CPW officials cite 50 percent drop in Eagle Valley’s elk population

EAGLE COUNTY — Imagine if, over a 10-year period, half of Eagle County’s human population disappeared.

We would be using the terms “drastic,” “alarming” and maybe even “catastrophic” to describe the situation.

During the past decade, that exact scenario has played out for one group of county residents. Today’s elk population in the area — from Vail Pass to Glenwood Canyon — is 50 percent lower than it was in 2007. This precipitous drop has personnel from Colorado Parks and Wildlife concerned.

“I don’t think people realize the dramatic amount the elk population has decreased,” said Craig Wescoatt, wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“The numbers we have counted have dropped some 50 (percent) to 60 percent in the last 10 years,” Wescoatt said. “We are not seeing the animals migrate to another area or permanently move somewhere else. They are just dead and gone.”

Bill Andree is also a CPW wildlife manager stationed in the area. He noted elk counts are done from helicopters in the winter, and during the census, managers record age and sex information about the animals. Based on the same number of flight hours with the same personnel doing the counting, the Vail Pass to Aspen count, south of Interstate 70, recorded 3,500 elk in 2006. In 2016, only 1,400 elk were sighted in the same area.

Andree continued, noting that the aerial count numbers, combined with harvest data and winter condition information, is used to run a computer model that provides a population estimate. In 2002, an estimated 10,600 elk resided in the valley. By 2016, the number had dropped to an estimated 6,554 elk.

What’s more, looking at the trend of elk calf production, the news is grim.

Previously, CPW’s data showed numbers of roughly 50 calves per 100 cows. Those figures are now in the low 30s. CPW wildlife manager Bill Andree noted that at about 34 to 35 calves per 100 cows, its possible to maintain a herd. But with a herd that has already dropped by half, maintenance isn’t the goal.

“The chance of numbers returning to the population of 2007 is pretty difficult,” Andree said.

“There is no one, individual reason for this population decline,” Andree continued.

Eagle County hasn’t experienced a cataclysmic fire or a calamitous flood, for example. The area has seen drier conditions including drought in 2012, but a single drought year isn’t a big enough event to wipe out half of the region’s elk population. Likewise, the region has seen an increase in predatory issues with more mountain lions and bears moving to the area. But at most, the presence of more predators is a contributing factor to the elk population decline.

The biggest issue affecting the local elk population is disruption.

“It’s not only that there are more people and more houses. There are more areas being used by people,” Wescoatt said.

Recreationalists rejoice when they gain access to former ranch land, both for the opportunities the property itself offers and also for its gateway potential to federal lands. But what’s great for people isn’t great for wildlife.

Andree noted it is becoming increasingly difficult for animals to find respite from humans.