The Council will be voting on May 22 on whether to move forward with the process to reconvey almost 14 square miles of forest around Lake Whatcom. This would shift management from the state Department of Natural Resources--which logs the forest to generate cash for designated trusts--to Whatcom County Parks, which will manage the new Lake Whatcom Forest Preserve Park for low-impact recreation, wildlife habitat, and watershed protection.

Conservation Northwest and partners have been promoting protection of these forests for over a decade. As recently as last fall, we suffered a setback when the WA Board of Natural Resources punted on the last step of a land exchange that is part of this process. The BNR was concerned about revenue to the Mt. Baker School District (MBSD), and whether Whatcom County was still on board.

In an amazing development, the Whatcom Land Trust (WLT) and the Mount Baker School District reached a agreement whereby the WLT will provide a half million dollars in compensation to the district if the reconveyance goes through.

If the Whatcom County Council votes yes for Lake Whatcom Forest Preserve on May 22, then we’re back on track for the final step from BNR.

Why shift these acres from logging to park? In time, it will be an amazing old growth forest, great wildlife habitat just outside Bellingham. The recreation opportunity is incredible, with world class biking, hiking, trail-running and even camping within an easy bike or bus ride from downtown Bellingham. That is the sort of thing that can help this community grow and prosper in the right way.

And these forested acres also drain heavy rainfall down steep, unstable slopes into the reservoir that provides drinking water to 90,000 county residents. Clearcuts and logging roads raise the risk of landslides and erosion, threatening both the water and downslope residents.

The value of this jewel to Whatcom County is immeasurable. But other than the $300,000 in planning expenses and the costs of restoration, trail-building and ongoing maintenance, the cost is nothing. Even in the worst economic times, a bargain is a bargain. And a great investment that pays dividends forever? That’s priceless.

[May 22nd: Make the biggest impact: Speak up in person]  [Right now: take action for Lake Whatcom]

It's good stuff, but also new stuff to many in Washington. No matter how long you have ranched or how much time you’ve spent in the woods, or what you think you know about wolves,  most Washingtonians really have very little experience understanding  how wolves and livestock interact in any of our lifetimes.  The wolves just haven’t been here to help us learn how to coexist.

Knowing we have so much to learn, I paid close attention to what the speakers had to offer.  And what they were saying is if you get nothing else from the next four hours of presentations--facts, figures, statistics, and rancher testimonies--remember this: Wolves learn very fast and teach each other.  When a wolf learns something about a good hunt,  they pass it on to their pack. And if their pack is hunted or otherwise dispersed, they also pass it on to new packs.

Both speakers then gave us two steps that must happen if ranchers want to reduce livestock losses and weight loss in cattle caused by wolves in the same territory.   They have accomplished this in their communities through cooperatives and by people  working together. 

1. Set up a region-wide carcass removal program immediately 

Ranchers, dairy operators, whole communities can benefit from this process with immediate results, lowering livestock deaths from wolves by 50%.  If the animals are composted, it can even create an income stream.  It takes work, but when a rancher has an anonymous way to make a phone call and someone comes out and removes a dead animal, and or cleans up typical bone yards that occur, it puts a halt to wolves learning to visit livestock areas for food.
Where bone yards and carcasses are left out in the open, radio collared wolves have shown that they visit bone yards every one to two weeks as they make their typical territorial wanderings. This brings wolves into livestock country, resulting in more interactions between wolves and cattle and sheep. Wolves don't look for prey randomly; they repeat their successful journeys, returning to elk or deer feeding grounds, bone yards or where they might have learned they can kill livestock. 

2. Get range riders out on the ground

The second step involves including range riders, who increase human presence and vigilance out with the grazing herds on a regular basis, every 1-3 days.  

The range rider's job is two-fold.  The main purpose is to decrease the vulnerability of cattle to wolf attack by keeping the calves and yearlings gathered in small herds, as opposed to widely dispersed across the range. Small herds stand better up to a wolf "test."  Wolves test cattle to see if they will run, and simply put, if a calf or yearling runs after a wolf pack tests them, they die. Nearly 95% of all cattle killed by wolves are calves or yearlings.

