Small but mighty! Goldfinches travel to the tropics and back
By: Dana Bivens - Dana is a PAO at the USFWS Portland Regional Office
Photo By Peter Pearsall, USFWS
Did you know, many of the birds we see in the Pacific Northwest in the summer spend their winters in the tropics? The goldfinch is no exception! You may have seen this charming bird in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in the spring and summer months. Goldfinches are a common sight across the continental US and southern Canada. They are frequent residents at backyard bird feeders, and love to mill about in bushes, fields, and floodplains foraging for seeds.
The bright yellow color and aerial acrobatics of these social birds is a delightful sight to see. In the winter months, some of these tiny travelers migrate south as far as Mexico. Weighing in at only 0.7 oz, migrating goldfinches will take up their winter residences in the southern United States, and in northern Mexican states including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and along the Gulf of Mexico. In mild winters they may also be seen much further north.
While many birds make the trip south, some take up year-round residence in the continental United States, and are a common sight around birdfeeders in the winter when food is scarce. Always pleasant to see on a cold winter day, goldfinches are favorites for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers alike.
Migratory birds are an important part to the Pacific Northwest Ecosystem, and we can all help to improve their habitat and make it safer. Small things like placing bird decals on window glass or keeping cats indoors can help protect all migratory birds, including goldfinches. If you want to make your backyard or garden a gathering spot for goldfinches, check out this information on making your home a home for wildlife: https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/documents/Education/USFWSBackyardBirds.pdf
Small Game Hunters: Catching Butterflies in the Pacific Northwest
By: Zach Radmer, USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Washington Fish and Wildlife Office
Photo: West Coast lady butterfly (Vanessa annabella) at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon; Photo credit: Zach Radmer
“Swoosh!” My net lay still, a colorful quarry perhaps captured after a brief sprint along the trail. Admittedly I’m more excited than you would think. It’s not every day that you catch something new. I don’t think people know that most butterflies get away. The large and sun-warmed individuals are highly motivated and will easily outpace you even into a headwind. I have carried a net for miles and caught nothing but mosquitos. But this time it’s a lustrous copper (Lycaena cupreus) that sports bright orange wings covered in dark black spots. Best of all, I have never caught one before.
This is the part of the story where you think I would wax poetic about chasing butterflies as a kid, but the truth is my professional and personal interest in butterflies didn’t start until my colleagues at the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office introduced me. Butterfly catching is for everyone. Butterfly catching turns every hike or picnic into a scavenger hunt. In an alpine meadow or even a brushy field on the eastern slope of the Cascades you never know what you might find. Visit the same place four months later and you might find an entirely different crew of butterflies. Some fly in spring and some fly in late summer. Some could be ‘on the wing’ all year round because they spend the winter as adults resting in the crevices of trees and houses! Wherever you decide to go looking, bring a lunch. Butterflies are small game and decidedly not delicious.
Butterfly catching is a cheap sport, and you can take it as seriously as you want (or not). A net and a field guide can be purchased for less than 50 bucks. I prefer Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest by Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin LaBar. Butterfly nets come in different shapes and sizes and none cost a pretty penny. I use a collapsible net that is easier to backpack with. Unless you have the reflexes of Jackie Chan, a long handle is a good idea too.
There are two endangered butterflies in Washington State, and we like to talk about them a lot (See our web pages on Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and island marble butterfly).
Photo: Zach in action. Photo credit: Jerrmaine Treadwell
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Washington Fish and Wildlife Office has been involved in butterfly conservation for a few decades. But most people don’t know that 202 butterfly species can be found in Washington and Oregon. Little ones, big ones, spanning just about every color you can think of. Butterflies in Washington and Oregon are sorted in six families, and many of them don’t take any special skills to identify. For example, this is a ‘mud puddle club’ of pale tiger swallowtails and western tiger swallowtails:
The pale wings, large size, and striped wings are unmistakable for anything else. You don’t even have to chase it with net! The western tiger swallowtail (the yellow butterflies in the picture) has a few look-alikes, but only in some portions of the range. If you are butterfly catching in Olympia when you see this one, you know it is very unlikely to be a two-tailed tiger swallowtail or an Oregon swallowtail. Trust me, this isn’t as hard as you think. The Lorquin’s Admiral is another great example of an easy-to-identify butterfly.
