Story
Farmers fed up with roaming elk
Published: April 11, 2006
Elk occupy Port of Tillamook Bay property in January after hazing efforts failed to keep them away.
FILE PHOTO
BY JOE HAPP
Headlight-Herald Staff
TILLAMOOK — "Something's gotta be done."
That was the most frequently repeated phrase at a meeting here last week attended by about 25 Tillamook County dairymen to discuss their frustration with wandering elk herds and the damage they're doing to farmland in the north, central and southern parts of the county.
Large numbers of free-ranging elk have become a bigger, more visible problem recently, not only for farmers, but for private foresters, state and federal land managers and officials at the Port of Tillamook Bay.
Farmers say the growing elk population is damaging their fences and gates, eating forage intended for cows, causing minor erosion problems along streams and possibly posing the threat of infecting dairy herds with a number of diseases.
Foresters say the animals damage reforestation efforts by eating seedlings and port officials complain that they damage fences and drainage systems and could endanger operations at the port's airfield near U.S. 101 south of town.
The elk have also become a public relations problem of sorts for anyone contemplating measures to thin the herds. When news reports surfaced in January that port officials had arranged an "emergency hunt" in an attempt to move a herd of about 160 elk off port land, the ensuing outcry by some local residents and others from around the state and nation caused them to drop the idea. Instead, they concentrated on hazing the animals off the 1,600-acre property and repairing damaged fencing.
But that only transferred the problem to surrounding farmers, according to Port Manager Jack Crider, who also attended last week's meeting.
"The problem is that nobody wants these animals," Crider said.
He said the port can't afford to spend the money it would take to put up sturdier fencing that would keep the elk off its land. He indicated that situation would likely change after a deal is signed with a developer to build a golf course, hotel and other facilities on port land.
"Time and a few hundred thousand dollars will do it," Crider said.
But that won't help the farmers who say they're seeing more and more elk on their land.
Dairy farmer Richard Obrist, who chaired the April 3 meeting at the First Christian Church, took an informal survey of those present and most reported sighting herds on their land ranging in size from 40 to 200 head.
Herman Bierderbeck, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the group that the demand to control the elk is spreading out over a much larger area. He said his agency has established an ideal population of 5,200 elk in the Trask Unit, which covers most of the central and southern portions of the county. He said he thinks the number is below that now and that elk in the Wilson unit to the north are also below established levels.
"Two things affect damage done by the elk," Biederbeck said, "the number of elk and the sizes of the groups they're in."
He said ODFW's goals are to bring the numbers of elk in the area "back to the carrying capacity of the land and to reduce the numbers in each group."
Biederbeck said relocating the animals to preserves in other parts of the state isn't a likely option now.
"All Roosevelt elk habitat in Western Oregon is occupied," he said.
The biologist noted that some elk could be relocated on a short-term basis to areas recovering from the 2002 Biscuit fire in Southwest Oregon and the 2003 B&B fire in the Sisters Range District.
But, he estimated the cost of relocating each animal could be prohibitively expensive.
"Besides," he said, "if you only relocate some, you haven't solved the problem." Responding to a question, he said sterilization efforts have not proven to be cost effective.
According to Biederbeck, hazing animals off a property has only limited effectiveness.
"If elk are shot at and they equate the sound of gunfire with death," he said, "they learn where they aren't wanted."
One South County farmer commented that hazing animals back and forth between farms "is a game where I live."
Another commented that elk prefer to eat vegetation on forestland that has been clear-cut, but "if there's no logging, if there's nothing to eat in the forests, they'll be down on our land."
The farmers told Biederbeck they would like to have more hunting tags available to pass out to hunters on their land.
"I think there are still opportunities for hunters and landowners to work together to solve the elk problem," Biederbeck told the group.
The farmers were urged to work with the Oregon Hunters Association to come up with a plan for controlling the area's elk population that takes public sensibilities about hunts into consideration and then seek approval of state officials.
That group meets on the third Monday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Tillamook PUD conference room at 1115 Pacific Ave. in Tillamook.
