Conservation Northwest

Conservation Northwest updates a critical link between the relatively protected North Cascades Ecosystem and the logged and roaded southern Washington Cascades. Chiwaukum Mountains Wolverines are our priority species focus in the Chiwaukums. This year, in an amazing winter highlight, our remote cameras snapped a shot of a wolverine, nicknamed Peg, the first wolverine documented south of Highway 2 in more than 20 years. The Chiwaukum Mountains extend in a sweeping arc north to south just south of the Wenatchee River in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Big Chiwaukum Peak is the highest point at 8,081 feet. High mountain basins include Larch Lake and Lake Ethel. Visit the range and you���ll see firsthand a complex geological history, including 210 millionyear-old schist, formerly coastline of the continent, intruded by the granitic rock of the Mount Stuart Batholith in the late Cretaceous period. Entiat Mountains In the Entiat Mountains, wolves are our major monitoring focus. Wolves are believed to have occupied the Entiats and the area near Lake Chelan long before being extirpated early last century. The bulk of the Entiat Mountains, in the Entiat and Chelan Ranger Districts, rises up between the mouths of the Entiat and Wenatchee Rivers. The 53-mile-long mountain range extends from near the Glacier Peak Wilderness to the Chelan Mountains at the Columbia River. The range contains several peaks over 8,000 feet, with 9,249-foot Mount Fernow the highest peak. ���Entiat��� honors the Entiat Tribe who lived around the Entiat River. First forest supervisor of the Wenatchee National Forest and topographer for the United States Geological Survey, Albert H. Sylvester, named the range. He also named 3,000 natural features in the Cascades, including the Enchantment Lakes. Chiwawa Ridge With big elevation and high, rugged topography, Chiwawa Ridge is a likely travel corridor for wolverines. Chiwawa Ridge parallels the Entiat Mountains to the northeast, running approximately 27 miles north���south in the national forest. The ridge separates the Napeequa River to the west and Chiwawa River to the east. At 8,760 feet, Fortress Mountain is the highest peak. Famed Northwest climber Fred Beckey called the Napeequa River valley, a flank off of Chiwawa Ridge, the ���most interesting valley��� of the region. Icicle Creek Canyon With high elevation peaks and valleys, the Icicle Creek area has high potential for wolverine presence year-round. Icicle Creek Canyon is a mountainous valley falling within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The canyon drains Icicle Creek with headwaters at Josephine Lake, less than a mile from the crest of the Cascade Range near Stevens Pass. With many high, challenging climbing routes in a small area, Icicle Creek Canyon and surrounding peaks are famous for climbers around the world. Icicle Creek���s name comes from the Indian word na-sik-elt, for narrow canyon. See our winter newsletter for the next installment of ���Nooks and Crannies,��� when we���ll focus on our monitoring team efforts in the eastern Washington foothills, including Manastash Ridge. Seen here at a pole station, ���Peg��� is the first wolverine documented south of Highway 2 in more than 20 years. Conservation Northwest remote camera photo Special forces Volunteers put a face to Washington���s roaming wildlife and wildlands with their images and efforts as part of the Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project. Since 2000, the monitoring program has evolved from a somewhat experimental volunteer field project into a ���special forces��� of wildlife monitoring. The mission is to document rare and endangered carnivores throughout the state such as grizzly bear, wolf, lynx, and wolverine. In the process, we have also documented more common but equally fascinating species such as cougar, elk, bobcat, moose, marten, black bear, and a host more. With the Wilderness Awareness School and I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, we���ve become the premiere group on the frontlines of detecting rare wildlife in the state. Where we monitor is guided by an advisory council of state and federal biologists. Our monitoring teams go to places where the agencies do not, or cannot, devote resources to monitoring. Each year we map a series of priority locations and wildlife species. We���ve also recently shifted the bulk of our camera and volunteer resources to detecting wolf presence in areas where they aren���t yet documented, to help with wolf recovery goals brought forth in Washington���s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Keeping the Northwest wild Fall 2012 19

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