Small Scopes

Imported elk and tourism

A story from Kentucky discusses the impact of importing elk on tourism and wildlife watching:

When the idea of reintroducing elk into the Eastern Kentucky mountains was little more than a wistful dream floating around the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Game Farm headquarters, one of the potential byproducts foreseen was a boost in tourism.

After all, wildlife watching is big business, and elk are among the rock stars of the animal world.

According to a 2001 survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1.36 million Kentuckians spend about $6 million annually watching, feeding and photographing various critters. Nationwide the numbers are a staggering 66.1 million people spending $38.4 billion.

With a little help from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the project literally hit the ground running in 1997 when seven elk were released. During the next five years hundreds more were transplanted from various Western states.

Today Kentucky boasts the largest free-ranging herd east of the Mississippi River, with about 5,500 elk. Hunting opportunities are expanding -- 200 tags will be offered through a quota draw this year -- and the big animals are free to roam across a 16-county restoration zone. Elk-related complaints have been few.

The animals' impact on tourism has been difficult to gauge, according to Parks Department spokesman Doug Bennett, but elk watchers are standing in line to get on the bus.

"Our trips nearly always fill up," said Trinity Shepherd, the naturalist at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park near Prestonsburg. "We could take twice as many as we have room for. Probably more than that."

Jenny Wiley has six elk tours scheduled now through early March. If you want to go, Shepherd suggests making reservations early.

"Definitely," he said. "The sooner the better."

The park tours have access to a slice of elk range most people don't get to see. The van trips go to the Starfire area in Perry County, which is part of an active mining operation that is otherwise off-limits to the public aside from a handful of limited-entry permits for the fall elk hunt.

"The location we go to is the spot where elk were first reintroduced," Jenny Wiley park manager Scott Ringham said. "Nearly every trip we have is sold out."

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posted by Tako John @ 10:34 AM