Centralia Chronicle: New Elk Control Option Offered
From the Centralia Chronicle: The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has prescribed a solution for controlling the so-called South Rainier elk herd, considered a blessing by some in…
Puyallup Tribe’s new tracking method points to smaller elk herd size
PACKWOOD – The South Rainier elk herd is smaller than previously thought, according to a new population model developed by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
“Our results point to a herd size of about 900. That’s about 1,100 fewer animals than a previous estimate by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife,” said Barbara Moeller, wildlife management biologist with the Puyallup Tribe. The tribal target population for the herd is 2,100. (more…)
Puyallup Tribe wants your signature to help save elk
Last fall, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians took a public stand against a proposal by the state of Washington to expand hunting on the fragile South Rainier elk herd.
Now, the tribe of Indians is asking for signatures to a petition to oppose the increase in harvest of female elk from the South Rainer herd near Packwood. The proposal would more than double the number of dead female elk from 35 to 79. The herd numbers fewer than 1,000 animals while the target population is more than 2,100, according to the tribal and state co-managers.
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Puyallup Tribe opposes expanded hunt on weak elk herd
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is opposing a proposed expanded hunt on the fewer than 1,000-animal herd. To decrease the number of human and elk interactions, the State of Washington is proposing an expanded hunt on antlerless elk along state Route 12 between Packwood and Morton. An expanded harvest on the South Rainier elk herd could cause the weak elk population to crash. The herd's target population is more than 2,100, according to the tribal and state co-managers.
Muckleshoot Tribe Supports Elk Nutrition Needs
The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has established a temporary feeding program for the White River elk herd, to prevent mass starvation caused by inability to find food following this year’s recordbreaking…
Meat salvage returns traditional food to tribal tables
SKAGIT COUNTY (Feb. 8, 2008) – Many North Sound tribes traditionally relied on elk meat for sustenance. But these days there are fewer hunting opportunities because of diminishing quality habitat and declining elk populations.
Without sufficient harvest opportunities to feed their members, tribes turn to meat salvage. The proximity of the Upper Skagit Tribe’s reservation to Highway 20 puts the tribe in a prime location to retrieve animals that have been struck by vehicles. Each year, the tribe recovers three to five elk that have been killed on the road or illegally hunted.
In September, members of the Upper Skagit Tribe recovered a seven-point elk that was struck by a vehicle along Highway 20. The animal was towed from the bank of the Skagit River and shared with the Swinomish Tribe.
Elk herd keeps Stillaguamish Tribe fed
The (Everett) Herald recounts Stillaguamish Tribal Chairman Shawn Yanity’s experience hunting the Nooksack herd for the first time in recent memory:
“We drove out to the area where I figured they might be. I’d been watching that herd for quite a while, and when we got there … were probably 20 there, mostly bulls.
Commentary: Harvest shows sound wildlife co-management
The (Everett) Herald ran a guest commentary by Todd Wilbur, chairman of the Inter-Tribal Wildlife Committee:
After years of state and tribal efforts to restore the dwindling Nooksack elk herd, tribal and non-Indian hunters may have a chance to share the harvest of 30 surplus bulls. This is a terrific sign that our restoration efforts are working and is a direct result of effective wildlife co-management by the state and treaty Indian tribes in Western Washington.
SVH Editorial: Limited permits for hunting bull elk are equitable
The Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) editorialized in favor of the plan to hunt 30 bulls in the Nooksack elk herd:
In the ever-narrowing space between human and animal habitat, the resurgence of the Nooksack elk herd is good news, but not without complications.
Hunters get permit to shoot elk
Tribal hunters to hunt 15 bull elk from a Skagit Valley herd that had been off limits for 12 years. The Daily (Everett) Herald reports: For the first time in…