And when their hunt is successful, the pack and every individual wolf in that pack just learned how to kill cattle. When calves or yearlings don’t run, they live, and are "retrained" to accept the protection of the herd and not bolt.  Simply put, livestock that learn to stand their ground don't die.

When a wolf does kill a calf, if we react and feel it is necessary to kill a wolf from the pack, often what happens is the pack then disperses and the remaining wolves take their "knowledge of livestock" with them to other territories and other wolf packs.  If managers then try to kill the whole pack, invariably some escape, again taking their  knowledge with them.  Instead of the problem shrinking, it spreads. 

Yes, there are times when chronic livestock killers or packs need to be controlled, but it needs to be done very thoughtfully.  Wolves avoid people and their scent, so a range rider’s presence disrupts predation behavior on livestock by keeping wolves moving through a livestock area quickly.  Range riders also can be on the lookout for sick or ailing livestock that may need to be removed from the area and not become a natural target for a wolf pack. 

The second purpose of a range rider is to monitor the wolves in the area. This takes coordination among the ranchers, the managing wildlife agencies, and the range riders.
In Alberta, up to 40 ranchers belong to a cooperative that covers 4,000 square miles that hires several range riders and has developed a carcass pick-up and composting program. Using both of these techniques, on an average year, ranchers in Alberta have reduced their livestock mortality by 90%.  And cattle weight losses over the grazing season from wolf harassment were largely nonexistent.

Last year these 40 ranchers lost zero cattle, even with many wolf packs living in the region.  In the Montana cooperative similar results are being reported. They also do a community winter wolf tracking effort that accurately determines the number of packs and wolves they need to plan for the next grazing season.

One of the speakers summed it up for me when he said,

"There is no living with wolves in livestock country until you truly understand wolf behavior, are working  to modify livestock behavior to reduce vulnerability, and actually create  a change in human behavior."   

Behavior either drives us towards conflicts with wolves or gives us ways to avoid conflicts: wolf behavior, cattle behavior, and human behavior. 

More than 155 people--some new, some longtime supporters--spoke up for wildlife like grizzlies and wolves, for special places like the Columbia Highlands, and for the big connected ecosystems. And with each gift, you said loud and clear that you believed in a wild future, because what's good for wildlife is good for people.

We are overwhelmed by your generosity. Jodi posted to Facebook just before midnight, "I am literally moved to tears by the number of people donating to our work today for GiveBIG."

Mitch insists the wolves of Washington will be very confused tonight, because he can't stop howling about this amazing support.

And me, I'm just plain grateful. Grateful for the chance to get to know you all on Facebook and in person, grateful I get to do silly things like dance around in a bear costume for the sake of the critters I love, and grateful I get to be a part of this amazing vision for a connected, healthy, wild Northwest. 

Mitch, Jodi, and all our staff working daily to secure the Northwest's wild future: We succeed because of allies like you.

THANK YOU!

Our native plants play a vital role in our ecosystem, providing food and cover for critters all the way up the food chain. In addition, native plants provide color and character to our local landscape.

Northeast Washington’s Columbia Highlands, a “crossroads” for the Okanogan Highlands, Columbia Plateau, and the numerous sub-ranges of the Rockies, is home to exceptional native plant diversity. Here, for example, boreal bogs and forests reminiscent of northern Canada intermingle with the northernmost reaches of Great Basin steppe.

Some of the best old-growth ponderosa pine forest—the most threatened old-growth forest type in Washington—can be found here, in addition to some of the last remaining  intact shrub steppe in the state.

Our work in the Columbia Highlands protects and restores native plant communities and forests. On the Colville National Forest, we have collaborated to help improve forestry projects that aim to restore open-canopy conditions in dry forests where wildfire has been excluded, allowing sunlight-loving forest shrubs and forbs to thrive. Road revegetation projects can also stem the onslaught of invasive non-native plant species, which have been identified as one of the gravest threats to our ecosystems. We also continue to push for protection for the wildest and roadless areas that often have some of the most intact native plant communities. Together, our work in the Columbia Highlands adds up to something to celebrate this Native Plant Week.

