ESTES PARK, Colo.—Elk roaming throughout Rocky Mountain National Park are being taken down one-by-one as a federal program to reduce the size of the herd gets under way.
A group of six to 10 volunteers arrived Wednesday in the park, about 70 miles northwest of Denver, to thin the herd because overgrazing by elk has nearly wiped out aspens and willows, prime habitat for beavers and birds.
The National Park Service approved a 20-year plan in 2007 to reduce the elk herd. The number of elk killed each year will depend on the herd’s size.
There are about 600 to 800 elk in the park and 1,000 to 1,300 elk in and around the nearby town of Estes Park.
Park spokesman Ben Bowowski says the operation is important out of respect for the animal and the integrity of the ecosystem.
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Rocky Mountain National Park Elk and Vegetation Management Plan:
