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<br />, <br /> <br />ELK ltO\'r,l1i:.t.;'fS ANI' CAJ}J ItK; AS RlLP.Tf.U <br />.Iamf')>. M. S"".,~{W" .~~ .\lut II. \J <br /> <br />TO SNOW COVER !I <br />Sttdnh(lff <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />A 4-year .cudy ~.. conducted in the San Juan Mnun- <br />tsimaf louthwe.tern Coloraao to determine the effects <br />now on the dl.trlbutlon and calving of elk (CeiVUa' <br />can.denail . S...,.nty- lve .er a lurvey. real! te n <br />1262 winter aad,'232.5 .pring elk dght1ngs. Hell9l1l'"e- <br />menta ot th.~.nowp.ck were obtained in 8re89 of ~inter <br />elk. .laht1na.....nd at 31 permanent .(lOW' stake sites to <br />quantify th.~~ritlc.l depth of snOw for elk and co <br />e..ti.....U: wint.r rang.. Grouncl lurve:ys provided. supple- <br />mental lnfqraat10n to the spring flights for the eVA1- <br />u.~lon of: ~~~~ln8' The lnlthtion and pattern of elk <br />lIi,ratiQn,w.t,\",r..ulat.d by snow cover. Snnw deptllA <br />. .pproachlns,;:40 em (re.panse dC!pth) c.aused elk to mOVe <br />to~more expa.ed~wlnter range, if auch w88.~vdilable. <br />Atea. wtth~lIOre"than 70 em (ctitial depth) snow cover <br />wer.' .voided ~:lSouth d.pects end meadow covel' types <br />were used .by...elk more t.han atlter habitat types during <br />the winter period. E.ti.at~. of winter rsnge lndicat.d <br />thlt I IS percent lncrel,e in Inowpack may decrease <br />total wintlr rangl by 0 to 2~ percent dependent upo~ <br />pre..nt .now t,Qud1tionl. Spring movement of elk back <br />into th. hiah '~Iring .ree. we. .S8aciated more <br />atrobgly with th~~ar..n1n8 up of the open mountain <br />meadow. th.n dlJlctly ~1th . teeedtng snow line. <br />Calving acc:url<tN>>et"..n mld-"-y and mtd-J!lIle oIlC an <br />ebv.ticm of 2,9.P; to 3200 meten. Each seasolt ther~ <br />.ppesre~ to b'ia~l. habitat .vailabl~ for c4lvLng <br />below t~e .now'11ne. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Justit1~.tian <br /> <br />Elk (Cetvua eanadenala) rapte'ent a valuable natural <br />l"esou~ln 1968, huntera ill Colorado spent over <br />$19 mUUon OP aoods and servlces in connection with <br />elk hunting (Hobe And <a11bett 1910), The tremendous <br />..thetic: app..l of the wild W'l1pitl further fncretlllle& <br />the vah.u!!: .of thh big game sp~cies. With 81lch a pub- <br />lic inv~.tment involved. .ny 'ct1on ~hat rniRht affect <br />the elk populations should be scrutini~ed carefully, <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />S-"~+II;''''Y <br /> <br />0".., -n-~_J <br /> <br />CONCLUSIONS <br /> <br />THe following canclu.iona were drawn Lor the elk <br />pOPulation on Hi..lonlry Ridge~ <br />Hypochell. 1 - Critical Snow Depth <br />1. the initi.tion of ~1nt.r migration of elk is In <br />re8 On.e to lnere.sln snow COVer. <br />2. Snow de tbB. roachin 40 em response de th) <br />cause elk to *va to lIOTe expoae v nter range.'