Farmers fed up with roaming elk
Published: April 11, 2006
Elk occupy Port of Tillamook Bay property in January after hazing efforts failed to keep them away.
FILE PHOTO
BY JOE HAPP
Headlight-Herald Staff
TILLAMOOK — "Something's gotta be done."
That was the most frequently repeated phrase at a meeting here last week attended by about 25 Tillamook County dairymen to discuss their frustration with wandering elk herds and the damage they're doing to farmland in the north, central and southern parts of the county.
Large numbers of free-ranging elk have become a bigger, more visible problem recently, not only for farmers, but for private foresters, state and federal land managers and officials at the Port of Tillamook Bay.
Farmers say the growing elk population is damaging their fences and gates, eating forage intended for cows, causing minor erosion problems along streams and possibly posing the threat of infecting dairy herds with a number of diseases.
Foresters say the animals damage reforestation efforts by eating seedlings and port officials complain that they damage fences and drainage systems and could endanger operations at the port's airfield near U.S. 101 south of town.
The elk have also become a public relations problem of sorts for anyone contemplating measures to thin the herds. When news reports surfaced in January that port officials had arranged an "emergency hunt" in an attempt to move a herd of about 160 elk off port land, the ensuing outcry by some local residents and others from around the state and nation caused them to drop the idea. Instead, they concentrated on hazing the animals off the 1,600-acre property and repairing damaged fencing.
But that only transferred the problem to surrounding farmers, according to Port Manager Jack Crider, who also attended last week's meeting.
"The problem is that nobody wants these animals," Crider said.
He said the port can't afford to spend the money it would take to put up sturdier fencing that would keep the elk off its land. He indicated that situation would likely change after a deal is signed with a developer to build a golf course, hotel and other facilities on port land.
"Time and a few hundred thousand dollars will do it," Crider said.
But that won't help the farmers who say they're seeing more and more elk on their land.
Dairy farmer Richard Obrist, who chaired the April 3 meeting at the First Christian Church, took an informal survey of those present and most reported sighting herds on their land ranging in size from 40 to 200 head.
Herman Bierderbeck, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the group that the demand to control the elk is spreading out over a much larger area. He said his agency has established an ideal population of 5,200 elk in the Trask Unit, which covers most of the central and southern portions of the county. He said he thinks the number is below that now and that elk in the Wilson unit to the north are also below established levels.
"Two things affect damage done by the elk," Biederbeck said, "the number of elk and the sizes of the groups they're in."
He said ODFW's goals are to bring the numbers of elk in the area "back to the carrying capacity of the land and to reduce the numbers in each group."
Biederbeck said relocating the animals to preserves in other parts of the state isn't a likely option now.
"All Roosevelt elk habitat in Western Oregon is occupied," he said.
The biologist noted that some elk could be relocated on a short-term basis to areas recovering from the 2002 Biscuit fire in Southwest Oregon and the 2003 B&B fire in the Sisters Range District.
But, he estimated the cost of relocating each animal could be prohibitively expensive.
"Besides," he said, "if you only relocate some, you haven't solved the problem." Responding to a question, he said sterilization efforts have not proven to be cost effective.
According to Biederbeck, hazing animals off a property has only limited effectiveness.
"If elk are shot at and they equate the sound of gunfire with death," he said, "they learn where they aren't wanted."
One South County farmer commented that hazing animals back and forth between farms "is a game where I live."
Another commented that elk prefer to eat vegetation on forestland that has been clear-cut, but "if there's no logging, if there's nothing to eat in the forests, they'll be down on our land."
The farmers told Biederbeck they would like to have more hunting tags available to pass out to hunters on their land.
"I think there are still opportunities for hunters and landowners to work together to solve the elk problem," Biederbeck told the group.
The farmers were urged to work with the Oregon Hunters Association to come up with a plan for controlling the area's elk population that takes public sensibilities about hunts into consideration and then seek approval of state officials.
That group meets on the third Monday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Tillamook PUD conference room at 1115 Pacific Ave. in Tillamook.
