NewsLone Roosevelt elk spotted on the coast!
Our Monitoring Scientist Lisa was out on a trail in Tillamook County when she spotted this male elk. What a surprise to run into one on the trail when they are more often seen in big herds in fields and open areas.
The opportunity to see these majestic and BIG animals is incredible. They can weigh up to 1,100 lbs, an amount hard to imagine until one is face to face with you on a trail! This one is a male and it makes sense to see him alone this time of year. Spring is when the mothers and females are with the babies in the herd leaving the males to forage solo.
It’s exciting to see them in our watershed. A good reminder that all animals benefit from healthy habitat, native plants, and clean water. Elk are an important part of the food web. They eat the plants of the understory and bigger wildlife, like cougars, eat them!
If you spot one … give it space! These are large, wild animals that deserve our respect. For more information, check out the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.