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NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

VOICE of the WILD OLYMPICSOlympic Park Associates Founded in 1948

Vol. 16, No. 1Winter 2008

Contents

Fishers Are Returning toOlympic National Park!

by Tim McNulty

Continued on P. 3, Fisher

ONP GeneralManagement PlanReleased 3

Calendar 3

Winter StormDamage in Park

4 & 5

Elwha RestorationProgress 6

50th CelebrationDouglas Beach

Hike - May 30 6

2008 WildernessConferenceApril 3-5 7

Olympic CoastCleanupApril 26 7

In Memoriam 8Harry LydiardJan Klippert

ONP WildlifeUpdate 9

Rep. Norm DicksGets AdamsAward 10

Dicks Opposes Gunsin Nat’l Parks 10

Book Review:The Last WildWolves 11

Photo courtesy of Olympic National Park

On a cold, clear Sunday in late January,Olympic National Park reached a milestone. Eleven fishers scampered out of their carryingpens and into the snowy forests of the Elwhaand Morse Creek valleys. The release markedthe culmination of years of research, planningand coordination among agency biologists andconservationists. Biologists Jeff Lewis fromthe Washington Department of Fish and Wild-life, and Patti Happe from Olympic NationalPark managed the project. Staff from theiragencies and Olympic National Forest alsocooperated. Non-profits Conservation North-west and Washington National Parks Fund

contributed funding. And OPA and other conser-vation groups across the state rallied support (seeFisher to Return to Olympic National Park in theFall, 2007, Voice and Return of the Fisher in theWinter, 2006, Voice).

On March 2, seven more fishers were released,bringing the total in the Olympics to 18 (twelvemales and six females). Over the next three yearsup to 100 fishers will be restored to Olympicforests from healthy populations in BritishColumbia. They will be reintroduced to theirformer habitats from the Elwha west to theQuinault valleys. When they settle in and success-

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VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

Olympic Park AssociatesBoard of Trustees*Executive Committee

President*Donna Osseward Seattle

Vice President*John Woolley Sequim

Secretary*Philip Zalesky Everett

Treasurer*Tom Bihn Port Angeles

*Paul Crawford Port Angeles*Polly Dyer Seattle

*Tim McNulty SequimJohn Edwards Seattle

David Friedman SeattlePatrick Goldsworthy Seattle

Dan Lieberman SeattleJoe Mentor, Jr. Seattle

Bruce Moorhead Port AngelesMary Peck Port AngelesSally Soest Seattle

Advisory Board MembersHoward Apollonio Bellingham

Carsten Lien SeattleRandall Payne Renton

Rick Rutz Friday HarborJim Scarborough Bellingham

Norman Winn SeattleMembership Chair

Laura Zalesky 2433 Del Campo DrEverett, WA 98208

Newsletter EditorSally W. Soest 2055 43rd Av E #202

Seattle, WA 98112OPA’s Web Page

www.olympicparkassociates.org

OPA Board MeetingsNext: March 26, May 28, 2008Time: 6:00 pmPlace: Kingston Community CenterPlease join us. OPA members are always welcome at Board meetings.The regular OPA Board meetings are in the Kingston Community

Center on the 4th Wednesday of odd-numbered months, except forThanksgiving, and no meeting in July.

If you wish to reach your members of Congress:U.S. Congress Switchboard: (202) 224-3121From this number you can reach any member of the US Senate or House of Representatives.

US Senate, Washington DC 20510 www.senate.govSenator Patty Murray

Phone (DC): 202-224-2621Fax: 202-224-0238Seattle: 206-553-5545E-mail: Senator_Murray@murray.senate.gov

Senator Maria CantwellPhone (DC): 202-224-3441Fax: 202-228-0514Seattle: 206-220-6400E-Mail: maria_cantwell@cantwell.senate.gov

US House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515www.house.gov

Representative Jay Inslee, Dist. 1308 Cannon House Office BuildingPhone (DC): 202-225-6311FAX: 202-226-1606WA: 425-640-0233Web: www.house.gov/inslee

Representative Rick Larsen, Dist. 21529 Longworth HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-2605FAX: 202-225-4420WA: 425-252-3188Web: www.house.gov/larsen

Representative Brian Baird, Dist. 31721 Longworth HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-3536FAX: 202-225-3478WA: 360-695-6292email: brian.baird@mail.house.gov

Representative Doc Hastings, Dist. 41323 Longworth HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-5816FAX: 202-225-3251WA: 509-543-1972Web: www.house.gov/hastings

Rep. Cathy McMorris, Dist. 51708 Longworth HOBPhone: (202) 225-2006Web: www.mcmorris.house.gov

