ELK BEING REINTROUDCED INTO SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily TelegraphVANSANT, Va.
— For nature enthusiasts, it's a majestic sight that's
been missing from Virginia for too long. If plans proceed smoothly, 15 elk now living in Kentucky will arrive next May in Buchanan County, Va.
Volunteers met this last week with other supporters and Virginia wildlife specialists to discuss re-establishing an elk population in Southwest Virginia. In August 2010, the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries approved an elk management plan for the county.
Support for the project has been strong, said Leon Boyd, a volunteer and chairperson of the Southwestern Virginia Coalfield Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The chapter hosted a meeting at its Vansant, Va., office Jan. 11 to thank local individuals and businesses for their support.
"Later on, we will have a public meeting. We wanted to thank the folks who contributed and got the project up and going," Boyd said.
The current plan is to trap elk from a herd in neighboring Kentucky and bring them to Virginia; however, this will be done in stages. The elk will not simply be caught, then brought to Virginia and released, Boyd said.
"We're trying to get at least 15 this year from Kentucky," he said. "What's going on is that Virginia and Missouri are under a restoration program. Missouri got some elk last year."
This winter's weather has not been bad, but it may make catching elk more difficult since they will be more energetic, he said. Once the elk are caught, they will be kept in quarantine before being shipped to Virginia.
After arriving in Buchanan County, the elk will be held for two to three weeks.
"This is to get them acclimated and settled down so they won't run off," Boyd said.
If any of the females are pregnant, the new arrivals could have 10 to 15 calves before being released in May, he said. The current plan is to keep them in the southwestern end of the county in the South Gap area.
Boyd said the hope is that reestablishing an elk population will help bring more tourists into Buchanan County.
"It's been a dream of mine to seek elk in Virginia," Boyd said. "They're magnificent animals to view and watch."
If the elk become well established and the herd becomes large enough, hunting could be a possibility, too, he said. The goal is to raise a herd of 75 animals.
Farmers in neighboring Tazewell County, Va., have voiced concerns about elk wandering across the county line and infecting their livestock with chronic wasting disease; potential crop damage has been a concern, too. This has not been a concern in Kentucky, Boyd said.
"There hasn't been a problem in Kentucky, and their herd is over 11,000," he said.
Companies such as Range Resources, Consol Energy, and the Ultra Group have contributed funds to the project, he said. The local chapter plans to have fundraisers including a banquet to raise additional money for the project.
Elk were once found throughout the eastern United States, but loss of habitat and unregulated hunting drove them out of the region by the late 1800s, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Previous attempts to bring elk back to Virginia were unsuccessful.
In 1926, there were two small elk herds; one in Giles and Bland counties and another in Botetourt County near Buchanan County.
Elk hunting seasons were held from 1922 to 1960, but elk were again gone from Virginia by 1970.
been missing from Virginia for too long. If plans proceed smoothly, 15 elk now living in Kentucky will arrive next May in Buchanan County, Va.
Volunteers met this last week with other supporters and Virginia wildlife specialists to discuss re-establishing an elk population in Southwest Virginia. In August 2010, the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries approved an elk management plan for the county.
Support for the project has been strong, said Leon Boyd, a volunteer and chairperson of the Southwestern Virginia Coalfield Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The chapter hosted a meeting at its Vansant, Va., office Jan. 11 to thank local individuals and businesses for their support.
"Later on, we will have a public meeting. We wanted to thank the folks who contributed and got the project up and going," Boyd said.
The current plan is to trap elk from a herd in neighboring Kentucky and bring them to Virginia; however, this will be done in stages. The elk will not simply be caught, then brought to Virginia and released, Boyd said.
"We're trying to get at least 15 this year from Kentucky," he said. "What's going on is that Virginia and Missouri are under a restoration program. Missouri got some elk last year."
This winter's weather has not been bad, but it may make catching elk more difficult since they will be more energetic, he said. Once the elk are caught, they will be kept in quarantine before being shipped to Virginia.
After arriving in Buchanan County, the elk will be held for two to three weeks.
"This is to get them acclimated and settled down so they won't run off," Boyd said.
If any of the females are pregnant, the new arrivals could have 10 to 15 calves before being released in May, he said. The current plan is to keep them in the southwestern end of the county in the South Gap area.
Boyd said the hope is that reestablishing an elk population will help bring more tourists into Buchanan County.
"It's been a dream of mine to seek elk in Virginia," Boyd said. "They're magnificent animals to view and watch."
If the elk become well established and the herd becomes large enough, hunting could be a possibility, too, he said. The goal is to raise a herd of 75 animals.
Farmers in neighboring Tazewell County, Va., have voiced concerns about elk wandering across the county line and infecting their livestock with chronic wasting disease; potential crop damage has been a concern, too. This has not been a concern in Kentucky, Boyd said.
"There hasn't been a problem in Kentucky, and their herd is over 11,000," he said.
Companies such as Range Resources, Consol Energy, and the Ultra Group have contributed funds to the project, he said. The local chapter plans to have fundraisers including a banquet to raise additional money for the project.
Elk were once found throughout the eastern United States, but loss of habitat and unregulated hunting drove them out of the region by the late 1800s, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Previous attempts to bring elk back to Virginia were unsuccessful.
In 1926, there were two small elk herds; one in Giles and Bland counties and another in Botetourt County near Buchanan County.
Elk hunting seasons were held from 1922 to 1960, but elk were again gone from Virginia by 1970.
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