Where Elk Roam: Conservation And Biopolitics Of Our National Elk Herd - Paperback

by Bruce Smith (Author)

An inside look at working with the majestic elk-and the controversies surrounding their conservation.

Back Jacket

One of the world's largest and most social deer species, elk--with their five- to eight-hundred-pound tawny bodies, sweeping antlers, and fascinating behaviors--draw millions of people to seek them each year in national parks and other public lands. So valued are elk for viewing, sport, and table fare, that over the past twenty-five years they have been transplanted from the West to five eastern states and Ontario, Canada. These reintroductions helped restore a treasured animal that as recently as two centuries ago roamed from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Alaska to Mexico. Where Elk Roam provides an inside look at the field studies and conservation work of a federal wildlife scientist who for twenty-two years served as the National Elk Refuge's wildlife biologist--coordinating winter feeding of eight thousand elk and tracking their births, deaths, and annual migrations throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As entertaining as it is educating, this book brings to life the joys and rewards of working not only with elk but also a host of other remarkable species--including wolves, bears, and mountain lions.

Author Biography

Bruce Smith, PhD, retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2004 after a thirty-year career as a wildlife manager and scientist. During that time, he worked with every big game species in the western United States. Many of his publications address aspects of elk ecology and conservation.