind eye” to pollution. The state Department of Ecology responded that these deadlines were “not integral to the success of the state’s salmon recovery efforts.” The GAO found “Congress should consider revising the Clean Water Act’s largely voluntary approach to restoring water polluted by nonpoint sources,” according to this article.
  • The Center Square reports that the governor’s office in turn cast blame on “certain members of our congressional delegation – who have repeatedly whiffed on chances to aid salmon restoration – (and) now pursue patently false arguments to deflect from their failures.”

Governor’s spokesman insinuates state is succeeding at “salmon restoration.” He’s wrong. Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center. November 15, 2023.

  • Todd Myers, the director of the Center for the Environment at the conservative think-tank Washington Policy Center, notes that salmon populations are dwindling and claims that an Inslee spokesman “insinuated” otherwise.

Saving sturgeon: How a hatchery program revived the white sturgeon population in Lake Roosevelt. Michael Wright, The Spokesman-Review. November 11, 2023.

  • WDFW, the Spokane Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are collaborating on a hatchery project aiming to repopulate Lake Roosevelt with white sturgeon. According to the article, “for decades, the species has been unable to repopulate itself without help.” WDFW “expects to switch to a catch-and-release only” season by 2030.

Invasive mussels inching closer to the Columbia Basin, federal report says more could be done to stop them. Courtney Flatt, KUOW. November 15, 2023.

  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must do more to prevent the spread of invasive zebra and quagga mussels to the Columbia Basin, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Hydrophone added to whale monitoring efforts. Robb Magley, Gulf Islands Driftwood. November 15, 2023.

  • British Columbia’s Raincoast Conservation Foundation is now using a hydrophone on North Pender Island to monitor whale vocalization. The foundation is hoping that “in addition to humpbacks, the camera and hydrophone could capture imagery and sound of Bigg’s killer whales, porpoises and sea lions.”

Stream health improving even as region becomes more developed, according to King County. Erica Zucco, KING 5. November 14, 2023.

  • According to King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks, health in 25% of streams in the area is improving, while 3% of streams have declined in health and others have not changed substantially, largely thanks to new regulations affecting stormwater runoff as well as state and tribal restoration projects.
  • The Seattle Times is also covering this story, noting that “the bug community” has recovered in many of the streams.

Senator Murray Announces Over $8.7 Million for Five Projects Across WA to Restore Fish Habitats and Boost Ecosystem Health (press release). U.S. Senator Patty Murray. November 16, 2023.

  • The Washington senator has applauded the Bureau of Reclamation’s funding of five WATERSmart Environmental Water Resources projects in the state, including two Yakama Nation fish passage and habitat improvement projects and restoration projects in Chelan and Kittitas counties.

Huge spike in costs to help salmon could derail WA transportation budget. David Korman and Mike Reicher, The Seattle Times. November 19, 2023.

  • Washington’s transportation budget will have to spend $4 billion more than planned in order to comply with a ruling on a federal lawsuit brought by tribes over salmon passage. According to the article, costs are growing with increasingly complex projects: “State officials estimate that opening up 10% more salmon habitat will suck up as many dollars as the first 80% of the habitat gained.”

Other Wildlife

Western gray squirrels now classified as endangered species in Washington state. Courtney Flatt, Northwest News Network (via Oregon Public Broadcasting. November 19, 2023.

  • This article reports on the Commission’s decision to uplist western gray squirrels in Washington from threatened to endangered. It also includes a quote from the Center for Biological Diversity’s press release: “I’m hopeful that endangered status will ring the alarm bells and spur action.”
  • KOMO News also reports on the uplisting and quotes Pat Arnold of Friends of the White Salmon River, which was heavily involved in the campaign to protect the species: “Thanks to the commission for understanding the danger and voting to uplist…Next up is a review of forest practice regulations by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, where we hope to see stronger protections adopted.”

Swans have returned to Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. November 8, 2023.

  • As trumpeter and tundra swans return to western Washington, WDFW has established a hotline for callers to report sick, injured, and dead swan sightings. The press release reminds the public that swans may not be hunted and lead shot is not permitted for waterfowl hunting.

WATCH: An up-close look at the reintroduction of lynx on the Colville Indian Reservation (video). Source One. November 14, 2023.

  • A video shows a lynx being released by the Colville Confederated Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife Department into the Kettle River Mountain Range. So far in 2023, six lynxes have been released as part of a project to reintroduce the species, which is state-endangered and federally listed as threatened.

Urban wildlife a big topic in town. Tacoma Weekly. November 14, 2023.

  • Wild animals, particularly coyotes, have stirred a lot of interest in Tacoma lately, with many following news of a coyote lacking an upper jaw (dubbed “Jawless Jerry”). The Grit City Carnivore Group is researching wild carnivore distribution in the city.

Owl busts into coop to prey on chickens — but ends up tangled in netting in Washington. Helena Wagner, The News Tribune. November 14, 2023.

  • A great horned owl got trapped and injured when it tried to prey on chickens in a coop near Spokane. The owl is now at a rehabilitation facility, and WDFW expects it to be released to the wild soon.