Do you want to get out in the Columbia Highlands to help with restoration projects like planting trees on decommissioned forest service roads, pulling noxious weeds, and restoring ATV-damaged meadows this summer and fall?  Contact me: atheisen (a)conservationnw.org

[Take a visual tour of the Columbia Highlands]

You were heard loud and clear. The almost 300 people who spoke up in a 24 hour period convinced the council to reconsider what projects should be a priority for our region right now.

While they haven’t removed their support for the highway or its incremental pieces from 2040 transportation plans, for now the prairie is safe. They are instead keeping their short-term funding priorities focused on other projects that are better supported by the community. They also funded a study to look at the proposals to improve traffic flow in Pierce County near the military bases. This research will inform their and our next moves. We will continue to monitor this work closely.

Would you like to be the first to know on Cross-Base and other issues around our region that affect wildlife and wild places? Sign up for email alerts.

It's the terrible idea that wouldn't die! In an end-run around the will of the people that already said "No!" to a Cross-Base Highway, the Puget Sound Regional Council is trying to resurrect the destructive, expensive, and unnecessary freeway by building it in sections.

This highway will slice through the largest intact oak woodland prairie left in the state. Only 3% of this original rich habitat remains in our state, do we really want to flatten and fragment a chunk of it?

Please take action online by Wednesday night and share with friends. We have to stick together to take down the undead.

The Cross-Base won't solve congestion, and it will harm habitat for rare species like streaked horned lark, Western gray squirrel, water howellia, Mazama pocket gopher, and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly.

t was a bad idea in 2007 and remains a bad idea today. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Only 3% of our state's oak woodland prairies remain. The Cross-Base Highway would flatten 162 acres and fragment 1,600 acres of habitat that Pierce county considers "the most biologically and ecologically rich areas remaining in the lower elevations of Pierce County."
• People don't want it! In a 2003 public poll on regional transportation planning and projects contracted by the Regional Transportation Investment District, the Cross-Base Highway ranked last of all proposed Pierce County projects. Only 10% of those polled stated it was a project of importance to the region.
• It conflicts with new Washington Department of Transportation policies to analyze and reduce our transportation system's contributions to climate change and to protect and restore biodiversity.
• Construction of the Cross-Base highway would impact prime habitat for 19 plants and animals facing extinction, including streaked horned lark, water howellia, Mazama pocket gopher, and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly.
  
• We should fix existing roads and invest in new modes of transportation before building any new highways.

[Fight the zombie--take action online] [Yes, Buffy, there are prairies in Washington!] [Cross-Base Q&A]

Well, thanks to the Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG on Wednesday, May 2nd, you can do just that, without breaking the bank!

Your gift--no matter the size--will be stretched by matching funds to become an even Bigger Give!

Here is how it works:

• On Wednesday, May 2nd , make a credit card donation at Seattle Foundation GiveBIG, 12:01am-midnight (PST).
  
• Generous sponsors have created a shared matching fund for all the non-profits that collect donations on May 2nd. The more Conservation Northwest raises, the larger portion of that shared "stretch pool" we receive to maximize your impact.
  
• There will also be Golden Tickets! Once an hour, a gift from someone like you will be matched with a $1,000 prize to give to Conservation Northwest. Just think: in your big donor dream, you could be the next Willy Wonka.
  

Thank you for helping us win big for wildlife and wild places on May 2nd!

We make it easy:

Don't let the day slip by: Import a calendar item right to Outlook or other program (.ics)  

Go even bigger!

Invite friends to GiveBIG with you on Facebook

Twitter

Questions about the event?

Contact Barbara Christensen at 800-878-9950 x12 or barbara@conservationnw.org

Why should you give big to Conservation Northwest?

Here are just a few ideas:

• No one knows the Northwest wildlife issues you care about better than we do.

• Our science-based priorities focus your donations on the most ecologically important lands and the beautiful places you love.
  