Representative Norm Dicks, Dist. 62467 Rayburn HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-5916Fax: 202-225-1176Toll-free 800-947-NORM (947-6676)Web: www.house.gov/dicks

Rep. Jim McDermott, Dist. 71035 Longworth HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-3106FAX: 202-225-6197WA: 206-553-7170Web:www.house.gov/mcdermott

Rep. David G. Reichert, Dist. 81223 Longworth HOBPhone (DC): (202) 225-7761Web: www.house.gov/reichert

Rep. Adam Smith, Dist. 9116 Cannon HOBPhone (DC): 202-225-8901FAX: 202-225-5893Toll free 1-888-smith09 (764-8409)Web:www.house.gov/adamsmith

Voice OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

is published three times per year by Olym-pic Park Associates. Unless specifically copyrighted, articlesmay be reprinted without permission.However, credit is appreciated.

OPA membership dues are:$20 for individuals;$25 for families;$35 (or more) contributing member;$50 for organizations;$5 for students or low income individuals;$250 for an individual life membership.

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50% recycled paper,20% post-consumer waste.

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NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

fully reproduce, they will bring the spectacularwilderness of Olympic National Park animportant step closer to ecological wholeness.The only remaining wildlife species stillmissing from the Olympics is the wolf.

Fishers (Martes pennanti) are sleek, cat-sizehunters of the lowland forest. They were oncefairly common throughout the Northwest, buttheir lustrous, sable-like fur proved too valu-able on the commercial market. As a result,fishers were all but wiped out by commercialtrapping on the Olympic Peninsula andthroughout much of the West by the1950s. Intensive clearcutting of the lowlandforest sealed their fate. By the end of the 20thcentury, only a few isolated populationsremained on the West Coast. The last recordedfisher in the Olympics was trapped atLilliwaup Swamp in 1969.

A 2004 feasibility study by WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife found thatOlympic Park forests provided the best habitatfor restoring fishers to Washington, where theyare listed as a state endangered splices. In2006, the Washington Department of Fish andWildlife and Olympic National Park proposedto reintroduce fishers into park forests. Theplan was met with popular support, and finalapproval came in November of 2007.

The animals were trapped north of WilliamsLake in British Columbia. They underwentmedical exams and were fitted with radio

collars and transmitters for monitoring. Thefirst eleven were released at remote sites in theElwha River and Morse Creek valleys.

The second release of seven fishers alsotook place in the Elwha. Former OlympicNational Park wildlife biologist and OPAtrustee Bruce Moorhead assisted with theMarch release.

Moorhead welcomes the reintroduction. “Weknow from Yellowstone the positive affects arestored predator can have on the long-termhealth of a natural system,” he observed. “Soputting one of the major pieces back into theOlympics is a significant step in restoring thisecosystem.”

Members of the Stevens Middle SchoolAnimal Club and other school children helpedrelease some of the animals at the Elwhasites. The fishers appeared well cared for: dark,sleek and healthy as they bolted from theirplywood pens into the surrounding old-growthforest. Cameras flashed, but the animals didn’tlook back. Radio tracking indicates the fishersare now exploring new habitats across thenorth central Olympics. Douglas squirrels andsnowshoe hares are advised to take note.

Stevens Middle School student KelseyCoffman, who helped with the January release,captured the spirit of the day. “This is such agreat honor,” she said. “It’s like they’recoming home.”

Finally! The long-awaited General Manage-ment Plan/Environmental Impact Statement(Final GMP) was released on March 13, afterseven-plus years of work. This extremelyimportant, 950-page document establishes avision for managing Olympic National Park forthe next 15 to 20 years.

Olympic Park Associates contributedextensive comments during the drafting phasesof this plan, and we will be examining the finaldocument carefully.

Implementation of the plan will include thedevelopment (finally) of a Wilderness manage-ment plan, an issue of highest priority for OPA.Stay tuned for more in the next issue of theVoice.

The Final GMP/EIS is available http://parkplanning.nps.gov, and as a CD by calling(360) 565-3004. Copies are also available atthe Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles andmany area libraries.

Olympic National ParkFinal General Management Plan Released

Fishers Return to Olympic National Park Continued from P. 1

Calendar Notes: For more information, please turn to Pages 6 & 7.April 3 - 5 Wilderness Conference: The Future of Wilderness In a Time of Change, Seattle, WAApril 26 Eighth Annual Olympic Coast CleanupMay 30 50th Anniversary Justice Douglas Olympic Beach Hike, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, WA

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VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

Winter Storms Create Havoc In Park . . . . . . . . . . .

