WILDLIFE RESEARCH —  After six years of effort, Methow Valley-based researchers have documented that wolverines have produced kits this spring in the North Cascades south of Highway 20.

A remote camera had photographed a GPD-collared female carrying a kit from one den to another.  That's an exciting development for the Forest Service researchers.

Read the Wenatchee World story.

NATURE — Floods, Flowers and Feathers is the theme for a new festival at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge that will feature elements of the Ice Age Floods that shaped the land along with the flora and fauna that flourish in this special channeled scablands habitat.

The festival, set for May 19 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., includes several free outdoor elements:

• Learn geology of the unique channeled scablands landscape.
• Enjoy nature walks with native plant and bird experts.
• Watch biologists band songbirds for research.
• Examing reptiles and amphibians.
• Learn how to track elk with radio telemetry.

Call (509) 235-4723 for more information and to make reservations for events.

Places in some events can be reserved online.

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is partnering with numerous organizations/agencies to make this Festival a wonderful outdoor event in a remarkable environment. Some of the partners include Eastern Washington University Biology Department, Friends of Turnbull Refuge, Ice Age Floods Institute-Cheney Spokane Chapter, Northeast Washington Chapter of the Native Plant Society, and Spokane Audubon Society.

The Refuge is located 4.2 miles south of Cheney, off Cheney-Plaza Road.

REFUGES — Most visitors to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in 2010 and 2011 were impressed with its recreational opportunities, education and services, according to a government survey released today.

About 90 percent of respondents gave consistent high marks to their refuge experience.

The survey, commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and designed, conducted, and analyzed by researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, evaluated responses from more than 200 adult visitors surveyed at the refuge between July 2010 and November 2011. Turnbull was one of 53 national wildlife refuges surveyed.

President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island as the first wildlife refuge in 1903. Today the 556 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System protect thousands of fish and wildlife while more than 400 of the refuges also are open to the public.

• Many refuges are known as popular sites for recreation such as hunting and fishing, paddling and hiking, environmental education programs and wildlife observation.
• More than 45 million people visited national wildlife refuges in 2011.

Where Turnbull visitors live: Seventy nine percent of Turnbull survey respondents live within 50 miles of the refuge but most nonlocal visitors said that visiting Turnbull Refuge was a primary purpose or sole destination of their trip. 

The top three activities respondents participated in included wildlife observation (82%), bird watching (71%) and driving the auto tour route (67%).

Turnbull created: Prompted by local activists, sportsmen, and naturalists, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Turnbull in 1937 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Located south of Cheney, the 16,000-acre Refuge supports an extensive complex of wetlands, Ponderosa pine forests, Palouse steppe, and riparian habitats.  These habitats create exceptional species diversity, providing homes for hundreds of migratory birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, plants, and other life.

“Turnbull’s unique Channeled Scabland landscape formed by volcanic activity and glacial floods created diverse wildlife habitats that also attracts visitors from around the country,” said Turnbull Refuge Manager Dan Matiatos. 

The survey found 94 percent of respondents were satisfied with the refuge’s job of conserving fish, wildlife and their habitats.

ENDANGERED SPECIES — Rare sightings of at least four grizzly bears in “the wedge” of land between the Kettle and Columbia Rivers in northeastern Washington have been documented this week by Fish and Wildlife Department trail cameras.

Here's what the agency posted Thursday:

A number of grizzly bear detections have been reported just within the last ten days, including photographs of four different grizzly bears in the Wedge, Game Management Unit (GMU) 105. One of the photographs was of a sow and two cubs, which is highly significant for Washington State. Amongst response measures taken so far, District Wildlife Biological Staff Dana Base and Jay Shepherd have coordinated with relevant staff from other agencies having management jurisdiction, posted bear awareness signs at campgrounds and other suitable locations in the Wedge, and made telephone advisory contacts to spring black bear permit holders for GMU 105.

PUBLIC LANDS – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife unveiled a new web page this week that details a wish list of private properties the state is aiming to purchase to preserve fish and wildlife habitat.

