SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Plans to reintroduce elk in southern West Virginia recently received a big boost. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation donated $50,000 to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources earmarked for the project.
“There are a number of different tasks the West Virginia DNR will have to complete to get ready for an elk reintroduction and for the reintroduction itself,” said Bill Carman Regional Director of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. “Our contribution is to create seed money to get the project started.”
The costs associated include transporting the elk, treating and quarantining the elk for any potential health risks.
The plans appear to be taking shape for the reintroduction as early as next year. However, the timeline for the project hasn’t yet been made clear. The West Virginia DNR is trying to workout an arrangement to get the elk from Kentucky which is one of the most disease free herds in America.
“The window of opportunity for trapping and moving elk is very small because most people who want elk want pregnant cows,” Carman said. “What you don’t want to get into is moving cows far along in their gestation period since it’s not safe for the elk. The window is just about shut in Kentucky this year.”
However, even next year might be a stretch for the reintroduction. Kentucky only parts with a certain number of elk each year and other states are lined up to get them ahead of West Virginia.
Carman says whenever it happens his organization stands by to assist.
“That’s really a part of our mission,” He said. “We’ve been involved in elk reintroductions in 10 eastern states. In the west we do a whole lot of land conservation work, but in the east elk reintroduction projects have been the bulk of our work. Our CEO David Allen says that’s a noble and sacred cause.”