Conservation Northwest

Gaining ground Wildlife habitat and connectivity remained our focus in 2012. Moose and calf near Chewelah in northeast Washington. Dave Heflick Protecting wildlife m Resisted efforts by the timber industry to eliminate old-growth forest protections for marbled murrelets, an endangered seabird that nests in old forests. m Supported US Fish and Wildlife Service expansion of habitat protections for northern spotted owls in light of owl numbers dropping by half in recent years. m Successfully defended Washington's wolf recovery plan from hostile state bills that would hurt wolf recovery. m Created a $10,000 poaching reward fund with the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife to deter future illegal wildlife killing. m Moved the state and members of the ranching community to publicly prioritize non-lethal strategies for avoiding conflicts between wolves and livestock, in response to the potentially avoidable loss of the Wedge Pack. m Cosponsored a WDFW summer range rider pilot program to reduce conflict between wolves and cattle in northeast Washington. The rancher involved lost no calves this season. m Increased WDFW's understanding of wolf conflict avoidance by organizing a series of meetings between the agency and wolf-livestock conflict specialists, including a field trip to Montana's Blackfoot Challenge. m Inspired millions of viewers with the return of Washington's wolves through the BBC/Discovery Channel film, Land of the Lost Wolves. The film stars our own Jasmine Minbashian and Cascades wolves. m Educated (and inspired!) hundreds of people at screenings of Land of the Lost Wolves and discussion panels. m Organized hundreds of citizens to push for the protections of Pacific Northwest wolves as a distinct population under the Endangered Species Act. m Demonstrated support for wolf recovery and the state's wolf plan, turning out 100 people before Washington's Fish and Wildlife Commission. m Created the first grizzly bear sightings hotline in BC to increase awareness about the precarious status of grizzly bears in southwest British Columbia and trans-boundary Cascades. Keeping the Northwest wild m Engaged the St'at'imc First Nation in BC to discuss collaborating on grizzly bear recovery planning in their traditional territory. m Began a comprehensive forest roads inventory and analysis to inform access management in grizzly bear habitat in the BC Cascades, a template for work in other ecosystems. m Supported augmentation of the Purcell's mountain caribou herd, transplanting animals, consistent with BC's recovery plan. m Partnered with Parks Canada on a caribou maternity penning project in Revelstoke that aims to protect vulnerable calves from predation. m Created a Columbia Highlands wildlife viewing and hiking guide highlighting the region's rich wildlife and wild lands. Numerous local businesses are sponsoring and promoting this valuable resource. m Helped visitors to the Selkirk Mountains avoid conflicts with grizzly bears by funding Forest Service's education presence on the ground. Forging connectivity m Brought together the region's best wildlife conservation science, policy, and advocacy players at the 5th annual Wild Links conference. m At Wild Links, launched the Cascadia Partner Forum, focused on better understanding transboundary connectivity, and a working group to protect carnivores in the US and BC Cascades. m Launched the Safe Passage on Highway 97 community coalition, to bring twin wildlife underpasses in a high traffic area in the Okanogan Valley. m Monitored the spread and success of wildlife throughout the Cascades and northeast Washington, and documented potential new wolf packs in the Columbia Highlands, with 90 Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project volunteers. m Recorded early success for wildlife crossings on I-90 in the form of a coyote using the partially constructed Gold Creek underpass. Continued next page Volunteers placed remote cameras across the region, monitoring rare wildlife, such as this lynx in BC. Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project Winter 2013 5

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