cougar wrote: ↑Sat Dec 10, 2022 4:50 pm
onebyone wrote: ↑Sat Dec 10, 2022 3:24 pm
cougar wrote: ↑Sat Dec 10, 2022 2:26 pm
Nice to see some restoration of nature with wolves. We have to update the wolf exhibit at the nature center now, as it says they were hunted to extinction in CO (not the right term, but people read extinct). Same with Canadian lynx which have hung around. A guy I just talked to looking at it was afraid to encounter either.
It does seem like an abundance of elk in the urban corridor now. I think they were there before development. Good habitat, climate, and fewer predators and hunting. What's not to like if you're an elk? They may be bothered by summer heat, longer migration to higher elevations in summer.
I think there was less elk when there was less development. I know that sounds weird. A lot of land in the areas I am talking about were overgrazed and of very poor quality. A lot of this land, albeit less of it, is now open space where cows have been removed are limited. Also, more conservation easements where grazing has been greatly reduced. More food and less chances of getting shot.
There are many places where I now see elk where there wasn't before. Not just sightings, but not elk sign either. In the past few years, I have even seen them as far east as Niwot, Lafayette, Superior, etc. There was a huge bull at CU South even. They also had to open Rabbit Mtn north of Boulder to hunting because there were so many of them.
Also, a lot of wild turkey. Also more bobcats.
I thought elk naturally roamed on the plains in some areas, pretty far east. I agree with seeing them more in the cities now. There's a herd in Loveland, and on Green Mtn in Lakewood. Barn owls have also extended their range due to human development. Geese, rabbits and raccoons also seem to thrive in cities.
Yup, they absolutely love the plains. They go high in the summer then start coming down in the fall and stay low until it gets hot, when they go high again. More or less. But there has to be food. And there has to be corridors. Of course I don't like all the development, but when I moved here more than 3 decades ago, there was so much open land. At night between Boulder and Denver, it was almost completely dark. But the land was in an awful state. Much of it way way over grazed. It was simply just not good habitat for elk. And other wildlife.
If you look at a timeline of Open Space purchases over the last 50 years, it is pretty massive. For example, Boulder only created its Open Space program in like 1967ish. Instead of disconnected various parcels in the beginning years of these OS parcels, you are now seeing the parcels linked with much better corridors for wildlife. Elk can now travel from our national forests all the way down to the plains on almost entirely public lands.
It has been very interesting to watch. Now we even have moose. Not their habitat down on the plains, but the habitat and wildlife corridors are now solid enough that even moose can migrate pretty easily. Going to be fun watching where some these wolves will end up time to time. A also expect problems.