The Hoh River Rain Forest -- Paradise ofOlympic National Park -- is a place you justcan’t get to anymore: by car that is. Parkofficials are hard at work, but it sounds likemid-May before visitors can once again accessthis sentinel stop on the Olympic Loop drive.Extensive blowdowns and washouts occurredin the Olympic Mountains once again, andthat’s without yet being able to seriously checkout snow-covered areas within the Park. Talk isof $6 million just to access the Hoh! Damageat Twin Creek, a mile east of the entrancestation, is major, say Park officials. An interimrepair of the road was necessary this winter toallow stranded vehicles to get out, including a

rental car.Barb Maynes, Park spokesperson, reports

that grading at Twin Creek and acquiring extralarge culverts will require further study, and afinal fix will not be clear until late February.OPA has contacted Congressman Norm Dicksto encourage support for Park repairs, withparticular concern about the needs of spawn-ing salmon.

Park personnel have already been at work atTaft Creek, near the Hoh Visitor Center andCampground. Often an area for close-upviewing of elk, Taft Pond has also become asignificant salmon spawning area since con-struction of the original Hoh Road. Floods of

Costly Hoh River Road Washoutsby John Woolley, OPA Vice-President

The record-breaking storm of Decem-ber 3, 2007, caused massive damage inOlympic National Park. The Elwha Riverrose 14 feet in 24 hours. It reached arecord-setting peak of 24.65 feet, with32,500 cubic feet per second of waterflowing past the McDonald Bridge gage, upfrom 658 cfs the previous day.

Countless Park roads and even majorhighways were closed for a time by storm-related damage: blowdown and fallen powerlines, rockslides, flooding, and washouts.Closures included Highway 101 and Highway112, making it difficult to reach the Park’s westside destinations to assess damage.

Olympic Hot Springs Road was flooded; amudslide 5 feet deep and 60 feet wide coveredthe Sol Duc Road; the Hoko-Ozette was closedwith downed trees and power lines. HurricaneRidge road was closed by rockslides.

As of February 1, Park crews were stillstruggling to restore public access.Quinault Rain Forest

Over seven inches of rain fell in theQuinault Valley between December 2 and3 and high winds toppled uncountednumbers of trees.

Sections of the North Shore, South

Storm Damage Update:Based on news releases from Olympic National ParkPublic Comments Were Sought onRepairing Quinault South Shore and Graves Creek Roads

Shore, North Fork, and Graves Creek Roadsare closed to all public entry, including footand bicycle access. The Park hopes to haveaccess restored sometime in March.

The Quinault North Fork Road was coveredby hundreds, if not thousands, of trees by thewindstorm of December 3. It is currently openas far as Clark Hill, giving area residentsaccess to their homes.

The South Shore Road is closed beyondthat point because of a 750-foot long roadwashout and a 150-foot long rockslide, plusbank erosion and blowdown.

The Graves Creek Road was severelydamaged in nine locations by floodwaters ofthe Quinault River, heavy rain, runoff, anddowned trees.Dosewallips Road

The Dosewallips Road remains closedbecause of a worsening washout outside thePark boundary.Staircase

The Staircase Road sustained major damageduring the December storm, both within andoutside of the park boundary. Olympic Na-tional Park and Olympic National Forest hopeto develop a strategy for reopening the road bythe summer season.

Continued on P. 5, Hoh River

USFS Road 24.Photo by BruceMoorehead.

Bear Gulch Restroom.Photo by BruceMoorehead.

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NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

. . . .Costly Recovery Underway to Restore Access

Driftwood logs remained well up on the onthe lawns of Lake Quinault Lodge. The braidedislands in the Quinault River were swept bareof young alder growth, and a home on theSouth Shore Road hung out over the newlyrelocated river bank.

Driving and hiking access are limited. Onecouple chose to day-hike a nearby one-mileloop trail just south of the Lodge, and spent thenight out in the woods after losing their way inthe massive blowdowns. Dogs located them thenext morning.

The North Fork Road was covered withtrees to the extent that the roadway was notvisible in the chaos. A Park Service employeeexclaimed that the entire forest canopy is gonein places. It took nearly two months to clearthe way to the North Fork RangerStation. Sitka Spruce more than three feet indiameter were snapped or twisted off theirtrunks 30 feet above the ground. Talk was of100 mph winds, churning like a vortex throughthe forest. Big leaf maple and alder sufferedunusual damage.

As we walked though the wreckage on theclosed North Fork Road, starting at the ClarkHill gate, we encounter an elk herd, and asurprising number of mature Bald eaglesroosting in maples thirty feet off the ground, agood distance from the river waters. I couldn’thelp wondering how they handle the terror of

Lake Quinault Waters Rise Over 18 Feet, Dosewallips Washout Worsens

by John Woolley, OPA Vice-President such severe weather. Olympic Park Associates has provided

scoping comments for an environmentalanalysis of proposed repairs by the end ofFebruary. Options may include the design andplacement of engineered log jams and bankbarbs to protect the road better while protectingand improving habitat for fish.

