The Hanford Elk Herd, also known as the Rattlesnake Hills Elk Herd, has been rapidly expanding in recent years, especially in the Fitzner-Eberhart Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) reserve of the Hanford site. This reserve is a restricted access area with unique habitats that is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This organization is currently developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the management of this area. An important component of this plan will be the conflicting management issues that have occurred in relation to this herd. It will be a coordinated effort between the USFWS, the DOE (Department of Energy), and the WDFW to manage the elk in the long term.
Two major subspecies of elk reside in Washington State. Roosevelt elk are indigenous to the Pacific coastal region. Rocky Mountain elk live primarily in the eastern part of the state. Washington is sixth in ranking for population of North American continental elk. Around 62,000 elk reside in the state, split about equally between the two subspecies. The Hanford Elk Herd is made up of Rocky Mountain Elk. Historically, these animals inhabited arid shrub steppe habitats in the Columbia Basin. However, by 1850, they had been hunted to extinction. Modern Washington elk, including those that make up the Hanford herd, are descended from fifty individuals imported in 1913, from Montana, or from later transplants released in the Blue Mountains and Colockum areas.
In 1930 the elk population in the state was around 15,000. It peaked in 1970 at around 69,000. Recently, many populations have shown a trend towards population decline. However, the Yakima elk and populations of animals in northeastern Washington have not had this problem, and have shown continuous, dramatic increases in population through their histories. The Rattlesnake Hills, or Hanford Elk Herd, has particularly shown continual growth since its probably beginning in 1972, as an offshoot from the Yakima population.
In the past, liberal hunting seasons have been used in an attempt to control the size of this population. Between 1986 and the present day, the seasons have varied between thirty and nearly sixty days in length. In some cases, only bulls with visible antlers were considered legal animals. In other seasons, mixed sex hunting was permitted. Harvesting has, however, been inconsistent from year to year. This is because of the lack of hunting access in the ALE and poor access from private lands. Recent increased cooperation by landowners has increased the number of elk taken. However, hunting alone is not an effective solution to the growing population.
The expansion of this herd's numbers poses a threat to the unique habitats of the ALE Reserve, through damage caused by these animals. In addition, nearby private lands are also at risk of suffering heavy crop and property damage. These dangers need to be addressed in any elk management plan for this area.
The current management plan for the Hanford Elk Herd is intended to provide basic information on the elk and their situation, to help discuss alternative actions and to set the direction for the elk population's management, both on the ALE and on adjacent public and private lands. It has a number of major goals, which include the following:
Provision of background information about the elk population in Rattlesnake Hills and on the Hanford Site, as well as in Game Management Units (GMUs) 371 and 372.
Identification of problems that are associated with the Rattlesnake Hills elk population.
Identification of appropriate parties with which cooperation should be begun. These may include federal, state, and local agencies and governments, private landowners, local tribes who may function as co-managers, and other parties which have an interest in the management of the elk herd. Coordination and cooperation with each of these parties will be necessary for effective elk management.
Discussion of the various options and alternatives for the current management and future of this subpopulation of the larger Yakima Elk Herd is also important. It is also vital to ensure that any actions taken in this plan to not preclude the management options that are being developed by the USFWS.
The North Cascade, or Nooksack, Elk Herd, is the smallest of the ten herds living in the State of Washington. It is also the northernmost herd in the western part of Washington. However, despite its size, this herd is of considerable benefit to the citizens of Washington, in both aesthetic and economic arenas. It also provides recreational value, in the form of animals hunted and the opportunity to view wildlife in its natural habitat. The North Cascade herd also is important to Native American tribes in the area, providing subsistence, cultural resources, and ceremonial uses.
This herd was reintroduced into the state, resulting from successfully imported animals placed in the area in 1946 and 1948. The peak population of this herd occurred in 1984, at 1,700 elk. However, a sharp decline has occurred, and now the herd numbers no more than 300 individuals.
The core population of this elk herd in the Nooksack game management unit occupies an area of about 492 square miles (1,230 square km). In addition to this core population, another 125 elk live in agricultural land bordering the Skagit River. These elk mostly live in small, relatively isolated pockets of habitat. Remaining members of the herd live north of the Skagit River, in higher elevation, forested areas, and have been known to cause nuisances and damage to property. Expanding urban development is threatening the continued existence of these elk.
Data collected on the population and growth trends show that this herd has good potential. Although the survey data was limited in the sample size possible, it showed good production of calves. However, these favorable conditions have not been enough, since the herd has remained static at low population levels. Although the hunting season has been closed on this herd, unaccounted mortality may be preventing the population from rising.
Although the habitat changes caused by timber harvesting should have favored growth in the herd's population, increased human access may be resulting in additional deaths. There have been some problems with damage caused by elk on agricultural lands. However, the private lands along the River are important elk habitats, and should be protected and preserved to maintain the population of this herd.
This area is covered mostly by coniferous forest below the timberline. Three major zones of forest exist, depending on elevation and available moisture. They are the western hemlock zone, Pacific silver fir zone, and mountain hemlock zone. The western hemlock zone is the most important in timber production, and is likely to be effected by timber harvesting. Intensive logging, especially the practice of clear-cutting, has compromised the herd's ability to survive in the winter range and breed in the summer range. Heavy road traffic and human disturbance are the largest causes of this. Unfortunately, most of the winter ranges for elk are also within this zone. Some parts of this zone, in the foothills along the southern and western perimeter of the elk's range, are used for agricultural purposes.
The current management plan for the North Cascade Elk Herd calls for increasing the population in the Nooksack unit to around 1,450 animals, with an addition 200 in the Sauk unit. The goal for the entire herd area is around 1,950 individuals. The expansion of this herd into the available range south of the Skagit River, in the Sauk unit, is to be promoted. Both tribal and non-tribal hunting seasons would be able to be reestablished if there are enough animals to support them.
To help decrease mortality from human action, and to help people understand the value of their natural resource, public awareness of elk should be promoted. This includes photographic and viewing opportunities. Damage from elk on private property should be minimized to promote better public opinion of the elk management plan and of the herd.
The plan also calls for management of hunted units to acquires post-season bull ratios that are consistent with the state guidelines. These call for more than twelve bulls for each hundred cows. Mortality rates for bulls are to be less than fifty percent. To help preserve an adequate population, the forest service, state, and private lands should all be encouraged to maintain or increase their current capacities for providing elk habitat. Critical areas used by elk should be preserved and enhanced when possible.
Scott Peters has sinced written about articles on various topics from Baseball, Diamonds and Hunting. Scott Peters is an avid deer hunter, outdoorsman and rifle scope retailer. For more information on scopes please go to .. Scott Peters's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.