Elk Feeding and Management in Wyoming: A Policy Analysis

Elizabeth Deliso

(Note: Elizabeth was an intern with NRCC in the summer of 2005, while pursuing her Master's degree at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is now a research associate.) Elk Feedgrounds

Elk management in Wyoming is currently the subject of substantial debate. I planned to research the policies currently employed by wildlife agencies, investigate the context from which this controversy arose, and ascertain how the involved parties, including the National Elk Refuge (NER), could work together to develop new strategies of elk management. I hoped to identify the common interests among all parties and use these as a starting point for collaboratively creating realistic and effective recommendations.

I intended to work with the National Elk Refuge to evaluate the effectiveness of elk management in Wyoming as a whole and on the Refuge in particular, and to discuss possible improvements.

Any potential changes, if they are to be sustainable, must be made within the social and political context of Wyoming. Therefore, I also intended to work with Wyoming Game and Fish to analyze the policies governing the 22 state feedgrounds. I wanted to help foster dialogue between the state and federal agencies involved since effective elk management in Wyoming requires their collaboration and cooperation. Currently, the issue is so contentious that there seems to be little agreement or communication between the Wyoming Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, preliminary research suggests that there are actually many points of agreement often overlooked. These provide a starting point for collaboration to develop sound strategies. These basic premises are:

Elk populations in western Wyoming are valuable and deserve protection.
Human development has fragmented and diminished the elk's natural winter range.
In general, it is bad policy to feed wildlife.
Elk feeding in Wyoming is currently a very controversial issue. This controversy is in need of resolution.
Wildlife managers currently feed elk in Wyoming in part because of the long history of feeding.
Ranching, an important component of Wyoming's economy and culture, has heavily influenced elk management policies in Wyoming.
Wildlife diseases are a significant concern.

Elk management in Wyoming is currently a contentious issue. I hoped to address some of the basic questions underlying the controversy so that all of the involved parties, the National Elk Refuge being one of the most significant, could work together to develop new strategies.

My master’s project culminated in a document explaining the context of the controversy, the many perspectives on the issue, as well as my analysis of the situation, and any recommendations I develop through my discussions with the experts.

My project will benefit the National Elk Refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because it will allow them to explore in a real way the possibilities of new strategies of wildlife management on the Refuge. This will provide them with viable opportunities for improvement currently precluded by the social context.