Posts Tagged ‘Plan’

Panel to vote today on $18.5M Mount Vernon restoration plan

February 14th, 2011
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Panel to vote today on .5M Mount Vernon restoration plan
Baltimore’s preservation commission is meeting today to decide whether to approve an $ 18.5 million proposal by the nonprofit Mount Vernon Place Conservancy to restore and renovate the city-owned park at the base of the Washington Monument.
Read more on Baltimore Sun

Haverhill police log: Arrests and incidents, Feb 1 through 7
Arrests MONDAY, FEB. 7 Stacey White, 27, of Danvers at John and Kimball streets at 12:30 a.m., giving a false name, resisting arrest and four outstanding warrants. Jonathan Burns, 18, of 31 Lewis St., at 25 Washington St. at 10:45 a.m., possession with the intent to distribute a class D substance and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Read more on The Haverhill Gazette

Way back when: Today in history
The cornerstone was laid for the Lincoln Memorial at the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as a neoclassical monument to the 16th president. Ground had been broken a year earlier, on Abraham …
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North Ranier Elk Herd Management Plan – State of Washington

March 7th, 2010
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The North Ranier Elk Herd is one of ten within Washington State. It is located north of Mt. Ranier, in a range that includes King and Pierce counties. The majority of this herd’s members are location on the western slopes of the Cascade Range. However, there are also small populations located in pockets of habitat near suburban developments and cities, as well as in the foothills. This elk herd is of value both to the general population of Washington State as an aesthetic, recreational, and economic resource, and as a cultural, subsistence and ceremonial one to the area’s native people. In 1989, this herd numbered around 3,400 elk. It has recent declined to around 1,845 elk, a decline of forty-six percent. Current management objectives for elk population of this herd include an increase of herd size to around 2,800 elk.


The range of the North Ranier Elk Herd encompasses an area of about 2,834 square miles (7,341 km). The herd occupies the headwaters of both the Clearwater and White rivers in the north part of Mount Ranier National Park, as well as the greater Puyallup River drainage in the western part of that park. Land in the area is a mix of private, federal, and state ownership. The largest portion of the area belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, but there are also large parcels owned by industrial timber companies. Most lands, including federally and state owned land, are managed to produce timber. Forest Service lands are managed for a number of different uses, including recreation and wildlife, in addition to timber. There is an emphasis on management and growth of old growth forests in the Forest Service lands at this time.


Generally, this area consists of low to mid-level mountains, as well as forested terrain. Steep, difficult to access parts of the elk herd’s range include higher, snow covered elevations along the Cascade Crest. Elevations are between four hundred feet and 14,000 feet (the summit of Mt. Ranier). Elk occupy most of this range, up to nearly 7,500 feet, in alpine and sub-alpine meadows of the national park area during summer and fall. Most of the area belove timberline is covered in coniferous forest.


Originally, the herd area was made up of unbroken mature forest, with a large scale fire occurring about every four hundred years. Clear cut timber operations have greatly changed almost all the forests outside Mt. Ranier National Park, making the area a patchwork of young and recently clear cut forest. This has affected the distribution and numbers of the North Ranier elk herd.


Currently, the most elk in this herd live in the White River unit. This particular sub herd migrates between the high alpine meadows of Mt. Rainier National Park and their winter range in the north. The major migration routes include Buck Creek, Haller Pass, the West Fork White River, and Huckleberry Creek. Between fifteen and thirty percent of elk do not migrate.


Current management plans intend to make little to no change in the distribution of this herd. Commercial and recreational timberland allow for growth in population, and elk near urban and suburban development will probably continue to decline. Elk-human conflict in these areas is expected to increase, meaning that there will be more nuisance complaints and concerns about damage caused by the animals.


Plans for the management of the North Rainier Elk Herd include better data collection to improve over all management, general increase in numbers, and providing opportunities for hunters without causing numbers to decline. Post hunting season numbers should exceed a ratio of twelve bulls for every hundred cows. Local hunting of black bear and cougar is intended to be coordinated to maintain the elk population appropriately, as the numbers of these predators have increased in recent years. In addition, cooperation with local tribes is planned, in order to help implement the conservation and management of these animals. In areas where elk expansion is desirable, partnerships are to be developed in order to increase the amount, availability, and quality of elk habitat.

