By: Alex Day, WNPF Marketing/Communications & Database Director
In the lush rainforests and snow-capped mountains of Olympic National Park, a silent drama unfolds. Roosevelt elk, magnificent creatures with proud antlers and piercing eyes, navigate the ancient mountains, meadows, and old-growth forests. For centuries, these iconic herbivores have played a vital role in the park, shaping the landscape and interacting with countless other species.
But like many wildlife populations, Roosevelt elk face an uncertain future. Climate change, habitat loss, and disease threaten their numbers. That’s why Olympic National Park, with support from Washington’s National Park Fund, has launched an innovative new project to monitor the iconic creatures that helped pave the way for the park’s creation.
Did You Know?President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Preserve in 1897 to help protect the forest ecosystem on the Olympic Peninsula from deforestation. President Theodore Roosevelt redesignated part of the Olympic Forest Reserve as Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909 to preserve the native habitat of the elk herds. These efforts are why the once-called Olympic Elk are now called Roosevelt Elk in this president’s honor. Another Roosevelt, President Franklin Roosevelt, later signed the act redesignating the area as Olympic National Park in 1938, further protecting and preserving the landscape and the wildlife that call it home.
Roosevelt elk are a subspecies of elk found only in the Pacific Northwest. The largest herbivore in the park, Roosevelt elk are also the largest of the four North American elk subspecies with adult males clocking in at up to 1,100 pounds.
Bulls are known for their bugling, a loud, distinctive vocalization during the “rut,” or breeding season, to attract mates and establish dominance. Park visitors fortunate enough to hear the eerie bugling while hiking through the park’s forests describe it as an otherworldly and unforgettable experience.
Roosevelt elk are more than just beautiful animals; they are an indicator of the park’s overall health. Elk eat the understory vegetation and disperse seeds, shaping the forests in the park, and serve as the prey base for key predators within the park like cougar and black bear.
By monitoring their populations, we can gain valuable insights into the overall well-being of the forest. But until recently, tracking these elusive creatures was a challenging and expensive task. Traditional methods, like aerial surveys, often proved inaccurate and impractical, especially in the park’s dense forests, and simple motion-activated camera traps didn’t offer the kind of comprehensive data the park needs to monitor the overall population numbers and well-being.
The Elk Monitoring Project is a groundbreaking initiative. The brainchild of newly retired Wildlife Branch Chief Patti Happe, the new model uses a network of more advanced, strategically placed cameras to capture images of elk and other wildlife. Unlike traditional motion-triggered cameras, these cameras take photos at regular intervals, regardless of whether an animal is present. This provides the ability to estimate animal numbers, population trends, and a more comprehensive understanding of how animals use the landscape and interact with each other.
“This is a game changer for wildlife monitoring in Olympic National Park,” says Wildlife Biologist Scott Gremel. “The cameras allow us to collect data in a way that was never before possible, giving us a much clearer picture of elk populations and their movements.”
Initial camera installation began in the fall of 2022 with the deployment of 15 cameras in the Hoh watershed. In 2023, the initial cameras were checked for maintenance and images downloaded – around 30,000 images are captured by each camera – and five new sites were added to the study.
The Elk Monitoring Project is supported by generous donations from individuals like you. Your contributions are critical to supporting this vital research, which will inform conservation efforts and ensure the future of Olympic elk for generations to come.
“The support of donors allowed the park to purchase and install cameras, download and analyze data, and ultimately gain a better understanding of these magnificent creatures,” says Gremel. Donor contributions, no matter how big or small, are making a real difference when it comes to understanding and protecting one of the park’s keystone species.
With the recent emergence and spread of Treponeme Associated Hoof Disease (TAHD) in elk, having a robust monitoring program in place in the park is more important than ever. And this annual priority project is just the beginning.
With additional funding from WNPF’s multi-year Together for the Parks fundraising campaign, Olympic National Park plans to expand the program to other drainages in the future, providing an overview of changes to elk populations throughout the park and the impacts those changes will have across the parks’ diverse ecosystems. With your continued support, we can ensure that the home of the iconic Roosevelt elk remains a place of wonder and wild beauty for years to come.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. With your help, we raise private support to preserve and protect Washington’s national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone. You can learn more about our fundraising campaign at togetherfortheparks.org.
Cover photo by Ken and Mary Campbell, WNPF Friends and Supporters