Wildfire spared endangered pygmy rabbit population

The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit population, nestled in recovery sites near Quincy, was spared from the Baird Springs Fire.

The Pacific Northwest native endangered species resides primarily in two sites, Beezley Hills and Sagebrush Flats, in a coordinated recovery effort by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Baird Springs Fire "didn't hit any of our areas," said Jon Gallie, wildlife biologist for WDFW. "It was a nice bullet to dodge."

The brush fire, which started July 10 and grew to about 2,400 acres in the Trinidad area, Lynch Coulee and above Crescent Bar, was about 6 to 8 miles away from the Beezley Hills Preserve. And, according to Gaille, WDFW biologists were in the area when the fire started.

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