SPOKANE, Wash. - "Moose on the Loose" is the aptly-named title of some free presentations in the Spokane area in the next month, starting tonight.

It isn't the only area of Washington where people have to learn to coexist with moose, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Spokane Valley office regularly gets calls from folks with a giant ungulate in their yard.

Don't feed them, said Candace Bennett, a WDFW wildlife conflict specialist. Don't turn your dog loose to scare them off, she said, and be aware of the signs that a docile moose is about to become agitated.

"We can't stress enough that they're such beautiful animals, but they can be very dangerous," she said. "If you're banging pots and making noise and they turn and face you - their ears go down, the hair on their shoulders goes up, you know, any type of aggressive behavior - they can be dangerous."

Bennett said moose are extremely sensitive to heat, so as the weather warms they'll gravitate toward the shade trees and sprinkler systems of suburban yards. She said it's smart to call Fish and Wildlife if you see the same moose around for more than a day. It could mean they're getting too comfortable in an area and might need to be relocated to stay safe.

Bennett said the department is undertaking a study to find out why, unlike other areas, more moose seem to be moving into parts of Washington, from the northeast to the Blue Mountains.

"Several other locations are actually seeing a decline of moose, anywhere from a 20 to 75 percent decline," she said. "It could be a parasite; it could be climate change. But we're one of the few locations where we're seeing an expansion of the population, we think."

If a moose appears to be white in color, she said, it usually means it's been infested with ticks and has scratched off its hair. Tick infestations even can be fatal for moose.

The first "Moose on the Loose" presentation is at 6:30 p.m. today at South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St., Spokane. Others will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 11 at North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Road., Spokane; and at 6 p.m. May 20 at the WDFW Eastern Region office, 2315 N. Division St., Spokane Valley.


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The State of Washington is proposing to downgrade gray wolves from "endangered" to "sensitive" status as a species.

At last count, there were 260 gray wolves in Washington, a population which has steadily grown at an average rate of 23% since 2008, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Colin Reynolds, senior adviser for the Northwest program at Defenders of Wildlife, contended changing the gray wolf status could jeopardize the progress. He said in the western two-thirds of the state, gray wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act but in the eastern third, there are no federal protections and wolves are managed by the state.

"Right now in the eastern third of Washington, there are penalties for the illegal killing of gray wolves, and there's also penalties ascribed to that," Reynolds explained. "If the classification goes from 'endangered' to 'sensitive,' as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would like, those penalties are a little bit less, in a number of circumstances."

Reynolds pointed out the gray wolf recovery efforts are guided by the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, adopted in 2011. Since then, wolves have met recovery standards in certain parts of the state but not all, so he argued it is no time to change the rules.

The state countered reclassification is warranted, as gray wolves have seen 15 years of consecutive population growth, data models project it is likely to continue and there are enough state-level protections already in place to keep the population sustainable. Reynolds disagreed.

"We totally recognize and celebrate that the population has grown," Reynolds acknowledged. "But a population growth isn't the same as the recovery standards in the Wolf Plan. We haven't met that geographical distribution."

Reynolds also noted recent instances of gray wolf killings across the West. The deaths of three gray wolves in Oregon prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a $50,000 reward for information about the case.

Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss are making it difficult for many indigenous species to survive.

A coalition of conservation organizations will hold the annual Manu o Ku Festival this weekend to celebrate the islands' myriad species.

John Kantor, a wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Federation, said the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act has helped preserve many exotic Hawaiian species.

"The federal Endangered Species Act, and the funds that are raised for migratory birds under the various programs there, are funding the frontline researchers and conservationists and folks that are trying to solve this multitude of issues that threaten Hawaii's birds," he explained.

The festival, sponsored by the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the National Wildlife Federation, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Coronation Pavilion of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

Kanter said the Migratory Bird Treaty was created in 1918 and updated in 1936. In conjunction with Canada, Mexico and other nations, it limits the taking of certain species for commercial products or as game. He cited the wood duck as one example, which is now plentiful but was almost wiped out a century ago.

"That species was almost extinct," he said, "and it is a hunted species - but there's strict regulations that are developed between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states every year, based on the number of birds, that then are applied to the following season."

This year's festival celebrates the manu o ku, or white fairy tern, as an ambassador for other native Hawaiian species. Organizers have said conservation groups, educators and others are invited to share games and activities for people of all ages in learning about the manu o ku.

An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Arkansas mudalia snail under the Endangered Species Act.

In Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River, mudalia are critically endangered freshwater snails.

Trisha Sharma, legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity, emphasized the need to save the snail from vanishing entirely. She said freshwater mollusks are the most endangered group of animals in North America, and snails are the most endangered mollusks.

"We've already lost more than 70 species of freshwater snails," Sharma pointed out. "The Endangered Species Act has a very high success rate. So if we can get it listed and protected under the ESA, it's highly likely that the species will survive and be able to continue playing its important role in the ecosystems where it's found."

Sharma noted areas where the Arkansas mudalia can be found have decreased by 90% and the main threat to the species is habitat degradation, primarily from dam construction and operation along the rivers.

Sharma emphasized mudalia is also threatened by habitat loss from grazing, logging and mining. She added climate change is also expected to threaten the species.

"Part of what can make a species more resilient to climate impacts is its ability to disperse as its habitat becomes unsuitable, and to essentially relocate to areas where it can survive," Sharma explained. "But snails have a pretty narrow set of habitat requirements and very limited dispersal capabilities."

Sharma said freshwater snails play a crucial role in managing nutrients by consuming detritus and plant matter, preventing their decay and subsequent disruption of water quality, and snails are vital for food webs, converting unusable food sources into usable ones for birds and turtles.


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