Field Reports
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
Diseased pheasants destroyed
About 2,200 pheasants have been euthanized in the past week at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Centralia Game Farm after workers discovered an outbreak of an avian bacterial infection
Dr. Leonard Eldridge, state veterinarian with the Washington Department of Agriculture, said the naturally occurring illness is not related to so-called “avian flu” that has made headlines recently in Asia.
The pheasants were the brood stock kept to breed next year’s crop of 40,000 pheasants that will be raised for pheasant hunting release sites in Western Washington. After the facility is disinfected, the department plans to bring in new pheasants to begin rearing birds for the 2005 hunting season, said Mick Cope, WDFW upland game section manager.
Because the disease does not affect humans, there is no cause for concern among hunters who harvested and consumed pheasants this fall, he added.
Staff and wire reports
WILD CUISINE
Game feast at NIC
Think wild meat is gamey? Think again.
Tickets are on sale for the sixth annual Wild Game Feast on Jan. 15 in Coeur d’Alene, sponsored by the North Idaho College Alumni Association.
Featured attractions on this year’s menu include smoked salmon pitas with cream cheese, firecracker alligator Caesar salad and braised venison.
The evening, which includes an expert presentation on fine wines, will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Inn. Tickets are $50. Info: (208) 769-7806.
Rich Landers
WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT
Vandivert officer of year
Officer Todd Vandivert, a veteran fish and wildlife enforcement officer with a distinguished record of service on both sides of the Cascades, has been named statewide Officer of the Year by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Vandivert, a Marine Patrol officer stationed in Anacortes, was honored recently by supervisors and fellow officers for his law enforcement work in Skagit and San Juan counties. During that period, Vandivert made more than 2,400 public contacts and 533 arrests in cases involving everything from commercial fishing to big-game poaching. That represents more than half of all the arrests made by officers in five northwest Washington counties.
Not a single complaint was filed in any of those cases, said department Enforcement Chief Bruce Bjork.
“In fact, we received favorable comments from several violators about how professionally they were treated,” Bjork said.
Vandivert, 48, also helps train new officers in special techniques. Vandivert joined the agency in 1979 and switched to enforcement in 1983. He has held posts in Forks, Pasco, Shelton and Dayton – where he specialized in investigating big-game violations.
Rich Landers
NATIONAL FORESTS
Year-round wood cutting
Year-round woodcutting will be allowed on the Colville National Forest, according to a decision announced last week.
Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell said the public had overwhelmingly opposed seasonal woodcutting closures geared to preventing disturbances to winter range and damage to road surfaces during spring breakup.
Brazell said many of those concerns can be addressed with specific road closures and other management efforts.
He said the agency will work harder to help woodcutters find appropriate places to find dead trees for their firewood.
The Colville Forest issues permits that allow a woodcutter to take up to 12 cords of firewood a year with certain restrictions to protect resources such as fisheries. About 1,500 permits are sold each year and cutters take nearly 7,000 cords of firewood, officials said. The permits cost $5 per cord.
Rich Landers