Tule Elk
Encyclopedia
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
found only in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, ranging from the grasslands and marshlands of the Central Valley to the grassy hills on the coast. The subspecies name derives from the tule
Tule
Schoenoplectus acutus , called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America...
that it feeds off of, which grows in the marshlands. It is the smallest subspecies of all American elks, with the average weight of adult males only 450 - 550 pounds. The females average 375 - 425 pounds. The calves are similar to deer fawns, with brown coat and white spots. When the Europeans first arrived, an estimate of 500,000 tule elk roamed these regions. But by 1895, habitat loss and hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
had reduced the elk population to only 28. Conservation measures were taken to protect the species in the 1970s. Today the wild population exceeds 4,000. Tule elk can reliably be found in Carrizo Plain National Monument
Carrizo Plain
The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles long and up to 15 miles across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California...
, Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
, and portions of the Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
from Lone Pine
Lone Pine, California
Lone Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3727 feet . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the...
to Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
.
Description
The smallest of the wapiti in North America, the tule (too-lee) elk were the dominant large ungulate in California prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Half the size of the Roosevelt elk, the tule elk is also known as the dwarf elk.History
VizcaínoSebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
described seeing elk on his 1602 exploration of the Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
area, "Among the animals there are large, fierce bears, and other animals called elks, from which they make elk leather jackets."
The arrival of the Spanish in the late 18th century caused the release of cattle and horses on the grasslands of the Central Valley. In the 1830's, Americans attracted by the abundance of Spanish cattle, sent ships to California to land men who went ashore to kill the cattle for the hide and tallow trade. In a short time, this trade removed much of the cattle from California so when the first emigrants arrived from the United States they hunted the abundant elk and other species in the absence of a livestock industry.
The gold rush of 1849 brought in musket hunters, trappers and cattle barons. Twenty-four years later, in 1873 the once great herds were reduced to a single tiny band.
Henry Miller, a California rancher, discovered a tiny remnant in his tule marshes and ordered his men to protect them. After his death the huge Miller-Lux ranch was subdivided and the hunting of the elk resumed. The population was reduced to 72 head. In the years that followed, the elk were transplanted 21 times with each attempt failing.
In 1933, a rancher named Walter Dow took a small group of penned elk to his ranch in Owens Valley, east of the Sierra. Although not native habitat for the elk, they thrived. In this same year, the state put a small herd at Cache Creek. This herd has not fared well due to poor range conditions.
It is also believed by some that this herd may have interbred with the introduced Rocky Mountain Elk which were introduced near Mount Shasta.
In 1960, the state held a hearing in Owens Valley to determine how many elk should be allowed to live there. It was decided that the elk should be hunted to limit their numbers to under 500 animals.
Through efforts of the California Department of Fish and Game, three permanent elk herds were established in California. By 1969 The Tupman State Reserve (32), Cache Creek (80) and Owens Valley, Inyo County (300 elk) were in place.
Legal Protection
A private person from Los Angeles, Beula Edmiston, formed a group to attempt a preservation program for the Elk.After more than ten years of lobbying both on the federal and state levels, in 1971 California passed legislation (the Behr bill, ref) requiring that the elk may not be hunted until their numbers surpass 2,000 head statewide or until it could be determined that suitable elk habitat no longer existed in the state, and mandated the California Department of Resources to reintroduce the elk into former habitat wherever possible.
In 1976, the US Congress passed a resolution which stated that 2000 tule elk is an appropriate national goal and directed federal agencies to make federal lands available for preservation of tule elk" (ref bureau of land management 1980).
An Interagency Task Force was formed composed of representatives form the National Park Service, US Forest Service, the Armed Forces, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG 1978). Several potential sites for the reintroduction of tule elk within the state were selected.
A herd was established at the San Luis Wildlife Refuge in 1974, and elk were released at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in 1977. In 1978, herds were established at Mt. Hamilton in Santa Clara County, Lake Pillsbury
Lake Pillsbury
Lake Pillsbury is an artificial lake in the Mendocino National Forest of Lake County, California, created from the waters impounded from the Eel River by Scott Dam. Elevation is with of shoreline and covering . Activities in the Lake Pillsbury Recreation Area include powerboating, fishing,...
in Lake County
Lake County
Lake County may refer to:In New Zealand* Lake County, New ZealandIn the United StatesIt is the name of twelve counties in the United States of America:*Named for Great Lakes, near which they are located:** Lake County, Illinois** Lake County, Indiana...
, and Jawbone Canyon in Kern County, Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
NWR, Fort Hunter Liggett
Fort Hunter Liggett
Fort Hunter Liggett , named after General Hunter Liggett in 1941, is a United States Army fort in southern Monterey County, California, about 250 miles north of Los Angeles and south of San Francisco...
Military Reservation, and Camp Roberts
Camp Roberts
Camp Roberts can refer to:* Camp Roberts, California* Camp Roberts, Indiana...
. (CDFG 1979).