The site includes a virtual tour of 21 proposed land acquisition projects that could take years to complete.

One proposal for Spokane County seeks $1.85 million to purchase 920 acres on Mica Peak adjacent to Inland Empire Paper Co. land to prevent subdividing and fragmenting wildlife habitat protected by adjacent Inland Empire Paper Co. land.

Some of the proposals cover more than 10,000 acres at costs of more than $8 million, including areas in Douglas County, Benton County and a group of areas along the Grande Ronde River in Asotin County.

The agency relies on state and federal grants and help from non-profit groups for most of its acquisitions.

 Among the top grant sources are the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

WILDLIFE — Dave Leptich, habitat specialist for the Idaho Fish and Game Department, has planned a highly interactive discussion for tonight in his program on wildlife habitat, Sponsored by the Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society.

Place: Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey, in Coeur d'Alene.

Time: 7: p.m.

Program: “Wildlife Habitat Fundamentals”

The audience should come away with a more complex view of wildlife habitat and a framework from which to understand and interpret management decisions and actions.

Leptich is a Regional Habitat Biologist with the agency. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho, and a Master of Science Degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Things have been looking up for a pair of ospreys since groups in Sandpoint organized to relocate a nest that had to be moved at Sandpoint’s War Memorial Field during renovations.

With a web cam fixed above the nest platform, the public has been able to watch the ospreys arrive on April 10 to begin build their next (see photos above) and go through courtship.

In late April, the camera caught skirmishes between the pair that adopted this nest and a second osprey pair that was attempting to hijack the nest. (The field on Lake Pend Oreille has two osprey nests.)

The Sandpoint Osprey Cam is a collaboration of the City of Sandpoint and Sandpoint Online with corporate support by Avista and Northland Communications. Consulting biologist is Jane Fink of Birds of Prey Northwest.  Moving the nest and puting up the web cam was no easy task. Read about the project.

The Sandpoint Online web page includes a chat feature for osprey watchers to trade observations, plus  Fink is providing an interpretive blog. The number of daily page views is in the thousands and growing especially this week:

Monday at 12:48 p.m. the female laid their first egg (above left).

Soon we'll all be able to watch the hatching and raising of a brood.

Meantime, check out this incredible osprey fishing video and brief yourself with Fink's answers to osprey FAQ»

NATURE – Howard Ferguson, a Washington Fish and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist, will present a free program on his experiences with birds and culture in East Asia at 7 p.m. Wednesday may 9 at the Riverview Retirement Community, Village Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave.

On sabbatical, Ferguson traveled for several months working and exploring Saipan, Japan, Bali, Borneo, Thailand and Vietnam.

The program is sponsored by the Spokane Audubon Society.

See a map for directions.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — About 100 motion-activated cameras scattered across an 8,600-acre Montana mountainside ranch are documenting a wealth of wildlife activity, including images confirming that Western spotted skunks — rare in Montana — have found a home about 10 miles south of Missoula. 

The cameras, some of which transmit wirelessly to a ranch video specialist, are pretty good at documenting poachers, too.

Read the story about the cutting edge stuff going on at the MPG Ranch, devoted to conservation, in this story by the Missoula Independent.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Spokane Audubon Society will hold its Learn-to-Bird Workshops next week on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Spokane Falls Community College Science Bldg 28, Room 119.

The workshops will be followed by a field trip to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge on May 12. 

The workshops are taught by Gary Blevins and Kim Thorburn, Audubon members with years of birding and teaching experience.

Each workshop is different. Participants are welcome to sit in on any or all of them, Thorburn said.

Subjects covered are:

May 8 – Bird watching basics, with emphasis on equpment, field guides, bird biology and morphologic and song tips.

May 10-11 – Identifying local birds by habitat.

Preregister: Blevins, 533-3661 or Thorburn, 465-3025

A $20 donation to Spokane Audubon Society is requested.

OUTDOORS — As sage grouse have been strutting during the spring mating season, ranchers are working with state and federal officials to keep the prairie grouse from becoming the spotted owl of the West.

