Fisheries Program Managers Receive Real-life Lesson from High School Stream Steward

Jarred Figlar-Barnes (center), of Elma, WA, explains the benefits of work he has helped lead to restore McDonald Creek to USFWS managers

Submitted by: Miranda Plumb, fisheries biologist and Chehalis Fisheries Restoration Program coordinator

Region One Fisheries Assistant Regional Director, Mike Carrier, Julie Collins (Deputy Assistant Regional Director), Jana Grote (Fisheries Supervisor), Tom McDowell (Supervisory Fish and Wildlife biologist), Curtis Tanner (Supervisory Fish and Wildlife biologist) and Miranda Plumb (Chehalis Fisheries Restoration Program Coordinator coordinator) recently shared an opportunity to learn about restoring fish habitat from a young stream steward.  Jarred Figlar-Barnes, a senior at Elma High School, wrote a successful grant proposal to replace a fish passage barrier (undersized culvert) with a bridge, opening up several miles of this small stream. 

Jarred told the group of USFWS biologists and managers visiting the site, “these small streams don’t get enough attention.”

Jarred’s work to help restore MacDonald Creek began a few years ago when he heard stories from local fishermen and farmers recounting the days when coho came up the creek to spawn. Jarred surveyed the watershed on his bicycle when he was 14 years old, identifying fish passage barriers associated with roads, railroads, and driveways. He then got to work to fix the problems he found.

 

 Jared shares map of McDonald Creek

At 16 years old, Jared wrote his first successful grant application and received $10,000 from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Terry Husseman Account to fix a small concrete blockage on McDonald Creek.  The next grant Jarred and his partners, the Grays Harbor Stream Team and Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force, received was $66,000 from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.  That funding was used to correct the lowest fish passage barrier on McDonald Creek which was a ‘shotgun’ culvert on a farm access road.  

Jarred rattled off an impressive list of fish species that had been found in the creek, including coho salmon, steelhead trout, Olympic mudminnow, cutthroat trout, and speckled and long-nosed dace. "Olympic mudminnow is my favorite!" he admitted.

The group agreed that Jarred’s efforts were impressive, and that he was making a real difference in his community, and the Chehalis River basin.

Jarred is one of several partners working with the USFWS Chehalis Fisheries Restoration Program (CFRP) that ARD Mike Carrier met with on his tour of basin fish habitat restoration projects.  The goals of the CFRP are to restore or improve spawning and rearing habitat, improve water quality, and increase public awareness.  The CFRP funds and provides technical assistance to many different habitat restoration projects such as fish passage barrier removals, riparian planting, invasive species removals, estuary fishery assessments, and education and outreach.  Fisheries Biologist Miranda Plumb organized the tour, highlighting recent successes to restore habitat and provide outreach and education opportunities for local school children. 

Student journals along the Discovery Trail in Centralia

 

The group first visited a local nature and education trail, the Discovery Trail in Centralia, with partners from the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium and Chehalis River Basin Land Trust.  Then they went on to see the results of a fish passage barrier removal and culvert replacement on a county road near Oakville which opened 12 miles of stream habitat with partner Lonnie Crumley, the director of the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force. 

In the afternoon, the group headed to the Grays Harbor estuary where they first met with the Quinault Indian Nation and Natural Resources Consultants, Inc. who partner with The Nature Conservancy to remove derelict fishing gear (e.g. lost fishing nets and crab pots) from the Chehalis River and estuary.  Lastly, we saw the multifaceted restoration work that is happening at the WA Department of Natural Resources on Preacher’s Slough which is part of the Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area Preserve.

 

Team members inspect fishing gear recovered from the Chehalis River 

 

 

All photo credits: USFWS

Prairie Demonstration Garden Spiffed Up by AmeriCorps Service Members

As part of their ecosystem restoration work with the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) a team of five AmeriCorps service members paid a visit to the USFWS Washington Fish and Wildlife Office in Lacey, Washington. The team and their supervisor talked with USFWS biologists working to protect and restore native prairie ecosystems in Western Washington.  They “met” some of the native plants that are the target of restoration efforts, and learned a bit about the work of a Service biologist involved in listing and recovery work. The Service is also working with the Center for Natural Lands Management through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program to restore prairie habitat on private lands. After their introduction to what we do, they got busy with what they do: controlling invasive species!

 

      AmeriCorps Service member Rachel working with her team from Center for Natural Lands Management.

 

 

 

USFWS Biologist and prairie specialist Judy Lantor discusses the project with CNLM team leader Sanders Freed

USFWS staff converted a decommissioned swimming pool in the courtyard of their office into a native prairie demonstration garden. Initially, staff collected seeds and, with the support of other partners, grew plants for restoration sites. A few surplus plants and salvaged specimens were used to establish the demonstration garden to assist with education and awareness of employees and our guests. The garden even hosts a specimen of the listed golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), grown from legally-harvested seed surplus for a restoration project. On this day, the AmeriCorps Service members helped out by weeding the garden. They quickly became experts at identifying the desirable native plants and the invasive weeds, working hard to spiff up the demonstration garden. They’ll be traveling to sites in South Puget Sound to apply what they’ve learned to assist with restoration of prairie ecosystems.

 

                      

 

Flowering golden paintbrush plant in the WFWO prairie demonstration garden.

