Currently browsing: Wildlife

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission last week voted 8-1 to approve amended cougar hunting rules. Spurred by a petition from wildlife conservation organizations, the new rules aim to avoid cougar overexploitation.

Conservation organizations have submitted comments blasting the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s draft amendment for 77 land-use plans across the western United States intended to protect the imperiled greater sage grouse.

A parasitic worm that can infest the brains of moose appears to be playing a role in the decline of the iconic animal in some regions of North America.

Washington’s wolf population grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2023, according to the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2023 Annual Report released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2023 was 178 wolves, according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management annual report released this week by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is the same number documented in 2022 and does not include 10 wolves translocated to Colorado in 2023 to help establish a wolf population there. 

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have published a final Environmental Impact Statement that identifies the preferred alternative to reintroduce grizzly bear into the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, including North Cascades National Park.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted unanimously to list Southern Resident orcas as endangered under Oregon's Endangered Species Act. Southern Resident orcas now number just 75 whales in three pods and have been listed as endangered under federal law since 2005.

Montanans have varying attitudes and beliefs about wolves and wolf management, and over time some of those feelings have shifted, according to a new survey conducted cooperatively by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the University of Montana.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee last week directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft new rules to guide when wolves can be killed for conflict with livestock and prioritize using nonlethal methods of conflict deterrence over killing wolves.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced its final rule to list the distinct population segment of the North American wolverine in the contiguous U.S. as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Conservation groups this week filed an appeal asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to order the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft enforceable rules that limit when the state can kill endangered wolves for conflicts with livestock.

In support of a statewide voter-led initiative passed in November 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized the designation of an experimental population of gray wolves in Colorado under the Endangered Species Act. This action provides management flexibility in support of the state of Colorado’s voter-mandated gray wolf reintroduction program.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on a draft environmental impact statement and draft Barred Owl Management Strategy that addresses the threat of the non-native and invasive barred owls to native northern and California spotted owls.

In a one-year agreement announced between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon will be a source for up to 10 wolves for the Colorado gray wolf reintroduction effort. These wolves will be captured and translocated between December 2023 and March 2024.

Almost twice as many gray whale calves swam north with their mothers to their Arctic feeding grounds this spring compared to last year, according to a new count completed by NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

A new count of gray whales that migrate along the West Coast each year found a continued decline of this population. However, new clues suggest that population numbers may soon start to rebound.

For the second year in a row, wolf numbers in Montana did again fall slightly in 2022, according to the 2022 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed new legislation to create a mandatory 1,000-yard vessel buffer around Southern Resident killer whales to protect the endangered population from vessel noise and disturbance. The expanded buffer requirement goes into effect January 2025.

A bill to create a 1,000-yard buffer around the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas is headed to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk for his signature after clearing a final legislative hurdle this week. Senate Bill 5371 requires that boaters stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Residents, beginning in 2025.

The minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2022 was 178 wolves, an increase of three wolves over the 2021 minimum known number of 175, according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management annual report released today.

The Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2022 Annual Report released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a 5% increase in wolf population growth from the previous count in 2021. WDFW also documented Washington’s first pack to recolonize the south Cascades this winter.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed the initial review of three petitions filed to remove the grizzly bear in the lower 48 States from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife under the Endangered Species Act in certain ecosystems. The Service says two of these petitions present substantial information indicating the grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem may qualify as their own distinct population segment and may warrant removal from the ESA list.

Idaho’s 2022 population estimate of 1,337 wolves declined by about 13%, or 206 wolves, compared with the 2021 estimate based on cameras surveys that measure the population during summer near its annual peak.

Twelve scientists are urging the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to promptly protect the Pacific walrus under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity first submitted a petition to list the Pacific walrus as threatened or endangered in 2008, more than a decade ago.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after completing its review of a petition to list a Columbia/Snake river basin snail under the Endangered Species Act, found that listing the Columbia Oregonian is not warranted at this time.

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service this week announced the initiation of a new Environmental Impact Statement process to evaluate options for restoring and managing grizzly bears in the North Cascades of Washington, where the animals once thrived.

Faster and more widespread testing for chronic wasting disease in deer is now possible due to a new partnership between the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Bears are not cats or dogs, and feeding them like they are likely shortens their lives.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is looking for public feedback on rules for recreational boaters and commercial whale watching operators intended to support endangered Southern Resident killer whale recovery.

