Scent Dogs Sniff Out Endangered Butterflies on the Olympic National Forest
Did you know dogs have roughly 40 times more smell-sensitive receptors than humans? This makes them excellent detectives!
Scent detection dogs from Rogue Detection Teams joined up with Olympic National Forest biologists to survey Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies (Euphydryas editha taylori) on the Forest July 8-12.
The Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly is an endangered species that is endemic to the Pacific Northwest and is found on prairies of western Washington, Oregon and southwest British Columbia.
The decline of this butterfly accompanied the loss of prairie ecosystems in the region, and it is currently only found in a small handful of sites, including the Olympic National Forest.
Surveying butterfly larvae is time-consuming work for humans, but the scent detection dogs, Jack, Filson and Pips are excellent, efficient detectives at finding the tiny larvae.
The dogs help determine where butterflies are laying eggs and where caterpillars feed. This information helps Forest managers maintain and protect reproductive habitat for this endangered butterfly subspecies.
The Olympic National Forest conducted a pilot test with Rouge Detection Teams in 2019 and hosted surveys again in 2021.
To learn more about the pilot survey visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/olympic/learning/?cid=fseprd931455
To learn more about the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly visit
https://www.fws.gov/species/taylors-checkerspot-euphydryas-editha-taylori
Learn more about dogs and Rogue Detection Teams visit https://roguedogs.org/
Northwest Youth Corps Completes Work Across Olympic National Forest
The Olympic National Forest relies heavily on our partners to perform habitat restoration and recreation maintenance activities on the Forest.
One of our partners, Northwest Youth Corps, completed several work projects across the Olympic National Forest this spring and early summer providing an immediate positive impact for our visitors. Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to youth development through teamwork, education, and challenge.
Colonel Bob Wilderness
A crew completed a backcountry project clearing three miles of Colonel Bob Trail from the trailhead to the Mulkey Shelter.
Since the trail is in a Wilderness area, the crew was required to use hand tools, including two-person crosscut saws, and muscle to clear downed trees and overgrown brush blocking the trail.
The crew cleared ten trees, some more than five feet in diameter! The crew camped out for the week and worked eight-hour days to clear the trail.
Northwest Youth Corps crews completed the following additional work:
- Cleared an abandoned illegal encampment located along Forest Service Road 24, filling an entire 20-yard dumpster with trash.
- Uncovered a historic cobblestone pathway and rehabbed rehabilitated signage at the Hamma Hamma Cabin.
- Removed 28 large garbage bags of invasive plant Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum) from the Falls View Campground near Quilcene, Wash.
- Completed a trail survey and property inventory of the Lena Lake Trail and Lena Lake Campground near Hoodsport, Wash.
- Restored damaged signage, posts and rails along the Mount Walker Trail, and Mount Walker Overlook.
- Placed fresh gravel on the road, tent sites, and restroom approaches in the Collins Campground, near Brinnon, Wash.
- Cleaned up trash at Lake Cushman after the July 4th weekend.
- Cleared brush from the Lena Creek Campground near Lilliwaup, Wash.
Salmon Recovery Funding Board Technical Review Group Meeting
The Olympic National Forest hosted a Salmon Recovery Funding Board technical review group meeting at the Quinault Ranger Station in Quinault, Wash., July 17. The group is comprised of technicians from federal, state, and local agencies and non-governmental organizations responsible for watershed restoration and management on the Olympic Peninsula.
The group reviewed project grant applications for the watershed resource inventory area WRIA 21, which encompasses watersheds from the Clearwater River to Humptulips River. The group discussed the project applications and provided recommendations for grant funding, which will inform the Salmon Recovery Funding Boards decision later this year.
In 1999, the Washington State Legislature created the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. The board provides grants to protect or restore salmon habitat and assist related activities. Composed of five citizens appointed by the Governor, and five state agency directors, the board brings together the experiences and viewpoints of citizens and the major state natural resource agencies.