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Trinity Alps Harbor Oregon Elk
By Darby Patterson

The telltale signs were there…marble-sized pellets among the tasty Blue Blossom shrubs.
Biologist Steve Self kneeled to the ground and crushed one between his fingers.

"These are from plants like this one," he laughed, pointing to a nearby shrub. "Now, if these were
coyote droppings, I wouldn’t be doing this."

It was a nearly perfect day in the Trinity Alps and they were stalking the mighty Roosevelt Elk. Of
course, one doesn’t really stalk elk with their radar-like ears. Rather, if you get lucky in the right
place at the right time, you see them before they see you.

Foster parent program
Thanks to Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) and the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Game, about 100 elk have
found a new home on portions of SPI’s land near the quaint Northern California town of
Weaverville. Steve Self and his colleague Julie Kelly, have been foster parents to these
magnificent animals that once were plentiful in California. So plentiful, they were hunted to near
extinction from the Gold Rush days to the 1920s.
There are three subspecies of elk in North America – the Tule Elk, native to the Central Valley; the
Rocky Mountain Elk, found mostly in Nevada; and the Roosevelt Elk, native to Northern California.
The SPI partnership began when the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Game approached the company that
owns more than 1.5 million acres of forestland in the state, about providing a home for elk brought
out of Oregon. It was to be a methodical re-introduction of the animals after much planning and
preparation.

According to Steve, the program began about 10 years ago with elk being relocated to national
forestlands in California. It was a cool trade. California swapped wild turkeys to Oregon in
exchange for elk – probably not a one-for-one trade.
"In the mid-90s they approached us," Steve explained, "and we went to work to identify the right
habitat. It had to be a mix of grasses, shrubs and small trees along with dense stands for cover.
They had to have water and, of course, protection from the heat and cold."

For SPI, these were not difficult conditions to find. The company manages its lands for habitat
diversity. Owned by Archie (Red) Emmerson and managed by his sons, Mark and George, the
business has become much more than a large lumber concern. The (SPI) forests are managed
much like a wildlife preserve with ongoing biological studies on the native wildlife and habitat.

A welcome home
The first SPI release of elk was in 1997. The process is swift. To avoid traumatizing the animals,
they are caught and released within a 24-hour period. Because of their natural behavior and
herding patterns, it’s mostly females that are relocated and a very few, very lucky bulls.

According to U.S. Fish and Game Biologist Pat McLaughlin, most of the elk are captured just east
of Portland, where the animals have exceeded the land’s carrying capacity. "Some of it is
predicated on where we can catch them," he said. "But we’ll continue until we feel we have a pretty
established and healthy population in California."

Meanwhile, SPI is a willing host. "Everyone in the company was so excited about the project, along
with people from the community," Steve Self said. "They’d come to watch the release. A couple of
hours of waiting for a few seconds when the doors of the truck opened and the animals thundered
out."
About 25 animals are transported and released, usually without any problems. However, there
was the late winter of 1998 when the drivers of the U.S. Fish and Game truck arrived at the
California border to find a massive snow storm prompting closure of the main route into
Weaverville. So, the truck carrying the animals was re-routed to Hwy. 3 where, frustratingly close to
its destination, a hay truck had jack-knifed across the road.

Back at the release site, CalTrans had been working to clear an area for arrival of the elk.
Immediately upon hearing about the stranded animals, the supervisor sent a crew and equipment
to the rescue. As a result, the hay truck was pushed off the road and the elk arrived only a few
hours late.

"By then, it was 3 o’clock in the morning," Steve recalled, "and people were still waiting to see the
release. It’s only 10 to 15 seconds worth of excitement, but it’s worth it. There is one big rush, a
stampede, and then they’re gone."

In fact, the elk are supported by a community effort. A local rancher provides straw near the release
point until the animals get accustomed to their new surroundings. "A lot of people pull together to
make this happen," says Steve. "Fish and Game, the company and folks from the community. It’s
been real successful and satisfying."
And, it’s satisfying to more than two-legged locals. The young cows attracted the attention of a
stately bull, apparently from a much earlier release on national land. "We were very encouraged by
that," Steve said. "And, we’ve had no problems, no poaching, none of the animals has ever been
hurt."

Fish and Game officials are pleased as well according to McLaughlin, who oversees the
relocation effort. "At one time there were estimates the population of elk was down to about 15
individuals," he said. "So, we’ve been real pleased with the SPI effort. They’ve been very good to
work with."

Managing for diversity
The SPI biologists are facilitators for the program. They first study maps and then walk the ground
to ensure the environment will be completely hospitable to the relatively social animals. Although
the site of people spooks elk, females like the company of each other and gather in small herds
that include their young. The bulls, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, also hang out
together until late summer and mating season. Late summer is when behavior can get more
primal – with males challenging each other for dominant positions. The horns of a male weigh
about 40 pounds and can be used in defense during summer battles. Results show up in late
May when females give birth to one, sometimes two, calves.

Although the elk project is perhaps the most visible of SPI’s resource-management activities, it is
one of many. "We deal with 250 different species of wildlife and fish," Steve said. "We have
projects on spotted owls, salmon and migrating birds … so we’re very busy studying habitats and
species survival."

A long-term research project on the spotted owl is already producing some interesting findings.
Steve’s group of field researchers has observed that, like elk, the birds prefer a mixed landscape.
The owls like shaded nesting sites with little vegetation on the ground. But, it is equally important
to have more open landscape nearby with low bushes and grasses for hunting.

The attention to the ecology of SPI lands is now institutionalized. It’s simply part of doing business.
But, through the hot summer months, managers know their efforts could easily be defeated. The
company’s land is surrounded by national forest, much of it overgrown, dense and diseased. In
other words, ideal conditions for a catastrophic wildfire – the result of hands-off management for
more than a decade. So, it is with cautious optimism that Steve and his crews look to the future.
"We have wonderful opportunities up here for the elk and other species," he says. "We manage for
forest health and habitat balance. We can only hope this rich environment doesn’t go up in smoke."


Reprinted with permission from The California Forestry Association
www.foresthealth.org
NOT AVAILABLE FOR FREE REPRINT  without express permission
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