Americans' love of hiking has driven elk to the brink, scientists say
Source: The Guardian
Americans' love of hiking has driven elk to the brink, scientists say
Trail use near Vail, Colorado, has more than doubled since 2009. It’s had a devastating impact on a herd of elk
Christine Peterson
Sun 25 Aug 2019 11.00 BST Last modified on Sun 25 Aug 2019 11.01 BST
Biologists used to count over 1,000 head of elk from the air near Vail, Colorado. The majestic brown animals, a symbol of the American west, dotted hundreds of square miles of slopes and valleys.
But when researchers flew the same area in February for an annual elk count, they saw only 53.
“Very few elk, not even many tracks,” their notes read. “Lots of backcountry skiing tracks.”
The surprising culprit isn’t expanding fossil-fuel development, herd mismanagement by state agencies or predators, wildlife managers say. It’s increasing numbers of outdoor recreationists – everything from hikers, mountain bikers and backcountry skiers to Jeep, all-terrain vehicle and motorcycle riders. Researchers are now starting to understand why.
US national parks and wilderness areas have boomed in popularity in the last decade, with places like Yosemite national park hitting as many as 5 million visits a year. The influx is due to a mixture of visitation campaigns, particularly during traditional “off seasons”, and an explosion of social media exposure that has made hidden gems into national and even international viral sensations.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/25/hiking-elk-driven-to-brink-colorado-vail
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