Department of Fish and Wildlife warns public of Lake Tye bird flu outbreak. KIRO 7 (via Yahoo! News). November 10, 2023.

  • WDFW has found that cackling geese at Lake Tye near Monroe have been exposed to bird flu and is warning the public to take precautions.

Why the Yakama Nation has a herd of buffalo – and why it’s growing. Courtney Flatt, Northwest News Network (via KNKX). November 12, 2023.

  • In an effort to boost the tribe’s food sovereignty, the Yakama Nation Wildlife Program has imported a buffalo herd from Yellowstone.

WDFW adopts new rule to offer incentives for chronic wasting disease testing. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. November 21, 2023.

  • WDFW has adopted a rule to give deer and elk hunters an incentive to have their kills tested for chronic wasting disease in certain target areas. Those who do so will be entered into a lottery for one of 100 multi-season deer tags.

Slow the buck down! Deer mating season means migration near roadways. Lauren Girgis, The Seattle Times. November 22, 2023.

  • WDFW is warning drivers that deer in search of mates are more likely to cross roads and risk collisions with cars. The article has WDFW’s tips for staying safe on the road.

Timeout for beavers: Columbia Springs’ east Vancouver AirbnBeaver hosts critters deemed a nuisance before they are reintroduced into the wild. Lauren Ellenbecker, The Columbian. November 24, 2023.

  • This article describes the “AirbnBeaver” where nonprofits house “nuisance” beavers before relocating them. A nonprofit worker quoted in the article says that “relocation is the last resort in human-beaver conflicts.”

 

National & International Fish & Wildlife News

State Wildlife Reform

Judge limits Montana wolf trapping season over threat to grizzly bears. Blair Miller, Daily Montanan. November 21, 2023.

  • A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction limiting Montana’s wolf-trapping season from January 1 to February 15 in 2024 after the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizens Task Force and WildEarth Guardians sued the state over the threat to endangered grizzlies. However, coyote trapping can still take place year-round.

Q&A: A framework for ethics in wildlife management. David Frey, The Wildlife Society. November 10, 2023.

  • The author interviews The Wildlife Society member Chris Smith, one of several participants in a workshop at Cornell University on ethics in decision-making in wildlife management. The participants published a commentary in the Journal of Wildlife Management on a framework to discuss ethics when making decisions on wildlife. Smith says, “The more inclusive we can be in the decision-making process, and the more transparent we can be in the decision-making process, the better.

General Wildlife Issues

The Dept of Interior Bans M-44s or Cyanide Bombs On BLM Lands.  The Wildlife News. November 22, 2023.

  • In response to a petition signed by more than 70 conservation and wildlife advocacy groups, the U.S. Department of the Interior has banned the use of M-44s (often called cyanide bombs) on public lands. The devices are used by U.S. Wildlife Services to kill carnivores and are primarily aimed at coyotes. The M-44s contain spring-loaded ejectors that contain cyanide poison, which is released when an animal pulls on a baited lure, causing a horrific death. According to Wildlife Services data, it used the devices were to kill about 6,000 animals across 10 states in 2022.  The devices are indiscriminate, and have also killed pets and poisoned humans.
  • Predator Defense has campaigned for decades to ban these weapons, and has more information about the victory in its press release.

House Republicans Target Center for Biological Diversity in Appropriations Rider. Center for Biological Diversity. November 15, 2023.

  • House Republicans are expected to pass an appropriations bill with an amendment banning any funding from going toward the Center for Biological Diversity. According to the Center’s press release, this is “the first time an environmental group has ever been targeted under the Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill for disparate treatment under the law.”

Wildlife Migration and Movement Hearing on the Hill. Sierra van der Brug, Santa Barbara Independent. November 18, 2023.

  • During a Senate environmental subcommittee meeting on November 14, Senator Alex Padilla (D-Cal.) urged other legislators to support a bill increasing funding for wildlife corridors. Madeleine West, director of the Center for Public Lands at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, testified at the hearing, saying: “Conservation actions that allow migration corridors to remain open, such as the removal of fencing in critical locations or the addition of fencing in other areas to guide wildlife to safe highway crossings, are essential to maintain this ecological process that has occurred for millennia.”

The role of governance in rewilding the United States to stem the biodiversity crisis. Shelby B. Carlson et al., BioScience. November 16, 2023.

  • This paper argues that federal agencies have neglected to protect endangered terrestrial vertebrates’ geographic ranges under the Endangered Species Act, and that state agencies have an opportunity to “unify hunting and nonhunting constituents” in efforts to protect biodiversity by rewilding. The study also finds that “most constituents expect state agencies to prioritize species restoration over other activities, including hunting,” even though many state agencies treat hunting as their top priority.

Patagonia fought Trump over public lands. Now it’s targeting Biden. Maxine Joselow, Vanessa Montalbano. The Washington Post. November 22, 2023.

  • The ecology-minded company Patagonia is urging the public to submit comments to the Biden administration, asking the government to protect the Alaskan Arctic.