The rapid growth of harmful algae along parts of the Southern California coast is producing high concentrations of a toxin that affects California sea lions. It has led to strandings of more than 60 of the marine mammals since mid-August. Many have acted erratically, suffered from seizures, and in some cases died.

Crossings over highways intended to preserve biological diversity also appear to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in Washington state, saving roughly $235,000 to $443,000 every year per structure.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 90-day finding on a petition to delist the southern sea otter says it presents substantial information that the petitioned action may be warranted. The species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1977.

Under a directive from Congress, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the feasibility of reintroducing sea otters to their historical range along the West Coast of the contiguous United States. The Service focused the assessment on northern California and Oregon, where potential sea otter reintroduction would have the greatest conservation value.

Wildlife conservation organizations sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tuesday for missing a deadline to decide whether gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Wolf numbers and distribution continue to be stable across Montana, according to numbers released this week in the 2021 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated a new “Area of Known Wolf Activity” in the Upper Deschutes River area near the border of northern Klamath and southern Deschutes counties. 

The endangered southern resident killer whale population isn’t getting enough to eat, and hasn’t been since 2018, a new University of British Columbia study has determined.

A Montana District Court judge Thursday agreed with conservation groups that wolverines need additional protections while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reconsiders its 2020 decision not to protect the species as threatened or endangered.

Several Canada goose goslings collected from Alton Baker Park in Eugene, OR have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and a larger outbreak is suspected as more sick and dead waterfowl have been observed at the park. A red-tailed hawk from Eugene and an osprey collected from Dorena Reservoir (east of Cottage Grove) May 10 have also tested positive.

Following a petition, the National Marine Fisheries Service has announced that a shark found off the Northwest coast may warrant protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2021 was 175 wolves, an increase of two wolves over the 2020 minimum known number of 173, according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management 2021 Annual Report released this week.

A highly contagious bird flu that has sicken commercial chickens and turkeys, and is now spreading among bald eagles, has been found in Montana geese and Idaho chickens.

Washington’s wolf population continued to grow in 2021 for the 13th consecutive year. The 2021 annual wolf report by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and shows a 16% increase in wolf population growth from the previous count in 2020.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove grizzly bears in the “Lower 48” United States from the Endangered Species Act and “recognize states’ successful efforts to recover and manage grizzly populations.”

A comprehensive new map and report tracking whale migrations around the globe highlights where they go in the high seas and the cumulative impacts the animals face from industrial fishing, ship strikes, pollution, habitat loss and climate change.

Despite a 2016 Blaine County, Idaho ordinance restricting the planting of noxious plants, including exotic yew, three elk, two cows and one calf, were found dead Jan. 18 after eating the toxic plant north of Hailey near the Valley Club. Two additional elk were found the morning of Jan. 19 a calf just north of Hailey, and a yearling in Sun Valley.

With almost two months remaining, this season’s Montana wolf harvest is on par with past seasons. As of Jan. 20, 166 wolves have been harvested during the current hunting and trapping seasons, a number similar to that of previous years. The general hunting and trapping seasons are open until March 15.

Conservation groups announced today a $16,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the illegal shooting death of a two-year-old collared female wolf in Wallowa County in early January.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has been on the lookout for Chronic Wasting Disease since the late 1990s. Over the past 20-plus years, staff have collected and tested more than 23,000 samples from hunter harvested, road-killed and other deer and elk found dead in Oregon. No Oregon animal has ever tested positive for CWD.

The Oregon State Police is seeking public assistance in locating the person or persons responsible for the poisoning of the Catherine Wolf Pack in northeastern Oregon.

Reducing ship speed and noise levels would increase the probability that endangered West Coast southern resident killer whales will spend more time hunting for Chinook salmon, a new Simon Fraser University study has found.

U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Gary Peters (D-MI) led 21 of their colleagues this week in urging the U.S. Department of Interior to issue an emergency listing to restore temporary federal Endangered Species Act protections to the gray wolf in the western United States. No Northwest senator signed the letter.

New research finds mixed results on the effects of hunting regulations on population growth of two species of sage grouse in western North America.

Between September 20 and 26, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife received three separate reports of a gray wolf with a purple collar in northern Ventura County. CDFW staff began site inspections and have confirmed recent wolf tracks in the vicinity.

With scientific reports of multiple pregnancies among J-pod, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries, and partners are calling upon recreational boaters to follow Be Whale Wise regulations and give endangered Southern Resident killer whales extra space.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after completing the initial review of two petitions, says listing gray wolves again in the western U.S. under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted due to potential increases in human-caused mortality under new hunting and trapping rules in Idaho and Montana approved after wolves were de-listed.

