Department Of Fish And Wildlife

Makah Tribe collars cougars for study

The treed cougar flattens his ears as the howls of professional hunting dogs mix with the shouts of Makah tribal wildlife biologists in a snowy forest in the hook Game Management Unit near Neah Bay.

In this picture by Shannon Murphie, a wildlife biologist for the Makah Tribe, a male glowers from a tree.
A tranquilizer dart finds its mark and the adult male falls with a whump into a tarp rigged as a safety net. Carefully lowered to the ground, the 170-pound, 7-foot, 7-inch long cat (tail included) gets a radio collar tag that will help track his movements.

While February’s snow on the North Olympic Peninsula was unwelcomed by many, it’s exactly the kind of weather conditions needed to successfully track and collar cougars.

“Without the snow, it’s hard to track cougars, even with dogs,” Rob McCoy, wildlife division manager for the Makah Tribe said. “But snow makes fresh tracks easy to find and we can get the dogs on the proper track.” (more…)

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Tribes and state change harvest levels of black-tail deer to bolster populations

“The management measures are an inter-tribal and state milestone,” said Rob McCoy, wildlife division manager for the Makah Tribe. “Everyone worked together to do something to protect the population for the future. “Harvest is something we can control. We don’t have the capability to accomplish predator control at this time and we can’t control the hair loss disease,” said McCoy. “This is the best way to maximize adult doe survival and increase the numbers of offspring,” he said.

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Upper Skagit Tribe buys waterfront property in La Conner

The Skagit Valley Herald:

The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe recently purchased 6 acres on the La Conner waterfront, including a warehouse and small pier, for $6.8 million.

The land, acquired from La Conner Pier LLC, is directly across the Swinomish Channel from the Swinomish Indian Reservation.

About a half-dozen organizations lease property on the land formerly owned by the Roche Harbor-based limited liability corporation. Among the lessees are the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and two manufacturers, Alpac Components Co. and Comptex Inc. (more…)

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Boat ramp and trails close as restoration continues on Wiley Slough in Skagit delta

WDFW released the following press release about the Wiley Slough restoration project, in partnership with the Skagit River System Cooperative, the natural resources management arm of the Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes:

OLYMPIA – Beginning July 15, the 175-acre Headquarters Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area will be closed to public access as crews resume work on a major estuary-restoration project at the mouth of the Skagit River.

The closed area includes the public boat ramp and the dike-top trails along the Skagit River and Wiley Slough.

Crews will be removing approximately 6,500 feet of dikes and levees, allowing tides and the river to reclaim the area south of a newly constructed setback dike that was completed earlier this year. The restoration project began in 2008, when crews installed a new, larger tidegate farther upstream on Wiley Slough. (more…)

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Suquamish Hopes for Early-Timed Chinook Run At Gorst Soon

A Gorst Hatchery juvenile chinook before being released into Gorst Creek.

In a few years, fishermen might be able to hit the water for chinook in Sinclair Inlet a month earlier than they can now.

Hatchery chinook generally return to the inlet near Gorst in August and September. An effort to expand the run timing would have fish swimming into Sinclair Inlet in July. (more…)

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Future of Voights Creek unclear in state budget

From Joe Turner at the News Tribune:

Reader points out to me that the no fish hatcheries will close is misleading too. The budget says (on Page 397): “During the 2007-09 biennium, the department shall not make a permanent closure of any hatchery facility currently in operation.” So, reader wonders, “if that means that since Voights Creek hatchery hasn’t been in “operation” since it was damaged in the floods that this leaves a door open for it to be permanently closed.”
(more…)

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