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South Rainier Elk Herd Management Plan – State of Washington

February 12th, 2010
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The South Rainier Elk Herd is one of ten elk herds living in Washington State. This herd’s range covers around 1,100 square miles, and is located in parts of Lewis County, Thurston County, and Mount Rainier National Park. The herd area is bounded on the east be the North Cascade Crest Trail. On the west and south, it is bounded by major highways, and on the north, by highways, the Nisqually River and Mt. Rainier National Park. Land ownership in the area is a mix of public and private holdings. The majority of the land is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, which has the administration of around 400 square miles of land, primarily composed of Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the southern boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park. Private holdings are located mostly along the Cowlitz River. There are small tracts of state land in the area. The remainder of the land is held by industrial forestry interests. Elevations within the herd area are between 250 feet and 14,400 feet (the summit of Mt. Rainier). Level and gently rolling terrain is rare, occurring mostly along major drainages such as the Cispus and Cowlitz Rivers. The elk occupy almost all of the herd area below 6,500 feet, except for areas that are extraordinarily steep or rocky.


Humans make extensive use of the area in which the South Rainier Elk Herd is located, mostly for recreational purposes. For instance, the visitor usage of Mt. Rainier National Park was over two million in the 1990s. Hiking, backpacking, skiing, and other recreational activities are common, as well as trapping, fishing, and hunting. These activities occur both in the park and on adjacent lands that are privately owned.


The area along the Cowlitz river has been developed extensively, both for agricultural and residential purposes. This has significantly affected the wintering area of this herd. There has been a significant loss of important winter habitat for these elk, as well as a rise in elk/human conflict. In addition, intensive clear cut logging has changed almost all of the forests not in the bounds of the national park. Originally, this area was made up almost entirely of old growth forest. However, the area is now covered in second and third generation growth reaching to approximately 3,300 feet in elevation, and covering almost all of the elk’s winter range.


The greatest influence humans have had on this herd, however,has been through direct elk mortality. The annual regulated hunting harvest removes around forty to sixty percent of all bull elk. The population of the South Rainier Elk Herd has varied widely. For instance, in 1994, there were as many as four thousand individuals in this area. By 1997, that number had fallen to 1,500. It is estimated that the current population of the herd is around 2,100 animals. Management goals for the South Rainier herd include increasing the numbers of elk to a level of about 3,000 animals. In general, elk population levels will be maintained or increased, depending on the area, except in locations where they are causing a lot of damage or having conflict with humans. The current population ratios, when assessed before the hunting season, are fifteen to seventeen bulls per hundred cows, a figure which has stayed steady since 1996, and forty-six to forty-eight calves for every hundred cows.


Harvest strategies for this herd have varied significantly over the past forty years. They have included permission to take any bull, to spike-only bulls with a general permit, and branch antlered bulls taken by special permit. In some cases, only three point bulls or greater have been permitted. The three point minimum rule has been more common in recent years, and is the current method of regulating the elk harvest for the South Rainier Elk Herd. Antler point restrictions normally mean higher bull to cow ratios after the hunting season, but fewer older animals survive. Before 2000, it was legal to harvest antlerless elk during the archery season, or with firearms by special permit. However, antlerless harvest has not recently been permitted.


Current goals for the maintenance and management of this herd include an increase in the estimated elk population, while paying attention to habitat limitations and problems landowners may experience. The maintenance and improvement of elk habitat on U.S. Forest service lands is to be encouraged, and hunting is to be kept to a limit which will allow all herds to reach the state requirement of twelve or more bulls for every hundred cows.

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Washington State Elk Herd Management – The Mount St. Helens Elk Herd Plan

February 12th, 2010
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The following was prepared by Patrick J. Miller and Scott M. McCorquodale, Ph.D. for the State of Washington:


The Mount St. Helens Elk Herd is one of ten herds identified in the state. It is one of the most important elk herds in the state as it provides significant recreational, aesthetic, and economic benefit to the citizens of Washington.