Bruce Moorhead, retired Park biologist,suggests that very specific written commentsabout specific sites along the two routes mayhave some influence on Park decisions -- forexample, on how heavy-handedly the repairsmay be done. However the Quinault in-holdersand local residents’ lobby will likely dominatewhen Congressman Dicks weighs in.

Paul Crawford, retired wilderness ranger,responds, “Fat Chance!” when asked about“the Park’s intention to perform a ‘permanent’fix on the South Shore Road.” He says, “Noroad in that valley is permanent. And I’mcurious to see how they propose to fix thingswithout encroaching on the Wildernessboundary. Pontoons?” Crawford also wonderswhy the Park is spending so much time andeffort opening the North Fork Road. “I’ve beenadvocating closing that darn thing at the bridgefor years. It serves a tiny, flood-prone camp-ground and trailhead.”

Climate change is upon us. Shall we continueas if such damage is normal, as though we cancontinually turn back the clock?

OPA Provides Scoping Comments on Repair Options

gravel had cut off the pond from the river, sosalmon could no longer reach the pond and itstributaries. In this case, the Park’s focus onwildlife is admirable, as they were able to re-open channels before salmon runs had started.

OPA encourages the Park to give priority tosalmon enhancement at this time when makingmajor repairs, and we are hopeful that thePark’s careful study of grading and culvertlocation will be successful.

Only major hiking trails will likely becleared by repair crews for this summerseason.

It shouldn’t be very difficult to find awilderness experience in the Park this year.

Dosewallips washout iseven more dramaticsince winter storms.Photo by John Woolley.

Hoh River, Continued from P. 4

Was

hout

Road

Road

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VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

Construction work has begun in earnest onthe $24.5 million Port Angeles Water Treat-ment Plant, with excavation underway for twohuge “clear well” tanks that will hold cleanwater during the final stages of chlorination.The Water Treatment Plant is expected to taketwo years to build.

In addition, contractor Watts/DelHur AJVwill begin constructing the $69.6 millionElwha Water Facilities project, expected totake 3 years to complete.

The Elwha Water Facilities project will takethree years to complete, and the Port Angeles

These projects will protect the drinkingwater and industrial water supply for PortAngeles and other Elwha water users; theseand other mitigation projects must be com-pleted and operational before the dams can beremoved.

Elwha Restoration Project Passes Two Major Milestones,Paving the Way for Dam RemovalBased on OlympicNational Park newsrelease.

Removal of both the Elwha and GlinesCanyon dams will occur simultaneously and isestimated to begin in 2012 and take approxi-mately three years to complete.

The Elwha is the largest watershed on theOlympic Peninsula and was once one of themost productive salmon streams in the PacificNorthwest, home to all five species of Pacificsalmon as well as other fish species. Two damsconstructed in the early 1900s now block fishfrom all but the lower five miles of the river. Removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon damwill restore the Elwha to its natural, free-flowing condition and will once again allowfish access to over 70 river miles of habitatnow protected within Olympic National Park.

Olympic Park Associates had its hands fullduring its first ten years. OPA fought backrepeated attacks on Olympic National Park’swest-side forests, worked to stop salvagelogging within the Park, and struggled againsta Park Service proposal to construct a “scenichighway” along the newly designated Olympiccoastal strip.

That battle reached a climax in August of1958 when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Will-iam O. Douglas led seventy fellow conserva-tionists and reporters on a 22-mile protest hikealong the north wilderness coast.

OPA past president and guiding light PollyDyer helped plan and organize the hike, whichfocused needed attention on the highwayproposal. Current OPA president DonnaOsseward, then a teenager, tagged along,inspired by her father, John, one of OPA’s

OPA to Celebrate 50th Anniversary ofWilliam O. Douglas Hike to Save the CoastFriday, May 30, 7:00 PMPeninsula College Science Building AuditoriumPort Angeles

founding visionaries. Other major figures inAmerican conservation helped plan or partici-pate: Howard Zahniser, author of the Wilder-ness Act, noted naturalists Olaus and MardyMurie, Sigurd Olson, OPA founder IrvingClark, and many OPA trustees no longer withus.

In 1964, Justice Douglas led a second hikealong the southern wilderness coast of Olym-pic, which helped put the road proposalpermanently to bed.

