Wildlife Department

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Prior to the listing of northern spotted owl as a threatened species, the Hoopa Tribe relied on contract biologists to conduct wildlife surveys and to write the supporting environmental documents for timber harvest and other related activities. Since 1991, the Wildlife Sub-department has expanded and includes three full-time permanent people and a seasonal crew of up to 15 people to conduct surveys and monitoring of northern spotted owls and to conduct surveys for Marbled Murreletts. After three seasons of intensive surveying for Murrelets, no occupied stands have been discovered. Northern spotted owl densities are nearly as high as the highest reported densities in the literature. The Hoopa Tribe has an intensive banding and monitoring program for spotted owls and will eventually contribute to the regional demographic knowledge of the species. In addition, the Tribe’s Wildlife Sub-department has been conducting forest carnivore surveys using baited track stations. These track plate surveys have resulted in the highest detection rate for fishers of any place in California. Since January 1996, we have been conducting fisher behavior studies via radio collar.

Hoopa Tribal Wildlife provides input into all phases of the planning process for forest management and timber harvest, and is involved with timber sale layout, including marking save trees for wildlife. Although the recent changes in timber harvest practices began because of spotted owls, the main emphasis is marking save trees is for cultural species such as pileated woodpeckers and fishers. The ten-year Hoopa Forest Management Plan strongly emphasizes the importance of cultural species of fish, wildlife and plants. Tribal Wildlife assists with the implementation of this Forest Management Plan.