The purpose of this document is to provide direction for the management of the Mount St. Helens elk resource into the future. This is a 5-year plan subject to amendment. Before the fifth year this plan should be updated, re-evaluated, amended, and implemented for another 5-year period. The plan will serve as a valuable reference document and guideline for the Department, agency cooperators, landowners, tribes, and the general public. Priority management activities can be implemented as funding and other resources become available.


The three primary goals of the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd Plan are: (1) to preserve, protect, perpetuate, manage, and enhance elk habitat to ensure healthy productive populations; (2) to manage elk for a variety of recreational, educational, and aesthetic purposes, including hunting, scientific study, and photography; and (3) to manage harvest of the elk herd for a sustained yield.


Specific elk herd and habitat objectives, problems, and strategies are identified in the Plan. These are priority objectives identified to address specific problems in elk management. To accomplish each objective, a variety of strategies have been proposed. The following objectives have been identified:


1. Manage the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd using the best available science.


2. Manage all open-entry elk units for post-hunting season bull ratios consistent with the Game Management Plan (12 to 20 bulls per 100 cows) in conjunction with overall bull mortality rates less than 50%. Manage quality GMUs for minimum post-hunting season bull:cow ratios at approximately 20 bulls per 100 cows, in conjunction with overall bull mortality rates of less than 40%.


3. Manage the Mount Saint Helens elk population in balance with both the habitat and cultural carrying capacities of the region. The current population goal for achieving this balance is approximately 10,000 elk. Population adjustment will be made over the next 5-8 years, beginning in 2007.


4. Minimize human conflicts and property damage caused by elk.


5. Support public appreciation of the elk resource and non-consumptive values of elk including viewing and photographic opportunities.


6. Continue to monitor the health and winter survival of elk wintering in GMU 522 (LooWitt) and the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area.


7. Improve the quantity and quality of elk habitat on the Mount St. Helen Wildlife Area.


8. Maintain the current level of elk winter range along the Lewis River.


9. Work with other agencies and private landowners to improve habitats for elk.


Spending priorities have been identified for the next 5 years.


The recommended annual priority expenditures for the Mount St. Helens elk herd are as follows:


Priority Expenditure 1st Year 5 Years

Aerial elk surveys $25,000.00 $185,000.00

Habitat improvement $30,000.00 $125,000.00

Elk survival study N/A $200,000.00

Quantify elk forage condition $40,000.00 $120,000.00

Monitor elk body condition N/A $40,000.00

Monitor annual harvest $12,000.00 $60,000.00

TOTAL $147,000.00 $780,000.00

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Olympic Elk Herd Management Plan – State of Washington

February 12th, 2010
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The Olympic Elk Herd is one of ten that have been identified in the state of Washington. It’s located on the Olympic Peninsula, west of Hood Canal, and north of the Chehalis River. This herd, unlike many others, has a similar modern distribution to the one it has held historically. The herd’s numbers were the highest in the late 1970s. A conservative estimate put the number of elk in the herd at that time at around 12,000 members. Currently, based on a number of data sources, including telemetry studies, mark-resight surveys, and harvest data, the population is estimated to be at around 8,600.


Much of the land used by elk in this area is publicly owned. There are over 922,000 acres in Olympic National Park. Additionally, the Olympic National Forest lands near the park make up another 643,000 acres. Through the Department of Natural Resources, the State of Washington manages 368,000 acres of forest lands in this area. Another 255,000 acres are part of Indian Reservation lands. The remaining land belongs to private residents, agriculture, and industrial timber companies. The central core of the area is made up of the Olympic Mountains. They are surrounded by very low lowlands nearly level. Strips of lowland vary between two and ten miles wide on the east side, ten to twenty miles wide on the west side, and thirty miles wide along the peninsula’s south side.


Human impact on this elk herd has occurred both directly and indirectly. Commercial timber harvesting and management of the forest land afterwards have had the largest impact, opening up areas with abundant forage for elk. Numbers of elk increased, resulting in the highest population during the 1970s. As more intensive management in logged areas has begun recently, the amount of forage available to elk has decreased. Since burning clear cuts has been curtailed, less ideal environments for the development of forage for elk have been created. Instead, timber companies have chosen to spray herbicides, removing plants that are eaten by elk. Road construction for logging activities has also had an impact, as elk avoid roads, and these roads also give more access to legitimate hunters and to poachers.


