ShareMany of us like to watch wildlife when we travel near or far. According to the most recent survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Washington alone more than 2.3 million people participate in wildlife-watching activities each year, spending upward of $1.5 billion annually on that pastime. That’s a lot of people and [Continued...]
ShareNow that photographic proof confirms the return of grizzlies to the North Cascades, it’s easy to lose let our other resident bruin slip from our minds. But black bears deserve our full attention. These beautiful beasts inhabit every bit of our state, including many of our most urban neighborhoods. Geographically, Washington is the smallest of [Continued...]
ShareAt times, technology enhances the wilderness experience. Today’s smartphones, for instance, allow me to carry in my pack a wide range of nature guides so I can quickly identify birds, beasts, wildflowers and stars — with minimal weight. Readers seem to agree, with many e-mailing suggestions of apps for me to try, or asking for [Continued...]
ShareFor a Northwesterner, getting away from the late winter rains can be a requirement for continued sound mental health. My work as a Communications Expert (?) with the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency provided the perfect opportunity for me to escape south into the sunshine this month. The annual National Air Quality Conference (NAQC) – [Continued...]
ShareWhen two sets of tracks converge in the woods, and only one set leads away, there is little doubt what happened. While hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail near Government meadows on a sunny November morning, I discovered the unmistakable tracks of a snowshoe hare in the 10 inches of fresh snow that blanketed the [Continued...]
Share(First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend October 14, 2010) At times, technology enhances the wilderness experience. Today’s smartphones, for instance, allow me to carry in my pack a wide range of nature guides so I can quickly identify birds, beasts, wildflowers and stars — with minimal weight. Readers seem to agree, with many e-mailing [Continued...]
ShareFirst installment of some of my favorite wildlife stories and essays. This one deals with coyotes. One story stands out in my memory. I don’t remember the exact words—they don’t matter—but the story sticks with me: Long before European settlers touched foot in the Pacific Northwest, back during the earliest days of human on in [Continued...]
ShareWhy do Washington’s politicians (of both parties) hate the Department of Fish and Wildlife? Not all, fortunately, but enough to put our fish and wildlife resources in jeopardy. First, the legislature slashed the WDFW budget by 30 percent last year. Everything from enforcement to salmon recovery suffered from that budget bashing. Then, this year, the [Continued...]
ShareNot a creature was stirring, except for the 40 or so fishers being reintroduced to the former habitat in Olympic National Park., Fishers, a small predatory mammal, rarely eats fish. These close cousins of martens and weasels are mostly nocturnal hunters of any small critters, including birds and occasionally fish, that live in the forest. [Continued...]
ShareGray Wolf Conservation and Management | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) titled: Wolf Conservation and Management Plan for Washington. This is a non-project review proposal. Non-project review allows agencies and the public to focus on issues that are [Continued...]