Photo: A mud puddle club of swallowtails (both pale and Western). Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS
Wherever you’re going, make sure you know which butterflies you should probably let be. A good guidebook will let you know what’s rare and what’s common. This mug shot might look like the federally endangered Taylor’s checkerspot, but it is actually a closely related subspecies (E. e. colonia) that is common in the Cascades:
Butterfly photography is great but some people want to take their small game home. Personally, I don’t collect the butterflies I catch. Butterfly collecting can contribute greatly to our understanding of these species, and collectors have no chance of impacting the abundance of common species. Collecting, pinning, and preserving butterflies is its own set of skills that I won’t address here. Figuring that out will give you something to do when the weather is poor for butterfly chasing.If you are nervous to get started on your own, I personally recommend you check out the Washington Butterfly Association that leads occasional field trips. Experts can help you discover where to look and tricks for telling some groups of butterflies apart. This wild-looking pink-edged sulphur you might assume is unique, but in reality is difficult to pick out of a lineup of other sulphurs.
There are only a few more things to know before you start. First, catching butterflies is not allowed in National Parks. Not even catch and release. If you must, sign up for the National Park Service’s Cascade Butterfly Project citizen science program to monitor butterflies in the Parks. Second, butterflies should not be moved from where you caught them, and definitely not released outside of their natural range. Butterflies carry diseases and may inappropriately hybridize or compete with closely related species.
Photo: Edith's checkerspot butterfly ( Euphydryas editha colonia), not to be confused for the endangered Taylor's checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori). Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS
I will join many other writers on this topic before by saying that the first step in conserving butterflies is to notice them. Where they are, where they aren’t, and what they’re doing. Scientists and enthusiasts can contribute to butterfly conservation by recording what they see and pointing it out to those around them. So grab a net and notebook, and happy hunting.
A Boon(e) for Stewardship: What America’s Oldest Conservation Club Taught Me About Caring for Nature
By: Molly Good, USFWS biologist
Photo: Theodore Roosevelt, founder of the Boone and Crockett Club
Working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), I have long held deep admiration of and appreciation for America’s conservation heroes, including John Muir, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, Gifford Pinchot, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson, to name a few. Their lasting contributions continue to enhance our nation’s scientific understanding of ecosystems and natural processes, management and preservation of land and natural resources for future use, and recreational opportunities. These founding conservationists and their legacies have also motivated me to find ways to leave my own mark on the natural world. Over time, I have found that modern-day conservation heroes exist too, and that, depending on their values and goals, they can be powerful partners with our agency in affecting positive change for our nation’s wildlife and people. For me, The Boone and Crockett Club – the oldest conservation organization in America – exemplifies the power of positive change through its diverse and inspirational network of natural resource stewards.
Photo: Waterfowl hunting at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington; Photo credit: USFWS
I was a bright-eyed, twenty-four year-old graduate student when my advisor introduced me, through his involvement, to the Boone and Crockett Club. I am ashamed to admit I knew nothing about the Club at the time, yet I couldn’t kick the theme song from Disney’s 1955 movie, “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier!” from my head! I was impressed to learn that Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell founded the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887 in response to declines in wildlife populations, especially in large animals or big game. At the time, founding Club members were particularly motivated to think creatively about how to balance human and wildlife needs while maintaining traditions and a fair chase ethic around resource consumption, especially as a wildlife management tool. Since the late 1880s, the Club and its membership—which has included military and political leaders, business leaders, outdoors sports enthusiasts, scientists, writers, and industrialists—have coordinated regularly, campaigned and raised money, pioneered policy initiatives, and initiated legislation to advance the following mission:
“…to promote the conservation and management of wildlife, especially big game, and its habitat, to preserve and encourage hunting and to maintain the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America.”
