#odfw

[burnsoregonphotoblog]

Malheur Watershed Drought and Trout Update 2022

[usfwspacific]

Internship Provides Insight into Importance of Conservation Teamwork

Julia Somers, an intern with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, worked at the Oregon Zoo Education Center the summer by engaging the public on conservation. Julia is a senior at Lewis & Clark College, studying biology with a focus on evolution.

It’s was a busy summer here at the Oregon Zoo! I got a real taste of what the Oregon Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s zoo partnership is like.

My time here showed me the importance of partnership in conservation work. With a focus on saving species, and 1.7 million visitors annually, it’s easy to see why the zoo is such a great partner for reaching a broad audience.

Every Thursday and Friday, I was stationed in the Nature Exploration Station, a new building housing an insect zoo and informational displays about local species and conservation projects in place to protect them. Here, I spoke with zoo visitors of all ages, using education tool kits to teach about wildlife such as condors, beavers, migratory birds, bald eagles, cougars, and aquatic invasive species. Talking to the public led to some very memorable, fun, and meaningful engagements. It was incredibly rewarding to see the light-bulb moments and the inspiration to make change.

Another part of my internship was creating some educational material of my own. My three education tool kits focused on backyard wildlife habitats, and wildlife Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). The backyard habitat kit gets visitors excited about what they can do to help wildlife in their backyard, and reinforces that anyone can help wildlife, no matter where they live. The two CSI kits are centered on spotted cats and reptiles that are commonly illegally trafficked. 

The zoo runs a 6th grade camp that walks students through an investigation of someone selling illegal wildlife. These kits were used to teach campers to identify wildlife products, just as a special agent would in the field. The kits dive into why we protect wildlife, which laws protect wildlife, and how special agents can use pattern morphology to identify different species in the field.

We were also lucky to spend time with outside organizations that visit the zoo. In late August, I helped with the Nature Camp for New Americans. The campers were all refugee children from around the world, and their excitement and curiosity to see and learn about the zoo’s many animals was heartwarming. After a brief introduction, we took them to see the zoo’s animals of the Pacific Northwest, which was the first time most of them had seen a bear or a mountain lion. A few campers even got face-to-face with the mountain lion as it slept behind the glass. 

The elephants were quite a hit! One camper even recalled their scent from where she grew up in Kenya. It was truly a privilege to spend time with such an awesome group of kids.

It was a fulfilling and busy summer at the zoo. I’m lucky to get to do the work I love in such a magical place. 

Julia working with Leah Schrodt, the Service’s Interpretive Lead for the Oregon Zoo Partnership.

[forestmood]

Crater Lake_Nick Myatt 08 by Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

[fresherbrine]

10/24/2017 The Oregonian: Advocates put $10,500 in the kitty to nab wolf poachers

[wolveswolves]

19 Oregon lawmakers denounce proposal for public wolf hunting

April 7, 2017 - Nineteen Oregon lawmakers have requested that wolf hunting remain off the table to members of the public.

In a March 27 letter, the lawmakers — all Democrats — request that Oregon’s fish and wildlife commission avoid opening the door to something they said would “greatly increase polarization and controversy over wolf management.”

The letter stems from a proposal that could allow members of the public to hunt “problem wolves” — animals that attack livestock or cause a major decline in game populations.

“Deputizing members of the public to hunt or trap wolves for ODFW is a slippery slope to an open hunting and trapping season,” the letter says.

The proposal would only apply to wolves already targeted for lethal action in eastern Oregon. State officials have stressed that no sport hunting for wolves is planned and that the proposal is only a management technique being considered.

“We’re not looking to create a hunting opportunity,” ODFW spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy said in a story published in the Statesman Journal on Feb. 9. “This would be a ‘controlled take’ intended to address damage in very specific circumstances.”

The idea has been part of Oregon’s wolf plan since 2005, but only applies now that wolves have reached a high enough population threshold in the eastern third of the state. Oregon is home to an estimated 150 wolves, the vast majority in the state's northeast corner.

Hunting groups pointed out that the lawmakers who signed the letter were almost entirely from urban areas and don’t face first-hand issues with wolves.

"What's most egregious is that of these 19 legislators, 14 are from the Portland metro area — an area that will ultimately be least impacted by wolves or wolf hunting," said Sereena Thompson, a board member of the Oregon Outdoor Council.

The groups also pointed out that the wolves in question would be killed regardless of who pulled the trigger.

“Right now, a wolf biologist goes out and shoots the wolves when there’s a problem,” said Jim Akenson, conservation director for the Oregon Hunters Association in February. “Why not utilize the situation in a manner that provides a hunting opportunity, while also serving a management need?”

