Predicting elk use in the Blue Mountains of NE Oregon and SE Washington
Workshop in Pendleton, Oregon (April 25, 2012) introduces practitioners to elk habitat and nutrition
models
Managing for elk requires compromises among economic, ecological, and recreational objectives. To
help state and federal agencies and local communities make these
decisions, an interagency modeling team has developed new habitat
and nutrition models that predict elk use in the Blue Mountains. Based
on recent research that recognizes the strong link between summer
nutrition and herd performance, these models offer updated science in
a user-friendly format to inform land management planning across the
Blue Mountain region.
To connect with practitioners and solicit their feedback, the modeling
team held a workshop on April 25, 2012 in Pendleton, Oregon. Over
120 land managers, planners, and biologists from a variety of agencies
and organizations joined the team for a day of presentations and
discussions about the models and their applicability.
The modeling team explained how nutrition and foraging behavior in
the summer drive habitat selection and overall population health of elk
in the region. Practitioners learned how the models reflect these dynamics, and how they can be used to
think strategically about emphasizing (or deemphasizing) elk habitat according to management objectives.
With their flexibility for multi-scale analyses, the models are useful for cooperative planning across
ownerships. The workshop allowed for several hours of questions and comments from practitioners,
who clearly saw the potential for using them in their work. As one manager said, “A forest plan revision
is coming. We need standards for elk because they are going to be indicators for all kinds of species.
There are people working on this every day at the district level. They need help and information to get
this right. I hope this model is going to do that for the practitioners on the ground. That’s exactly what
we need.”
Next steps: The modeling team will continue to work with potential users and use their input to refine
the models. Beta-testing will occur over the next year, with a final workshop planned for a year from
now.
Mary M. Rowland
Wildlife Biologist
USDA Forest Service
541-962-6582 (voice)
mrowland@fs.fed.us
Mike Wisdom
Research Wildlife Biologist
USDA Forest Service
541-962-6532 (voice)
mwisdom@fs.fed.us