Study Models Impact of Elk Feeding on CWD and Herd Health

A new study released this month by the U.S. Geological Survey reveals critical insights into chronic wasting disease management on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming.

Wyoming state and federal agencies supplementally feed elk and bison on the refuge during winter months, but concerns around potential outbreaks of CWD on the Jackson Elk Herd have wildlife managers once again reconsidering the century-old program.

Jan Fore, public affairs specialist for FWS Mountain-Prairie Region, told Mountain Journal the report provides a foundation for the management alternatives developed in the environmental impact statement. “[It] offers the best available science related to the environmental consequences of various bison and elk management strategies,” she said.

According to Fore, Wyoming’s Jackson herds contain an estimated 11,000 elk and 500 bison. Approximately 7,000-8,000 elk and 300-500 bison winter on the nearly 25,000-acre refuge, which is managed by FWS.

The USGS modeling provides a preview to some of the potential alternatives outlined in the forthcoming EIS that will guide the revision of the refuge’s bison and elk management plan. That revision will replace the FWS  2007 management plan and subsequent 2019 Step-Down plan.

In the study, USGS, Fish and Wildlife Service, and additional research scientists modeled how five management scenarios would affect the Jackson Elk Herd over a 20-year period. They concluded that current feeding practices could lead to CWD affecting 35 percent of the herd, and a reduction in population by half. Alternative strategies, including immediate feeding cessation or gradual reduction, show varying impacts.

The results suggest that Jackson elk abundance will decline under all the evaluated alternatives, however the continued feeding alternatives predict more elk initially, and the no-feeding alternatives predict the highest elk abundance in year 20.

The researchers included an examination of the impact of the alternatives on bison, and an analysis of how the elk herd would redistribute in the absence of the refuge’s feedground. FWS expects to release the updated plan for elk and bison management by fall 2025.

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