Wildlife victory crowned by 13,000 elk
A long-awaited report on elk in California details one of the state’s greatest wildlife victories and reveals the location of more than 20 herds.
In the past 50 years, the elk population in California has expanded from roughly 2,500 to 13,000, including four herds on the outskirts of the Bay Area, the report details. Yet in 1872, only a few elk were left in California, perhaps just a breeding pair. At that time, vast elk herds were nearly wiped out by market hunters during the Gold Rush and the conversion of habitat to farmlands in the San Joaquin Valley.
Many years in the making, the document is called the “Statewide Elk Conservation and Management Plan” and can be downloaded in PDF form from the Department of Fish and Wildlife at www.wildlife.ca.gov.
“In a state of nearly 40 million, having elk in California shows we still have a diverse landscape and that we can still have big wildlife,” said Joe
Hobbs, the wildlife scientist who authored the document for Fish and Wildlife.
Since 1970, more than 1,250 tule elk have been captured and relocated to establish new herds, most in Northern California, Hobbs said. That program was funded 100 percent by fees from hunting licenses, tags and excise taxes on firearms and ammunition.
“You’re going to get people who don’t like hunting,” Hobbs said. “It’s the sportsmen’s dollars, that’s where the money comes from.
“The translocation costs are high,” Hobbs said. “Helicopter time, four grand for a GPS collar, telemetry studies, personnel. It takes a lot of time and effort.” To raise the money, the DFW sells 320 tags; last year there were 36,000 applicants.
At the same time, to bridge the gap to those who do not hunt, a specific goal of the program is to “Enhance opportunities for public use and enjoyment of elk.”
The report specifies where the elk herds are located. Here is a region-by-region listing, and, remember, as Hobbs advises, “The elk don’t always read the maps.” Greater Bay Area: Point Reyes National Seashore, at Pierce Ranch and Muddy Hollow; Grizzly Island Wildlife Area (reopens to public access in February) near Suisun City; Calaveras watershed near Sunol Regional Wilderness; flank of Mount Hamilton. Mendocino/Sonoma: Cache Creek Wildlife Area, along Highway 20 east of Clear Lake; Lake Pillsbury, north of the lake in Mendocino National Forest; Potter Valley region, Mendocino National Forest. Monterey/Central Coast: Fremont Peak, often a long road to summit; Camp Roberts, near Salinas River; Fort Hunter Liggett, southern Monterey/ San Luis Obispo counties; La Panza, Carrizo Plain National Monument. Sacramento Valley: East Park Reservoir, at Bear valley just south of the lake and into Cache Creek watershed. North Coast: Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, at Elk Meadow, along Davison Road, Orick; Lake Earl, just east of the lake, Crescent City. North state: Marble Mountain Wilderness, in Ukonom Basin and Monument Lake area out of Haypress Meadow; Devil’s Garden, west of Adin in Modoc National Forest; northern Shasta Valley, east of Yreka, Shasta Valley Wildlife area, east of Yreka; Butte Valley, in the vicinity of Meiss Lake and Juanita Lake, west of Dorris. Eastern Sierra: Owens Valley, in Round Valley near Bishop. San Joaquin Valley: San Luis Reservoir, the road below dam to visitor center San Luis; San Emigdio Mountain, southern Kern County.
Shelduck mystery
The report and photograph of a European shelduck at Clear Lake, 5,500 miles from its home at the Wadden Sea off Germany, may have been solved. Photo enhancement identified a tiny band on the leg of the duck, and based on that, Peter Tira of Fish and Wildlife said the duck was likely from a hatchery that specializes in exotic waterfowl. Yet at the same time, two other sightings added a new dimension to the story. Caroline Stiggins reported that she sighted a shelduck last Sunday morning at Lake Merritt in Oakland, “exactly the same duck as the picture in your column.” In turn, Dennis Brouillet reported that he also sighted a shelduck in a marshy area along Redwood Boulevard in Novato. Wildlife specialist Mario Klip also cited a littleknown fact: “These ducks use rabbit holes to nest.”
Rare sightings
Monarchs: For a birthday present last Sunday evening, Joe and John Hlebica, father and son, climbed Albany Hill for a view of the bay and found themselves surrounded by monarch butterflies. “Miraculous,” wrote Joe. “We were spellbound.” Fence-climbing fox: Another fox was sighted climbing along the top of a fence in the backyard of Arlene DeLeon in Castro Valley. “Maybe it’s the same one mentioned in Sunday’s Chronicle that was spotted on the fence in Dublin,” she wrote. Backyard fox: John Rosenberg of La Honda provided a photo of a fox that showed up in his backyard and then laid down on his deck. Otter expansion: River otters continue to be found in new habitats, and last week, Paul Kratter sighted an otter at the pond at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek. Rare duck: At the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a Eurasian wigeon has become a repeat star, reports Mike Lee.
Bald eagles
Right over the top: “Thanks for your article on bald eagles at Los Vaqueros. We went there yesterday and got an amazing sighting with one gliding up from behind a ridge we were standing on.” — Joly Clement Sausalito surprise: “While enjoying my breakfast overlooking Richardson Bay Friday morning, I watched a bald eagle as it swept in and appeared to pick up a young coot from a group of about 20. As it flew away, with half a dozen seagulls squawking loudly after it, I was able to clearly see its white tail feathers.” — John Eller Flank of Hamilton: “At Grant Ranch (the county park along Mount Hamilton Road), we were surprised by a soaring bald eagle, low and east of Grant Lake. Always a thrill!”— Jim Heckenbach
Coyote yips Q&A
Call or celebration? “Having spent many early evenings camped in wilderness regions with coyotes and enjoying their brief ti-yi-yipping, I can tell you that they are coming out of their dens for the night and calling the pack together for the hunt and/or for socializing. They do it night after night and have yet to make a kill.” — Ron Leineke Speaking coyote: There are different calls, of course, and the letter writer was referring to when a pack goes berserk in the middle of the night. On my ranch, we’d hear that, and the next day, the golden retriever would often find a small deer leg in the area, perhaps from a fawn pried away from the doe.
They also call to socialize, as Ron notes. A friend, Steve Dunckel, was on the Pacific Crest Trail with his dog alongside, when in the early night, a distant and brief call of coyote came in the wilderness. The dog howled back, and a moment later, off he went. The dog never returned to camp. Steve was heartbroken, broke off the trip and returned to his mountain cabin. Two months later, back at the cabin, 500 miles away, the dog came trotting down the driveway to his home, like nothing had happened — and they were reunited.