YAKIMA — The state of Washington plans to review its list of endangered and threatened species over the next few years, and it’s seeking comments on the rare gray squirrels found in only three locations in the state, including in Klickitat County’s forests.
There, landowners planning timber harvests or thinning treatments are now careful to leave some tight clusters of trees standing because the dense branches support the squirrels’ nests and shield them from hawks, according to Department of Natural Resources forester Dan Lennon.
According to the recovery plan developed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, habitat loss due to development, logging and wildfires is a primary cause of the species’ decline, along with automobile strikes and competition from other squirrel species.
But protecting that habitat should help the squirrels make a comeback. After wildlife biologists came to look for nests on his property north of Goldendale, Joe Roop said he has tried to ensure that good nesting trees aren’t cut down.
“I’m going to make sure their habitat gets maintained,” Roop said in November during an interview about thinning work on his property. “I’ve seen a lot more gray squirrels since I learned about that.”
The western gray squirrel is a large tree squirrel, about a foot long, with a fluffy, white-tipped tail. The species has been listed as threatened in Washington since 1993.
If you have seen one of the estimated 500 to 1,400 animals, you might have mistaken it for the eastern gray squirrel, which was introduced to the state and is now common in urban areas.
Under the current plan, the squirrels will be taken off the protected list when the population in Klickitat County reaches 3,300 adults, plus 1,000 more in the North Cascades and several hundred more in Pierce County.
Lower-elevation forests with white oak and ponderosa pine provide ideal habitat for the acorn- and pine-nut-loving species. Western gray squirrels occur in larger numbers in western Oregon and California.
Besides Klickitat County, which has the largest population of western gray squirrels in the state, Chelan and Okanogan counties and a small patch of coastal forest in Pierce County are the Washington locales where the squirrel can be seen.
As part of the status review, the state is asking anyone with information about the gray squirrels — from research scientists to backyard naturalists — to comment at wdfw.wa.gov.
Other species that are on the state’s endangered and threatened list and are up for review this year include the bald eagle, the fisher, the Mazama pocket gopher, the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and several whale species.