               

America’s “Other” Eagle

 Golden Eagle at Swan Falls  Photo credit: USDOT FHA America's Byways

 

Submitted by: Mark Miller

With a wingspan of more than seven feet, the golden eagle is North America’s largest bird of prey. They get their name from the golden feathers on the back of their head and neck.  In contrast to their cousin, the bald eagle, golden eagles prefer less forested, more open habitat and avoid developed areas. They find this habitat in central and eastern Washington. Their most common prey are small to medium-sized mammals including black-tailed jackrabbits, ground squirrels and yellow-bellied marmots.  Golden eagles will also take birds, larger mammals, fish, reptiles, and domestic livestock and feed on carrion (dead animals). However, golden eagles show a strong preference for jackrabbits, even when jackrabbit populations are low.  In fact, golden eagle populations in some parts of the U.S. have a tendency to cycle on a 10-year basis with jackrabbit populations.

Any real estate agent will tell you the three most important factors for buying a home are LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  This holds true for golden eagles.   The ideal nesting home site for a golden eagle pair is a cliff or large tree in a quiet neighborhood, close to the grocery store (hunting grounds), with a panoramic view of their environs.  Golden eagles are less gregarious than bald eagles, so you will rarely see them in large concentrations.  They range from the arctic to the desert southwest and are more common west of the Mississippi, although they do occur in the eastern United States.

Population trends for golden eagles have been difficult to determine due to a lack of long-term monitoring studies of golden eagle abundance in the United States prior to 2003.  There is a general consensus that golden eagle populations are declining in many areas due to the usual cast of suspects:  loss of habitat, reduction in prey particularly jackrabbits, collisions with vehicles, wind turbines or other structures, electrocution at power poles, intentional and unintentional poisoning and climate change. 

Habitat loss comes from a variety of sources.  As human activity and development increase, pressure is put on golden eagles.  Urbanization, agriculture, mining and wind farms can reduce golden eagle habitat.  Exotic plant species invading native shrub steppe habitat in eastern Washington can increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires and cause negative effects to the plant community and to jackrabbit populations that golden eagle depend.  Non-native cheatgrass is the chief culprit.  Climate change might also contribute to current and future negative effects to golden eagles, particularly in semi-arid and arid ecosystems.

Golden eagles are also being poisoned from ingesting fragments of lead shot or bullets from hunter- killed animals, particularly deer, ground squirrels, upland game birds and waterfowl.  Even tiny amounts of ingested lead can have fatal effects on eagles.  Switching to non-toxic copper bullets can reduce lead poisoning in golden eagles. (http://www.nps.gov/pinn/naturescience/upload/USGS_lead_poisoning_wild_birds_2009.pdf)

Golden eagles are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in North America and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) in the U.S.  BGEPA prohibits “take” of eagles without a permit.  “Take” includes pursuing, shooting, shooting at, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, collecting, molesting or disturbing. The BGEPA prohibits “take,” or any of these actions, on individuals, their parts, nests or eggs. (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/midwestbird/eaglepermits/bagepa.html)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided funding to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (http://wdfw.wa.gov/) to locate and monitor known nesting territories in Washington during the 2013 breeding season.  Completion of this study will give us valuable information regarding the number of territories occupied and the number of young golden eagles produced. 

 

Like Oil and Water: Measuring the Impact of Oil Spills on Washington Coastlines

Submitted by: Cindy Schexnider 

Resources for oil spill responses are limited and vary among agencies. The challenge of managing oil spills is increasing in scope and size. Oil spills are of particular concern where there is extensive refining and transport, such as along the Washington Coastlines. Birds can be heavily impacted by even a small spill and large spills can affect thousands of birds.

Oiled Common Murre Photo credit: USFWS

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), 33 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq., establishes liability for cleanup costs and for damages for the restoration of natural resources and related services injured by oil spills. When a spill occurs, Natural Resource Trustees may conduct a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) to evaluate injuries to natural resources and determine appropriate actions to restore those injured resources to their pre-spill condition. 

Spring Plantings for Pollinators Perk Up the Garden

Submitted by: Jessica Gonzales

All gardeners know that spring is the time to give the garden a “face lift” for summer. In our Pollinator Garden, the work began early to prepare for the arrival of beneficial insects and birds eager to forage on nectar and pollen. 

Flowers welcome our wonderful pollinators - Photo credit: Jessica Gonzales (USFWS)

This spring, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), teamed up to add new plants, such as showy penstemon, mountain hollyhock, snow buckwheat, arrowleaf balsamroot and snowberry, and a new thick layer of bark mulch to the office’s Pollinator Garden. 

How Sweet It Is: FWS Teaches Students About Pollinator Conservation

Submitted by: Jeff Chan

On a recent warm, spring day in Olympia, Washington, students at GRuB farm donned space-aged looking suits as they prepared to step into the world of the honeybee. 

Students walk the path to the honey bee hive.  Photo credit: Teal Waterstrat (USFWS)

With the assistance of Teal Waterstrat, a Pathways Technician with the Service, we showed the group the inner workings of a honeybee hive - home to one of our nation's greatest pollinators.

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mussel

Submitted by: Joe Bartoszek, Ph.D., Resource Contaminant Specialist (USFWS)

This is the 3rd installment of this story. To learn more, read "Mussels in a Desert?!" and “What Happened to Pearlshell Mussels in the Hanford Reach?”

The western pearlshell, once abundant in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, can no longer be found. Although the cause for their disappearance is not known, the long-lived mussel (some individuals have been aged at more than 100 years) may have suffered from releases of contaminants from the Hanford Department of Energy site.

      Pearlshell mussel collected from the Eel River, CA. Photo credit: Dr. Chris Barnhart    

The Hanford Natural Resource Trustees would like to understand what happened to mussels in the river by testing potential sensitivity to contaminants released from the site, particularly hexavalent chromium (the contaminant made famous in the Erin Brockovich movie).