The USFWS and Boone and Crockett Club align in their dedication to increasing access to public lands and their recognition of hunting and fishing as a cornerstone of our American heritage. In the last year, the U.S. Department of Interior has taken significant action to expand public access to public lands and waters by creating new hunting and fishing opportunities at National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries, which are managed by the USFWS. The expansion spans 4 million acres nationwide across the refuge system and, of the total 567 National Wildlife Refuges, the public may now hunt at 399, and fish at 331, of them. This expansion, coupled with other monumental legislative achievements such as the recent passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, have been successful, in part, as a result of a shared vision among federal agencies, the Club, and other organizations and their commitment to preserving important natural areas for our use and enjoyment.
Photo: The Boone and Crockett Club’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in Missoula, Montana
The USFWS and Boone and Crockett Club also align in their goal to increase access to hunting and angling opportunities for underrepresented groups and educate the public, especially youth, to promote shared use of natural resources and build stewardship of maintaining healthy ecosystems. In addition to supporting a Conservation Education Committee that meets regularly, the Boone and Crockett Club manages the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch, a working cattle ranch on the East Front of the Montana Rockies in Missoula, Montana. Approximately 2,500 students and educators participate in the Club’s Conservation Education Program, which includes classes, programs, and trainings hosted at the Ranch, each year.
Photo: Students glassing terrain at the Ranch
Boone and Crockett Club President, Tim Brady, reflects upon the importance of the Club’s Professional membership in supporting these conservation policy and educational initiatives, stating that “these accomplishments would not be possible were it not for the hard work and dedication of our Professional Members, most of whom are hunters themselves and either work in wildlife and habitat management for federal and state agencies, partner with the Club’s University Programs, or are affiliated with like-minded conservation organizations.” In my own life, I feel privileged to have had the experience tracking deer in the snow, watching a bird dog flush pheasants out of a field, and land a steelhead on an 8 wt fly rod from the river. The relationships I have built within the Club, however, have shaped my values about hunting and fishing, fair chase ethics, wildlife management, and conservation the most. My eager interest in supporting the Club’s activities, and my participation in the Club’s various committees and annual meetings, helped m secure a Professional Membership with the Club in 2019. I am honored to be part of this membership, which includes 172 wildlife professionals and enthusiasts from across the nation, and I feel more knowledgeable in my role as a biologist with the USFWS, and more capable of understanding the values held by the diverse human natural resource users we serve.
Photo: Hunting at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in Dundee, Illinois; Photo credit: Molly J. Good
While recognizing that all of us use and appreciate the natural world in different ways, and that we all have our personal conservation heroes, I hope this story also inspires you to leave your own mark and enhance your own conservation stewardship—the sustainability of our natural resources and future of our recreational privileges depends on it!
For more information about the Boone and Crockett Club, please contact me ([email protected]) or visit: https://www.boone-crockett.org/. All photos are courtesy of the Club unless otherwise noted.
Photo: Roosevelt Elk at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge in the Willamette Valley, Oregon; Photo Credit: USFWS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service heavy equipment operators tackle challenging nighttime project on Oregon Coast
Story by Brent Lawrence, public affairs officer in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Columbia-Pacific Northwest Regional Office.
The tide was slowly draining out of Nestucca Bay, and it was still hours before the sun would peek above the horizon. The only light was from headlights of the machinery that was already rumbling along in the cool night air, moving dirt at a furious pace.
A crew of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service heavy equipment operators were racing the tide.
The objective was to install a fish screen for a pump, and remove and replace tide gates that help manage water levels on the Upton Slough section of Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge on the Oregon Coast.
The entire project took weeks, but this critical element had to be done in a narrow window of time at the lowest tides last fall.
This work on soft ground on the bank of the Little Nestucca River was left to a crew of five heavy machinery operators from National Wildlife Refuges across the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region.
In bureaucratic terms, the heavy equipment operators are known as wage-grade professionals. That’s the official term.
But to project leaders, facility managers and biologists --- they simply call them the backbone of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They're the people who turn habitat conservation dreams into reality.
They're creators of conservation.
“They are so important to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission. Without our wage-grade professionals, we couldn't accomplish the important habitat and conservation work we do on refuges. They're unsung heroes of conservation,” said Kevin Foerster, Refuge Chief for the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region.
