Conservation Target : Elk ( Cervus elaphus ) Management Goal: Minimize human-elk conflicts, manage calving habitat, estimate population size and eventually restore to a population size that can sustain managed hunting. Biological Conditions Contributed Service Conservation Strategies unknown density/health, stable habitat Future Provisioning, Supporting, Economic Monitoring, Management, Research History and Adaptive Process: For thousands of years elk (A-whi E-Gwa- ᎠᏫ ᎡᏆ ) had co- existed with people and thrived in the southern Appalachians but were wiped out nearly 250 years ago by the fur trade and logging. In 2001 and 2002, the National Park Service reintroduced 52 elk into the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to determine if elk could survive and reproduce in the area. Elk thrived and established ranges outside the park boundary, including on EBCI lands. The Qualla boundary now holds 40-50% of the elk population in North Carolina. This has imposed challenges on EBCI citizens as elk wander and congregate in gardens and near tourists and businesses. Our program manages elk and their habitat by maintaining wildlife openings within the Tribal Reserve, away from downtown, and responds to nuisance calls. To help assist with population estimation, we have participated in population studies with external partners using fecal capture-recapture techniques from 2019-2021. In 2020- Elk viewing garnered $29 million and 400 jobs to the Jackson and Swain County area. From that amount, Cherokee saw $7 million in financial benefits and ~100 jobs. A sizeable percentage of visitors (43%) had been to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino within the past 12 months, with about a third of those visitors saying that having elk in the area influenced their decision to come to Harrah’s Casino. In addition to the beneficial economic impacts, the presence of elk is appreciated by EBCI members: the overwhelming majority of members (80%) like having elk around, and 42% of members have engaged (or tried to engage) in wildlife viewing of elk. Problems with visitor viewing were twice that of problems with the elk themselves: in the past 12 months, 13% of members had problems with elk, while 26% had problems with people viewing elk. Examples of problems experienced with elk most commonly included damage to gardens and landscaping, while nearly all problems with visitors and tourists viewing elk involved transportation issues, such as traffic jams and illegal or obstructive parking. Among those who experienced problems, a majority (78%) still like having elk around: after discussing the problems they had experienced, 44% said they like having elk on the Qualla Boundary and 34% like having elk on the Qualla Boundary but worry about the problems they can cause. Only 9% of those who have experienced problems said they regard elk as a nuisance.
MANAGEMENT ACTIONS
Current Methodology for Conservation Strategies Monitoring: Deploy radio-collars and track study animals for movement, survival, and successful reproduction. Necropsy animals for age, health, and disease (I.e. Chronic Wasting Disease). Management: Meetings with Risk Management and EBCI-D.O.T. about road signage. Perform outreach with landowners and public to mitigate conflicts. Research: Participated in elk population study with external partners. We have several years of minimum counts and fecal DNA capture. Surveyed for calves in tribal reserve to help in population data collection.
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