The Biden Administration is agreeing with the Trump Administration’s decision to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. and turn management over to the states.

Greater sage-grouse populations may decline by more than 70% within free-roaming horse-occupied areas by 2034 if horse populations increase unchecked at current rates. Reducing horse numbers could neutralize their negative impacts.

A 17-year study in Oregon, Washington and California found that removal of invasive barred owls arrested the population decline of the northern spotted owl, a native species threatened by invading barred owls and the loss of old-forest habitats.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced a proposal to reclassify the Willamette Valley’s Fender’s blue butterfly from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Idaho Fish and Game announced Friday, June 4, that it is seeking public feedback on a proposal to extend wolf hunting and trapping and enhanced methods of take, as allowed by a new state law that takes effect July 1. Comments are due June 13.

NOAA Fisheries this week released for review a proposed amendment to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan to ensure endangered Southern Resident killer whales have enough salmon to eat during years when salmon returns are low.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that Suckley’s cuckoo bumblebee, an imperiled species that has recently declined by more than 90%, may warrant Endangered Species Act protection. The announcement kicks off a one-year status assessment of the species.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature last week that would allow the killing of 90% of the state’s wolf population.

NOAA Fisheries has announced its intent to conduct a 5-year review of Southern Resident killer whales under the Endangered Species Act

Washington's wolf population continued to grow in 2020, as the minimum count of wolves reached its highest levels since the species began returning to Washington in recent years. The annual wolf report was released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Southern Resident Killer Whales are one of NOAA Fisheries “Species in the Spotlight” and this week the agency released priority actions needed in 2021-2025 to stabilize the species, including the need to “target conservation of critical prey.”

State wildlife biologists counted 173 wolves in Oregon this past winter, a 9.5 percent increase over last year’s count of 158 according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management 2020 Annual Report released today.

Endangered Southern Resident killer whales prey on a diversity of chinook and other salmon. The stocks come from an enormous geographic range as far north as Alaska and as far south as California's Central Valley, a new analysis shows.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is extending the effective date of the Jan. 15, 2021, final rule that excluded additional areas from the existing critical habitat designation for the northern spotted owl.

Another GPS-collared gray wolf has dispersed from Oregon into California. The wolf, known as OR-93, has traveled farther south in California than the collared wolves that have preceded him.

Idaho Fish and Game’s second annual wolf population estimate documented the population was stable from 2019 to 2020, indicating that a similar number of wolves were added to the population and removed from the population between the two estimates. The 2020 estimate was 1,556 wolves, 10 fewer than the 2019 estimate of 1,566.

Wolves are arguably the most well-studied large predators in the world, yet new research shows there is still a lot to learn about their hunting tactics. Typically, wolves hunt large mammals like moose, deer, and bison in packs by outrunning, outlasting, and exhausting their prey. However, throughout the dense boreal forests in North America and Eurasia, during the summer wolves often hunt beavers by themselves.

Four Northwest U.S. Senators and other legislators this week requested the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior to investigate whether former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt overruled guidance by career officials to push the Trump administration's decision to remove critical habitat protections for the Northern Spotted Owl on 3.4 million acres of federal lands in the Pacific Northwest.

After an assessment of the monarch butterfly’s status, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has found that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species is warranted but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions. With this decision, the monarch becomes a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act, and its status will be reviewed each year until it is no longer a candidate.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week said moving the northern spotted owl classification from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act is “warranted but precluded,” meaning the Service will not take any new actions at this time because listing as endangered is precluded by higher priority actions.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission last week denied a petition that would have initiated rulemaking to consider ending beaver hunting and trapping on federal lands in a 3-3 vote after hearing public testimony from 31 people.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule Thursday that removes Endangered Species Act protection for all gray wolves in the lower 48 states except for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. There are now roughly 6,000 wolves in the lower 48 states.

A Pacific Fishery Management Council workgroup has outlined options for providing for prey needs of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in the course of designing West Coast salmon fishing seasons.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the coastal distinct population segment of the Pacific marten, known as the coastal marten, warrants listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee last week sent a letter directing the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to initiate a new rulemaking relating to wolf management.

The federal agency that oversees the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is proceeding with changes to the Act’s scope that would allow businesses that accidentally kill protected birds to go unpunished.

A federal proposal to de-list wolves across much of the country is meeting stiff resistance, along with a proposed wolf management plan for Oregon.