Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
There are new proposals to bring back grizzly bears in the North Cascades
Grizzly bears could get another chance at returning to Washington’s North Cascades, under a framework two federal agencies unveiled on Thursday. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service released a set of options to bring the hulking animals back into the area — a wild expanse of glaciated peaks, dense forests, and […]
The latest clash over managing Washington’s wolves
Eleven conservation groups are asking Washington state to tighten its guidelines for when wolves that attack livestock can be killed. The groups are concerned too many wolves are dying needlessly under the current system. Their petition to Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission describes the existing standards the state uses to authorize lethal action against the […]
Bird flu outbreak stokes fears for Washington’s wild birds
The spread of bird flu has left Washington wildlife officials scrambling to test suspected cases and cleaning up hundreds of tern and gull carcasses along the coast of an island in northern Puget Sound. Avian flu has historically affected mostly poultry, but a new strain – H5N1 – is proving deadly for wild birds as […]
A parched summer is posing difficulties for Washington farmers and fish
The record-warm May that burned off a sizable chunk of the state’s snowpack has left flows in many of Washington’s rivers and streams depleted heading into late summer. It’s not the driest year the state has seen. But it’s still bad news for fish that depend on cool water and ample streamflows for survival and […]
Pincher patrol: Over 400K invasive crabs trapped, killed as fight goes on
Washington state is clawing back against an invasive crab, which swept into the region’s waters in recent years, threatening native Dungeness crabs, littleneck clams, oysters, and seagrass that fish depend on for habitat. The state’s battle with the European green crab has significant economic and environmental stakes. If allowed to spread unchecked, the crab could […]
State wildlife managers look beyond ‘hook and bullet’ species
SEATTLE — The Cascade red fox, which lives high in the mountains of Washington state, is struggling to survive. State wildlife managers want to send researchers into the field to find out why. They’re also aiming to vaccinate pygmy rabbits against a deadly virus, restore habitat to support the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and establish new […]
Fish and Wildlife to deploy drones in battle against invasive plants
To eradicate invasive plants growing in the Skagit River delta, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to dispatch an herbicide-spraying aerial drone. The project is expected to begin next week and run into June and, according to an official involved, is possibly the first time the department has applied herbicide this way. “To […]
Washington looks to roll back wolf protections
For the first time in over 40 years, gray wolves in eastern Washington may soon lose some protections under state law that make it legally more difficult for people to kill them. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Thursday it was seeking public input through Aug. 16 on relaxing the classification of […]
On the Olympic Peninsula, reworking a highway to restore a river
BRINNON, Wash. – On a sunny day in late April, the Duckabush River glistened as it neared the end of its journey from its Olympic Mountain headwaters to the breezy tide flats on the edge of Hood Canal, the jagged fjord that extends from the western flank of Puget Sound. Flowing clear overtop of the […]