---' <br />it such 1. avaUable. .. . <br />J. Snow de t~. in exee.. of 70 cm usually prohibit <br />. the use 0 an ard. y e ..n s cons ere n.. <br />the cr1t1~.1 d~pth ot snow tor ~~k. <br />Hypothesis 2 - ^spect Preterence <br />4, There ma be a preferentisl use by elk of south <br />~spect8 an or mea o~ cover types ur 08 t e <br />winter. seUon. <br />Hypothesis ) - Winter Range <br />S. Winter rsn e decrea8ea with <br />co~er an.a e deeT.aae <br />by clau See n8 percen <br />paCk} . <br />Uypotheah ~ .. Spring Hiaration <br />6. .8 dn m1 udon O'f elk is sB8o!:1ated more <br />ro 1 ~ith re4!ln n u 0 Ct op<<m lDoun in <br />meadow. than direct y w t t e ~ece og 8n <br />tine. However, io late .prings the receding <br />%one at artial anow cover may ~~ml~ co sam~ <br />degree the movement 0' .8 (Due a. n (- <br />the. e1.k hl!!l'CS. <br />Hypothesi. ~ .. E~k Galvins Location <br />7, The ma orit of elk calving OCcurs between aid- <br />Kay and mid.. una at e evat one Ot ~DUU ~p lUum; <br /> <br />Q. 't edj,n ."OV Un. in CIOat 11:.... doe." not <br />.flect the loc.t10n Q ca v ng. <br />Hypoth..1. 6 - ~Ik c.lv~na ~1~.. <br />9. Each. rin there.p eared to b, ample habitat <br />~ v n e 011 t . lone 0 .r a anow cover. <br />10. Favored calv n .ite. are c teeter ze Y B m x- <br />ture 0 U.ber cover an ... open nae v t <br />aoutherlv exposure. <br /> <br />inct'eastn <br />.n liweT85e <br />n rease <br /> <br />Bnow <br />p~rcen' <br />ow- <br /> <br />In 1961, conSr... 4trected th~ BUTeau of Reclam8tta~ <br />to cond~ct ~e.e.rch on weathe~ ~dlf1cat10n, thus <br />in1t:httns "Project Sk)'\faur'\ \l1thtn this nation- <br />wide weather .odl11cation rea~.rch effott. the Colora- <br />do Rlve~ Basin Pilot P~oject W08 established to teSt <br />fully the operational etltui ~f wtnter cloud ..edLns. <br />The telt aite for thi. pilot project WSB 4 6500 sq km <br />area of the San Ju_n Mountain Range of 80uthwe~tern <br />Co10radQ~ Hueh of the:'target area was abov~ 2900 m <br />elevation. Coope~.nd Jolly (1969) cautioned that <br />"AlthQugh the snow management Pl'ogUtJl contemplated <br />by t~e ture&u of Recl.~tiQn and other water sup- <br />ply .genetes II 1nit1.~ly to be directed mostly to- <br />ward hiah maunta1n zonee of deep IInow not used by <br />big aaee d~Y1nl vint~r. spillover to lower el~va- <br />don 111 not impo.lible. The effect 011 \lildUfe <br />popul.tion.lliahe be 118M.ticant. Perhap. man <br />impottant from the atandpo1nt of the operating <br />.gen~i.., the p~blic may believe in such an eftccl <br />even it It does' Dot exist. Wildlife ia ~ subj~ct <br />with such high emotional content that sttong <br />effotu should b. ...de to _nsure that Hl1irnnl pop- <br />ulations .re not adverul~ effacted by \<o"eatllL'r mlld- <br />1flCf&t1on, and"that the public is flware of thiS," <br />,,~~.~" . , i,' <br />1/ !rr Ste1n~1.(~~~,W~~~a~d ,J,D. lves (Ede). 1976. EcologIcal tmpacts of anawpack aUleentatlo~ in tn. San Juan <br />Ho~nt.1D~lt~~~r.4o. San Juan Ecology Project, Final RepG~t. Colo~ado State Unlv. Publ.. Fort Colllna, <br />1./ pre..n1:,1~~.!I'_:l:i\.'~P~. of Fon.atry. Unlvc.nlty of Arkanllaa at tlonticello, Honticello, Arkansas 1l65:i <br />'f'~.'r . <br /> <br />41; <br /> <br />31 <br /> <br />A-Bd-4 <br />