Colorado’s top wildlife officer said today he is optimistic about the chances that Congress will give Rocky Mountain National Park the authority to let hunters shoot park elk to reduce a serious overpopulation problem.
“I think we’ve jiggled loose some positions that were previously pretty well entrenched,” Division of Wildlife Director Bruce McCloskey told the state Wildlife Commission, which oversees hunting in the state.
The park about 60 miles northwest of Denver has up to 3,000 elk, officials say, and they want to reduce that to about 1,700. The burgeoning elk numbers have led to overgrazing, damage to aspen groves and meadows and destruction of beaver ponds.
The park’s preferred plan calls for killing elk at night with silencer-equipped guns, in part to minimize disturbances to visitors. Other elk would be dispersed. Officials envision a 20-year plan costing up to $18 million.
State-managed hunting of elk in the park would be a radical departure from National Park Service policy, and its legality is uncertain.
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., has introduced a bill in Congress to make clear the park service has the authority to allow hunters to thin the elk.
Elk herds are one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s attractions, especially in the fall, when the males’ distinctive mating calls echo across broad meadows. Their numbers have mushroomed because they have few predators in the park.