Due to the location and environmental factors for the Upton Slough work, this project had a variety of technical challenges including daily tidal changes, a variety of infrastructure upgrades/installations, ever-changing weather conditions, and the need for specialty heavy equipment to implement the habitat restoration.
Watch the full Story Map with videos and interviews at https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=64cdfe78fe87436881551befde79b8e7
“This was a technically challenging project and all the construction work was completed by our heavy equipment professionals. What really floored me was the morning of the first tide-gate replacement,” Oregon Coast NWR Complex project leader Kelly Moroney. "We were following the tidal cycles, which required operations to begin a 3 a.m. I have been involved in many projects over my 25-year career, but nothing came close to what I saw when I pulled up to that morning. It almost looked choreographed. I was impressed. They are true professionals.”
(Facilities operations specialist Gary Rodriguez, left, and Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex project leader Kelly Moroney.)
Gary Rodriguez, a 32-year Service employee and now-retired Facilities Operations Specialist/ Engineering Equipment Operator at Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, served as lead for the project.
“Our job was to execute the project. We had plans, elevations and equipment, and then it was up to us to be able to put that all together. Some folks were skeptical if we could do it. From our standpoint, it was not a problem. It was going to happen, and that’s what we did,” Rodriquez said.
The crew during the nighttime installation was (from left) Kenny Berry from Malheur NWR; Shaun Matthews from Willapa NWR; Gary Rodriguez from Oregon Coast NWR Complex; Kelly Connall from Little Pend Oreille NWR; and Tyrone Asencio from Willamette Valley NWR Complex. Dave Harlow from Willamette Valley NWR Complex primarily worked on the channel restoration at Upton Slough.
Spencer Berg, heavy equipment manager for the Service’s Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region, also worked heavy equipment on the project. He says that wage-grade staff play an essential role in conservation for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“I consider our wage-grade staff the backbone of the refuge system,” Berg said. “They’re doing the work on the ground, mowing the habitat, maintaining the boiler systems and parking lots, and creating wetland habitat. They are doing phenomenal things. On the Upton Slough project, a project like that takes a lot of planning and work to get going. You have to order the culverts and supplies, you have to get the permits, and watch the tide charts and weather. Getting all those factors lined up is a huge lift.”
All the construction work on the Upton Slough project was handled by the Service’s heavy equipment professionals, saving taxpayers close to $200,000 for the project.
Internally, multiple Service programs and departments helped with the development and execution of the program. Those programs include the Service's Water Resources Division, Inventory & Monitoring's Biological program, Ecological Services' Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation's Vancouver Office, and Connor Shea from the Partners for Fish and Wildlife in California.
External partners on the project included the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nestucca, Neskowin & Sand Lake Watersheds Council and the Little Nestucca Drainage District.
“Like most projects these days, partnerships were huge,” Moroney said. “We could not have accomplished this project without help from internal and external partners.”
The Service also reconstructed the historic slough channel as a part of the project. It was returned to its original path, winding across the lowlands. This will reduce flooding, which will benefit landowners in the Upton Slough watershed basin and the Little Nestucca Drainage District.
It will also improve habitat for fish and wildlife. Dusky and Semidi Island Aleutian Canada geese, which are both identified as species of concern in the Pacific Flyway Council Management Plans, and other migratory waterbirds will benefit from the lowland pasture improvements. It’ll also improve fish passage and fish habitat requirements for federal- and state-listed Oregon coastal coho salmon.
“The bottom line is that the operators left their homes for two weeks, worked long hours as a team to deliver on a common goal,” Moroney said. “Their work and accomplishments on the Upton Slough project should be a model for refuges doing business. These professionals care about the resource, care about refuges, and take a lot of pride in their work – and it shows.”
Our wage-grade professionals -- the people who turn conservation ideas into conservation successes.
Juvenile coho salmon found in Upton Slough
Checking depths for tide gate construction.
Setting a tide gate that helps drain water from Upton Slough to the Little Nestucca River.
Dusky Canada geese are on of the species that will benefit from the work on Upton Slough.
Gary Rodriguez was the project lead. He spent 32 years in public service before his recent retirement.