The biggest source of mortality in the Olympic Elk Herd is harvesting by hunters. The increased availability of roads has encouraged this, as easier travel makes finding animals and transporting them a simpler task. Bigger clearcut areas mean hunters have an easier time seeing animals in the field. Overhunting in the 1980s produced a major decline in the numbers of this animal. The most likely reason for this decline is a large harvest of antlerless elk during the late 1980s and early 1990s. A low reproductive rate, coupled with overharvesting of cows, can cause the population to decline speedily. However, the current numbers are up thirty-four percent from the mid-1990s estimated population of 6,000 elk. This means that recent restrictions on human access to the animals is replenishing their population.


Currently, goals for management of the Olympic Elk Herd include cooperating closely with affected Native American tribes, as well as managers of private and public land. Maintaining adequate elk habitat on lands controlled by these groups is an important part of managing these animals. Additional goals include increasing the combined numbers of elk to at least 11,350 individuals outside of Olympic National Park, maintaining a proportion of twelve bulls to every hundred cows after the hunting season is over, and increasing and improving habitat where it is a limiting factor in achieving the population goals in the management plan.


Since elk can be a nuisance to private landowners, minimization of damage caused by elk is also a concern. Work with landowners to minimize road densities in areas where too much traffic is a problem is planned, as well as work to enhance available elk forage and habitat on private land. Better survey accuracy is also desired, so as to have a more accurate idea of the current elk population. Generally, the management plan calls for the reversal of the Olympic Herd’s decline in numbers, in order to ensure that populations in the Olympic Peninsula will be huntable for the foreseeable future.

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North Cascade Elk Herd Management Plan – State of Washington

February 11th, 2010
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The North Cascade, or Nooksack, Elk Herd, is the smallest of the ten herds living in the State of Washington. It is also the northernmost herd in the western part of Washington. However, despite its size, this herd is of considerable benefit to the citizens of Washington, in both aesthetic and economic arenas. It also provides recreational value, in the form of animals hunted and the opportunity to view wildlife in its natural habitat. The North Cascade herd also is important to Native American tribes in the area, providing subsistence, cultural resources, and ceremonial uses.


This herd was reintroduced into the state, resulting from successfully imported animals placed in the area in 1946 and 1948. The peak population of this herd occurred in 1984, at 1,700 elk. However, a sharp decline has occurred, and now the herd numbers no more than 300 individuals.


The core population of this elk herd in the Nooksack game management unit occupies an area of about 492 square miles (1,230 square km). In addition to this core population, another 125 elk live in agricultural land bordering the Skagit River. These elk mostly live in small, relatively isolated pockets of habitat. Remaining members of the herd live north of the Skagit River, in higher elevation, forested areas, and have been known to cause nuisances and damage to property. Expanding urban development is threatening the continued existence of these elk.


Data collected on the population and growth trends show that this herd has good potential. Although the survey data was limited in the sample size possible, it showed good production of calves. However, these favorable conditions have not been enough, since the herd has remained static at low population levels. Although the hunting season has been closed on this herd, unaccounted mortality may be preventing the population from rising.


Although the habitat changes caused by timber harvesting should have favored growth in the herd’s population, increased human access may be resulting in additional deaths. There have been some problems with damage caused by elk on agricultural lands. However, the private lands along the River are important elk habitats, and should be protected and preserved to maintain the population of this herd.


This area is covered mostly by coniferous forest below the timberline. Three major zones of forest exist, depending on elevation and available moisture. They are the western hemlock zone, Pacific silver fir zone, and mountain hemlock zone. The western hemlock zone is the most important in timber production, and is likely to be effected by timber harvesting. Intensive logging, especially the practice of clear-cutting, has compromised the herd’s ability to survive in the winter range and breed in the summer range. Heavy road traffic and human disturbance are the largest causes of this. Unfortunately, most of the winter ranges for elk are also within this zone. Some parts of this zone, in the foothills along the southern and western perimeter of the elk’s range, are used for agricultural purposes.


