Post by: CGDucksandDeer on May 28, 2019, 12:30:11 PM
Folks interested in showing support for continued pronghorn recovery should take WDFW's survey: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/pronghorn-antelope-management/survey (https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/pronghorn-antelope-management/survey)
They're hearing some input from landowners and farmers understandably skeptical about one more species potentially chewing on their crops or causing them to replace fences, but other states have shown there are ways to mitigate these issues and provide compensation for losses and/or habitat preservation.
We may never have the pronghorn numbers of other states, but a population stretching across central Washington is a reasonable goal, as are wildlife watching opportunities and special permit hunts. If we want the state to work toward these goals, now's the time to tell WDFW.
More: http://nwsportsmanmag.com/central-washington-pronghorn-management-subject-of-2-meetings-survey/ (http://nwsportsmanmag.com/central-washington-pronghorn-management-subject-of-2-meetings-survey/)
My comments:
As a Washington hunter and wildlife enthusiast, I support the continued recovery of pronghorn in our state. This native species has been missing for far too long, and should be restored to sustainable levels where suitable habitat remains. Now that pronghorn have regained a foothold thanks to reintroduction programs by tribes and sportsmen's groups, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife should prioritize efforts to restore this unique species to other areas of central Washington. Well-connected pronghorn herds stretching from the Yakama Nation to the Colville Reservation should be the state’s goal, with particular emphasis on the large, fairly-contiguous state and federal shrub-steppe lands around Ellensburg and Yakima. Restoring pronghorn antelope here and on other public lands will have significant value for wildlife watchers, Indigenous peoples, outdoor recreationists and hunters, as well as our natural heritage and the ecology of Washington’s shrub-steppe. Please make pronghorn a priority. Thank you.
Post by: boneaddict on May 28, 2019, 12:33:15 PM
Post by: Jonathan_S on May 28, 2019, 12:57:30 PM
Post by: Stein on May 28, 2019, 01:07:49 PM
Post by: Bob33 on May 28, 2019, 01:14:34 PM
I'll never understand why the state (driven by sue happy groups) are so bent on introducing some but not all extirpated species. They talk about going back to pre-European landscapes, but they could care less about crashing elk and mule deer herds and zero about antelope, caribou and whatever else is gone or close.George Orwell answered that in "Animal Farm". ;)
Post by: CGDucksandDeer on May 28, 2019, 04:49:21 PM
Taken. I'd love them to be healthy enough to be hunted probably on a special permit basis but mores so just want them here.
Totally. After seeing them in other states, you can't help but feel their absence in the open shrub-steppe of central Washington, even if they were never as numerous here at the NW edge of their historic range.
Just seeing a herd glide across that country while out hunting birds or muleys would be enough for me. Darn tasty critters when handled properly, though.
Post by: follow maggie on May 28, 2019, 11:34:50 PM
Post by: kirkl on May 29, 2019, 09:25:25 AM
Post by: Jpmiller on May 29, 2019, 09:40:51 AM
And their already looking to make money on it with the raffle and auction questions.
Good, I answered those in strong support. The program could use some big chunks of private funding.
Post by: wheels on May 29, 2019, 09:55:12 AM
Post by: dwils233 on June 06, 2019, 03:04:32 PM
As a hunter and outdoorsman, there is little I can say better than president Theodore Roosevelt, particularly that “There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.” We are uniquely suited to upend the past extirpation of the pronghorn in this state, even as we see populations of other native species such as Caribou, wild salmon and steelhead decline. Some people may point to these precarious species as a reason not to focus additional effort on an additional species, however nothing can be further from the truth. In these times of setbacks in conservation, we need to double-down efforts to demonstrate the success of our wildlife populations and management actions. Every effort should be made to return these animals in manageable populations within the state of Washington, our state which prides itself so much on the bounty of our natural resources. Warranted concerns of crop damage and competition with livestock should be addressed, but to concede to these challenges as insurmountable obstacles for reintroduction is shortsighted and ignorant at its best, and cowardice at its worst. If we cannot come up with reasonable, scientifically-sound wildlife management policies that supersede business, industrial and partisan interests than we, as a state or country, are no better now than we were over 100 years ago regarding wildlife policies and population management. It is imperative that the WDFW, the state of Washington and its residents prioritize the return of a native species to its traditional range wherever suitable for the sake of our biodiversity, cultural and natural heritage, and for the intrinsic decency of being good stewards of this beautiful state.
Post by: bobcat on June 06, 2019, 03:20:19 PM
Post by: buckfvr on June 06, 2019, 03:25:35 PM
Post by: Stein on June 06, 2019, 04:05:59 PM
Were bison ever native to Washington State?
Yes, but barely. I wouldn't get your hopes up, I just checked and they aren't on the cool animal list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison#/media/File:Bison_original_range_map.svg
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 07, 2019, 03:59:35 PM
Range was more extensive than the map shows, though they were not very numerous at the time of European exploration. There are bison remains found in a jump site at Moses Coulee in Douglas County. The last wild bison in the state, IIRC, was killed near the Columbia River in what is now Lake Roosevelt.Were bison ever native to Washington State?
Yes, but barely. I wouldn't get your hopes up, I just checked and they aren't on the cool animal list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison#/media/File:Bison_original_range_map.svg
https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/moses-coulee-dramatic-tales-of-the-land-and-its-people/
"The coulee once was home to bigger game. Excavation to build Highway 2 through the belly of the coulee unearthed what’s believed to be a game-jump site, where natives herded animals off a bluff to kill them. Bones from buffalo and bighorn sheep were among the remains."
Post by: CGDucksandDeer on June 10, 2019, 11:28:23 AM
Their range in the Inland Northwest is thought to have begun to contract (possibly due to increased human pressure via the horse and other efficient hunting methods, or climactic changes to range conditions, or both) a century or more before Lewis and Clark, with some small, roving herds still present in far eastern Washington and Oregon but little in terms of a resident population by the early 1800's.
Would be super cool to see them back in the canyon country around the Blues someday. Range conditions (ex. overgrazing by wild horses on the Yakama Reservation), habitat fragmentation and development for ag in central Washington and the Palouse likely preclude recovery elsewhere in our state.
Some more on the topic: http://www.confluenceproject.org/blog/yes-buffalo-did-once-roam-here/ (http://www.confluenceproject.org/blog/yes-buffalo-did-once-roam-here/)
"The number of animals that succeeded in reaching eastern Washington or Oregon either by getting through the mountains or by migrating around through the plains of Oregon was undoubtedly very small.[xvii] Had there been no human enemies – Native American or foreigners – the buffalo would likely have made their way eventually to the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Charles Pickering who accompanied Lieutenant Johnson of the Wilkes Expedition in 1841 crossed the Cascade Mountains eastward bound and visited Colville, Lapwai and other places of the interior. Pickering noted the absence of game in the region, stating that it was outside the range of buffalo but seemingly well-adapted to them.
The Spokane Indians told stories of their forefathers surrounding and killing the last buffalo in the Spokane Valley probably between 1810 and 1820. They also recalled that earlier in the previous century a large number of buffalo were killed north of Moses Lake or the Grand Coulee."
Post by: Bango skank on June 10, 2019, 12:05:24 PM
Post by: Brushcrawler on June 13, 2019, 07:36:04 PM