Group discusses impacts of elk in the Snoqualmie Valley
November 25, 2009
By Tara Ballenger
As the Snoqualmie Valley continues to expand, conflict between people and wildlife is a growth pain that can be expected. As roads and houses cut into land once dominated by predators like bears and wolves, humans in the Valley may find themselves sharing space with some scary beasts.
However, mountain-dwelling carnivores are not the only wildlife creating tension, said David Wilson.Wilson is the president of the Upper Snoqualmie Elk Management Group, an organization formed in July 2008 to address the conflicts caused by one of the biggest species of deer in the world — elk.
Relationships with elk vary widely, Wilson said. Some people love their majestic beauty and want to protect their wild habitat. Sportsmen enjoy hunting them. Drivers fear colliding with them, and some residents and business owners lament the damage that they cause to their property because of their bark-eating.
The Elk Management Group aims to address these concerns and make recommendations to the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie, as well as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wilson said.
“This is really a varied group of people,” Wilson said.
About half of the 30 people who show up to the group’s monthly meetings are hunters, but others are land, business and orchard owners, and nature enthusiasts.
The group has advisory representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, King County Sheriff’s Office, three local Indian tribes and various other governmental agencies that are impacted by elk populations.
“There is a hodge-podge of people who want to control elk,” Wilson said. “Our group is working to develop a long-term plan on how to do that.”
The group’s first objective is to track and document how many elk are in the Upper Snoqualmie Valley — and where they are.
The group is mapping where residents reported seeing elk and mapping where they are found dead on Interstate 90 and state Route 202. It also wants to collar elk to be able to track them with radio frequency. The information gathered from these efforts will help form the best management plan, which could include population control through hunting; designated elk habitat and public viewing areas; and home- and business-owner education.
Though the group comes to the table with a mission and desire to be a strong voice in local and state policy decision, it’s also a great opportunity for people who just like elk, Wilson said.
“Our group is an excellent resource for people interested in fun, local volunteer work that will make a difference,” Wilson said. “In the months to come, we are arranging field trips into the Snoqualmie Tree Farm to observe their habitat management practices, and our population study is ongoing with a need for persons interested in using radio telemetry equipment to locate collared elk.”
The group is also seeking to involve the community and educate them about elk.
“We have some fun projects in the works for the schools, such as construction of a small enclosure, so that students can watch over the period of a few months and compare the difference between an area that is browsed by elk and one that is fenced off,” Wilson said.
The Upper Snoqualmie Elk Management Group meets monthly at the North Bend Ranger Station, 42404 S.E. North Bend Way. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13.
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