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Image source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Principal area of elk reintroduction (green) and participating counties (pink) in western Pennsylvania.
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January, 2000
St. Marys, Pennsylvania
Among the heartening stories of species restoration is the history of Pennsylvania's elk herd. Once extinct throughout most of eastern North America, elk have recently been reintroduced in several states, including Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Among these programs is a successful 1999 relocation project aimed at expanding the range of wild elk in Pennsylvania.
The American elk (Cervus elaphus) once ranged across much of the eastern United States and Canada. Unregulated hunting and clearing of the elks' forest habitat drastically reduced their numbers as European-American settlement and farming spread westward from the Atlantic coast. By the mid-nineteenth century, there were few elk anywhere east of the Mississippi. In Pennsylvania, elk persisted in the forests of the Allegheny mountains until 1867, when the last reported elk was shot.
Hunters and conservationists have long been interested in restoring populations of this majestic animal. Between 1913 and 1926, the Pennsylvania Game Commission released 177 elk from South Dakota and Wyoming into state forest lands in Pennsylvania. The introduced Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) is not the same subspecies as the original Eastern Elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis), which is thought to be extinct. However, both are of the same species and share ecological niches.
Since its reintroduction, the Pennsylvania elk herd has grown slowly but steadily. The current herd is believed to have descended from 24 survivors of the original introduced herd. The animals graze or browse in forest openings on the lower flanks of the mountains. Ironically, reclaimed strip mines provide important foraging habitat, with mixed grasses and shrubs that are good food sources for the animals. In 1999, the Pennsylvania Game Commission estimated that the state's population was around 480 animals, up from about 300 in 1997. Recently released census results raise the year 2000 population estimate to 566 individuals.
Because the herd is stable, elk managers have been able to relocate a small herd to the 280,000-acre Sproul State Forest. This move increases available habitat from 200 to 800 square miles. Relocation also reduces grazing pressure in agricultural areas, where elk occasionally cause crop damage. Plans were to relocate up to 90 animals.
The restoration program has been successful largely because of public support and participation. Partners in elk management efforts have included many private landowners, Conservation the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Maryland's Frostburg State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania State University.
To learn more, see these related websites:
Report on elk numbers, 2000 censusÑPennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission Elk page
Gary Ferrence's elk page, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
To read more, see:
Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 6th ed.
Restoration ecology, pp. 116-21
Elk and other wildlife in National Parks, pp. 334-35
Environmental Science, A Study of Interrelationships, Enger and Smith, 7th ed.
Population dynamics, pp. 93-97
Managing ecosystems for wildlife, pp. 202-5
Habitat preservation for wildlife, pp. 297-98
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