The current management plan for the North Cascade Elk Herd calls for increasing the population in the Nooksack unit to around 1,450 animals, with an addition 200 in the Sauk unit. The goal for the entire herd area is around 1,950 individuals. The expansion of this herd into the available range south of the Skagit River, in the Sauk unit, is to be promoted. Both tribal and non-tribal hunting seasons would be able to be reestablished if there are enough animals to support them.


To help decrease mortality from human action, and to help people understand the value of their natural resource, public awareness of elk should be promoted. This includes photographic and viewing opportunities. Damage from elk on private property should be minimized to promote better public opinion of the elk management plan and of the herd.


The plan also calls for management of hunted units to acquires post-season bull ratios that are consistent with the state guidelines. These call for more than twelve bulls for each hundred cows. Mortality rates for bulls are to be less than fifty percent. To help preserve an adequate population, the forest service, state, and private lands should all be encouraged to maintain or increase their current capacities for providing elk habitat. Critical areas used by elk should be preserved and enhanced when possible.

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Hanford Elk Herd Management Plan – State of Washington

February 9th, 2010
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The Hanford Elk Herd, also known as the Rattlesnake Hills Elk Herd, has been rapidly expanding in recent years, especially in the Fitzner-Eberhart Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) reserve of the Hanford site. This reserve is a restricted access area with unique habitats that is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This organization is currently developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the management of this area. An important component of this plan will be the conflicting management issues that have occurred in relation to this herd. It will be a coordinated effort between the USFWS, the DOE (Department of Energy), and the WDFW to manage the elk in the long term.


Two major subspecies of elk reside in Washington State. Roosevelt elk are indigenous to the Pacific coastal region. Rocky Mountain elk live primarily in the eastern part of the state. Washington is sixth in ranking for population of North American continental elk. Around 62,000 elk reside in the state, split about equally between the two subspecies. The Hanford Elk Herd is made up of Rocky Mountain Elk. Historically, these animals inhabited arid shrub steppe habitats in the Columbia Basin. However, by 1850, they had been hunted to extinction. Modern Washington elk, including those that make up the Hanford herd, are descended from fifty individuals imported in 1913, from Montana, or from later transplants released in the Blue Mountains and Colockum areas.


In 1930 the elk population in the state was around 15,000. It peaked in 1970 at around 69,000. Recently, many populations have shown a trend towards population decline. However, the Yakima elk and populations of animals in northeastern Washington have not had this problem, and have shown continuous, dramatic increases in population through their histories. The Rattlesnake Hills, or Hanford Elk Herd, has particularly shown continual growth since its probably beginning in 1972, as an offshoot from the Yakima population.


In the past, liberal hunting seasons have been used in an attempt to control the size of this population. Between 1986 and the present day, the seasons have varied between thirty and nearly sixty days in length. In some cases, only bulls with visible antlers were considered legal animals. In other seasons, mixed sex hunting was permitted. Harvesting has, however, been inconsistent from year to year. This is because of the lack of hunting access in the ALE and poor access from private lands. Recent increased cooperation by landowners has increased the number of elk taken. However, hunting alone is not an effective solution to the growing population.


The expansion of this herd’s numbers poses a threat to the unique habitats of the ALE Reserve, through damage caused by these animals. In addition, nearby private lands are also at risk of suffering heavy crop and property damage. These dangers need to be addressed in any elk management plan for this area.


The current management plan for the Hanford Elk Herd is intended to provide basic information on the elk and their situation, to help discuss alternative actions and to set the direction for the elk population’s management, both on the ALE and on adjacent public and private lands. It has a number of major goals, which include the following:


Provision of background information about the elk population in Rattlesnake Hills and on the Hanford Site, as well as in Game Management Units (GMUs) 371 and 372.


Identification of problems that are associated with the Rattlesnake Hills elk population.


Identification of appropriate parties with which cooperation should be begun. These may include federal, state, and local agencies and governments, private landowners, local tribes who may function as co-managers, and other parties which have an interest in the management of the elk herd. Coordination and cooperation with each of these parties will be necessary for effective elk management.


Discussion of the various options and alternatives for the current management and future of this subpopulation of the larger Yakima Elk Herd is also important. It is also vital to ensure that any actions taken in this plan to not preclude the management options that are being developed by the USFWS.

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