ELK RETURN TO NORTH CAROLINA It took about 20 years, but elk have returned to the Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Once native to the Tar Heel State, eastern elk vanished in the 1800s due to human encroachment on key habitat. However, now, while exact numbers are still to be determined, elk are back in the Great Smoky Mountains in Southern Appalachian, the Citizen Times reports. Wildlife biologist Joseph Yarkovich has been involved with the project since its beginnings and hopes to one day “have one large, contiguous population throughout the East Coast again,” but adds, “that’s still way, way down the road.” For now, those involved with the elk recovery project are hoping to obtain an accurate population count. “What we’ve been doing up until now is conducting a minimum count,” said Yarkovich. “The park in collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the North Carolina Wildlife Commission will coordinate for three days in a row to count as many elk as we can s
Post: 16 September 18:34
