Most comments on Missouri elk reintroduction in favor of plan

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Missouri Department of Transportation supports the reintroduction of elk into Missouri, but in a letter to the Missouri Department of Conservation MoDOT raised concerns about the possibility of elk-automobile collisions. This story said MoDOT "filed an objection" to the plan. Missouri News Horizon, the organization responsible for the story, regrets the error.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- They disappeared from the Missouri landscape nearly 150 years ago. Now, it appears elk will once again return to Missouri, though they may not be universally welcomed home.

The Missouri Conservation Commission appears ready to OK the reintroduction of a tightly managed herd of these large herbivores at its upcoming meeting Oct. 15 in Kirksville, Mo. The reintroduction in Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties could occur as early as next spring.

In July, the commission directed Missouri Department of Conservation staff to prepare a study on the reintroduction of the elk into the state, this after conservation officials said they had fielded several inquiries from hunting and conservation groups about bringing the animals back into the state.

Throughout the summer, the department held hearings focused on areas of the state where elk habitat had been identified 10 years ago during a previous Department of Conservation consideration of elk reintroduction.

More than 300 people attended the public forums. The department reports 137 filled out comment cards with 83 percent favoring restoration. In addition, the department received more than 2,300 comments between July 16 and Sept. 30 through the mail, e-mail, Internet and other contacts. The department said 80 percent favored elk restoration.

Department of Conservation staff produced a 39-page draft plan that responds to concerns about property damage, veterinary diseases and traffic safety.

"We understand that farmers, livestock producers and others have concerns about elk restoration," said Department of Conservation resource scientist Lonnie Hansen. "We think this plan does an excellent job of addressing those concerns."

But some aren't so convinced.

"It's not a question of if these animals will move out [of the management area], it's a question of how far and how fast," Leslie Holloway, director of state, local and governmental affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau.

The three-county area in question produced $13.5 million in cattle sales in 2007. Local farmers fear disease transmission, loss of cattle forage and damage to fences and other structures caused by the massive animals, Holloway said.

he Department of Conservation study shows that the zone has only 33 miles of black-topped road, but the Missouri Department of Transportation has filed an objection to the elk reintroduction due to concern for traffic safety on U.S. 60, several miles outside the elk containment area.

Reynolds County commissioners are also voiced concern about public safety on county roads in the area and the possibility of disease transmission.

MDC staff said it will do everything it can to keep the elk out of areas where they are not welcomed.

The elk will be brought to Missouri mostly from Arkansas and Kentucky. Their new habitat will be a 346-square-mile area of Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties, much of which is owned by the Department of Conservation, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Foundations and landowners with an interest in hosting the elk on their property hold many remaining tracts.

The ideal density of elk is one to two per square mile.

Before the elk are brought to the state, they will be fed and monitored for nine different diseases for 93 days. Once in Missouri, the elk will be placed in large holding enclosures for four to six weeks to acclimate them to their new surroundings. During this time, they will undergo another group of tests for disease.

Before their release, each elk will receive a microchip and a radio telemetry collar. Conservation staff and student interns will track the elks' movements to ensure they remain within the confines.

The tracking collars will transmit a "mortality" signal if the animal stops moving for an extended time. Department of Conservation staff will recover all elk that die and examine them to determine a cause of death.

According to the management document, the first-year cost of maintaining and tracking a herd of 150 elk would be $411,185.

About a decade ago, concerns about suitable habitat and chronic wasting disease squelched a previous state elk reintroduction attempt. Elk are native to Missouri, but due to overhunting and the habitat disruption, they disappeared from the state by the end of the Civil War.