Thursday, October 06, 2011

Point Reyes Elk Intrude On Ranches

Once-endangered tule elk are proliferating here in west Marin County, delighting conservationists who love the enormous creatures and their magnificent antlers. But the rebound of the species is causing trouble for dairy and beef ranches important to the local economy. About 50 of the elk roam freely around the southern part of Point Reyes National Seashore, near several of the farms, and officials and ranchers say the elk are tearing down cattle fences and grazing on grass meant for cows, among other things. "It's a major problem for those ranchers," said Stacy Carlsen, the county agricultural commissioner. The elk "deplete their resources, they interfere with herd management, they impact the water quality and they take away labor that would be otherwise used doing dairy operations." It's an issue without an easy solution. The tule elk are imposing, standing four or five feet tall at the shoulder and up to eight feet tall with antlers. At up to 700 pounds, they are more than double the weight of the park's next biggest animal and their would-be predator, the mountain lion. And efforts to contain them face legal hurdles along with logistical ones...more

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