Deployed cameras for highway corridor study on elk. Results and Discussion for Information Transfer and Processing Ecological: Few elk identified using overpasses in highway corridor study. Collared one calf successfully during 2022 season. Responded to elk mortalities and perform necropsy on several occasions. Walked 46 transects, 27.5 miles for elk scat population study. Management: Conducted elk traffic control on several occasions with NRE. Responded to 11+ elk nuisance calls. Manage 17 elk preventative fences. Social & Cultural: Discussed elk issues and helped when warranted for several landowners.
Adaptive Decision for 2023
Management or Methodological Changes: Revisit population study for fecal capture-recapture. We are planning to partner again with the NCWRC and GSMNP but without UT with a focus on fields and open areas to sample. This will greatly reduce our efforts. Our program has deemed the population growth results inconclusive for making management decisions. Compare highway corridor study results to see if animal diversity and elk presence are the same for control and overpass sites. Create a map of elk fences and high traffic areas for future discussions with Risk Management. Apply methods for an elk behavior study. Social & Cultural Changes: We now know elk are worth a lot of money (>$1million each/ annually). But we are unsure of the efficacy and feasibility of an elk hunt to garner revenue like other areas that have higher densities with more lands. Tourist dollars seem to rival that of draw hunts elsewhere, lending to the need of a professional assessment before we determine how best to use this resource. Tribal leadership or citizens might be driven more by social influence than by data in making decisions. The state of North Carolina may initiate a hunt but the population is a shared resource with the tribe. The tribe may want to evaluate the population assessment independently through professional review. Partners: Blue Ridge Parkway, University of Tennessee Knoxville (UT), NRE, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP)
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