The iconic bird with the showy mating dance is experiencing population declines, and government land managers, with help from ranchers and conservation groups, are pouring tens of millions of dollars and rewriting dozens of management plans to protect habitat where the birds still thrive.

Click here to see a Great Falls Tribune story and videos about sage grouse efforts in Montana.

The goal of the sweeping plans, occurring on both private and public lands in 11 states, is to increase the population and avert the listing of the bird as a threatened and endangered species, which experts say would bring tougher restrictions on grazing and energy development.

“It would just have catastrophic impacts on our food and energy security, much of which comes out of the West,” said Dave Naugle, a wildlife professor at the University of Montana who is serving as science adviser for the national sage grouse initiative headed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

WILDLIFE — The ponds at the Dishman Hills Natural Area are easy to find this time of year, since hikers can often hear them long before they see them.   Chorus frogs are in full song.

Outdoor photographers Jaime and Lisa Johnson had a similar experience near their Lincoln, Mont., home recently. The didn't just settle for listing to the chorus frogs call.  They made the very cool photo above to show how the little buggers make noise that can be heard for a long way off.    Here's Jaime's comment:

While on a hike this weekend, we happened upon a small lake. Actually, the reason we found the lake was we heard it. As we approached, it sounded like a thousand bull frogs croaking at the same time. It was almost deafening! When we got to the edge of the water, it all stopped. Nothing but silence.

 

We sat there for about a half hour and then one started croaking again, then two, then three…. Pretty soon hundreds were going at one time. Lisa and I were split up both one different sides of the lake looking for the frogs. We were frustrated… they were invisible! Finally, after about 15 more minutes we spotted one. To our surprise, all this noise from a frog that could fit on a nickel coin!

 

We were accepted by the frogs after the first hour, they seemed not to really care we were there. We probably sent 2 or 3 hours there and took hundreds of images – only looked at a few, but here are a couple to give you the idea. We’ve never seen frogs actually blow up like this before in person!

HIKING — A trio of aggressive coyotes took on two Labrador retrievers running loose with their owner on the South Hill bluff trails Thursday, sending one dog to the vet for a chest full of stitches.

Arch Harrison said one of the two dogs he was exercising — a Sarah — was attacked by three coyotes while they were walking on the popular bluff trails below High Drive and Manito Boulevard and just above the Creek at Qualchan Golf Course. (See map for area).

He wanted to warn other people who take their dogs to the bluffs.  Keeping dogs on leashes could help prevent similar encounters.

“They were fairly aggressive and although intimidated by me, they still kept coming back around,” Harrison said, wondering if there might be a den in the area.

(Indeed, read this follow-up blog post about the six pups the coyotes are defending!)

“I was able to get to Sarah before any real damage was done but as I was running up to the scene she was lying down on her belly with one coyote at her nose and another one at her tail.”

Harrison thought he got away unscathed until he got back and realized his other dog, Chewie, had tangled with the coyotes and suffered numerous bites and rips under his chest and legs.

“All his wounds were on the underside with minimal bleeding and so we did not notice until later,” Harrison said.

He added: “A trip to pet emergency cost slightly less than one month's house payment.”

WILDLIFE WATCHING — “The Owl and the Woodpecker,” an exhibit of insightful photos and information about  wonders of the bird world, will open at the Spokane Public Library starting Saturday  (April 28) through July 6.

This exhibit examines the intertwined life histories of owls and woodpeckers and their roles in defining and enriching their often-threatened habitats. It features 15 extraordinary images by award winning photographer Paul Bannick.

The photographs of owl and woodpecker species found in the Pacific Northwest are presented with text panels and vivid birdcalls and drumming sound recordings by audio-naturalist Martyn Stewart.

Bannick also is an author, conservationist, and Washington resident. The exhibit is based on his book, The Owl & the Woodpecker.

• The library has scheduled a presentation by Paul Bannick on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. Bannick will have copies of his book, “The Owl and the Woodpecker,”  for sale and will stay to autograph books following his presentation.

