MDF Projects
Three guzzlers were flown
in by helicopter.
A bulldozer was used to prepare
each guzzler.
Elderberry Guzzlers
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests, Washington During September 2002, three guzzlers were flown in by helicopter to designated sites on the Naches Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests in Washington. Several state and federal natural resource agencies collaborated on the guzzler installation project, including staff from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Yakima Training Center. Original plans to fly in the guzzlers in June were postponed until September as helicopters were needed to combat the severe summer fire season.
BLM wildlife biologist, Roy Price, oversaw the installation process, having designed the guzzlers and installed over 50 of them. Installation was fairly labor-intensive, taking more than two weeks to complete the project. A backhoe was used to prepare each site. Agency staff leveled the sites, spread aprons and installed the guzzlers.
A few weeks after installation, at least one inch of water had gathered in the storage units. A month after installation, bighorn sheep telemetry surveys indicated that a group of 20 sheep grazed near one of the guzzlers. Remote cameras will be installed this upcoming spring to monitor guzzler use.
This report was contributed by Randall D. Shepard, District Ranger of the Naches Ranger District, Naches, Washington.