It cost 1 million dollars to bring elk back to North Carolina

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
The entire 5-year project including transporting elk, constructing the acclimation pen, buying
tracking collars the research cost approximately $1.1million. All of this cost was been provided
by donations from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF)($800,000 over 5 years), the
Friends of the Smokies ($200,000), and the Great Smoky Mountains Association ($100,000). No
special federal funding has directed towards the project. Funding since 2005 has come entirely
from the REMF.


http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/management/upload/Brief-Elk.pdf

Thats a lot of money to spend to bring elk back. I didn't realize it cost that much.
 

mekanizm

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Good read. Very interesting. Every animal and offspring collared and every mortality requiring a necropsie. Red Wolves a no-go because of pup mortality. Bears relocated, bear hunters not liking it.

From 52 released in the Great Smokey Mountains in 2000 to about 140 in NC in 2012. I assume no others released since?

http://www.ncelk.org/herd.htm
 
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nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
No, they have fought it over the cervid ban, not to mention the state really doesn't know what to do with the ones they have. They (state) actually didn't want these.
 
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CRC

Old Mossy Horns
You don't realize how much it costs for ANY kind of wildlife management or research............

I didn't think trucking a few elk from Canada would be that expensive.

Now I know why some folks up here fight the NCWRC over elk managment...........
 

Doc

Twelve Pointer
I didn't think trucking a few elk from Canada would be that expensive.

Now I know why some folks up here fight the NCWRC over elk managment...........

The actual part of hauling them here in cattle trailers probably wasn't expensive. A group of about 10 people from mills river, that are loyal RMEF members, actually hauled several loads of them in cattle trailers.
 

mekanizm

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
A little different than relocating a raccoon away from the sweet corn patch apparently.

Pretty impressive the amount of effort put into that program with relocating bears, every possible adult and calf radio collared, necropsies on every single death, etc. Actually sounds like a bargain....for those who like the elk here. It has taken about 15 years to triple the herd size from the original 52.
 

alt1001

Old Mossy Horns
And I'm sure the elk have brought in tenfold to the local in economy because of tourism $$$.
 
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wademaster

Guest
1 mill? That's chicken scratch nowadays boys. Hunters, fishermen, and the like are nothing but money making tools for the state. We love to do it, they love to critique the ways we do it. $$$$$.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
And I'm sure the elk have brought in tenfold to the local in economy because of tourism $$$.

That is certainly possible.

But how much $$$ have they cost the wildlife folks who have to deal with them?

There is only so many sportsmens dollars.
 
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