Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area (CMWMA) Annual Newsletter
Hello Folks! Welcome to the Craig Mt Wildlife Management Area (CMWMA) annual newsletter! We hope to use this letter as a way to inform the public of what has been done and what we plan to do each year on the WMA! First off let us meet the local IDFG faces of the Mt: Andrew Mackey is the Manager of the WMA. As the manager, Andrew, works closely with our partners such as the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, Nez Perce Tribe and private landowners to help improve access, habitat and recreation opportunities. Tara Ball is the Sr. Wildlife Technician on the WMA. As the Sr. Technician, Tara, is the “boots on the ground.” She is responsible for managing our crew of seasonal technicians, making work plans, managing projects and making the WMA run smoothly!
Wildlife
As some of you may have seen, Wing Barrels have made a comeback! Wing Barrels were once used on the WMA to monitor harvest of upland game birds. We are once again implementing these barrels, but also looking at season of use, area of use, hunter numbers and days hunted. Barrels can be found at various locations across the WMA and along the Snake River. If you harvest a bird be sure to deposit wings and data cards at the closest barrel.
Elk Survey Work
Currently ongoing, our population staff is taking flight to resurvey the Hells Canyon Zone to determine the status of the elk population. The data from these flights will be used to help set the season for the next few years on Craig Mt. Be looking for more on this in the upcoming months!
WEEDS!!!
One of our biggest problems and threats to wildlife habitat are weeds! However, we have been implementing several control options and projects to help stop the spread. One of these efforts includes biological control to help wage the war on yellow star thistle! This past field season, 1,650 bugs were released in highly infested areas throughout the Deer Creek, Eagle Creek, and Redbird drainages, as well as on neighboring private lands. We hope that these bugs can help slow the spread and help with the long term fight of starthistle. Another ongoing effort is to map and predict the spread of starthistle and whitetop across the entire WMA. We hope that this map will enable us to target herbicide applications and work closely with our partners to stop starthistle in its tracks! For more information on how you can help stop the spread or to learn more about the effects of weeds on Craig Mt, please email or call either Andrew or Tara.
Habitat Improvement
Wet meadow restoration has become a major priority to improve wildlife habitat across the Nation and it is no different on CMWMA! We have worked closely with our partners to identify sites that have become encroached by lodgepole pine. This past year we worked closely with Idaho Department of Lands to thin lodgepole near Benton Meadows. Our crews then used these trees to create beaver dam analogs within the streams to help meadow hydrology. We plan to continue these efforts and to follow up with woody riparian vegetation plantings. This work will help to improve fish habitat and elk habitat. We plan to open the meadow to firewood cutting, by permit only, this coming summer.
Wildfire Restoration
Wildfires have destroyed thousands of acres on the WMA over the last 15 years. One of the big impacts has been the loss of timbered stringers across the WMA. These timbered stringers provided security cover for deer and elk and helped to store water for springs throughout the summer. In 2017 we planted over 140 acres (45,000 seedlings) in the Billy Cr drainage and we plan to plant 45,000 more in the spring of 2020 on Wapshilla Ridge. Wildfire will continue to be an important factor of the WMA and we are working hard with our partners to identify how to make the WMA a fire resilient landscape.
Sportsmen Access
Did you know that IDFG has six remote cabins as a first come first served for the public? Working with volunteer crews, we have been able to keep these cabins up and running. This past year we worked hard to fireproof our cabins so they may last another fire. These cabins are located near Deer Creek, Frenchy Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Hermit Springs, Dough Creek, and Madden Creek.
Trail Project
Another did you know…Did you also know that there is a historic trail that runs mid-elevation along the Snake River? This old trail connects all the cabins and ranches on the WMA. We have been working to identify this trail network and after receiving funds from the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Idaho Department of Lands, we will be hiring trail crews to improve and mark these trails for the general public! Stay tuned as we hope to have the project completed by next summer and open to the public!
Registration Boxes
To help better track the use of the WMA by the public we have installed multiple registration boxes at our popular access sites. Please take a moment to sign in. This information helps us secure funding for access improvement and help to address concerns the public may have!
If you have comments that may benefit the Craig Mountain WMA, or you would like to volunteer with projects, please feel free to contact me at the Fish and Game office by telephone: (208)-750-4262 or email: andrew.mackey@idfg.idaho.gov I am always interested in ideas to make the WMA and surrounding lands better places for wildlife.
For More Information
Contact Andrew at
or by phone
(208) 750-4262
Contact Tara at
or by phone
(208) 750-4269