Recent visitors

Varied Thrush are visiting along with Chickadees and Oregon Junco's. Nearly one week before the snow came there were flocks and flocks of Gulls moving West of North Yelm. The Gull flock held about 50+ in each days passing West where one flock a day were spotted for 4 days.

Pending Questions Ignored

I just found out today that Mr. Klein blogged me back in December 2010. Thank you, Mr. Klein.

The front page of the newspaper this morning highlights the 2010 Washington Census, which declares Yelm's growth since the 2000 Census.

"Thurston County’s fastest-growing city was Yelm, which saw its population jump 108 percent, to 6,848 from 3,289 in 2000."

Read more at the Tacoma News Tribune, February 24, 2011, 2010 Census: 252,264 in Thurston County, MATT BATCHELDOR; Staff writer. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/24/1557366/252264-in-thurston.html#ixzz1EtSmIFUM

For those of us who have been familiar with Yelm before the year 2000, we knew that the Census figures for 2010 would reflect growth. Back in December, I posted a pending question that was emailed twice to the City of Yelm. One email went out directly after the post. Another email went out about two weeks after that date. Still no answer. I think the City of Yelm is ignoring its Urban Growth Area and its residents.

Pending Question:
What mapping information is being used by your GIS Dept. to identify
Critical Areas of Oak Prairie's in the City of Yelm and its Urban
Growth areas?

I still don't know the answer.

Thurston County Rate of Urbanization and Forest Harvest c. 2002 vs. Rate of Urbanization and Prairie Oaks 2010 Yelm

I have viewed documents since that time, however, that pertain to Yelm and the surveys conducted which included oaks on the Yellem Prairie. No that isn't a typo I spelled Yellem correctly. You can view a few of those historical accounts here. These are handwritten documents from the 1800's that can be found at the BLM. Once you get to the site, be sure to right click the documents to view the larger image.

Update: See Recommendations of Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Exerpt below:
PDF

Specific recommendations include the following:

• Do not cut Oregon white oak woodlands except for habitat enhancement.
• Allow only early spring, low-impact cattle grazing.
• Allow low-impact recreation (hunting, fishing, hiking, mushroom and acorn collecting).
• Selectively harvest individual oaks to improve stand age-class and structural diversity.
• Thin encroaching conifers in oak woodlands west of the Cascades and along the Columbia Gorge; do not remove conifers from mixed stands east of the Cascades.
• Retain large, dominant oaks and standing dead and dying trees.
• Create snags when thinning oaks or conifers instead of removing trees.
• Leave fallen trees, limbs, and leaf litter for foraging, nesting, and denning sites.
• Retain contiguous aerial pathways.
• Conduct prescribed burns where appropriate.

Other oak enhancement activities include the following:

• Planting Oregon white oak acorns and seedlings.
• Using alternatives to oak fuelwood.
• Selling or donating oak woodlands to conservation and land trust organizations.
• Purchasing contiguous or notable stands of oaks by local, state, and federal agencies.
• Moving toward the elimination of grazing on state-owned oak woodlands.
• Designating large, contiguous oak and oak/conifer stands as critical areas.
• Encouraging aggressive oak enhancement/regeneration measures by local, state, and federal agencies.

Suggested Citation:
Larsen, E. M., and J. T. Morgan. 1998. Management recommendations for Washington’s priority habitats: Oregon white oak woodlands. Wash. Dept. Fish and Wildl., Olympia. 37pp.

Since when is a highway considered low impact recreation?
Why would local authorities choose to ignore state recommendations or better yet why would state authorities choose to ignore its OWN recommendations?

See also: Thurston County Rate of Urbanization

Critical Area Ordinace FAQ's March 2, 2011