The Boone and Crockett Club and Wildlife Management’s Poach & Pay Program recently completed analysis of early data from surveys of landowners, hunters, and conservation officers in an effort to understand the “Dark Figure” of poaching. Initial research under the Poach & Pay project in 2016 examined and reviewed state restitution systems for illegal take of big game species and found that the judicial systems were the primary obstacle for successfully convicting and punishing poachers. Phase II of the research got underway in late 2021 and results show that those interviewed consider the illegal take of big game to be a serious problem and suggest that more than half of wildlife crimes go unreported - even though the actual rate of unreported wildlife crime is likely significantly higher given the cryptic nature of poaching.

What was once considered a sporadic malady affecting a few Roosevelt elk herds in the southwestern tip of Washington is now garnering the worried attention of wildlife biologists and veterinarians throughout the northwestern U.S.

In mid-December 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) launched the Center for Pollinator Conservation to address the decline of pollinator populations across North America. During the past 30 years, the scientific and conservation communities have documented a steep decline of pollinator populations. The national center will contribute science, provide decision support, and coordinate and share best practices with land managers to overcome some of the biggest challenges facing pollinators.

The U.S. Geological Survey and researchers at the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit released research on beluga whale decline in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Following is the press release issued on December 7, 2022.