Source Ravalli Republic: There aren’t many places in the west where researchers know more about the relationship elk have with predators and habitat than in the upper Bitterroot Valley.
The former state big game biologist who pushed hard for an extensive study of the elk herd says it never would have happened without the support of local sportsmen, landowners and conservation organizations.
On Tuesday, July 21, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks lead researcher, Kelly Proffitt, will join University of Montana graduate student, Dan Eaker, to present the final results of the Upper Bitterroot Elk Ecology and Elk Calf Predation Research Project to the public.
Hosted by the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, the free event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn.
“It’s really the culmination of what was made possible by the effort and support of local residents,” said Craig Jourdonnais.
When Jourdonnais came to the Bitterroot as a FWP biologist, elk in the southern reaches of the Bitterroot Valley were in trouble. Hardest hit was the West Fork of the Bitterroot where elk numbers plummeted from about 2,000 in 2005 to 754 in 2010.
Jourdonnais proposed a three-year study to document the reasons behind the decline.
“When I was first sent to the valley, there were a lot of things happening with the elk and not in a good way,” he said. “There were a lot of assumptions being made and a lot of guessing going on, but there weren’t a lot of answers. That led to a discussion with local folks about the potential of a study. They decided they should jump into this thing.”
The information that came from the research opened a lot of eyes.
“Like a lot of folks back then, a lot of us were looking closely at the wolf as the main predator on elk calves,” Jourdonnais said. “A lot of us were very surprised to see mountain lions emerge as the top predator on elk calves.”
Tuesday’s talk will offer some new information to the public on the impacts of habitat on elk populations in the southern Bitterroot.
Proffitt recently completed compiling that final portion of the research project and will present the results during the program. Continue reading at this link – http://ravallirepublic.com/news/local/article_f7e500a0-2b4c-11e5-9b1d-a3e94c8409bf.html