Environmental groups, and the lawmakers who sent the letter, disagreed.

“Taking a strong stand today will help Oregon avoid the bitter social conflict and divisiveness sport hunting and trapping of wolves has caused in other states,” the letter says.

The proposal is one of 10 being considered during revisions to the wolf plan, a process that occurs every five years. The proposals will go before the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission during a meeting on April 21 in Klamath Falls.

Read the letter and see the list of Oregon lawmakers who signed the letter here.

Source

[usfwspacific]

Is Surveying ‘For the Birds’? Wildife Biologists Look Beyond Numbers When Counting Sage-Grouse

By Sarah Levy, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Sage-grouse on a lek. Photo credit: USFWS

It’s tough to surprise biologist Lee Foster when it comes to sage-grouse.

As the Sage Grouse Conservation Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Foster has seen a lot when it comes to the quirky little birds, including when it comes to counting the quirky little birds. He has seen sage-grouse populations go up, and he has also seen sage-grouse populations go down. In fact, during the 2017 sage-grouse survey season, Foster saw sage-grouse numbers drop by 7.7 percent in Oregon.

“We had that situation this year on one of the leks in the Steens,” Foster said. “The birds on the lek in the Steens went from 135 down to 71.”

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released the 2017 Greater sage-grouse population report for Oregon. The population report is based on surveys conducted during the breeding season (typically mid-March – late April) at leks in sagebrush habitat throughout the state. The estimated spring sage-grouse population in Oregon was 20,510 birds, which represents a 7.7 percent decline from 2016. However, the estimated population in Oregon remains greater than during 2015, estimated at 19,482 individuals.

The overall slight decrease in the estimated population this year comes after three consecutive years of sage-grouse population growth in Oregon. Although a one-year population drop could be the beginning of a trend, the preceding years’ population growth are a good sign for the bird.

“Once you get over the initial shock, I find it’s always good to go back and look at the population data for those leks that dropped to see if it’s outside of the realm of what’s happened in the past,” Foster said. “In this case, I went back through the population data and that lek had done a similar thing where it had dropped from 115 birds to 69, and got down to 44 birds in 2008. That’s the thing with sage-grouse counts, you’ve got to put what you’re seeing in context.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists scout for sage-grouse. Photo credit: USFWS

Sage-grouse populations increase and decrease in cycles over time, which makes it difficult for biologists to assess overall trends. The length of increasing and decreasing population cycles appears to vary across the bird’s range, but most populations have 8 to 10 year population cycles. No one knows exactly why sage-grouse populations cycle that way, but they may be caused by climate patterns, including the timing of winter and spring precipitation.

Sage-grouse populations may also “drop” if it was difficult for researchers to count the birds. In Oregon, the 2017 survey effort was hampered by significant winter snowfall and continued wet weather in the spring, making many leks difficult to survey. 

Many different animal and plant species go through population cycles, which means that the number of animals in a population will go up and down in a predictable way over time. Populations may rise and fall depending on disease, food availability, predators, and climate. Although researchers don’t always understand the drivers behind a population’s sudden increase or decrease, population cycles are a well-accepted part of wildlife management.  

“Multiple species of wildlife exhibit population cycles, and sage grouse is just one of them,” Foster said. “Population cycles have been a topic of research dating back all the way back to the beginning of wildlife management, going back almost a century now.”

ODFW and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Work Together on Conservation

Pronghorn antelope stand as background to a sage-grouse. Photo credit: Jennifer Hall

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and ODFW continue to work together on conservation efforts to improve and restore sage-grouse habitat. These efforts will positively affect sage-grouse populations over the long-term, although it can take several years before conservation successes can be detected in population trends.  The more conservation “backstops” are put in place to help protect the bird during down years, the more possible it will be for sage-grouse to ride out population changes.

The Service has supported ODFW’s survey effort with staff participating in the surveys as well as financially through the Adopt-A-Lek program, a multi-year citizen-science effort to increase the survey effort and improve results (See Appendix II within the 2017 Population Report) and one of the largest efforts of its kind in the West.

“In Oregon we’re in a really good place,” Foster said. “We’ve got good count data going back to the 1980s in some places. So we’re well positioned to make those calls.”

[fresherbrine]

2/14/2017 The Oregonian: Proposal would allow hunting of 'problem wolves' in Oregon

[warpcore-lullabies]

Thrifting today rewarded me with...

💚 Season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Ds9)

💙 A book

💚 A coffee mug with 'Chinook Salmon' printed on it and a picture of a Salmon and on the other side it says Volunteer Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

💙 A clock radio

💚 And a pair of pants that make me look like a gaudy 60s sofa. (Pants featured behind mug for back drop)

Fantastic!