Prescribed burns and closing off areas to wintertime recreation are among the potentially unpopular steps that would help improve the health of the elk herd in Pitkin County, a wildlife official told county commissioners Tuesday.
The local elk population is larger than what wildlife officials believe area habitat can support, and herd health isn’t optimal, judging from its low reproduction rate, according to Kevin Wright, district wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Poor habitat conditions in local elk winter range, coupled with human activity in those areas, are factors that affect the herd’s health, Wright said.
“I think we have a strong elk population, but do we have a healthy elk population? I would say no,” he said.
Commissioners asked Wright to provide an update on the health of the local herd, as officials’ land-use decisions can impact big-game habitat. They also expressed an interest in discussing what can be done to improve conditions for the animals.
Read the rest of this report at .