On May 30, OPA and the Olympic ParkInstitute will host a commemorative celebra-tion of the 50th anniversary of the 1958 hike— and the ongoing role of citizen conserva-tionists in coastal conservation on the OlympicPeninsula. OPA’s Polly Dyer and DonnaOsseward will be joined by Doug Scott,wilderness historian, author of The EnduringWilderness, and policy director for Campaignfor America’s Wilderness. Doug will give apresentation and lead a panel discussion on thehistoric hike and the inspiring story of preserv-ing this remarkable wilderness coast.

Check OPA’s web site,olympicparkassociates.com for further information and updates.

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NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

www.WashingtonCoastCleanup.orgSign up now on this great new website.So easy -- just click on your favorite beach!

Join hundreds of volunteers and help remove marine debris from Washington’s beautiful andecologically sensitive coastline: plastic water bottles, fishing nets, tires, and tons of other trash.Help remove this debris before it causes irreparable damage to countless marine mammals, fish,plants, and birds. Last year, over 800 volunteers removed more than 25 tons of debris!

For general questions about the overall event, please email the program coordinator DavidLindau at davidl@coastsavers.org or call him at (206) 220-4279.

If you can’t take part in this year’s Coast Cleanup but wish to honor the memory of itsfounder, Jan Klippert, who passed away in January (see P. 6) you may want to send a donation toWashington Coast Savers Jan Klippert Memorial Fund, 164 S. Jackson St., Seattle,WA 98104.

Eighth Annual Washington Coast Cleanup: April 26,2008

The annual Coast Cleanup is now the signature event of a new, year-round program called CoastSavers.The CoastSavers program is being supported by the newly formed Washington Clean Coast Alliance, a dedicated

group of nonprofits, community groups, tribal organizations, and government agencies all working together to help cleanup Washington’s beaches .

2008 Wilderness ConferenceThe Future of Wilderness in a Time of ChangeApril 3 – 5, 2008Seattle WashingtonWeb Site: http://www.speakeasy.org/~nwwpc/home.htmlJoin conservationists from the US and Canada to examine the changes happening in the world and their impacts onwilderness preservation. Choose from sessions discussing the problems facing preservation, how to be an effectiveadvocate, and on delivering the message of wilderness values.Thursday Evening - FREE Pre-Conference Keynote:

Gary Braasch, Environmental photojournalist:Earth Under Fire - How Global Warming is Changing the World

Kane Hall on UW campusRegister FREE at <http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/28585>The public is welcome but you must reserve a seat.

Friday and SaturdayMountaineers Building300 Third Ave WestSeattle, WashingtonRegister at <http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/28594>

Saturday Night Banquet Speaker:Steven Brown, PhD, Manomet Center for Conservation Research, editor of Arctic Wings:

The Arctic: Nursery to the Birds of the WorldOther featured speakers include:

Bill Meadows, President, The Wilderness Society; Roger Kaye, Wilderness Specialist, US Fish & Wildlife Ser-vice; Dennis Martinez, a Native American and author on forest restoration. Tom O’Keefe, Chair, MountaineersDivision of Recreation Resources; and many more!

Who are CoastSavers? http://www.coastsavers.org/washington.html

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VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

In MemoriamHarry Lydiard

Olympic Park Associates lost one of itslongtime guiding lights last December. Dr.Harry Lydiard passed away at his home by theElwha River.

Harry was a trusted veterinarian in the PortAngeles community, a former Clallam CountyCommissioner, a dedicated forester and adevoted conservationist.

Harry served for more than a half-centuryon the OPA board of trustees. An ardent hikerand member of the Klahhane Club in PortAngeles, he joined the OPA board in 1955. Hisleadership with OPA helped add the northcoast, Shi Shi Beach, Point of the Arches, andthe eastern shore of Ozette Lake to OlympicNational Park. He was central to the effort tokeep a major highway from being constructedup the Sol Duc Valley in ONP, a project thatwould have destroyed 3,000 mature and old-growth trees along one of the Park’s mostscenic drives.

Harry worked for passage of the ElwhaRestoration Act in 1992 and was pivotal in theElwha Citizen’s Committee that helped per-

Remembering Harry Lydiardby Tim McNulty suade Port Angeles civic leaders to support

dam removal. Harry’s respect in the localcommunity went a long way in fostering OPA’sconservation objectives. And his commitmentto sustainable forestry was legendary.

Harry believed that great reserves likeOlympic National Park and National ForestWilderness Areas would only remain safe ifcommercial forest lands were managedsustainably. He backed this up for most of hislife by purchasing logged-over lands andrestoring them to health and productivity. Hewas often out hand-planting trees on his lands— well into his 80s. Before he died he hadprotected over 300 acres of forest lands fromdevelopment through the North Olympic LandTrust. He also protected 40 acres of invaluableSequim-area agricultural land that is now beingfarmed organically in the Dungeness Valley.

Harry was a true visionary. A lover ofpoetry, music, opera. He left three adultchildren and nine grandchildren. He also left alegacy of conservation activism that will beappreciated for generations.

Jan Klippert

Jan Klippert, the inspiration and energybehind the Olympic Coast Cleanup, died ofcancer in January on his 73rd birthday.

Klippert conceived of the cleanup in 2000after hiking the Olympic coast and beingappalled by the amount of trash littering thebeaches. He had retired from a job in which hehad worked with volunteers, and he harnessedthose same skills to inspire a new army ofvolunteers with his enthusiasm.

Since then, some 3,800 volunteers haveremoved an estimated 190 tons of debris, anaverage of nearly 100 pounds per volunteer!

With a sense that his time might be limited,he had the foresight to fold the Coast Cleanup

Founder of Olympic Coast Cleanupinto a new alliance, the Washington CleanCoast Alliance, which has taken over theorganization of the annual cleanup.

Join this eighth annual Coast Cleanup, onApril 26 (see P. 7), and keep Jan’s vision alive.Sign up at: <www.CoastSavers.org>.

“When I started the Cleanup years ago, Icould only dream that the idea would catch onthe way it has. Knowing that the annualCleanup will not only continue, but will beunified with the many other efforts alongWashington’s coast fills me with great gratitudeand hope.”

Jan Klippert, 2008

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NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

Olympic National Park Wildlife Updateby Bruce Moorhead, OPA Trustee, retired former wildlife biologist at Olympic National Park.This update is based on an October 10, 2007 interview with Dr. Patti Happe, Wildlife Branch Chief, Olympic National Park.

Fisher ReintroductionThe first long awaited release of fishers into

the Olympic ecosystem occurred this winterafter a lengthy evaluation process, including anEnvironmental Assessment and Implementa-tion plan by the Washington Department ofFish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the NationalPark Service (NPS). The NPS approved aFinding of No Significant Impact, opening thedoor to fisher reintroduction in OlympicNational Park.

Beginning in December 2007, with ap-proval from Canadian provincial authorities,the plan is to capture and release about 30wild-caught fishers each year over the nextthree years from British Columbia (and possi-bly Alberta) to several locations in and aroundOlympic National Park, totalling about 100animals. Funding is available from the WDFW,U.S. Geological Surevey, Conservation North-west, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Washington’s Park Fund and the National ParkService to begin the program, and if the 2008budget is approved, $150,000 in National ParkService funds will also be available to carryout the program over the next two to threeyears.

The animals will be trapped from centraland northern British Columbia, since fewerfishers occur south of there. Two hundred tofour hundred fishers are trapped each year inB.C. The plan is to pay trappers to divert about9-15% of their annual harvest to live-capturingthe 30 to 35 animals that will be needed fortranslocation each year. The captured fisherswill be released at three locations: The Elwha-Sol Duc, Hoh-Bogachiel, and Queets-QuinaultAreas.

All of the released animals will be radio-collared to monitor their movement, habitatselection, reproductive success, and mortalityover the next three years. Additional funding isbeing applied for continued monitoring effortsover the next ten years and to gain greaterdepth in the research program.

WDFW’s lead biologist, Jeff Lewis will usethe reintroduction effort as his PhD program.

Drs. Kurt Jenkins, USGS wildlife researchbiologist at Olympic National Park, and KeithAubrey, USFS-Pacific Northwest researchbiologist, will be on his graduate committee.

I asked Patti Happe at the Park to keepOlympic Park Associates closely informedabout volunteer opportunities during thereintroduction and monitoring efforts.

Wolf ReintroductionWhile no active plans are underway to

reintroduce wolves to the Olympic Peninsula,the WDFW, with the assistance of a citizensworking group, are working on a Wolf Recov-ery Plan as part of an overall EndangeredSpecies Recovery Plan for Washington State.

In talking with Patti Happe, I gathered thatthe Olympic Peninsula is better understoodnow as having biologically suitable habitat forreintroducing a wolf population. Initially,higher road densities were shown in the upperU.S. Midwest to counter or limit wolf recov-ery. An earlier model there that assessed habitatsuitability for wolf recovery, however, wasbased on a colonizing population. More recentinformation on established wolf populationshas shown that prey density is more importantthan road density in predicting the success andviability of a population. Therefore an earlierestimate of the Olympic Peninsula being ableto support a population of about 50 wolves isprobably too low, because it overestimated theinfluence of roads.

