By Tonya Morrey, Outreach and Stewardship Coordinator, Central Cascades

The Nature Conservancy uses trail cameras in the Central Cascades to get an idea of what is going on in the forest. I had the pleasure of sorting through thousands of images our trail cameras captured on the Cle Elum Ridge over the summer.

Most images get filed into one of six categories: management/contractor, non-motorized recreation, unidentifiable vehicles, vehicle with plates, vehicle with plates and person, and wildlife. We hope images of illegal motorized recreation include at least a plate number so that the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement can issue a warning. If the image includes plates and the person’s face, WDFW can issue them a warning or citation, depending on the type of violation.

Give Big to protect small things

Check out some of my favorite wildlife images:

We don’t always know who is sharing the forest with us. It’s lovely to get a glimpse of what goes on when we’re not there to see it.

Banner photo © John Marshall

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

Exploring Nature: Spring Frogs

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

Nestled in the cliffs in Moses Coulee is an import desert water sources that every springs attracts thousands of Pacific Tree frogs. I came to Whisper Lake for a night concert. It was anything but quiet. The chorus of frogs was soothing, calming—the quintessential sound of spring.

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

science, Wildlife, wildlife, camera traps, Maia Williams-Murphy, Anna Kottkamp-Hoard, cle elum ridge, Cle Elum Ridge, Cle Elum, cle elum, forests for our future, foresty, forest restoration, Science

Candid Camera: A view into Cle Elum Ridge's Wildlife Project

science, Wildlife, wildlife, camera traps, Maia Williams-Murphy, Anna Kottkamp-Hoard, cle elum ridge, Cle Elum Ridge, Cle Elum, cle elum, forests for our future, foresty, forest restoration, Science

The Cle Elum Wildlife Project is improving our understanding of how wildlife use and move through protected forest landscapes, providing us with an opportunity to test how forest management practices impact wildlife and building an evidence base for permanent protection.

science, Wildlife, wildlife, camera traps, Maia Williams-Murphy, Anna Kottkamp-Hoard, cle elum ridge, Cle Elum Ridge, Cle Elum, cle elum, forests for our future, foresty, forest restoration, Science

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Forestry

How Go Commerical Thin Project is Complete

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Forestry

TNC Washington’s Conservation Forester, Herman Flamenco, shares with us the long-awaited final installment of the How Go Commercial Thin Project!

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Forestry

preserves, our preserves, ebey's landing, Ebey's Landing Historical Reserve, Foulweather Bluff, foulweather bluff, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, beezley hills, Beezley Hills, Port Susan Bay, port susan bay, CEntral Cascades, Central Cascades Forest, central cascades forest, central cascades, Recreation, recreation, Hiking, hiking

5 Nature Conservancy Preserves in Washington You Can Visit Anytime

preserves, our preserves, ebey's landing, Ebey's Landing Historical Reserve, Foulweather Bluff, foulweather bluff, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, beezley hills, Beezley Hills, Port Susan Bay, port susan bay, CEntral Cascades, Central Cascades Forest, central cascades forest, central cascades, Recreation, recreation, Hiking, hiking

Here are five Nature Conservancy preserves in Washington that you can visit anytime to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature, while learning about The Nature Conservancy’s conservation efforts.

preserves, our preserves, ebey's landing, Ebey's Landing Historical Reserve, Foulweather Bluff, foulweather bluff, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, beezley hills, Beezley Hills, Port Susan Bay, port susan bay, CEntral Cascades, Central Cascades Forest, central cascades forest, central cascades, Recreation, recreation, Hiking, hiking

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Christmas tree

Real Christmas Trees: Making the Difference for Conservation and Community

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Christmas tree

It might surprise you to learn that getting a real Christmas tree is more sustainable than using a plastic tree for the holidays, but TNC Washington and the Kiwanis Club of Cle Elum are taking sustainable harvest one step further with benefits for conservation and the local community.

cle elum ridge, Central Cascades Forest, Christmas tree

Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades Forest, CEntral Cascades, Remus, forest restoration

Progress in the Central Cascades Forest: Putting the “O.G.” Back in Old Growth

Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades Forest, CEntral Cascades, Remus, forest restoration

In American slang, “O.G.” stands for original gangster. It’s used to refer to legends, the best in the game, people deserving of respect and whose legacy will live beyond them. In forestry, there’s a different kind of “O.G.,” the old growth forest.

Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades Forest, CEntral Cascades, Remus, forest restoration

Cle Elum, Central Cascades Forest, prescribed fire, pile burn

Fire & Ice: Winter Pile Burn on Cle Elum Ridge

Cle Elum, Central Cascades Forest, prescribed fire, pile burn

As part of restoring forestlands on Cle Elum Ridge, TNC Washington used the snowy winter conditions as an opportunity to burn and remove leftover debris from tree thinning last fall.

Cle Elum, Central Cascades Forest, prescribed fire, pile burn

Central Cascades Forest, Taneum, watershed, LWCF, Land and Water Conservation Fund, Cle Elum, cle elum ridge, recreation, checkerboard, trails, restoration

Taneum Watershed Trails: A Restoration Story

Central Cascades Forest, Taneum, watershed, LWCF, Land and Water Conservation Fund, Cle Elum, cle elum ridge, recreation, checkerboard, trails, restoration

Learn more about how partners from various backgrounds came together to work toward a common goal of making natural resource management and recreation less challenging.

Central Cascades Forest, Taneum, watershed, LWCF, Land and Water Conservation Fund, Cle Elum, cle elum ridge, recreation, checkerboard, trails, restoration

prescribed fire, CCF, Central Cascades Forest

A Brief Window for Prescribed Fire

prescribed fire, CCF, Central Cascades Forest

The window for prescribed fire in Washington was brief this year due to an unseasonably warm and dry October. Still, The Nature Conservancy and local partners in Roslyn were able to conduct one burn in the Central Cascades Forest.

prescribed fire, CCF, Central Cascades Forest

moses coulee, camera traps, wildlife

Visitors and Residents at Moses Coulee Preserve

moses coulee, camera traps, wildlife

A game camera on the Moses Coulee Preserve has captured just how much a gate that sits at the intersection of quality shrub-steppe and agricultural fields is used by visitors and residents, even when closed.

moses coulee, camera traps, wildlife

Trail Cams reveal wildlife

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