• You want solutions for our region’s biggest conservation problems to stand the test of time. We make powerful changes because we build our vision around shared values.

• You want to know your donations are working hard, and our smart, strategic, and nimble team gets great results on behalf.

More than 4,500 families like yours rely on our regional expertise us to give them a powerful voice in shaping a healthy and wild Northwest. We’ve been keeping the Northwest wild for 20 successful years. Supporters like you will mean 20 more years of big wins.

Our innovative collaborative work saved the Loomis Forest, ended old-growth logging on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, protected 45,000 acres between the north and central Cascades, speaks up for science and common ground in Washington State wolf recovery, builds life-saving wildlife bridges across I-90, and puts aside the “timber wars” of northeast Washington. Our model has been lauded by US Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Senator Maria Cantwell.

From hundreds of thousands of acres protected to fundamental changes in how the forest service manages public lands; from fishers reintroduced in the Olympics to life-saving wildlife bridges across I-90, we make it happen efficiently. More than 70% of our funding comes from families like yours, and we prioritize using your generous gifts wisely.

 We succeed because of allies like you. Thank you for giving big.

It’s so sad that some of the first photos of our pioneering pack in Washington are of their deaths in this manner. We hope that the federal and state judges will give the Whites the stiff penalties that they deserve, including jail time, and that they lose their hunting privileges for life.

Want to help other wolves in Washington avoid a poacher's rifle?

Please help our remaining wolf packs in the state survive by supporting Conservation Northwest’s anti-poaching education efforts. Your gift today will get the word out about our reward fund and deter others from killing endangered species and valued game animals in Washington State.

[Donate online to protect wolves]
[More on our poaching fund]
[Blog: Sportsman and staff member Derrick reacts to White and recent deer spree-killing case]

The Wolverine (Gulo gulo) occupies its own special place in animal mythology, dating back centuries, and for good reason. Wolverines are regarded as powerful predators who have been documented killing prey many times their size, like deer, elk, and moose. These hardy, solitary creatures from the mustelid family have also been known to attempt to steal kills from black bears and even tempting fate by taking on the largest land dwelling mammal, the polar bear. Suffice it to say, the wolverine is badass.

In the Northwest, the wolverine is better known as a ghost, with a small remnant population numbering in the single digits. Credible sightings and a smattering of photos in the late 1990s led agency biologists to begin a formal study. They would eventually radio collar several wolverines in the North Cascades. Ongoing research has begun to determine their basic ranges, but more often than not these critters leave their tracks in the snow and nothing else. Late last month we blogged on the study's latest update and a sighting in Colville National Forest.

Our Cascade Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Program has supported the study by monitoring wolverine populations in the North Cascades. Working with agency biologists, we’ve maintained several wolverine monitoring sites over the years, across the state in the hopes of pinpointing the next places to investigate this fledgling population’s status.

Winter after winter, we send dedicated volunteers to the remote snow-bound slopes of the North Cascades where Gulo gulo could be lurking. Often we come back empty handed… but persistence pays, and this was our year!

Only two weeks ago, one of our cameras captures several images of a lone wolverine in the Chiwaukum Mountains, south of Highway 2 between Leavenworth and Stevens Pass.  See the whole set of photos on Conservation Northwest's Flickr or scroll down for a wolverine slideshow!

Keith Aubry, a federal biologist and lead researcher on the north cascades wolverine study, had this to say:

This is an important new record of wolverine occurrence in the northern Cascades of Washington. These photographs were taken about 25 km south of the area used by our southernmost radio-collared wolverine. With the exception of a wolverine that was photographed on Mt. Adams in the southern Cascades, this is the only verifiable record of wolverine occurrence south of the Stevens Pass Highway we've had in 20 years.

Historical evidence indicates that wolverines were extirpated from Washington by the mid-1900s, and this record provides additional evidence that wolverines are in the process of reclaiming their former range in the state.