Marmot ResearchSue Griffin has completed her PhD disserta-

tion on marmot ecology in the OlympicMountains at the University of Montana. (SeeThe Status and Conservation Biology of theOlympic Marmot, Summer 2006 Voice.) Shealso has published a couple of papers this yearon her study results.

Julia Witczuk, another UM grad studentstudying marmots in ONP, has an M.S. Thesisin review now that offers some rather signifi-cant evidence of coyote predation on marmots,based on analysis of bobcat, cougar, and

Continued on P. 10, Wildlife.

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VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

coyote scats collected along park trails. Sev-enty-nine of the 958 predator scats collected(8%) contained marmots, and 85% of thosescats were from coyotes, while only 10% werebobcats, and 5% cougars. So while over 80%percent of the predator scats collected werecoyotes, only about 10% of those containedmarmots.

WildlifeIt’s still a bit early to know the manage-

ment implications of this recent research, but itdoes more clearly than ever suggest a need toconsider selective control of coyotes perhapsaround marmot colonies at some locations.

Watch for a sequel article in the Voice onthe upshot of all this research on longtermprospects for the marmot population in ONP.

U.S. Rep. NormDicks, D-Belfair, hasreceived a nationalaward from TheWilderness Societyrecognizing hisleadership in conser-vation-fundingprograms.

The Ansel AdamsAward, named for thecelebratedphotograresources formore than 30 years,said William Mead-ows, president of The

Congressman Norm Dicks Receives the 2008 Ansel Adams Conservation AwardWilderness Society. As the chairman of theHouse Interior and Environment Appropria-tions Subcommittee, Dicks has championedinitiatives on water quality and climate change,including a new $40 million Legacy Roads andTrails Remediation Program.

Michelle Ackerman, Pacific Northwestdirector for the organization, said she isworking closely with Dicks to restore theSkokomish River watershed in the OlympicNational Forest.

Previous recipients include PresidentJimmy Carter, former Senate Majority LeaderGeorge Mitchell, former Vice President AlGore, former Idaho governor Cecil Andrus andU.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington.

Dicks with Wilderness Society PresidentWilliam H. Meadows (R) and Mike Anderson(C) of the Society’s Pacific NW Office.

With a showdown looming, U.S. Rep.Norm Dicks says he’s prepared to block anyeffort by the administration to lift the current banon carrying loaded weapons in national parks.

“Every now and then something rises upthat needs to be fought, and this is one ofthem,” Dicks said.

The ban, and efforts by the National RifleAssociation to lift it, have emerged as a majorSecond Amendment issue this election year….Republicans say they’re just trying to protectthe rights of gun owners….

Current regulations ban loaded weapons infederal parks and refuges. Unloaded weaponscan be carried if they’re locked up, such as in acar trunk.

Dicks said his counterpart in the Senate,Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has told himshe would use her position as chairwoman of theSenate Appropriations interior subcommittee toblock any changes in the current regulations.

“Permitting loaded firearms to be carried or

Rep. Norm Dicks Says He’ll Block Changes to Lift Gun Ban in National ParksBy Les BlumenthalExcerpted from Tacoma News Tribune, March 3rd, 2008.

used within our national parks or wildliferefuges would be a radical, unprecedentedchange that would likely upset the delicatebalance that exists between wildlife and parkvisitors in these areas,” Dicks and Feinsteinsaid in a letter to Kempthorne….

The ban dates to 1936 amid concerns ofillegal hunting and poaching in the parks.

Washington state’s two senators alsooppose any change in the current regula-tions…. [Senator Patty] Murray was also upsetthe issue had interfered with passages of theWild Sky Wilderness legislation, which wasyanked from the floor when Sen. Tom Coburn,R-Okla., a longtime gun-rights advocate, saidhe would offer an amendment to the publiclands bill lifting the ban.

“It’s truly unfortunate the National RifleAssociation has chosen this issue to flex itselection-year political muscle,” said TomKiernan, president of the National ParksConservation Association.

Continued from P. 9.

11

NEWSLETTER OF OLYMPIC PARK ASSOCIATES

Book Review:The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rainforestby Ian McAllister, University of California Press, 2007, 192 pages, with color photographs and DVD included.

Along the west coast of British Columbianorth of Vancouver Island is an immensewilderness of oldgrowth forested islands andpeninsulas naturally fragmented by a networkof steep-sided fjords and waterways. It isaccessible only by boat or small airplane.Known as the “Great Bear Rainforest”, this23,000 square-mile area is still relativelyintact, and only recently has come underincreasing scrutiny and concern by conserva-tionists and scientists alike, as industriallogging and other modern extractive interestshave targeted its natural resources.

In 2006, the B.C. government proposed toprotect 5 million acres of the area from log-ging, along with a process to develop ecosys-tem-based management for an additional 10million acres. Currently, however, most of thearea remains essentially unprotected.

