{"id":1396,"date":"2018-06-01T11:41:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T17:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=1396"},"modified":"2018-06-01T11:41:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-01T17:41:00","slug":"elk-and-vegetation-the-first-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/elk-and-vegetation-the-first-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Elk and Vegetation: the First Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You last heard about the department\u2019s efforts to reduce the elk population at the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain in the Fall 2017 issue of Images. Our team identified four areas of focus and some other means to achieve this goal:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Natural vegetation: reducing and repairing negative impacts<\/li>\n<li>Migration and movements: reestablishing a pattern of migration<\/li>\n<li>Elk population numbers: reducing the population back down to 30-70 animals<\/li>\n<li>Human conflicts: reducing the damage and conflicts with agricultural producers, neighbors, and area users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To achieve a reduction in the herd, we are using a combination of hunting, hazing, and fencing. We track elk movements with radio telemetry and track the herd size with coordinated monthly counts. We also monitor vegetative impacts to the natural resources with both grassland and shrub plots.<\/p>\n<h2>Hunting on Open Space<\/h2>\n<p>The biggest and most difficult decision in the plan was to permit hunting on open space. We closed the park on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from mid-September through January. We had Boulder County Parks &amp; Open Space (BCPOS) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) patrol staff to assist with the closure and the hunting. Because of our effective information campaign and cooperation of park visitors respecting the closure, we wrote only four tickets for violations in the four-plus months of the closure.<\/p>\n<p>We worked with the existing license structure established by CPW to address this elk sub-herd. We issued no new licenses, but offered a one-week access pass to hunt three areas. These hunters chose their one-week slots and then attended a mandatory hunter orientation. They also passed a shooting proficiency test in order to gain their access permit. The orientation allowed us to have good communication about all aspects of the program, and also gave the hunters an opportunity to meet the staff and other participating hunters. This cooperation allowed us to be quite effective in the hunting portion of managing the situation; 27 of the 37 hunters were successful.<\/p>\n<h2>Trapping, Hazing, and Fencing<\/h2>\n<p>Due to some collar failures, we again trapped elk this spring to keep tabs on the herd as well as our impacts on their movements and distribution. We trapped for six weeks in February and March, placing six new collars on cow elk to supplement the four still-functioning collars. The post-hunt distribution has shown a dispersal effect and resulted in an overall decrease in elk \u201ctime on the mountain.\u201d We have also resumed hazing the elk this spring after the conclusion of our trapping, trying to create an unwelcoming aspect to Rabbit Mountain. We varied the day and timing of our outings, and everyone that has encountered elk has moved them out of the core area.<\/p>\n<p>We also began the first of our planned fencing exclosures on the south end of the mountain aimed at denying some shade for the elk and allowing disturbed areas to be protected and heal. Anyone who has been to Rabbit Mountain in the summer knows the value of shade!<\/p>\n<h2>Progress So Far<\/h2>\n<p>It is too soon for the vegetative data to show much change. Data is being incrementally collected by plant ecology and wildlife staffs and volunteers. But the radio telemetry is showing the dispersal previously mentioned. Our monthly fall-winter counts are less than last year\u2019s high total (360 vs. 260 for February 2018 count). This fall will be the second year of hunting on the open space.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018 we will increase our hunting slots from two to three hunters per week, but keep the Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday closure. We hope our multi-pronged approach will slowly get us to that smaller, migratory herd that is in balance with the natural resources and has less of an impact on the adjacent private lands.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1398\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1398\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1920\" data-lbwps-height=\"1440\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar-300x225.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1398 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Elk collaring\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/elk-collar.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wildlife biologist puts a radio collar on an elk. Some radio collars will be on for two years and then drop off . Biologists will then retrieve the collar and collect the data recorded on it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You last heard about the department\u2019s efforts to reduce the elk population at the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain in the Fall 2017 issue of Images. Our team identified four areas of focus and some other means to achieve this goal: Natural vegetation: reducing and repairing negative impacts Migration and movements: reestablishing a pattern [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-1396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wildlife","tag-summer-2018"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Elk and Vegetation: the First Year - Images<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/elk-and-vegetation-the-first-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elk and Vegetation: the First Year - Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You last heard about the department\u2019s efforts to reduce the elk population at the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain in the Fall 2017 issue of Images. 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Vegetation: A Plan for Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain","author":"Staff","date":"08\/30\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) current management plan for Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain was created in 1985. Interestingly, it barely mentions elk, as they were really not part of the Rabbit Mountain landscape 30 years ago. Contrast that with a fall count in 2016 of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property Highlights&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Property Highlights","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/property\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Elk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/elk.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2514,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/science\/scientists-dont-always-wear-a-lab-coat\/","url_meta":{"origin":1396,"position":1},"title":"Scientists Don\u2019t Always Wear a Lab Coat&#8230;","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"09\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes scientists wear Carhartt\u2019s and a winter coat. At least that is true for our wildlife biologists and volunteers who measure the impact of elk on shrubs at the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain Open Space (RSP@RM). The team specifically measures mountain mahogany plants. This native shrub is an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nature Studies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nature Studies","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Five people looking at a shrub monitoring point","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Shrub-Monitors.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Shrub-Monitors.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Shrub-Monitors.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Shrub-Monitors.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Shrub-Monitors.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2203,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/five-years-later-elk-management\/","url_meta":{"origin":1396,"position":2},"title":"Five Years Later: Elk Management","author":"Staff","date":"05\/31\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As I crest the saddle between two hogback ridges, dozens of heads turn in my direction\u2014elk! Freezing instantly, I make a quick note of their location and slowly inch back down the slope. After waiting several minutes for the elk to relax, I make my way along the ridgeline and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wildlife&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wildlife","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/wildlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Five hunters hiking on open space.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/hunters.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":543,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/elk-herd\/","url_meta":{"origin":1396,"position":3},"title":"North Boulder Elk Herd: A Success Story","author":"Staff","date":"11\/20\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's hard to imagine Colorado without the iconic elk, but around the turn of the 19th century, elk were nowhere to be found in Boulder County. Statewide extirpation was a distinct possibility. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Colorado experienced a rapid influx of prospectors and homesteaders who thought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wildlife&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wildlife","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/wildlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Elk herd in winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elk-herd-in-winter_Cathy-B.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":783,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/park-visitors\/cold-weather-tracking\/","url_meta":{"origin":1396,"position":4},"title":"Cold Weather Sleuth: Tracking in Winter","author":"Staff","date":"11\/24\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"As you trek through the parks of Boulder County this winter, be sure to look for signs of life in addition to the snowshoers, skiers, snowboarders, and canines exploring the plains, foothills, and mountains of the Front Range. Here\u2019s a little background on animal tracking and helpful tips to use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Park Visitors&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Park Visitors","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/park-visitors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pine tree covered in snow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/winter-pine-tree.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2276,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-detectives\/who-lives-out-there-in-the-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":1396,"position":5},"title":"Who lives out there in the Snow?","author":"Staff","date":"12\/01\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter is here in Boulder County, the temperatures have dropped, and you\u2019re probably wearing boots, a coat, cap, and mittens some days to stay dry and warm. What about the wildlife you see in the winter? What happens to them? What do they do to manage the cold season? Unlike\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nature Detectives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives Winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nd.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nd.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nd.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1399,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions\/1399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}