Federal and state biologists have sent out a team to recover possible hair samples from the site to determine if this is a new wolverine. Images indicate the wolverine was not wearing a radio collar, keeping open the possibility this new wolverine has hitherto flown under the radar. It’s certainly not been hard to do in the large tracts of wilderness that make up much of the North Cascades and your average wolverine’s wide range.

As the common saga goes, wolverine in the lower 48 were wiped out in the epic expansion of mankind, trapping and hunting his way across the American west. Despite our best intentions, native carnivores in our country have, above all, paid the price.

However, with there’s reason to be optimistic for our state’s predators: With each piece of evidence and new image, we realize that wolverines--like their carnivorous brethren wolves, fisher, and lynx--are reclaiming wild territory, news that suggests the Cascades are getting wilder. That’s certainly something our tenacious friend Gulo gulo could be proud of.

Help us find the next amazing wildlife discovery and protect the right places: Adopt a remote camera team!

Conservation Northwest is offering $2,000 for information leading to the arrest of the whoever is responsible. Wildlife poaching, whether the target is a relatively abundant game species like deer or endangered animals like gray wolves or grizzlies, needs to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to protect our wildlife heritage.

This latest poaching case could end up being prosecuted under the state’s wildlife spree killing law because it involved multiple animals over a period of time. The poaching story, including our reward, was covered online by Northwest Sportsman Magazine:

The animals had no place to run for cover. The land out here is just grass and dirt and slight swales. "They're just out there tipping them over," <WDFW Sgt. Chris Erhardt> said. "The kill shots I found were well-placed, they weren't spraying them."

This case follows on the heels of an announcement that a weak plea deal may let a notorious Okanogan county poacher avoid jail time for his involvement with illegally killing endangered wolves and many other wildlife. It's a deal we think sends the wrong message. Conservation Northwest and other wildlife advocates and hunters have stepped up calls for stiff and appropriate penalties for all poachers in recent days.

“Mr. White showed blatant, deliberate and repeated disregard for both game and endangered wildlife and the laws that protect them,” said Mitch Friedman executive director of Conservation Northwest. “Yet under this deal he escapes spending a single night in jail.”

To report any information regarding the Adams County poaching, please contact WDFW's Tip line at (877) 933-9847 or visit their site.

It's been a roller coaster for I-90 wildlife bridges funding. At the end of the last legislative session, we celebrated with our partners such as AAA, Kittitas County, and the Potato Commission. The final transportation bill at that time directed the Department of Transportation to apply nearly $100 million in savings from Phase 1 construction of the first 5-miles of the I-90 project  to the next phase, including Washington's first wildlife overpass!

Then, in this hard economy, the state legislature revisited the Transportation Budget to address a shortfall in funding for existing projects. Early proposals threatened to delay funding to the I-90 project until 2020. Our members, partner organizations, and people like you quickly sent a message that this delay was unacceptable, because delay would result in a tremendous loss of momentum and financial inefficiencies.

Many voices calling for a more wildlife-friendly I-90 made a difference! On behalf of this project, legislative leadership displayed by Senators Rolfes, King, and Frockt, as well as Representatives Clibborn and Armstrong, restored timely funding of the I-90 project. They allocated savings from Phase 1 to be spent beginning this biennium.

The final bill as signed by the Governor directs funding to complete design of the next phase now, followed by construction funding dedicated from 2013-2017. Under this direction, the wildlife overpass at Rock Knob would break ground in 2015.

The timing couldn't be better to keep this project moving. This June, a field tour during the Western Governors Association's annual meeting will visit the project area including a look at the soon to be completed Gold Creek underpass.

Even while we celebrate this success, we continue to work with our partners to identify funding sources that can bring this project to completion. Just this month, we worked with Kittitas County to submit a TIGER IV application for federal stimulus dollars to leverage off of this state funding.

We'll keep our fingers crossed for good luck on this application, as we look forward to a busy construction season ahead at Snoqualmie Pass, procuring safe passage for wildlife!

More news on I-90

King 5 news coverage of wildlife crossings already succeeding

I-90 Wildlife Watch report highlights wildlife on the highway

Kids' creativity means educated drivers