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your homegrown newspaper August 28, 2024
Vol. 20, No. 50
Elk research: UM scientists, students study a changing population By Emily Senkosky, UM News Service
Officers awarded pg. 5
Dentistry visit pg. 6
IMPACT grants pg. 12
MISSOULA – According to naturalist and author John Muir, between every two pines is the doorway to a new world. In Noxon, Montana, at a base camp for wildlife biologists nestled deep in the pines, camera traps and other measuring instruments are capturing forensic evidence of what is happening to the state’s elk population. A new management plan released by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks last year has accelerated matters concerning the antlered ungulate, and an investigative team consisting of University of Montana wildlife biology professors and students is helping FWP spearhead research to understand the many complex factors affecting the species. The town of Noxon is a twoand-a-half-hour drive northwest from Missoula, on the border of Idaho’s panhandle at the heart of Montana’s Hunting District 121. Over the past decade, the local community raised concerns about reduced elk populations with local wildlife managers. “The public in Montana is passionate about wildlife, with elk being particularly important to the hunting public,” said Neil
Bison range elk
Anderson, an FWP regional wildlife manager. “When there
FILE PHOTO
are changes – especially when those changes aren’t viewed as
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being positive – the public looks for actions to improve the situation.” Researchers are considering the many ecological factors that impact the species, including predator roles, habitat changes, population distribution and human modifications to the landscape. Collectively, efforts aim to provide answers to foundational questions: Where are elk on the landscape, and what are the main drivers of their population dynamics? Although outcomes are still a work in progress, these scientists are diligently working to help ensure a balanced and sustainable future for Montana’s elk and the communities that depend on them. The Fabric of the Landscape Before this project began, there was limited data on elk mortality rates and population distribution in HD 121. “There were many thoughts as to why elk numbers and distribution had changed, but no data to determine what was really happening,” Anderson said. Previously, aerial counts were used in the area, but this method can only obtain an estimated minimum population abundance and cow-calf ratios. Noxon, like see page 2