Ian McAllister, co-founder of the GreatBear Rainforest Alliance (GBRA), has spentthe last two decades exploring, photographing,and bringing to public attention—often for thefirst time—the region’s sweeping beauty andbiodiversity. In a 1998 book entitled GreatBear Rainforest: Canada’s Forgotten Coast,he showcased its spectacular scenery andgrizzly bears. He also highlighted the unusualwhite, or cream-colored, form of the black bearfound nowhere else and known locally as theKomode or Spirit Bear.

Now, in the Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts ofthe Rainforest, McAllister has producedanother coffee-table book of stunning photog-raphy that reveals a rather unique coastal formof the gray wolf that’s found here as well.Through intimate (and very difficult to obtain)photos of these wolves, combined with aninteresting and well-written personal narrative,McAllister describes his experiences throughthe seasons with several wolf packs along thismarine coast. Until recently, they have beenknown mainly by the First Nation tribes of thearea. This book offers new insights about theanimals, based on extensive scientific studiescarried out since 2000 by a University ofVictoria graduate student, Chris Darimont, incollaboration with GBRA’s chief scientist, Dr.Paul Paquet, as well as a skilled Heiltsuk FirstNation tracker named Chester Starr, andnumerous volunteers. The research has now

documented the status and ecological role ofwolves throughout this coastal ecosystem.

Among the new findings, these coastalwolves are about 20% smaller than their inlandcounterparts, have shorter and coarser fur, agreater genetic diversity, and a tendency toswim readily from island to island. Whileblacktailed deer are the wolves’ staple preyhere, they also eat black bears and a significantvariety of marine life, including barnacles,mussels, clams, crabs, river otters, mink, seals,and an occasional whale carcass.

They also actively hunt migrating salmonalong the streams, but only eat the brains,which may enable the wolves to avoid para-sites that bears seem unaffected by.

Although living amidst grizzly bears,wolves appear to be the dominant land predatorhere. To illustrate, McAllister describes aninteraction he observed between a wolf packand a grizzly bear. While watching a very largemale grizzly placidly eating salmon carcasseson the open mud flats of an estuary, he saw thebear suddenly stand up, drop the salmon it waseating, look across the estuary, make a loudwoofing sound, and abruptly whirl around andflee as a pack of wolves suddenly appearedfrom the forest and fanned out across the flats.The 13 wolves advanced rapidly with “headsand tails up and ears forward…purposefullytoward the grizzly….There was no questionwhat their intent was.”

This book has enlivened my curiosity aboutthese fascinatinganimals, and Istrongly recommend itto anyone concernedabout the future ofwilderness andwildlife. It’s hearten-ing to learn thatwolves are still livingout their lives as theyhave for generationsalong a coast not allthat far north of us.But it also saddens me

Reviewed by Bruce Moorhead, OPA Trustee and retired former wildlife biologist at Olympic National Park.

Continued onback cover,

Book Review.

12

VOICE OF THE WILD OLYMPICS

Olympic Park AssociatesMembership Application

Membership includes subscription to the OPApublication, Voice of the Wild Olympics.

$250 Individual Life$50 Associate Organization$35+ Contributing$25 Family$20 Individual Member$5 Student / Low Income$____ Gift (not tax-deductible)

The value of an organization endeavoring to promotethe protection and integrity

of a World Heritage Site and its wildernessis infinite.

Name____________________Date_____Street_____________________________City______________State___ZIP______

Please mail to:Laura Zalesky, Membership Chair2433 Del Campo Drive, Everett, WA 98208

to realize how a similar, coastal wolf population lived here too not verylong ago, amid the cloud-shrouded rainforests and coast-bound shoresof the Olympic Peninsula.

Early in the last century the Olympic wolves were destroyed within afew years by trapping and poisoning, as conflicts arose with an evergrowing wave of European homesteaders onto the Peninsula. By theearly 1920’s they were apparently gone. This seems to be the fate ofwolves almost everywhere after a certain number of people becomeestablished nearby. It may also occur before long in the Great BearRainforest unless enlightened and effective protection measures areundertaken soon. This was assuredly not the case for their southermcousins here on the Olympic Peninsula. But maybe, just maybe, in thenot too distant future, wolves may once again return to the Olympicrainforest…just as fishers are now.

For more information on the Great Bear Rainforest and the recentwolf studies, check out the Raincoast Conservation Foundation’swebsite (www.raincoast.org); for more information about conservationmeasures proposed for the Great Bear Rainforest see the NatureConservancy’s website (www.nature.org).

Book Review (Continued from P. 11):The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rainforestby Ian McAllister