NFWF Announces $141.3 Million in Grants from the America the Beautiful Challenge (press release). National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. November 14, 2023.

  • The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced $141.3 million in 74 grants to “conserve, restore and connect habitats for wildlife while improving community resilience and access to nature” across the United States.

Delisted 2023 (Substack post). Jen Calkins, Delisted 2023. November 15, 2023.

  • In the context of the Delisted 2023 project, a “collaborative creative engagement with the extinction crisis,” Calkins reflects on action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove 21species from the federal endangered species list because they have gone extinct.

Wolves

USFWS finalizes designation of gray wolf experimental population in Colorado (press release). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. November 7, 2023.

  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the introduction of an experimental population of wolves in Colorado.

Leave It to Beavers? Not if You’re a Wolf. Cara Giaimo, The New York Times. November 7, 2023.

  • A new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B examined how wolf reintroduction in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota has affected the beaver population, which in turn alters the forest. The study found that wolves prey on beavers that range too far from their homes, limiting their spread and their local elimination of tree species such as aspens. A scientist not involved in the study explains that wolves can also help beavers by keeping ungulate populations in check.

UMN research finds humans possibly responsible for wolves’ hunting pattern. Henry Stafford, The Minnesota Daily. November 13, 2023.

  • The author reports on a different study on wolves in Voyageurs, published in Ecological Applications. The study found that wolf predation increases around human habitations (such as cabins) and linear structures (such as roads).

Hunter applied to receive Idaho funds to kill wolves. Ranchers say they never signed on. Nicole Blanchard, The Idaho Statesman. November 10, 2023.

  • A rancher said that neither the Idaho’s Wolf Depredation Control Board nor the Nevada-based “predator control” company it offered to employ ever approached him or another rancher with a proposal to trap wolves and kill them from the air. The rancher said neither he nor the other rancher wished to contract with the board. Predator Control Corp.’s owner was previously warned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for violating the Airborne Hunting Act. The owner was also convicted for several trapping-related crimes in the 2010s. Wolf advocate Suzanne Asha Stone of the Wood River Wolf Project, which has been working to help ranchers employ nonlethal deterrents, says, “The wolf control board’s lack of accountability for taxpayer funding, lack of public review and utter absence of due diligence in documenting the validity of these applications or tying them to actual conflicts with wolves points to the very ‘witch hunt’ nature of this board.”
  • The MT Express reports that the state approved the contract with Predator Control Corp., though the two ranchers mentioned in the previous article have withdrawn from the agreement.

Fish & Marine Mammals

How an orca held captive at the Vancouver Aquarium helped change the world’s view on killer whales. CBC News. November 7, 2023.

  • Skana, a captive orca at the Vancouver Aquarium, helped change views on killer whales in the 1960s and 1970s, according to this article. Skana inspired scientist Paul Spong to condemn killer whale captivity and to work with Greenpeace to campaign against whaling. According to Ocean Wise Director of Whales Initiative Chloe Robinson, “It was through [Skana’s] captivity we really learned how social, intelligent and emotional these animals are and how unethical it actually really is to be keeping them in captivity.” The Vancouver Park Board only voted to ban whale and dolphin captivity in 2017.

Red herrings won’t help us save chinook salmon (opinion). Craig Matkin, Anchorage Daily News. November 13, 2023.

  • The author, a whale biologist and director of the North Gulf Oceanic Society, sounds the alarm as Alaska Game & Fish and various writers spread the idea that killer whales are responsible for Chinook salmon decline. Pointing out flaws in these arguments, Matkin writes: “Blaming predators for declines in prey populations has always been a popular notion in the minds of us humans….But is there good evidence killer whales are driving chinook salmon declines in Alaska? The science doesn’t support it.”

Groups Urge Court to Strike Down Army Corps’ Decision Greenlighting Ocean Fish Farming. Center for Food Safety, Yuba.net. November 13, 2023.

  • The Center for Food Safety (CFS), representing the Quinault Indian Nation and the Don’t Cage Our Oceans Coalition, is seeking to revoke the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permit 56, which allows ocean fish farming in 13 states. CFS is arguing that the Corps failed to consider effects of fish farming on water quality and on endangered species such as humpback whales, leatherback sea turtles, and giant manta rays. Wild Fish Conservancy and Food and Water Watch are among the plaintiffs in the Don’t Cage Our Oceans Coalition seeking the permit’s revocation.

Elk

Arizona woman dies days after being trampled by an elk. Associated Press (via Seattle PI). November 7, 2023.

  • An elk trampled a woman in her Arizona backyard on October 26, seemingly after the woman had been feeding him, and the woman has succumbed to her injuries. Arizona Game and Fish has been educating her neighborhood about the dangers of feeding and approaching elk.

Idaho finds chronic wasting disease in new area. The Spokesman-Review. November 12, 2023.

  • Idaho Fish & Game found a deer infected with chronic wasting disease in the western part of the state. WDFW is testing 200 samples obtained from hunters.

On the Lighter Side

Top five round birds (Instagram post). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. November 12, 2023.

  • A highly scientific list. Did your favorite round bird make the cut?