The Burke Museum of Seattle sponsors the traveling exhibit while support for Bannick’s presentation is made possible by the Friends of Spokane Public Library.

HUNTING — Steve Solberg of Spokane was grousing in good humor on April 15 that he'd passed given his brother, Jeff, first shot at an opening day gobber then ended up coming home empty-handed himself.

“Seeing your brother finally bag a nice gobbler on opening day after 3 unsuccessful YEARS of hunting – priceless,” he said.

“Passing up on an easy shot to let your brother score – stupid?

“Maybe, but it was just great being in the woods again. My bird is still out there.

“My time will come.”

Indeed!  This week, Solberg's patience paide off with a bruiser tom.

“I was rewarded,” he said in an email with the photo above. “This was my biggest bird ever.”

The bird weighted more than 22 pounds, beard was 9 inches. But look at those spurs: 1-1/4 inches.

“Life is good!” Solberg said, noting that he has a placed pegged to take a kid this weekend.

WILDLIFE WATCHING – The Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area just north of US 2 at Reardan, is being enhanced with information kiosks that will be dedicated April 29 in a public ceremony starting at 2 p.m.

The 277-acre wildlife area was acquired in 2006 with state grant funds and support from Spokane Audubon Society and the Inland Northwest Land Trust.  The wetlands, seasonal ponds, grasslands, channeled scablands and 80-acre lake support about 200 bird and other wildlife species, 12 of special concern in Washington, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Lincoln County area was popular with birdwatchers long before public acquisition. A hotspot for spring migrants, birders put it on their annual field trips list, calling the wetlands Audubon Lake.

The ceremony will be held at the wildlife area’s southside parking lot. From the intersection of US 2 and State Route 231 in the town of Reardan, go north to Railroad Avenue, then drive east to Audubon Way. 

At 3 p.m. refreshments will be available at Reardan Community Building, 110 N. Lake St., courtesy of Friends of Reardan Audubon Lake.

POACHING — An anonymous informant could soon be $2,500 richer after leading wildlife agents to moose poachers.

At least two suspects are being investigated for illegally killing a cow moose on the north side of Beacon Hill in Spokane Valley around April 10.

Washington Fish and Wildlife police report they have confiscated 95 packages of moose meat and the archery equipment used in the moose poaching.

Under a search warrant, officers also seized the vehicle they suspect was used for transporting the moose off the popular recreation area east of Esmeralda Golf Course.

Formal charges are pending results of DNA testing on the meat, said Madonna Luers, the agency’s spokeswoman in Spokane.

An anonymous tip led officers to the evidence, she said.

If the suspects are convicted, the informant is eligible for a $2,500 reward offered by a national animal welfare group.

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Even a native bird that's mostly black, white and gray can be spectacular during the spring mating season. 

Check out this spruce grouse sporting the vibrant red “eyebrows” that light up as the male displays to attract a mate. 

See more great shots of the bird photographed by Washington birder/photographer Kanh Tran.

POACHING — A cow moose was illegally killed Monday night on Beacon Hill in Spokane Valley, Washington Fish and Wildlife police say.

The poachers killed the animal using archery equipment on the north side of the mountain above Valley Springs road.

The animal was butchered on the spot, leaving little more than the two front feet and head behind.

Tire tracks indicate a small vehicle was used, possibly a small four-wheel drive, said Officer Dave Spurbeck.  A landowner heard a vehicle leaving the area around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Officers have few other clues and welcome any information that might help solve the case.

• Call the investigators directly: Officer Paul Mosman, 710-5707, or Spurbeck, 993-3997. You can remain anonymous and still be elligible for a reward.

Beacon Hill, which holds several communications towers, is the prominent mountain just north of the Spokane River and just east of Esmeralda Golf Course. It's popular with mountain biker and hikers.

This web page details how poaching tips in any case can be provided anonymously by phone, email or text message.   Rewards are offered.

Otherwise call (877) 933-9847 anywhere in the state.

To reach the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Spokane Region Office during work hours, call (509) 892 1001.